Lawdy, it’s hot!
If we don’t get some rain soon, I think we are all going to melt. Not to mention the garden. Oh, the garden is taking the heat.
My sweet parents have been gardening probably 50 years or so, close to it anyway. I can’t remember a time when they did not have a garden, it’s been a ritual around our house forEVER. Growing up, part of me and my sister’s chores was to go and pick out the rocks in this back yard garden, which were plentiful back then, to make way for the garden. We thought at the time we were being harshly mistreated, having to work that garden. We were convinced the rocks were multiplying. As soon as we picked up a bunch of them, more were in their place, it seemed. But, this dirt finally got in shape and ready to grow some bountiful produce for our family. And truth be told, we didn’t have much to do with this garden producing at all. The total credit goes to our parents.
It’s been producing a whole lot of years now. This little 1/2 acre lot has seen some delicious fruits and veggies in its time. We used to live next door to this house and just over the fence there was the original backyard garden that fed our family.
My sweet, 84 years old in July daddy still lives for gardening. It is what keeps him going and gets him out of bed every day in the spring and summer months, tending to his plants and coaxing them to grow some delicious stuff for us.
Here he is just a few weeks ago, hoeing those weeds tirelessly, keeping the rows clean and neat so that when the bounty comes, he can get in there and pick.
This is one hard working man, that daddy of mine.
His hard work paid off and just about 2 weeks later, the garden looks like this. Quite a difference from picture #1 up there.
The tomatoes are looking good and these are what concern me the most. I love me some fresh tomatoes, as do so many of my friends and family. We live for the first tomato sandwich of the summer. Can’t be beat! Sometime around July 4th, we should have our tomato fix.
Daddy has muscadine grapes growing in the backyard, which get ripe in late summer. Is this a Southern thing or do ya’ll know what these are? I’ll have to show them to you when they get ripe. One is a black skinned fruit and the other a golden green fruit. I used to love to eat these, but not so much anymore, although they are really sweet when fully ripe.
Although they have HUGE blueberry bushes growing up at their NC mountain house, he also added some blueberries to the backyard here in Georgia. You can’t have too many blueberries and these are finally taking off and are loaded this year.
Dad loves figs too and planted 3 fig trees, which are now humongous and have taken over the backyard. This one is loaded.
I wish I loved figs, but sadly do not. Daddy will make up for my lack of fig love by eating a boatload of figs when they get ripe. I do however, love fig cake. I can see some of this delectable stuff in our near future.
Another huge fig tree helps shade the backyard, my dad’s swing in particular. Anyone else have an old clothesline in the backyard? Back in the day, my mama hung up all our wash on clotheslines. I can still remember that and did not enjoy that chore either. Hanging or bringing in! Give me an electric dryer any day. 🙂
His swing is nestled in the front of the fig tree and is his favorite spot to relax.
I almost cried at leaving behind the huge blackberries that we planted in Alabama last year, but my daddy dug several of these small plants up when I moved and here they are, looking good. Next year, they should produce many berries. We all love blackberries, so it was a no-brainer to bring some of these to Georgia.
Finally, I brought my Meyer lemon tree with me that I got from Petals from the Past last fall and it’s got some babies growing. I’m so excited! Not sure what I’ll do with them, but it’s fun to see citrus growing in the backyard.
Even though we desperately need rain, this is the bounty picked this week and hopefully the first of many meals that our family will eat this summer of fresh veggies from the garden.
We will be frying, sauteeing, casseroling, and who knows what else with this squash and zucchini. 🙂 Fried squash is my fave. All of this was picked last week and we scarfed it down.
Added by popular demand!
Mom’s Fried Squash
She puts about a pint of canola oil into a deep pan for frying. Use whatever pot you have that can be heated up to medium-high heat. You want that oil hot, but not too hot! She slices up the squash first and salts them, let them sit for a bit for the salt to bring out some of the water. Mix up self-rising flour and buttermilk into a light batter. Dip the squash in that batter and fry them, baby!
That’s it! They are SO good.
How about YOU? Are you gardening this year? Tell me what you’re growing.
I’ll have plenty more garden stories to share with you later.
Karina Russell says
Oh these pictures make me miss my home in Arkansas. I’m in the Sierra Nevada mountains now, and it is beautiful, but we have only had about 4 days that feel like summer. My plants are way behind these.
Amy says
I love me some fried squash! What is it with Southern people and our fried food? It’s so good……The garden looks beautiful! Sadly here in Texas a lot of the gardens are already brown and burnt from the heat.
Summer says
I have always said a person is either born a gardener or not. I was born a gardener. I have to have my hands in the dirt and would be most miserable living in a high rise in Manhattan. I, too, will garden until I die. Even in this 96 degree heat I am out there working. It is so nice that your honor your Dad with this post. I grew up with gardening parents as well. His garden looks magnificent. I don’t see a weed! I do have one question. What do you dip your squash in before you fry it?
Kellie says
Oh, I love seeing your dear daddy working in his beautiful garden! He is doing an amazing job.
Thanks so much for sharing.
Patricia says
The garden pictures brought back wonderful memories. Our former neighbors always have a big garden and generously shared their bounty with us. Boy, do I miss it. This year I planted 4 tomato plants. I’ll let you know if I actually get any tomatoes from them. Enjoy all that freshness!
kathy says
Oh, I love fried squash! No one up here eats it, but sometimes I go and buy the yellow squash and fix it for myself!
kathy says
My dad used to work his garden, too. Thanks for sharing photos of your daddy.
betsy says
These are wonderful pictures! My parents have a couple of fig trees, too, though not as big (yet!). I adore figs. We haven’t lived somewhere long enough to get a fig tree started, but this year, we planted blueberry bushes in our new house. Hopefully we’ll get many years of enjoyment out of them.
I, too, am eagerly awaiting our first tomato. My dear, sweet husband planted me 34 plants on our in-town (very intown, inside the perimeter) lot. He knows the way to my heart, obviously!
Kathy B. says
Rhoda, you’re killing me…….I STILL want your parents!!! The picture of your dad was just too much. I have tears in my eyes as I type. After my mom died in 1980, my dad’s love affair with his garden kept him going for another twenty six years. He passed away in 2006 at the age of 92. His specialities were fried squash and fried okra, or as he called it “okrie.” He cooked them in his little Granpappy fryer. Remember those? And I swear I don’t think a day went by that he didn’t fix a pan of cornbread. Beans and cornbread, fried “okrie” or squash (or both), fresh tomatoes and cucumber pickles. Ohhhhh, I could go on and on.
Tell “Mom and Dad” I said Hi!
Rhoda says
Kathy, I sure will! They get a kick out of hearing from all my blog readers. Mom just smiled when I asked her how to do the squash. They are precious! Your comments have made me laugh out loud.
Diane@InMyOwnStyle says
Hi Rhoda-
What a garden – it looks like a farm. It must be wonderful to have so many fresh veggies and fruit to enjoy. Your daddy is a so cute – I love the fact that he dug up some of your blackberry bushes to take with you.
My husband tends to our garden – lots of different types of lettuce, collard greens, tomatoes, potatoes, cukes, garlic are a few of the things he planted this year.
I hope you and your dad have a wonderful Father’s Dy on Sunday. He is one special daddy.
My best- Diane
Becky in 'Bama says
Sitting here at the computer I can feel the hot earth under my bare feet, hear the cicadas droning out in the dead still air over the drooping purple hull peas and the head-high okra. I feel the tug of the ‘picking’ sack on my shoulder and pinching of the wire handle on that tomato basket – and I’m whisked back 40+ years to a time that was consumed with back-breaking labor but rewarded with the best fresh veggies known to man. Thank you God for a heritage of hard work and love of the dirt.
Paula B. says
Lovely post of your dad. Missing mine so much, crying a little as I read this – your father was reminding me of my own. He was a teacher and then would spend the entire summer vacation tending to our yard and the gardens. He would put out the lawn furniture and the decorations, birdbath, ducklings and such, that two generations before him had done on the same lawn. He would be flying the flag as a proud veteran on this June 14th. Here’s to our daddies!
Courtney says
Hi Rhoda,
I don’t even know your parents but your dad seems amazing. Your mom too. Their garden puts my tiny little raised bed to shame, but I have to say that as a young mom, I am finally understanding the attraction to gardening. When I was a kid, I was like you – I thought helping my parents in the garden was like torture. Now that I’m all grown up, I love the hard work because I love the results!
By the way, I’ve been mostly absent from the blog world for several months, so I’ve been doing some catch-up on your blog. I’m so sorry about what you’ve been going through this year, but I’m also so proud and amazed at the way at which you’ve handled yourself. Your trust in the Lord and His plans for you has not waivered, and that is admirable. I also love the fact that you are proceeding with your blog & decorating skills full-time. If anybody can do it, you can! I wish you all the very best. I just know that if I lived in the Atlanta area, we would be friends!
Keep up the good work. You are amazing!
Courtney
Joy G. says
Rhoda:
Loved looking at pictures of your father’s garden! My father-in-law planted a huge garden every year; now my husband is gardening in the same spot. We’ve had some great potatoes and beans from there.
Our garden-I’m guessing that the extreme heat that we’ve had in So. Ga. has caused our tomato plants to conk out-they’ve either died or are little sticks. We did get zucchini and squash, and this is the second year of huge blueberry crops. We’ve been picking them for two weeks, and the bushes are still loaded!
Go enjoy that garden and it’s bounty!
ElleX says
Thank you for posting! Your Dad has motivated me to get to planting (I am a little late but better late than never!) my containers.
Lindy says
I live in a city highrise and miss all these things…. growing tomatoes and hanging out wash. One of my friends just remarried and is so happy her new husband’s yard has fig trees. They dry them in a fruit dyer (very tasty) and make fig jam. Prior to that, my only brush with figs were Fig Newtons!
Wenda Scott says
do you have a receipe for the fried squash?
paintergal says
That is a HUGE garden to maintain. I am impressed.
Yep, we are gardeners too. Tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, pie pumpkins, gourds, beans, snow peas, lettuce, strawberries, grapes, potatoes, onions, cauliflower, eggplant this year. I love gardening.
Jan @ southernjunkin' says
Yummmy! Nothing like veggies from the garden! Just tastes better!
Blessings!!
Rhoda says
Hi, girls! Several of you asked about the fried squash, so I went back & added the how-to on that. Enjoy!