Eat what you Grow / Grow what you eat - August

Oh my goodness, it is the 15th and I almost forgot to post my Eat what you Grow/Grow what you Eat post!

For those of you who are new to this challenge, I have posted about it here - the introduction, here - the set up, here - one month in, and here - two months in.

Here is the list of what I have been eating from my garden:

July
16-zucchini, tomatoes and potatoes
17 - leftover zucchini, tomatoes and potatoes (I will try to remember to take better notes next month so I can  share with you how I used it...I really don't remember a whole month back)
18 - strawberry rhubarb preserves  that a made a little while back (this was supposed to be for the winter but we ran out of jam, and quite frankly, it is just too delicious to wait that long) potatoes, a few blackberries, cucumbers, and beans
19 - lettuce, zucchini in chocolate zucchini bread
20 - cucumber, lettuce, green beans that I brought to my sister's house (last month, I unexpectedly was at my mom's house and missed a day of eating from my garden.  I wanted to make sure that didn't happen again this month, so when I went to my sister's apartment for a visit, I brought along a basket of our garden goodies to share - and of course we made short work of it)

21 - kale chips that my sister showed me how to make and zucchini bread
22 - green tomato salad - again...my sister introduced me to this.
23 - cherry tomatoes, cucumber, potatoes, green beans
24 - zucchini coleslaw, green tomato salad, and tossed greens salad
25 - spaghetti (which means lots of fresh and dried herbs) and raspberry juice floats
26 - potatoes, tomatoes on toast, cucumbers, arugula and sorrel on burgers and the very first lemon boy tomato

27 - chard, strawberry/rhubarb preserves, cucumbers and beans
28 - currant sorbet (made the same way as the raspberry sorbet over here)

29 - tomatoes, the first cabbage in coleslaw, blackberries
30 - tomatoes, homefried potatoes, blackberries, strawberry/rhubarb preserves on waffles (I guess we had breakfast for dinner that night)
31 - lettuce, tomatoes on tacos and last year's salsa

August
1 - salsa (still from last year) and lettuce - I'm guessing that was nachos???
2 - tomato sandwiches and cabbage coleslaw
3 - blackberries - lots and lots of blackberries
4 - currant/ wild blackberry jam - I was making some for the winter and there was a little left over that just couldn't be squeezed into a jar, so I ate it.  I ate it all.  On toast.

I actually grow both "wild" (transplanted to my yard) and domestic blackberries at home.  I have to say, I like the wild ones better myself, because they just have that kind of deep, rich taste, but I do like just how prolific the domestic ones are.  I have 6 domestic plants and I have probably picked near 20 pounds so far.
5 - tomato, lettuce, cucumber
6 - zucchini chips...these I liked.  A lot.  I think I probably ate 2 whole zucchinis this way.  However, I was the only one in my whole family who liked them at all.  So, this probably won't be a very common thing in my house, because I only will run the dehydrator when it is full, and let's face it - that's a lot of zucchini for one person.  I just sliced it, put it in a bowl with a little olive oil (a very little - about a tsp for 3 zucchini) and some course salt and layered it in the dehydrator.

7 - more zucchini chips, tomatoes, salsa and lettuce
8 - blackberries and cucumbers on our picnic, and strawberry rhubarb preserve in my oatmeal for supper (it was delicious, after a cold rainy day
9 - blackberries, cucumbers, tomatoes
10 - cucumbers, tomatoes, salsa
11 - cucumbers, relish (from last year - and that must have been N because I don't eat relish), blackberries, and cauliflower.
12 - tomatoes

13 - cabbage, chili peppers, salsa
14 - tomatoes and cabbage
15 - we will be having tomatoes with our dinner tonight...and potatoes...it's breakfast for dinner again.

And, a gratuitous harvest shot from the other day...

I have to say, this is the most abundant our garden has ever been.  Granted, I put more work into it this year than I ever have before.  Just saying.  I hardly have had to buy any produce at all, and we are  I am putting up plenty of food to eat through the winter.  Not all of our food mind you.  But that wasn't the challenge this year.  The challenge was to eat something I grew every day.  And I think I am on my way.  

I have about a dozen jars of pickles (cucumber) and some pickled beans, jalapenos, pizza sauce, hot sauce, jams, and tomato juice so far.  Plus I have zucchini, tomatoes and lots of berries in the freezer.  Oh, and lots of eggplant in the fridge that we haven't touched yet. 

So, how are you all coming along.  Does anyone have anything they want to share?  A recipe, a picture, a link? Don't be shy...just leave it in the comments box.