The gardener might be slacking, but the garden isn't

I've mentioned before how I am just not focused squarely on the vegetable garden this year. Luckily, the plants are chugging along without me. A couple weeks ago, I picked peas and broccoli.

First pea picking

Second pea picking

I had enough peas that I froze 3/4 pound. That isn't a lot, but for me that's pretty good, especially since we ate quite a few fresh. I froze the broccoli and ended up with a little over two pounds.

I picked onions yesterday.

It's a little early, but not as early as last year. I tried a new variety, but I can't remember what it is (that's how bad I am this year!). I wasn't unhappy with the copra hybrid I had grown for several years, but didn't have anything else to order from the company I got them from, so I tried this new one. They are more "flying saucer" shaped and not as round as the copra. They are now lying on the deck, covered by a sheet, and we'll see how they look in a couple weeks.

A walk around the garden yesterday morning showed me that I have plenty to look forward to.

I was inspired by the variety of peppers that Dave at Our Happy Acres grows, so I tried two new varieties this year. I also didn't manage to give away many extra plants, so I ended up planting nine pepper plants. All the seeds came from Seed Savers Exchange.

Jimmy Nardello

Sheepnose pimento

Healthy

Napoleon sweet

The tomatoes are also putting on fruit. This year, I decided to give up on Amish Paste, which I've grown for three or four years, because I just haven't been impressed with it. Instead, I tried this one:

Speckled Roman

It joins the other three varieties I've grown for the past two years:

Italian Heirloom

Nebraska Wedding

Mexico midget

Sorry for the focus on that last picture. I blame the sun.

Last, but not least, is a first for K's Garden...eggplant!

Diamond

A friend inspired me to try eggplant. He said he would grow them even if he didn't eat them because they are so pretty. The plants are definitely not quite what I expected, but both of them have at least two little fruits on them right now. I guess I'm going to have to figure out how to eat eggplant. Baba ganoush comes to mind, but I'm going to do a little research. This variety does not grown really big, they are kind of long and slender. Perhaps grilled?

One last picture, just because zinnias are so pretty.