Posted in appetizers/snacks, Food, Gardening, Homemade Mixes, Kids in the Kitchen, No-Bake

Fresh Garden Vegetable Dip

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Lately, the local farmer ‘s market is filled with a bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Broccoli, carrots, and celery, are all quite inexpensive and take little effort to prepare for a quick summer snack. My own garden is coming along well but not quite ready to harvest. Looking over my plants, I see that the cucumbers, squash, celery, and tomatoes are all doing well but have a long way to go before they will be ready for picking. Thanks to soft, plentiful rain showers and lots of sunshine, this year’s garden looks strong and healthy. Although, last year’s garden was a complete flop. The drought in my area caused many gardeners to give up on the garden all together. I pulled out this recipe today as I am sure we will be reaping the benefits of our labor soon. I really enjoy the taste of this dip compared to that of the store bought powdered mix. All of the ingredients are common pantry items and the dip can be thrown together with little effort. It’s smooth, creamy, and flavorful and can be used on salads, for chips, or as a vegetable dip.

Garden Fresh Vegetable Dip

1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon dried chives
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/2teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Whisk all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Cover and chill for 1 hour before serving. Great for chips and vegetables.

Posted in Gardening

Planting Tips…The Round, Spiky, Fluffy Rule

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I have been so pleased with my flower garden this summer. We have had plenty of rain and sunshine so things have been progressing well with very little effort on my part. I just love sitting outdoors in the late afternoon with a glass of lemonade and gazing over the flowers while the butterflies and bees do their thing. I’ve posted some of my round, spiky, and fluffy garden favorites that will soon fade while others will begin to bloom.

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I was recently watching a local morning news program and was interested in a spotlight feature on container gardening. An interesting idea was presented; using the “Round, Spiky, Fluffy” rule as a means to successful container gardening.
This looked like a great idea to me…to find round, fluffy, and spiky looking plants to combine in a container for the perfect aesthetic. Daisies, and pansies are good examples of round flowering plants. Begonias might be categorized as fluffy. And, salvia would be a great example of a spiky flowering plant. Try not to shade out any plants in the container as they will continue to grow. Make sure your containers includes something filling, spilling and thrilling in order to spotlight the beauty of the season!