A Beautiful Crystal Day

Photos by Jody Gabara

Today was a beautiful clear day. Just right for working in the yard and mowing the grass. We noticed how sparkly the grape lights were hanging by the real grapes. The birds were hungry as usual, but there were so many, they had to take turns...

Zucchini Bread

Stan and I have been making zucchini bread ever since the kids were little. They loved eating it for breakfast and sharing it with their friends. The zucchini was picked fresh from the garden. That's the best part of a growing it; your vegetables are a few steps away. Hope you enjoy the recipe...

Photos  by Carly Gabara

My family recipe is:
Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 cups of sugar
3 tsp. of vanilla
1 cup of oil
2 cups of grated zucchini
3 cups of flour
1 tsp. of baking soda
1 tsp. of salt
1/4 tsp. of baking powder
3 tsp. of cinnamon
Combine wet ingredients
Add dry ingredients and mix well
You might want to add 1 cup chopped nuts and/or raisins
Pour into 2 greased loaf pans
Bake at 350 for 1 hour
Makes 2 loafs

Vintage Cupboard

Photo by Jody Gabara

We painted the cabinet with a distressed look. The shelves hold our collectables for the garden: vases, pots, ceramics, and other antiques.

Photo by Jody Gabara

Butternut Squash

Photo by Jody Gabara

Our butternut squash has been growing quickly since the heat came. We have been growing them on the ground and also on trellises. They are so cute with their shape, just like an hour glass, and their tendrils look like a corkscrew. I can't wait to make soup, cassoroles and muffins with the butternut squash.

Photo by Jody Gabara

Del Mar Fair

Photos by Stan Gabara

This year, we went to the Del Mar Fair in San Diego with Carly and her boyfriend, Justin. He surprised us with tickets. We couldn't wait to see the Home and Garden section. There was a lot of inspirational ideas and designs to use in your garden. Here are some photos we took.

Organic Vegetables

Photos by Carly Gabara

We just harvested summer vegetables and couldn't believe how many we gathered. The varieties are:

artichokes, golden, green, peter pan and green zebra zucchini. Black prince, manyel and early girl tomatoes. The potatoes are red thumb and adirondack blue. We have plenty of vegetables to last us all summer long.

Zucchini Parmesan

Photo by Jody Gabara

The zucchini was ready for our first harvest last night, so we decided to make zucchini parmesan.

Photos by Carly Gabara

Our recipe is: slice zucchini half lengthways. Then dip in flour, egg, then breadcrumbs. Fry in oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and grated parmigiana-reggiano.

Bon Appétit!

Queen Anne's Lace

Photo by Stan Gabara

The Queen Anne's Lace growing above the picket bench on the hill loved the spot and grew very tall this year. It's also is called "Wild Carrot", it is in the same family as the carrot. It can grow up to 6-7 feet tall and does spread easily. Queen Anne's Lace is said to have been named after Queen Anne of England, an expert lace maker. When added in a bouquet, is a beautiful delicate filler.

Photo by Stan Gabara

Surprise! Our New Blog!

Carly surprised us again with a new blog!  She believed it would be a great way to share all of our home ideas and crafts on a separate blog.  She thought, "Rooted in Thyme" would be for gardening and "Thyme for Home" would be for homemade projects.  Looking forward to posting creative ideas.

Photo by Carly Gabara

See you at Thyme For Home
(http://thymeforhome.blogspot.com/)

The Pumpkin Patch is Starting

Photo by Jody Gabara

The pumpkins are finally starting to grow. The heat we had this week really helped. We're growing all kinds of varieties.  We can't wait to see which ones will start to show up first.

Photo by Jody Gabara

Happy Birthday Dad

Happy 91st birthday dad!  You are the best dad in the world!  Your whole family loves you!  Can't wait to see you!

The New Raised Beds

Photo by Stan Gabara

It's amazing how an idea, patience and time will create a new area in your backyard. Stan built the raised beds and we love them. We can keep changing out the vegetables with the seasons.

Photo by Jody Gabara

Photo by Jody Gabara

Photo by Jody Gabara

Happy 4th of July

Photo by Carly Gabara

HAPPY 4th OF JULY

The Bees Were Busy Today

Photo by Stan Gabara

We were gardening today and saw alot of bees pollenating our plants and vegetables. It was a beautiful hot day in San Diego.

Photo by Jody Gabara

                            

Photo by Jody Gabara

Birdhouses

Photo by Stan Gabara

The new additions continue in our backyard. Our gourd birdhouse has a new baby in it.

Photo by Stan Gabara