It’s time again for an update on my dad’s garden. He has been very busy this year, between his Georgia garden and his North Carolina garden, tending to both of them as well as he can. You would think an almost 88 year old would slow down a bit and relax during the heat of the summer, wouldn’t you? Not my dad. He thrives on growing his garden every year and I think he would just have nothing to live for if he had to give it up. So, we encourage him within reason to keep gardening. It’s his passion and that’s truly what keeps him going. I don’t know how he does it, as being outside during the sweltering heat that we’ve had lately, just about kills me. I can’t take that heat nearly as well as he can.
My idea of fun right now is floating in the pool or lake to beat the heat.
This guy takes it all in stride and loves watching his garden grow and showing off the fruits of his labor.
It is looking much different that when I showed you an update a few weeks ago.
This was the end of April after he got everything planted. Â Now look at it!
We have luckily gotten a lot of rain in May and June and that helped it grow. Â The rain is starting to slow down now, so we are needing more with all the heat and humidity in GA this time of year.
But, so far he is bringing in plenty of veggies and mom is cooking it up. Â They share with us all we want of squash, zucchini, green beans, tomatoes and cucumbers.
He’s got plenty to share.
He planted one row of corn in Georgia this year, but the bulk of corn he plants in NC. Those are green beans in front of the corn.
Squash has been plentiful this month, but he says the heat is drying up the vines.
Now, this is what gets me excited every year….homegrown tomatoes coming in. We all anticipate the first tomatoes and eat our fill of fresh tomatoes. Â There is nothing like a homegrown Better Boy tomato and that first tomato sandwich of the season.
Last week, I made my first for this year, which made me a happy girl.
There are plenty of green ones on the vine all getting ready to ripen up.
He has placed an owl in the garden to deter birds and I think it works pretty well.
Last time Parker was home visiting, Lauren got her overalls just so she could get her picture made with her great grandaddy in the garden, so here is that priceless photo. Aren’t they both the cutest?
And here’s the bounty, the tomatoes rolling in this past week.
Squash, cucumbers, and eggplant are also coming in.
Dad wanted me to be sure and show you the rutabaga he has grown. Â He’s proud of all of it!
This was the feast that my mom prepared for lunch last week. Â My sister and I try to go over and eat lunch with them once a week and mom always cooks up a great Southern meal like this.
Meat loaf is one of her specialties and she’s been making this for years. Â Fresh mustard greens, green beans out of the garden, along with fried eggplant (I’ve shared his recipe before) and tomatoes and cucumbers round out the meal. Â Yes, it’s as good as it looks! Â If you follow me on Facebook you often see these meals that I post over there. They are legendary and get everyone talking on my Facebook page! Â My mom has been cooking like this my whole life and it never gets old. Â We are truly blessed to still have her and my dad.
Many of you have asked for the meatloaf recipe every time I post it on Facebook, so here it is, as close as I can get from her memory of how she makes it.
Iris’s Meatloaf
2 lbs. ground beef
1/3 lb. pork sausage (she uses the roll pork sausage, just a portion of it, mixed with the ground beef for flavor)
Add about 1/2 cup of regular breadcrumbs to bind.
1 egg
Salt and Garlic powder
Mix all together and form loaf. Â She then spreads a can of diced tomatoes on top and adds chopped green pepper to the top.
Cut up potatoes and carrots and place in baking dish around the meatloaf.  Bake at 350° for at least an hour or until cooked through.  The meatloaf makes it’s own juice and flavors the potatoes and carrots.
We celebrated Father’s Day on my back porch with a cookout of hamburgers and the fixings. Â I made homemade strawberry ice cream in my little ice cream maker and we all enjoyed that. Â Dad’s face here says “hurry up, I’m ready to dig into this ice cream.” He loves sweets, as do I!
So, that’s an update on the garden this year. We Southerners do love fresh veggies and eating out of the garden and I’m so happy that my dad still does it all. Â I know it won’t last forever and truly treasure these memories of garden eating that we have had all my life.
I love these posts! and Parker with her overalls–priceless!!!! I’d frame that shot of her and your dad…My dad will be 91 in september and mom is 86..WE ARE BLESSED!!!!!
ps: he needs his own blog!
Thanks for sharing pictures of your amazing dad and his garden! Love the garden and the loving care your mom puts into preparing the food. 🙂
Absolutely, positively BEYOND JEALOUS!!
Enjoy…enjoy your awesome parents and the fruits of their labors and their love for you!
God bless both of your parents.
Rhoda, I so love reading about your parents so much as it just brings special memories back of my family in Alabama and the many times I visited Atlanta and Thomaston Georgia! I have shared these with my husband and family and sometimes it brings me to tears (happy) as I’m remember the memories!
I also enjoy reading your blog and following you on FB it’s takes me away for a bit to relax and enjoy! Thank you again for sharing your family and a bit of your private life with so many here!
rhoda, between the bounty of the garden and the adorable picture of Parker with her great grandpa it was the best post of the day!
Your dad is precious. 🙂
I live in the south as well (Texas), and as all good southern women are supposed to do, I plant tomatoes. But EVERY single year, I never get any of the sandwich-sized tomatoes. Either the birds get them, or they split, or some unseen bug will eat into them. But it’s only the medium or large varieties. Never the cherry tomatoes. Those – I’ve got those to infinity! In fact, every year I pick cherry tomatoes until November/December!
I don’t know what it is about cherry tomatoes but my parents get a ton of those too. I only eat those as a last resort after the good ones are gone!
The garden and its bounty look beautiful! And, oh, would I like that spread your mom made for dinner tonight. Yum!
Thanks so much for sharing, the veggies look wonderful and makes me wish I could sit down at the table with you all and enjoy the good food and the visit with your parents. Both of my parents are gone now and I miss them so much. You are wise to be enjoying your parents. God bless you and your family.
Your daddy reminds me so much of my daddy. My sweet daddy has been with the Lord for almost 15 years but he was like your daddy. He was always on the go. He was a pastor and always did what was right and taught us to do what was right. When I see your daddy in the garden it makes me think of my daddy. I miss him but I know I will see him again. Tell him you love him and enjoy him as much as you can. Our daddy died surrounded by mama and his three daughters with a smile on his face.
Please tell your Dad that I have tomatoes and squash coming in and this year I finally have peppers. They never grew last year so I am very happy to see them this year. I also have a lot of herbs that I will dry and use all winter long. No tomatoes yet but we are in Connecticut and it has done nothing but rain the last few weeks. I think if we have a few days of sunshine, things will take off.
I’m sure Parker will treasure that photo of her with your dad when she is older! It is priceless! Our tomatoes are rolling in also. Our granddaughters just spent a few days with us and helped us gather them. I can’t wait to try your mother’s meatloaf recipe so thanks for sharing it.
It’s making me hungry looking at this meatloaf dinner with all the veggies. The posts about your parents are always my favorites. You are very blessed to have them, as they are to have you.
Rhoda~ I am going to give your Mom’s meatloaf a try for Sunday dinner. My Mom is in her late 70’s with health issues. Since I was a little girl, Sunday dinner was a tradition.I handle Sunday dinner now because she wants to have everyone over but, can’t handle the cooking. So, this Sunday as we set down to dinner, a piece of your family will join my families traditions. Thanks for sharing! Your Dad’s garden looks amazing!
Dana, I love that!
Your mom sure can cook! Those photos on facebook always make me homesick for my mom’s cooking.
I bought squash yesterday at the grocery store. I’ve taught my kids well and they love all that good southern cooking, too:)
I wish you could mail me a whole meal!
Rhoda, does your dad have trouble with squirrels eating his tomatoes? They take one bite out of them just when they get ripe in our garden. Do you think the owl helps that problem?
Teresa, he doesn’t seem to have a problem with squirrels. More birds and other varmints than anything. I know in the mountains, he has a problem with ground hogs, so it seems to always be something. I’m not sure how much the owl helps, but I guess it can’t hurt.
I have your moms meatloaf recipe in my oven right now!! If it turns out half as good as her food looks – I’ll be happy!!!
Great, Laurie, glad you are trying it!
Rhoda, I want your Daddy and Mama to live forever doing what keeps them happy…your Daddy planting his gardens and harvesting them and your Mama cookin’ his vegetable largesse for the two of them to enjoy and whoever is around to enjoy it with them. People are living so much longer nowadays…100 plus isn’t unheard of. The documented oldest woman in the world just recently died in Inkster, Michigan at 116 years old. I so wish you, your Daddy and Mama, and everyone else you love, as I do for myself and everyone I love, long, happy, healthy lives.
Thank you, Patricia! We too hope to have them for many more years, Lord willing, healthy and happy. I know it’s going to be so hard for all of us when they are gone and I don’t look forward to that at all.
I always look forward to the gardening posts!