It’s never too early to plan for the garden!

Alright, so maybe it is too early, considering we have about 8 months before anything can actually be planted outside!

The only reason I’m even entertaining the idea of next year’s garden is because of a yard sale.

You see, I have this thing where if I find a good deal at a yard sale, I just can’t pass it up.  It doesn’t matter if I’ll use the stuff a year from now or maybe not even if all:  if it’s a bargain, I’m all over it.

It just so happened that I found a ton of seeds & planters for a bargain basement price in a large garage in August.

It didn’t matter that these seeds are not what I would have normally chosen for a garden.  They were super cheap & I had to have them!

Let’s take a look at what I bought:

Perennials!

I’ve been on the lookout for perennials to plant somewhere on our property.  Of course by ‘on the lookout’, I mean I saw them at the sale with the words ‘perennial’ written on the tag & I had to have them!  I have a pretty decent idea of where I want to put them, but nothing is rooted down yet!  Haha!

These aren’t something I probably would have chosen if I had a larger selection, but they’ll work.  Flowers that keep coming year after year without a lot of care?  I’m all about that!  Hopefully, they’ll make me look good because I’m really good at keeping flowers alive!

Annuals!

I just got done saying that I’m not a good candidate for keeping flowers alive, but here I am with the annuals!  I only got a few packets so I figured I could probably keep them alive.  One of the packets is sunflowers, which is a toss up for me.  I actually planted sunflowers from plants our neighbors gave us & they disappeared!  But, I had some sunflower seeds in the bird feed I had out & they turned into sunflowers, so I would consider that a success, even if I didn’t have anything to do with it!

Herbs!

I daydream about having a perfect herb garden & using fresh herbs while cooking.  Of course, I never use fresh herbs while cooking, but that’s beside the point!  I’m going to give these a go in the spring & see what happens.

Squash!

To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of baking with squash, but it’s so ridiculously easy to grow that I had to buy the seeds.  I’ll definitely be on Pinterest trying to find squash recipes!

Watermelon!

Watermelon was one of those things that I wished I grew this year.  I just didn’t have the space for it, but I’ll be making space next year!  My husband said watermelon are difficult to grow, so we’ll see if they produce anything!

Tomatoes!

I had good luck when it came to growing tomatoes this year, so I’m hoping for a repeat next year!  I got a couple different varieties so I’m anxious to see what will happen!

Carrots!

I don’t know anything about growing carrots, but I’m going to try them!

Peas!

Again, these are something I wouldn’t normally pick out, but I’m excited about growing them!

Onions!

I actually don’t even like green onions!  I think they’re easy to grow, though, so I’m going to give them a try!  Maybe I’ll learn to love them?  Probably not!

Beans!

I like fresh green beans, so I can’t wait for these to grow!

A lot of these veggies are things I wouldn’t have normally chosen for my garden, but I’m excited to try to grow new things!  Of course, I’ll probably add a million more things to the garden (SWEET CORN!), but this is a good start!

Anyone else in total disbelief that it’s the last day of August?!

How did this happen?

Wasn’t it just yesterday that we were firing up the grill for the first time? Now the local apple orchard is open & I’m all apple cider forever & summer forever at the same time!

Honestly, where does the time go?

Anyway…if you’re like me & not 100% ready to give up on summer just yet, here are 4 last minute activities you can do to soak up the last little bit of summer.

1.  Impromptu BBQ

You know those cookouts that are planned weeks in advance & you have a designated dish that you bring & everything is planned to the max?  Well, this isn’t one of those.  Because you’re tying to savor the last warm nights of summer, this is one of those cookouts where you text some people to come over that night or the next & tell them to bring whatever.  Where it’s not about the food, but about sitting out on the deck in the warmth as long as you can.

2.  Picnic

We’re incredibly lucky to live near some great picnic areas, but having a picnic outside in the yard is always fun too. Something about gathering up some ingredients & eating them outside is a winner for me.

3.  Farmer’s Market/Roadside Stands

Because #omgsobusy, I was unable to make it to any local farmer’s markets this season.  But!  I stopped at a roadside produce stand yesterday!  Roadside stands & farmer’s markets are what summer is all about.  You get a glimpse of what local people are growing in their gardens & it always inspires me to grow my own garden!  The watermelon featured in the pictures was from a roadside stand & it’s absolutely delicious!

4.  Yard Sales

I had to put this one on here because we just had our annual family sale last weekend.  Whether you’re going to or putting one on, yard sales are always a good time.  You never know what you’ll find (usually on the cheap!) & having a yard sale is a chance to get rid of your unwanted stuff & make money at the same time.

What are your favorite last minute things to do to enjoy the end of summer?

You'll be so proud of me...



I legit measured everything out this time so I could provide an actual recipe!


 

I wanted to make a nonalcoholic version of my watermelon sangria because even though that drink is fantastic, you can't have alcohol all the time. I know there wasn't a ton of alcohol in it to begin with, but this new version is 100% alcohol free!



Now, let's talk about pureeing watermelon?! When I was running watermelon chunks through my food processor, I almost had an out of body experience because I don't know who I am anymore. 10 years ago, you couldn't make me eat watermelon and now here I am pureeing it?! That was also the first time I used a food processor within the last 10 years.



Next, the lemonade.  You can use whatever lemonade you want, but because I'm having a midlife crisis, I made homemade lemonade.  There are a million recipes out there.  I just did a simple syrup on the stove and added it to freshly squeezed lemon juice.  Since we're on the subject of small household appliances not used in 10 years, while we were moving, I discovered an electric citrus juicer that I had still in the box.  I fired it up for this recipe and I'm in love.  That thing juiced those lemons like it was made for it, because, well, it was!



Nonalcoholic Watermelon Sangria
by Tiff @ onthecreekblog.com June-22-2016
A nonalcoholic version of watermelon sangria with intense watermelon flavor and lots of fruit!
Ingredients

• 1Cup Fresh Watermelon Juice
• 3Cups Lemonade
• 1Cup Watermelon Chunks
• 1Cup Sliced Strawberries
• 2Cups Ice
• 1Cup Water/Green Tea (optional)

Instructions
To make fresh watermelon juice, take 2 cups of chopped watermelon and run through the food processor. Then, run the mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove pulp. Next, take whatever chopped/sliced fruit you have and add it with ice to the bottom of a pitcher. For this recipe I used watermelon and strawberries that I had on hand. The amount of fruit you add is totally up to you. I like a lot of chopped fruit in my drink. Finally, add the watermelon juice and lemonade and stir. If the watermelon flavor is too intense, add a cup of water or green tea to mellow it out.
Details
Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 0 mins Total time: 10 mins Yield: 5+cups

PS:  The pitcher and the glasses are from the Habitat For Humanity ReStore!

I found my summer drink.

When I was a kid, I absolutely loved fruit. In my adult life, I've always thrown away more fruit than what I ate.

Well that's about to change!



This year, I'm all about watermelon. I've consumed more watermelon this year than in the past 10 years combined. I used to avoid whole watermelons altogether because it was just too much fruit and would probably go to waste anyway. This year, I have already bought two of them!

I don't know who I am anymore.



Over Memorial Day weekend, I bought some strawberries, blueberries and a watermelon. I only had a little bit of everything left, so I decided to throw it in a pitcher with some lemonade and a can of of Bud Light Water-Melon-Rita I had floating around and call it awesome. It turned out way better than I hoped because recipe development isn't my thing but apparently trashed up recipes are?! It was so good that I made another batch!



Watermelon Sangria
by Tiff @ onthecreekblog.com June-15-2016
A refreshing summer drink with real fruit and lemonade.
Ingredients

• Lemonade
• 1 can Bud Light Water-Melon-Rita
• Watermelon Chunks
• Blueberries
• Sliced Strawberries
• Ice

Instructions
Grab a pitcher and put some ice in the bottom. Then, put your fresh fruit in there, adding however much you want or have on hand. Add the can of Water-Melon-Rita and fill the rest of the pitcher up with lemonade and stir. I didn't put exact measurements so you can customize it to fit your pitcher or tastes! If you want a ton of fruit, add it! More alcohol? Add it!
Details
Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: Total time: Yield: Pitcher

Check out the nonalcoholic version here!



PS: The pitcher came from the Habitat For Humanity ReStore!