Spring & summer garden delights

I just realized I hadn't made a post since November last year. I have garden pictures to share since then! And of course the occasional dinner or dessert to share...

My goal this Spring was to clean up the old garden. I tried mowing, pruning,  wacking and hacking at weeds... but alas, it is a futile effort. It's not convenient for me to try to clean up the old yard diligently. Ultimately, the weeds won...I really don't have time to have a garden either. 

Although, I did till a small patch at my grandparents. I transplanted about 8 or so butternut squash that I started at the apartment. 

I also planted lettuce, spinach, radish and kale in a grow box. It had wheels it's convenient on the apartment porch. 

At the start of summer, I planted a flower garden and decorated for my grandma. 

The great part about summer is the harvest and food in season. I made several mushroom sandwiches, with some vegan mayo, fried onion and tomato. 

Foods like corn, beans, tomatoes, and squash are in season. They're excellent cooked separately but eaten altogether. 

I also harvested berries from the old garden, and made some kind of weird blackberry pie with biscuit dough and vegan creme on top. 

I also foraged a handful of chanterelle mushrooms on a hike. Theres no need to make them fancifully- I just fry them with light oil and salt. Served with garden beans and wild rice.

Towards the end of summer, I have been making an effort to hike in the woods at least once a week. Hiking has helped exceptionally in making my 'end-of-summer' blues subside a bit. It's making me crave a bit of hiking this fall. I find it safer and much easier to hike in the late fall. The best part of hiking is seeing all the different shroomies along the path. 

Chicken of the woods mushroom growing 
On a timbered log at the nearby state park.

I watched the chicken of the woods mushroom grow and was ready to cut it on the third day, but someone snagged it! 

In the next week, I'm going to assess the old garden for any Pears, peaches, and mulberries. I should be able to harvest pears and mulberries in a few weeks.

This was the size of the pears in June

The pears have likely dropped from rot,
been eaten, or filled the worms, so
 I'm not expecting any peaches!

The garden I started at the apartment didn't do much. I had a few peppers picked, and I may be able to keep a few plants going to keep harvesting peppers but I have too many plants to bring back inside for the fall and winter as it is! 

Summer wanderings (Hiking, biking, & Mushroom Finds)

My Summer began pleasantly, with a trip to South West Florida, where I ate delectable food, swam in the ocean, and spotted dolphins swimming whimsically in the glimmering sunlight. 

Me, after eating Jackie Chan vegan pizza at Wildwood in Punta Gorda

Mango Bistro eatery in Englewood, FL with lots of vegan food options

Mango Tree

Juncture at the ocean where Peace River and Gasparilla Sound - Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserve meet

South Jetty Beach at the corner of the Gulf Coast

Boca Grande Beach at the Gulf Coast

Vegetable Vegan Sushi Roll at Hurricane Charley's 

For the remainder of the summer, I've been working- and in my free time, in the garden. My garden has been on the back burner for various reasons. But, I'm patiently waiting for cucumbers, tomatoes, pumpkins; and particularly corn! I have a newfound obsession with street corn aftering eating some at this great restaurant, The Social Vegan. I made my own one day, too. The picture doesn't show the finished product- only after the corn came out of the broiler. For these, I broiled with vegan butter, then after cooking- covered in vegan mayo, lime  juice, different pepper spices and cashew powder to act as the "parmesan."

Furthermore, I need to investigate the garden for cucumbers. I have lots of cucumber plants growing and flowering, but I've only harvested 1 fruit thus far; so, I'm not keeping my hopes us. In addition to that, I need to dig and harvest up potatoes from the mounds. This was my first batch- seen in the picture.

In the next day or so, I'll be sowing leafy green seeds to transplant for a fall garden. 

Besides gardening- Ashley and I both recently purchased bicycles. We are trying to stay active physically; but also to try to enjoy our summer with nice bike rides, little camp fires by the creek, hikes in the woods...and alcoholic slushies, ha!

Drinks at The Social Vegan

Frozen Peach, strawberry, pineapple, & vegan almond creamer "Ice Cream" topped with coconut & almonds

As mentioned, I have enjoyed leisure hikes in the woods with scenes of mossy oak, vivacious ferns, and delectable-looking mushrooms; so, I wanted to share some of those photos from my recent hikes. 

As you may or may not know, Kentucky has been regularly hit hard in the last year from flooding and natural disasters in general. The particular region I am located in Kentucky was hit with light flooding, but nothing as disastrous as the other regions recently. With that said, my hikes through the woods have consisted of mushroom spotting. With much rain and heat, comes a variety of mushrooms!

Chicken of the Woods mushrooms growing on an OLD fallen oak tree

Sometimes you find treasures in a fairy garden of the woods!

Before a bike ride in the woods the other day, there was a light rain; so, I put my bigger houseplants out in the rain on our stair steps to get watered.

Sometimes I'm told I have too many snake plants...

Jewels in my container pots...with freshly added garden soil and coconut coir to revitalize my houseplants...

Propagated Monstera transplanted 

Fossilized fish head from the creek with marbles to accentuate the cacti plant 

Her name is Buela

Monstera

Monstera rocks 

Mossy tree along the creek

Tree roots like the veins of the Earth's floor

Snake-like tree overhanging the creek...

Back in June, some colleagues of mine went to Comedy Off Broadway, and had dinner at Palmer's- and we spotted a goose giving birth...

Another evening in June, we had a fire next to a creek, roasting veggie hot dogs. Our cats always follow us to the creek- one of them likes to laze on my backpack.

This past weekend- the end of July- Ashley and I visited Indiana for some family time. Here was one view- of a soybean field. To me, much of Indiana was miles of disorienting roads with walls of corn and soybean fields. Indiana is a different landscape than my stomping grounds- it's flat, swamp like terrain whereas Kentucky is rolling foothills that can look like towering mountain sides. 

Looks like an alien spaceship is going to abduct a cow in this field

That's the jist of my summer so far. I will say, I had a Covid stint that required me to quarantine for 10 days and mask for 5 days. I was fortunate to not have severe symptoms- but it felt very close to pneumonia- it did not feel like the flu. I have also been fully vaccinated and had my booster; so, maybe that helped. I became very weak; and it took another weak to regain my strength back. I am also fortunate enough to have a job that can accommodate working from home, which I did. 

The summer is going by fast, and I hope to continue to harvest some veg as well as start a fall garden. Stay tuned!