Dinner and a Zoology Lesson

Put the baby in the sling and went out to the garden to pick squash blossoms for dinner. Thank heavens for our renegade ENORMOUS squash plant!!! It has now developed a second mystery squash, one that is dark green like a zucchini but perfectly round like a ball. Anyway, squash blossoms we have in abundance. So, it's Squash Blossom Quesadillas for supper.

After I picked a bowlful of male blossoms and those which had filled up with rain during the torrents last night and fallen off the vine, I stood outside by the compost bucket and made sure there were no animals in the bowl I was about to take inside. I had a wonderful time!! I found the most adorable mini cricket and some teeny tiny slugs, a bee, several ants, and a bunch of beetles... including a pair of mating beetles which was fascinating to discover. Every blossom I opened was a window into a tiny world. What an incredible zoology lesson for kids!

Farming & Gardening isn't just a block for third grade. It is a life long journey for all of us.

By the way, the straw bales have been wonderful as raised garden beds. Adam and I plan to get a bunch more bales in the fall, set them in their spots for the winter season, and then flip them over so the fungus is on the top, add a few inches of compost, and plant right in the top of the bale. Our volunteer squash is happy in the compost pile -- our potatoes, watermelon, and tomatoes are happy in the straw bales -- our rhubarb, basil, and the other herbs are happy in the ground. And a lot of things didn't survive but that's 100% ok.