Vegetable of the Week
Cucumber
These tasty and refreshing veggies are perfect for summer time recipies. They are great in salads, on sandwiches, and even on puffy eyes!
Recipe of the Week
Peach Chicken Salad
Ingredients
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3 medium fresh peaches, peeled and cubed
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2 cups cubed, cooked chicken breast
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1 medium cucumber, seeded and chopped
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3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
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1/4 cup white wine vinegar
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1 tablespoon lemon juice
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1/3 cup sugar
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1/4 cup minced fresh mint
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1/4 teaspoon salt
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1/8 teaspoon pepper
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4 lettuce leaves
Directions
In a large bowl, combine the peaches, chicken, cucumber and onion; set aside. In a blender, combine the vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, mint, salt and pepper; cover and process until smooth. Drizzle over chicken mixture; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. Use a slotted spoon to serve on lettuce-lined plates. * Mangos can also be substituted for the peaches.
Click here to print recipe.
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Veggie Garden Maintenance
Emmie Sherry
Herb and Vegetable Specialist
July 5, 2010
Hello fellow veggie gardeners, I hope your gardens are in full swing. Now that July is here, it is important to monitor your garden's need for water. When it is hot and dry, it is necessary to water more often, even daily for container grown plants.
The best way to know if you need to water is to actually check the soil. If it is light in color and hard or compacted, then a slow, trickling, steady watering is needed. Surface watering, or just watering the foliage is not sufficient. The goal is to emulate a slow, steady rain, thoroughly and deeply soaking the soil.
The use of mulch alleviates some of the demand for frequent water. I used plastic and cypress mulch together and have only been watering my garden on a weekly basis until now. During July and August I expect to water two to three times a week, unless it rains, of course.
Another thing to keep a close eye on in the garden this time of year is weeds. Weeds only steal important nutrients and water from your vegetable plants. It helps to pull weeds after watering, when roots are wet and don't hold on as tightly. It is also a lot easier to pull little baby weeds than large, overgrown ones.
I recently lost some squash plants because I was not diligent enough with weeding. By not pulling the weeds, I allowed a great hiding place for about a thousand squash bugs. By the time I noticed the damage the bugs were doing to my plants, it was too late. Oh well, there is always next year.
I hope that you are doing well with your own gardens, and are sustaining minimal losses. And don't forget; water and weed, water and weed!
Past Articles:
Bed Preparation and Soil Amendments
Cool Season Vegetables
Vegetable Companion Plants
Gardening in Small Spaces
Tips for First Time Gardeners
A Little About Tomatoes |
