I used to visit and revisit it a dozen times a day, and stand in deep contemplation over my vegetable progeny with a love that nobody could share or conceive of who had never taken part in the process of creation.  It was one of the most bewitching sights in the world to observe a hill of beans thrusting aside the soil, or a rose of early peas just peeping forth sufficiently to trace a line of delicate green. 
~Nathaniel Hawthorne, Mosses from an Old Manse-

Our raised-bed vegetable plot has had fruitful moments and not so fruitful moments.  The tomatoes were leggy and frugal.  The eggplant had lovely purple blooms, but only one actual eggplant.  (And what do you do with one eggplant?)  The basil was happy and thick, and I’ve frozen several bags of it, dropping several crisply frozen leaves in soup the other night!  The scent was wonderful!

Easiest Green Beans Ever

A late, last effort at another batch of green beans offered up a wonderful weekend meal alongside a roasted chicken!  Ralph prepared our garden bounty perfectly, just slightly crisp, and deliciously nutty!  (In a skillet with olive oil, a few sliced onions, a dash of salt, a dash of oregano (or try marjoram) just simmered with the lid on.)

Easiest Roasted Chicken Ever

Our chicken recipe (courtesy of Southern Living) is the easiest in the world:  Rinse, and pat dry a whole chicken, then rub with 1 T olive oil, then a mixture of 1 T salt, and 1/2 T coarsely ground black pepper.  (Make sure you’ve removed the neck and giblets that are usually packed inside) Roast at 375º for 1 and 1/2 hours.  That’s it!  Easy and I usually cook two at a time (if you do this, double up your oil and salt/pepper combo) and have some for homemade chicken pot pie, or chicken and pasta alfredo, or chicken salad…