Ingredients1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon seasoned salt 1 teaspoon chili powder 1/8 teaspoon pepper 4 pork chops, about 3/4-inch thick 1/2 cup raw rice 5 cups fresh diced tomatoes 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper 1/2 cup chopped onion 1/4 cup sliced ripe olives 1 tablespoon sugar 2 cups thinly sliced zucchini or summer squash 1/2 to 1 cup shredded Mozzarella … [Read more...]
How To Bake an Overgrown Summer Squash
A couple years ago an oversight actually turned into a delicious idea. I walked out to my patch of yellow squash plants and found a squash that had become huge. It was about 14 inches long and had a diameter of about 4 inches. As soon as I saw the summer squash I immediately became angry at myself for not checking between the big leaves better for possible pickings. This one had slipped by, and was now probably not worth eating.Typically when … [Read more...]
Saving Heirloom Tomato Seeds
Today's vegetable gardener has hundreds of different heirloom tomato varieties to choose from, anything from Brandywine to Mortgage Lifter. Some tomato growers have kept particular tomato seeds in their families for several generations. If you are interested in starting the trend of keeping an heirloom tomato variety in your family, you must be able to save the seeds so they can be passed down to your children. Saving tomato seeds is not very … [Read more...]
My Zucchini Plant Progress
My zucchini plants have been in the ground almost a month, so I figured it would be a great time to post about their progression thus far. I must say they are growing far quicker than I ever expected. The zucchini are already blooming and have started producing some baby zucchini. I have never really had a vegetable start blooming and producing this early in the season - it's not even Memorial Day yet! I am not sure if this is a good sign or a … [Read more...]
What Is Companion Planting?
Companion planting is a phrase that many gardeners have heard or read about, but what exactly is companion planting? Plainly put, companion planting is the concept of planting two or more plants next to one another to enhance the growth or flavor of the plants. Usually companion planting uses both vegetable plants and some ornamentals in order for the plants to support each other.Ever heard of the "Three Sisters Garden"?The Three Sisters … [Read more...]
How To Build a Simple Cucumber Trellis
Using a trellis to support your cucumber plants, or other vining vegetables, is the best way to grow beautiful and tasty cucumbers. Many gardeners have learned the hard way (including me) that letting your cucumber vines just spread upon the ground is a good way to not have many cucumbers.The plants are much more susceptible to diseases, such as powdery mildew, and can cause the fruit to rot on the bottom when they are allowed to spread on … [Read more...]
How To Choose Tomato Plants
Many vegetable gardeners, myself included, choose to buy tomato plants from a garden center rather than start them from seed. Doing this is a great way to jump start the tomato production in the garden. Tomato plants are quite adaptive, which makes them a superb candidate for transplanting.Tomatoes are arguably the most popular vegetable in the home garden. Nearly 24 million tomato plants are sold each year in the U.S., far surpassing any … [Read more...]
What To Do If Your Vegetable Garden Fails
As the economy flounders, more and more people are becoming interested in growing their own vegetables. With this incoming wave of vegetable gardening popularity comes a new group of novice gardeners. This is great news for the vegetable gardening community, and I say it's about time you got involved in growing your own vegetables.Some vegetables are easier to grow than others, and there always seems to be some type of pest that's ready to … [Read more...]
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