Summer is Heating Up! Wednesday, July 20th

Well, it's definitely that time of year - the dog days of summer have arrived! It's heating up at the gardens and veggies are growing like crazy! The pumpkin and squash are taking off as are the corn and beans! These are all good things! We'll have a great harvest come Fall!

The weeds are still out of control and it's often disheartening to go over to the gardens and see all the weeds taking over everything. The more we pull and knock them down, the bigger they seem to grow. It's a never-ending battle that we all face. Luckily, Matt and Brad have been knocking them down with the lawn mower, so that helps a lot! Thanks, guys!

With all these veggies coming up, what in the world do we do with them? Well, there's loads of options, and we have a few suggestions here for you! We've been making some yummy vegetarian meals with quinoa and beans right on the grill so you don't have to heat up the kitchen! These Mediterranean Stuffed Bell Peppers are light and easy and fun to make!

2 cups quinoa
1 cup garbanzo beans
zucchini
pappadew peppers
Red Bell Peppers - halved and cleaned
1 TBSP lemon juice
basil
feta cheese

cook the quinoa until done and then add the zucchini and pappadews and cook down slightly - remove from heat. Add salt, lemon juice and basil to taste. Stuff the bell peppers with quinoa filling and top with feta cheese. Put the peppers on the grill just before you're ready to eat and cook to your liking - then, enjoy! This is a great meal to sit outside and enjoy a glass of wine and the cool night air before the sun sets!

If you have an abundance of any veggies, you can also take them down to the local food bank, where those less-fortunate from the community can enjoy the bounties of your harvest as well!

Finally, we are starting to talk about plans for next year's gardens! We have included a link to "Starting a Community Garden" on the right for ideas, and we are welcoming new members for the coming year as well! Tell your friends and come on out and join us for another great season of gardening!

Happy Gardening!