Hi Kinmount, I find herbs really handy. Sage, thyme and parsley.
Cucumbers grow nicely up a trellis.


GR, I think I love yellow squash even more than zucchini. I like quick and fast fresh veggies so those two are my go to staples. I've never been fond of winter squash though. To me they just don't have the flavor I'm looking for.

This is the selection of seeds I found today. 2 kinds of kale, spinach, giant radishes and an oriental radish called watermelon (it's white on the outside and red on the inside and is supposed to be sweeter), Chinese broccoli and cilantro. I'm going to start some in pots now and move them outside/inside until the risk of frost has passed. Apparently the kale can be planted directly outside now as it is a cooler weather plant, so I'll try that as well. Now all I need is for Mother Nature to be kind and take the reigns because I'm a hit and miss gardener.

Oh how nice Kinmount!
You are going to have so much fun growing your vegetables

I got the cool weather crops in the ground on Sunday, shivering every time I took off my right glove to spread seeds in the furrows.

Snap peas, chard, lettuce, spinach, two kinds of radishes.

Sunday, it was barely 45F. Today it was 80F.

I am so thankful that Husband put a soaker system in the garden, though. It's been dry as a bone, and windy, on top of it.

The rest of the veggies will be sets from a plant sale on Mother's Day weekend, along with the herbs. I already have some basil, because youngest Son and his GF gave me a little kit, complete with grow light and three pots of basil. We've had insulata Caprese twice already! Thanks, Son!

MickiSue, do you still get frost between now and end of May? You are a little more north than us. Is frost a problem with the radishes and spinach?

We may get frost, Kinmount. But it won't hurt either of them.

We tend to have a quick rise from cool w/chance of frost to hot. And then, if the spinach and the radishes (and lettuce, for that matter) aren't pretty well along, the greens will bolt, and the radishes get fibrous and bitter.

This thread is full of good vegetable recipes.
There is some gardening talk here on this page but look back for some good cooking ideas.
Check it out!!

I cooked this Classic Ratatouille the other night and it was great and wonderful for lunch today.

The ingredients for this recipe are:

1 eggplant (1¼ pounds); ends cut off, washed and cut, with skin on, into 1-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
3 medium zucchini (about 1 ¼ pounds, washed, ends removed, cut in 1-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
12 ounces onions (2-3 depending on size), cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pound green bell peppers (2–3,) washed, seeded, and cut into 1-inch squares (about 3 cups)
4–5 well-ripened tomatoes; peeled, halved, seeded and coarsely cubed (about 4 cups)
5–6 cloves garlic; peeled, crushed, and very finely chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
½ cup water
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

I would cut this in half unless you have a crowd to feed.

This is a link with complete directions although I did it all in one pan, not two like they show.
I also included some mushrooms in mine and used 1/2 of a large can of Italian tomatoes.
When you sauté, use a high heat and stir continually before adding tomatoes.

http://www.pbs.org/food/recipes/classic-ratatouille/

http://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?&id=OIP.....9&rs=0&p=0&r=0

Sprouts Market has some really good veggie deals today.
For $1 per pound they had green beans, Zucchini and yellow squash and I bought all three.

I can't edit this so I'll just add that I omit the water because I stir-fry it, not boil it.

It's zucchini season! Thought I'd post what I've been doing to give others ideas:

Sliced and sauteed in garlic and olive oil
Sliced, dipped in almond flour, shredded parm and egg and fried
Zucchini fritters
LC zucchini bread (google Atkins Zucchini nut bread)

Soon:
Zucchini pizza bites
Spiralized and tossed with chicken and pesto

DH's apple and peach trees are about ready to produce. Wish those fruits were low carb.

Meme- thanks for resurrecting this thread. it was a favorite for me <3
your ratatouille sounds terrific.
i LOVE eggplant- wish DH would get on board.

Ivegotthis- those all sound like great uses for zucchini.
i mostly spiralize them, but DH doesn't like texture much. i recently saw a zucchini boat recipe, and wondered is scooping the seeds out would change his mind. So i am thinking i will try it out.....the recipe i saw was for chicken enchiladas, but i might do a pepperoni pizza boat first. we will see.

haha- this thread makes DH sound pretty childish about his vegetables- he is VERY picky but loves them. it is just the same few over and over.
it is a texture thing (a common complaint from adults with ADD apparently?). Anyone have tips on working with people who are REALLY against anything that has any mushiness (like eggplant, zucchini, tomato, cucumber.....by contrast he LOVES bell pepper, broccoli, green beans, asparagus, brussels, etc....).

I made my fav oven roasted veggies and it was so good and easy.
IDK which is better, the easy or the good!

So, I cut up the veggies into 1' chunks.

Zucchini squash, mushrooms, red onion and red bell pepper.
Then salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil and turn to cover on all sides.

The secret is to put your oven on as hot as it will go, then when you put your pan of veggies in it will roast and caramelize (but not slow cook which will make it watery).

You can also add chopped garlic if you count the carbs at 1g per clove.

It only takes about 10 minutes this way.

Easy as can be!

Robin, I have a few ideas for picky SOs:

- Does he not like dips? Eggplant --> baba ganoush, avocados --> guac
- Cucumbers --> pickles. Does he like those? My SO does, so I keep the fridge stocked even though I'm not a huge fan.
- Pureed soups? We'll both eat cream of (anything) soup. For the lactose intolerant, pureed cauliflower makes a great "cream" soup base. Does he not like chili or other tomato-based soups/stews?
- Does that mean he won't eat mashed cauliflower?! (dies)
- Does he need to stay LC, or is he up for potatoes/sweet potatoes? Those are easy to make in a single serving.
- How about rutabaga, turnip, and other slightly higher carb root veggies? Not sure what they'd do to your BG, though.

Other than that, it sounds like what he does like isn't a bad mix. You can do a lot with that. I assume if he likes brussels sprouts, he'd eat cabbage, too, so you've got your stir fry, cole slaw, etc.

--

Meme, do you add an oil to those roasted veggies? I'd be afraid of smoking up my house with the oven cranked. It definitely needs a spring cleaning before the next time I cook something at 500.

Kristine~
I use olive oil but sometimes I also will add a couple of tabs
of butter toward the end of cooking, about 7-8 minutes in and usually they're finished in about 10 min.