A last taste of summer

As I've mentioned before, for most of the long, hot summer we had here, our little garden didn't have the energy to produce much of anything, but in the last month or two, it's been trying to make up for it. Yesterday, I collected what's likely to be our last harvest of the year.

It was a cold weekend, and we actually lost quite a few tomatoes before I was able to get to them, not that you'd know from looking at these pictures. There was probably at least another bowl's worth on the ground.

While it's pretty easy to use up a lot of tomatoes at one time, using up an entire bowl of jalapenos at once is another thing altogether. It definitely would have been nice to have that harvest spread out over the summer. My first thought: make a whole bunch of salsa.

But it would take a long time (or a HUGE party) to eat that much salsa. Instead, we enjoyed the tomatoes last night in our favorite summer meal: slice them in half; mix them with some basil, garlic, and olive oil; and serve them on slices of baguette topped with olive oil (or butter if you're feeling indulgent) and placed under the broiler for a few minutes. So simple, so delicious.

The eggplant will be gracing some pasta tomorrow night, and the jalapenos? Well, they'll probably end up pickled.

I love getting to eat things from our garden. They taste so much fresher and more delicious than anything from the store or market, and it's a special experience to know you grew it.

I can't wait until B's a bit older and can help us. What a wonderful opportunity to teach him where food comes from and the importance of eating good, real food — eating well, not out of a box.

 Thank you, Lord, for our bounty — for one more taste of summer.

I can't wait to start planning next year's garden. (Speaking of which, have you guys seen the Smart Gardener website? I re-pinned it from a friend a few weeks ago, and I have a feeling I'll be spending quite a bit of time on it in the coming months. It helps you plan your garden based on where you live, how much space you have, etc. So fun!)