The Great Monsoon of 2015

Its not appearing very likely the first round of hay will ever be cut.  The rain is still coming, each day and every day.  Maybe Mother Nature drank too much dandelion wine and forgot to turn the sprinklers off.  It happens...

I'm behind horribly with the garden weeding.  A broken arm set things back quite a bit.  Though I did get some great help with the barn and now it is all back in place again.  I'll tackle the garden over my long Fourth of July weekend break from corporate life. 

I'm not sure what will be made of it though. It already looks like the radishes and cilantro have drowned, and the peppers are beyond suffering.  But the garlic, lettuce and corn look great! I was finally able to harvest some lettuce and make the first salad of the season.  That made tolerating all the rain a tad easier.  Fresh lettuce is so much nicer than store-bought.
 

I made some lovely cheesy, onion and bacon scalloped potatoes to go along...

New bunnies have made their appearance.  There two larger ones, and now two more that are only a few days old.  That's another thing I have to get a handle on.  It's well over due time for a grand slaughter of older chickens and bunnies.  And the pig will be ready soon too.  I'm down to a couple hams, a tongue, some blade steaks, and miscellaneous other cuts, but only a mere pound of the coveted bacon! 

Lettuce Talk...

We planted a little more lettuce this year, and now I wish we'd planted even more.  More garden space is definitely going to have to be added soon, because this year I have no room for corn or pumpkins or squash. Though I will admit it may not have been necessary to plant 25 tomato plants?

But anyway, back to lettuce.  I adore salads and their versatility.  Mind you, not the creamy, blue-cheesy, topped with breaded chicken, shredded cheddar and loaded crappy crouton-type salad that you get in many restaurants and fast food joints ( I won't say which ones), but REAL salads.  The kind you pick fresh from the garden, make your own crouton and dressing, and maybe even top with a hard-boiled free-range egg and some roasted vegetables.  Those kind of salads. 

Did you know that a 100 gram (about 3.5 oz) serving of lettuce contains only 15 calories?  And 247% of your daily vitamin A requirement?

How about that its also a rich source of vitamin K, contains good amounts of folates and vitamin C, and is packed with B-complex vitamins (thiamine, B-5, riboflavin's).

Regularly consuming lettuce is known to prevent iron-deficiency anemia, and protect from cardiovascular and Alzheimer's diseases, as well as some cancers.

The darker the green or reddish the leaves, the more nutrients in each serving.  Lettuce is also a complete protein containing all eight amino acids.  Never would have guessed that one...

I bet you will look at lettuce a little differently now, won't you?

So last night for dinner I made a salad from the garden, and a little of everything else. I broiled a piece of wild salmon to go alongside, poured a glass of wine, and it was just right. 

Eat well friends ~ A

From Garden to plate!