Dispatches from the GD*BG TransAtlantic Crafting: Planting Edibles

So... one of my favorite things about gardening is EATING! (Who am I kidding... one of my favorite things in general is eating!!!) But - I think it's THRILLING to plant stuff, watch it grow, and then eat it!

Today, Sammy and I planted a few things,

and it inspired me to take pix of it all and blog a little edible tour of my gardens!!!!

TOMATOES! We bought Sammy his own Cherry Tomato plant that he can help take care of and because he loves tomatoes... so when they are ripe, he can pick them right off the "vine" and chow down!!!

MINT! Here is our Spearmint!!! Now... here's the deal... when we moved in, we discovered tons of mint growing like weeds! Amazing... even after getting rid of most of it (in order to plant other things) some mint came up in the cracks between our driveway and our neighbor's driveway. Well... last year, I pulled it up and planted it in a pot and it WENT CRAZY! Clearly it was happy to have some space!!!! Now, that pot was left outside all winter (...no judging...) and new growth started out this spring.... so I dug it up to discover a veritable "wreath" of roots... the roots had grown around and around in the circular pot and had woven themselves together.... so... I knocked the dirt out of the middle, squeezed it to oval, and put it all in a bigger rectangular planter! And clearly... it's THRILLED.....

And... I've already used some in today's Sweet Tea!!! We make Sweet Tea/Sun Tea ALL SUMMER LONG!!!! MMMmmmmm

(Lavender Sweet Tea used to be our house specialty!)

BASIL FOREST! One of our sound-people at work, Michelle, gifted us some Basil plants that she had started from seed. Last year, Thanks to Michelle, we ate Basil CONSTANTLY and never ran out! This year, we got 8 "normal" green basil plants, and 3 purple ones!!! I stuck them in the same spot where they thrived last year! We've already used it in a fierce pasta dish this year! (Last year, I made Basil Mojitos all summer! This year.... I'm adding Basil Cookies to the list!)

ROSEMARY!!! This giant rosemary plant has lasted two or three years... in a pot, not really supposed to stay out through the winter, and not really supposed to come back... but this one won't quit! She lasted at least one winter in a pot, and this is the 2nd summer in the ground!!! Bring it! I loves me some Rosemary! I used this goodness in my summery "Liz Clooney Cocktails!" and Rosemary Butter Cookies are a family fave!!!

BLUEBERRIES!!! My good friend, Alice, sent me this Blueberry bush years and years ago... and it did well for a long time in a pot - always coming back and looking' good.... not really huge and not really very generous with berries... so I finally found it a permanent home in the ground last year.... and this year... it seems really happy!

And finally...

CUCUMBERS!!! Because we LOVE to make David's Grandma's "Cucumbers & Onions" recipe all summer... we needed to grow our own Cucumbers! So I put some of those in as well!!!