Free Range Children :)

My garden is almost in full production right now and I am enjoying it so much this year. This picture was taken a few weeks ago (before our big rains) so it has grown a bunch since then. For the last couple years my garden has been pretty dismal and last year nothing grew in my tiny plot at all.

I used to have a big garden but a garage was built in its spot a few years back. After that I was trying to grow a few things in a tiny, too shaded, cement dirt spot and it wasn't working. I hated having to buy overpriced nasty produce from the store all last summer...so this year we sacrificed part of our front lawn , hauled in some fantastic fertile soil (aka decomposed cow poop)and Yippee I have a garden again. Endless supply of crunchy, healthy stuff.

I love how convenient it is. We live 40 km from the nearest store and we try to conserve gas so when we are out of fresh stuff...we are out of fresh stuff until the next trip to town.
Now all I have to do is go select my veggies from the yard a few minutes before supper.
I also love that its FREE! Its really helping my already very tight grocery budget. I can skip right over the produce section at the grocery store! (out here in Hickville produce is expensive)
I love that its fresh.
Within minutes of picking the lettuce its made into a salad and ready to eat!
We've been eating a lot of main dish salads trying to use up the huge amount of lettuce that needs to be used. Any one need lettuce? come help yourself!

I wasn't sure what the kids would think of cooked greens this year. They have liked them in the past but after a year without, you just never know. They have been gobbling up Swiss Chard and Beet greens almost daily. Silas isn't as enthusiastic but will eat them chopped up in his other food.
We are also enjoying radishes, beets, strawberries, currants, spinach, onions, and new little carrots.
Within the next few days I will be busy picking raspberries, peas,and beans.
We will also have new red potatoes soon...yum!

Silas has always been my pickiest eater but he is even getting much more adventurous in his eating. He still won't eat cooked frozen peas but will eat them fresh and raw out of the garden....fine with me :)

Here is Aili making a "salad" for her and Roman while they play " survivor" or something of the sort. They pick a container of berries and greens and then take it to their hideaway to eat while they play.

They often come in smelling like green onions and cilantro.....good in a taco, not so good on their breath.

Silas looks like a little bunny stealing my peas.

I'm totally ok with the kids grazing in the garden as long as they are careful not to pull up or stomp on the plants. So far so good.

I like being able to put the kidlets " out to pasture" in the summer.

Can you tell I'm a farm girl?

Its kind of nice when they come in from playing with tummies full of veggies.

I usually try to plant things like cherry tomatoes and snap peas (with edible pods) for them to graze on.

It's great when you can answer "MOM, I'm hungry" with "go check the strawberry patch"

There is just no comparison in the flavour either.

Our big storm!

We have been so dry all spring and for the first part of summer...but as you can see that has recently changed.

We got 2 1/2 inches in a few hours. I thought we would float away...that or get blown away by the crazy wind.

It was a pretty good light show too.

It sure greened things up though, my lawn has never looked so good.

I finally got around to mowing it. It was close to becoming its own little jungle eco- system.

Now for the weeds!