“FRUITS OF OUR LABOR”: Part 2

KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED

So the garden we planted back in May produced beautiful fruits & veggies (considering the tomato is actually a fruit right – whatever I don’t buy that). And since Justin doesn’t much care for delicious, perfectly ripe, HEAVENLY homegrown tomatoes (too bad for him, all too good for me), I indulged in them almost every day. OMG I’m surprised I didn’t break out in a hivey rash like someone would if they rolled around naked in a spread of poison ivy – I seriously ate SO MANY damn tomatoes. And thankfully, it looks like I’ll be able to enjoy them into the beginning weeks of October.

Since there were so many, I couldn’t keep up with all of them so like every other gardener I gave away a bunch. And the bonus, I canned for the first time! Thanks to my “garden mentor” Raymond, I was able to can our delicious tomatoes, in a puree form, for our future winter cooking. For recipes such as goulash, chili, homemade cream of tomato soup, & anything else that involves a homemade marinara sauce (like spicy goat cheese lasagna, stuffed peppers, yum!). So let’s just cross our fingers and why not just go ahead and cross the toes too that this canning process of mine will prove successful come winter when I unscrew one of these pints ☺ and not UNsuccessful – as in no good & causing some horrendous case of the schineetoes, like that gas station hot dog back in 96’ proved to me (another story that I may or may not share with you all – let’s just say it involves a case of the worse upset insides one could imagine, my Nissan Pathfinder & me on the highway stretch of 23 North cruising in the dark of night at what could have been 120MPH….oh, and me falling down a grassy hill off of the highway). Yeah – you get the picture. In retrospect, fucking hilarious. At the time – quite horrendous.

Anyway, back to the post here :) Other veggies in our garden included: Gypsy Peppers, Hot Hungarian Wax Peppers, and Cukes. So we thoroughly enjoyed this summer with all our homegrown fruits & veggies. I can’t wait till next Summer! And with that, I leave you with my grandma Alice's delicious Cucumber Salad Recipe. And yes, it calls for Miracle Whip, which some people had noted numerous times as being strange. So when I called up Grandma Alice to confirm her 83 yr. old mind wasn’t deteriorating & that she REALLY MEANT to tell me Miracle Whip, she replied in her standard harsh no bullshit irritated manner “Now dammit. I TOLD you Miracle Whip! I USE MIRACLE WHIP!!” And, she was right on the money. I made it when up north with the Clark’s and it was just as it always was….delicious! Well, I may have made it a little more runnier then usual but it was my first time. And Grandma, sorry for doubting you. NEVER AGAIN ok :)

RECIPE: Alice's Cucumber Salad

She keeps it basic, no measurements, so just go with your gut on this:

Cukes, peeled & cut thin
White vinegar
Milk
Sugar
And do not forget:
the Miracle Whip (and I am not usually a fan of it but trust me on this, it's good)
Salt & pepper to taste