My garden and the Plot Against Hunger gardens are heading toward fall. There are peppers, which come on brilliantly at this time of year, flourishing tomatoes and some struggling summer squash and zucchini.
I am not sure there is going to be enough water for the winter squash we planted. While watering can keep them alive, rain makes them flourish, and of course, the light is changing, about which we can only sit back in acceptance (and cheer for our friends in the southern hemisphere who are benefitting).
Sarah, who likes the early morning peace of the garden had already weeded the small garden and was working on cleaning up the border of the large garden when I got there Saturday morning. I worked on cleaning up inside the plot and we left it in good shape.
I had to do an inventory of vegetables in my fridge or baskets in the kitchen and once more escaped purchasing vegetables at the store. In fact, as I was running errands around the courtyard, a neighbor I had given some vegetables a few weeks ago reported on what she had done with them. It was a French recipe called a tian with tomatoes, potatoes and zucchini all sliced and beautifully laid together. It looked marvelous. I had thought about buying a potato at the store, but hadn’t, so in my typical fashion, I took the spirit of the recipe and ran with it.

Basically, it’s the veggies mentioned, sliced, laid on a bed of sautéed onions, sprinkled with thyme, baked for a bit, sprinkled with cheese and baked a bit more. I put my chicken breasts in with it all. Delicious.
Today I did some more garden clean up, ripping out the sad winter squash and taking my bean enclosure down. Inside, it was a mess and it was also time to rotate something else in there. Next year, maybe tomatoes.
I did get more tomatoes, okra, and peppers and also came away with my flowers for the week. The Jerusalem artichokes are blossoming now, so they add to the cheerful late summer colors. I hope you have a lovely week.
I smiled when I saw the placemat beneath the flowers – I have actually touched and admired that!! I love seeing the cheery faces of the Jerusalem artichokes too, despite the fact that they are harbingers of summer’s end. How are the kitchen renovation plans coming along? [Devil’s Advocate] And I mustn’t forget to mention the delightful looking meal of layered veges and chicken breasts – must give that one a try!! Mmmmm salivating at the thought 🙂
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I’m digging up more of those Jerusalem artichokes this year. They were good. I’m taking my retirement course at the end of the month and will know more about various issues after that. I hope. Then I’ll proceed with the kitchen, one hopes;-) Goodness, it doesn’t seem that long ago you were here in my little abode! Do try the thing–I have a recipe and may actually follow it when I buy a potato! It was really good and i have lots of nice left-overs for lunch.
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I so recommend retirement 🙂
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I think I’m going to like it myself!
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Oh, my…the photo of those sliced veggies is making my mouth water. Looks delicious!
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They were good! I’m going to try it with the potato added–that will make it heartier, I think.
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I love your flower arrangement–so happy! And it was fun to see the “tian” you improvised. The French word ” tian” as I know it, is the word for a type of dish—a sort of shallow casserole, in which a medley of meat and/or veggies are roasted. In tomato and zucchini season I make that sort of thing in any old casserole dish I have…basically I do it like a lasagna, layering zucchini rounds, onion rings, tomato slices and cheese until I get to the top of a buttered baking dish, (zucchini as bottom and top layers) sprinkle a bit of grated parmesan on top and bake at 400 degrees F. for about an hour. So easy and so good! You can even enjoy it as a leftover; even cold. Your Juliet tomatoes are so beautiful…sigh…
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Your dish sounds lovely. I will have to try it that way. This one made me think of one of those apple kuchen or apple tarts where everything is sliced thinly and laid out to be beautiful. I’m going to be having leftovers for a bit–part of tomorrow’s lunch!
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We will all soon have a comparative rest from gardening; except for those in the southern hemisphere, about which I liked your comment. I also like your recipe philosophy. The result this time looks delicious.
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Thank you, Derrick! Some of the left overs are in my lunch for today.
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You must be feeling a mixture of sadness and relief that gardening season is winding down–you devote so much time and energy to it! I’ve been cutting annuals down and I moved the houseplants indoors yesterday, since the temps dipped into the mid-40s last night. Enjoy all those beautiful veggies in your meals!
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Yes, I’ve begun thinking of late fall and winter as a time of rest. I will miss the free cut flowers, though!
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Your tomatoes and the tian look delicious!
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Thanks! The tian has proved good as left-overs as well!
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I like your ‘vase on a monday!’ 😉 Zinnias are so cheerful. I was thinking what the corner that you tend looked like before you two came along and beautified the neighborhood. What a difference plants make in a concrete world.
Your veggies look delish!
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Thank you! I’m going to miss those flowers–have had some each week now for quite some time. the border of flowers makes a big difference in the neighborhood. It also helps create a garden fence!
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Wow, Lisa, the dinner looks divine! What color and contrast. I bet it was a terrific success in the taste department.
And the Jerusalem artichokes–like the edible kind? Goodness, if I knew I could grow those guys in my garden I’d do a small jig of joy. I could eat them by the bucketful–despite the pain they are to clean.
The photos are just as stunning at the end of the season as they’ve been at the beginning. Well done, team.
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Yup, that’s what those babies look like–one reason to grow them is for the flowers. The ones you grow yourself are a bit straiter in my experience. I’ve never bought them, so don’t know if the taste is different. Wrote a blog on it last November when I got enough for a sauté with garlic and thyme. Yum! And I hope to find out soon how many pounds the garden sent off to AFAC–seven just this Monday!
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How satisfying to bring food to the table from the garden, more so when you are feeding others too! Sounds like you deserve a good rest 🙂
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This will be the first week since June that I have to buy vegetables!!
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