Green and Growing! Summer is here!

As I said in earlier posts, we got a later start this year.  But cooler temps and lots of rain and helped everything really take off.  This past weekend I picked the ingredients of the basket.  One week earlier I picked the turnips and the garlic in top photos.  The yellow cucumbers are organic white pickling cucumbers.  I made 8 quarts of pickles this past weekend and 4 jars of plum jam from our plum tree.
We have covered all the paths in between our growing rows with plastic mulch that was free from Steve's work.  Giant sheets of woven plastic are used to cover lumber when being shipped.  These make great ground cover and we have plenty.
My favorite summer salad has been my Mediterranean Watermelon Salad.  Recipe is below.
Mediterranean Watermelon Salad
1 small watermelon, cut flesh into 1/2 in bite-sized chunks (about 6 cups)
2 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
2 tbsp. Olive oil
3 oz. crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves (chiffonier)
Place all ingredients in a large glass or plastic bowl, toss and season with salt and pepper to taste. Done! Chill and serve!

Roasted Baby Turnips and Beets
I usually can't wait until my turnips or beets are huge.  As soon as they start peeking out of the soil I have to pick them.  I made a pot roast a week ago, as it was unseasonably cool and here's what I did.
In a Dutch oven, laid  the piece of chuck or arm roast on the bottom of the pan that was smeared with olive oil, sliced two onions and laid them on top of the meat, then after scrubbing the entire turnip and beet (with greens attached) I lay them over the onions, then sprinkle one packet of dry onion soup mix over the top, pour  1/2 cup red wine and 1/2 cup beef broth in pan, cover and roast for 1 hour at 400 degrees, or 15 minutes in a pressure cooker.  Pull our pan and let sit for 10 minutes.  Fabulous!
You can add potatoes and make a whole meal, but we like to add more veggies and less starch.