we had a very nice red tomato from our garden! i’m glad the weather and squirrels are finally cooperating with us.

– ryan & gub

our bell peppers and tomatoes are going crazy right now! between the squirrels and crazy summer heat, we haven’t had a very productive garden this year. however, recent rains have brought new life and we have a ton of peppers and tomatoes growing!

– ryan & gub

we recently went on a canoeing adventure while in columbia, sc! neither of us had been in ages, so it was a lot of fun. after living in florida for a good part of my life, it was nice to canoe without having to worry about alligators.

– ryan & gub

i turned 31 today, which is quite crazy! unfortunately i had to work all day, so i didn’t do much celebrating. we are going to do something this weekend though, i can’t wait!

isn’t the card awesome? gub made it for my mom’s birthday and i tweaked it for my birthday!

– ryan

we had a little gathering for my birthday, which also doubled as an introduction for those who hadn’t met clementine. it was a ton of fun!!!! we grilled chicago dogs and burgers!

– ryan

our green peppers are finally ready! we have a ton currently growing in our garden, but these are the first ones big enough to eat. they are quite tasty!

– ryan & gub

clementine tried out lounging in the hammock on the front porch with gub for the first time today… gub was hoping the giant “swing” would rock her right to sleep, but no. nonetheless, we can’t think of a better way to spend a lazy summer evening.

– ryan & gub

gub’s dad and his wife peggy came to visit and we went on an adventure with clementine to the top of stone mountain! she didn’t seem to mind the skyride up, however it was her first experience with real wind. she didn’t quite know what to think of it, although she definitely looked awesome on the moon-like surface on the mountain top!

it was very overcast and surprisingly cool on top of the mountain. with the wind it felt like a late fall day, which was crazy for atlanta in the middle of july. the view wasn’t as impressive as clear days, however we were up in middle of the clouds with them moving right across us on the mountain. that was exciting!

– ryan & gub

we recently fried up some okra from our garden and it was delicious! we ate the tasty treats with ribs and collards from maddy’s and cole slaw from chik-fil-a. it was a hodge podge of our favorite southern delights!

fyi, maddy’s collard greens recently won best overall at the east lake farmers market collard greens cook-off and they are pretty awesome!

– ryan & gub

maddy’s ribs

1479 scott blvd.
decatur, ga 30030
404-377-0301

fried okra recipe:

ingredients:
5-8 large okra sliced

egg wash:
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup milk

batter:
1/2 cup corn meal
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp parsley

directions:
– clean okra and slice
– heat oil in a frying pan at medium heat
– dip okra slices in egg wash and then in the batter
– gently place battered tomatoes in frying pan and fry until golden brown
– flip okra and fry the other side until golden brown
– place on okra guard to let cool and drain the oil
– serve with bbq or other southern treats

our summer garden provided its first vegetable of the season! we have lots of okra and tomatoes that are very close to being ripe, but this cucumber won the first crop of the season award. we made a tasty cucumber & tomato salad with it, adding the lemon cucumber mentioned in yesterday’s blog post.

– ryan & gub

cucumber & tomato salad recipe:

ingredients:
1 cucumber diced (peel if desired)
1 tomato diced (or 1/2 package cherry tomatoes diced)
1/4 cup italian dressing

directions:
– clean tomatoes and cucumber and dice
– place in serving bowl and mix with italian dressing
– let vegetables soak in dressing for 30 minutes or more
– serve cold