Gardening and Preserving Week 3

look at all those flowers or soon to be tomatoes!

This week's post is going to be all about the garden.  First because I didn't get to my farmer's market this week or have anything that needed preserving, but mainly because we've had a ton of activity in the garden.

Check out this tomato!

And it's not even an Early Girl, it's one of our Pink Ladies and it's grown fast and furious (for those of you all about cars and summer blockbusters).

How about these babies?  The Sweet Millions have been the stars of the show in terms of growth since we first planted them, but 8 little pieces of fruit?!  And their so tiny that I think we might be eating some of them in the next week or so.  I am very excited!

We admit to knowing next to nothing about growing eggplant, but he's getting huge and has a little bud. We may transplant him into a bigger pot, to give him some room to stretch his roots.  Has anyone else grown eggplant?  Any tips for growing them in a pot?

And we have our first little pepper.  A Hot Banana at that and we thought that one was the runt of our pepper plants.  It appears that rather than grow down like the jalapenos and Italian Roasters, the Hot Banana grows up.  I may be a geek but I kinda love how I'm learning something knew every day in the garden.

See those gorgeous strawberries?  They aren't from our garden.  I wish we had room for berries.  No we spent a couple hours today picking 23 pounds of berries.  Insanity, right?!  Needless to say I have my hand full over the next day or so, cleaning and prepping these beauties for jam, preserves, freezing and a strawberry rhubarb pie.  I'm going to be busy and have some very red fingers.

What's your favorite strawberry recipe?  Please share because I have a TON to figure out what to do with.  How's your garden coming?  Please post all about it, I admit to being a clueless gardener and learn the most from other people.