Lettuce have Salad!

The family farm (as I like to call it) is in full bloom and we are LOVING watching it grow, not to mention the deliciousness that is fresh vegetables!  Lettuce has been in for a few weeks and I think it's safe to say that we will never look at salad the same way again.  All the organic mixed greens that I usually buy in a bag at Ingles can't come close to my new favorite "yard salads."  I think the fact that we put this in the ground as seeds and now can chow down has a lot to do with my love of yard salad! 
We are also well on our way to a full summer of yum!  Peppers are growing, squash has started being picked, tomatoes are FINALLY turning red and the first home grown cole slaw has finally been made.  Our herbs are growing so fast that we have to cut and store every weekend with drying, freezing and every other way of preserving all the yummy basil, apple mint and parsley that is growing faster than we know what to do with it.  The other herbs are much more manageable but my goodness some are growing fast!
This past weekend was my first attempt at making pickles ever and it was so much fun!  We decided to start small with refrigerator pickles since we are new to the homemade pickle game PLUS we don't have one of the crocks that all the recipes say you need.  (I also don't possess the ability to keep up with a recipe for 6 weeks, my attention span just can't take that kind of commitment!)  Thank goodness for the internet because we found a simple recipe that we used but learned we would need to triple the liquid recipe in order to be sure we had enough liquid to cover all the cucumbers and onions.
Here are a few pictures of the "farm" and our progress, the tomatoes have officially out grown me as have the cucumbers!
I've been working on some adorable art projects at my summer day camp job so those pictures will be up soon.  We are "traveling the world" with a country each week so Japan and India's projects will be up soon!
Enjoy!

 Chives!

 Baby Cucumber

 More Basil and Apple Mint than we know what to do with!

 This is now delish cole slaw!

 Oh Roma's, How I do love you so...

 Just a little bee doing his thing...

 Lettuce eat salad!

Lilac Peppers...they have just turned Purple, pictures soon!

 

 Spaghetti Squash soakin' in the sun

 New tomatoes for later in the summer

Okra flowers

 Spring onions

 A look at our Fridge Pickles

 A little cucumber and a little onion...

 Jar them up...

 Add the tangy and sweet liquid and seal them.

 A nice afternoon spent making pickles!

 This one is just because I'm so proud they're finally red.  Dad told me that my sunny disposition wouldn't ripen them and I had to let the sun do its work!

Now, what to make with all this deliciousness!?!?