07-24-14 Summer Abundance

In this issue:

1. July in the Garden
2. Homemade Fruit Fly Traps
   
3. Gardenerd Tip of the Month: Ratatoulle, RatItalian Style
   
4. Gardenerd Product of the Month: Gardenerd Tank Top
   

 

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1. July in the Garden

Are you sick of zucchini yet? It’s right around now that we’re almost grateful for powdery mildew on the squash plants. It helps slow down the influx of zucchini, yellow crookneck and patty pan squash. This month, we’ll share another creative way to cook up that squash that even leaves you wanting more. See details below.

Since we planted early here at Gardenerd, our tomatoes are almost finishing up for the season, but our pumpkins are still at it. We just planted a round of Scarlet Runner and Romano beans to take us through the end of summer, and our sweet potatoes from last year have made another appearance (treat them as a perennial, folks–they keep coming back year after year in warm-winter climates). It’s harvest time for onions; we have them drying on newspaper in the garage. Now is a great time to put down an extra layer of mulch or compost to help retain moisture, especially in drought-ridden areas.

In other news, Gardenerd now has an Instagram account. I know, a little behind the curve, but with all the gardens to tend to, we only just got to it now. Follow us at gardenerd1 and share your garden pics anytime!

Happy Gardening,

Christy

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2. Homemade Fruit Fly Traps

Summer’s abundance isn’t limited to fresh fruit and veggies from the garden. Unfortunately it often comes with a well-known nuisance: the fruit fly. They love our tomatoes, nectarines, peaches and plums. They ruin a perfectly good piece of fruit in a day or so, and well…they’re just gross.

So how do we get rid of them? Find out how here.

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3. Gardenerd Tip of the Month – Ratatouille, RatItalian Style

We took a tip from Buzzfeed and made Ratatouille’s Ratatouille but we changed it up a bit to give it an Italian flair. It may be sacrilege to doctor a traditional recipe this way, but we enjoyed it and think you will do. If you have a mandoline, you can prep this dish in minutes. Get the details here:

Ratatouille RatItalian-Style

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4. Gardenerd Product of the Month – Gardenerd Tank Top

All right, ladies! Let’s show some shoulder. This attractive Gardenerd Tank Top prevents farmer’s tan (you know, the two-tone bicep you get from T-shirts?). It’s light and keeps you cool this summer. Choose from 4 sunny colors.

Gardenerd Tank Top