Farmer's Market #12

I have quite the inner sadness: our farm share is coming to an end. Not only does this mean a loss of fresh veggies, but it marks the end of summer. To me, summer always ended when the garden stopped producing. My tiny backyard garden is just about over. On the whole, this year it wasn't amazing. I had lots of tiny yellow tomatoes but none of the bigger variety. Basil and banana peppers were successful while the squash, cucumbers, and okra proved a failure. Steve and I even tried planting hops this year. We knew they wouldn't produce much the first year, but we expected at least enough for maybe one batch of beer. Alas, we got not even one bloom. I know that I should have devoted more time to the garden. I kept it watered and weeded when I could. I even added nutrients to the soil at the beginning of the season and turned over both beds. I promise that next year, the bounty from my garden will be better.



Despite my personal failings with vegetables, the farm share never disappoints. We got some lovely okra that didn't last very long before hitting a frying pan. The butternut squash this week is about twice the size of the one we got a few weeks ago. This should at least provide a side dish for two people. And did you notice the bonus bread? This is a very hearty compact bread. I lot thicker than what I'm used to, but it has good flavor. It went particularly good with some strawberry jam.

And those dark beans? Can anyone give me some tips? They are dried and I think I'm supposed to pull out the seeds and boil them.... but I'm not sure how (Steve picked up this basket and directions got lost in translation). I would appreciate any help- since you guys are a wealth of knowledge!