It is the last weekend in August. My birthday was this past week marking every year "back to school" and the end of summer. I am sincerely grateful to have a job in a school that grants me the summers off, but having summers off just makes it more difficult to start again. I am leaving later today....with a heavy heart.
The garden is full and beautiful minus a few mishaps with the cucumber plants and the tomato cages falling over, it was a good season and now fall harvesting is upon us. My husband Allen will stay here in our home in PA while I head back to Long Island (mwahhh!!) - right now I am not quite so fond of him since he gets to live the life I so yearn for all, the time. I worry that the canning will overwhelm him since he works full-time and only has the evenings to can the tomatoes. Its a long process, he has already decided he is not boiling them in order to peel them. He will keep the skins on....I would choose to peel. Oh well.

I made a delicious pasta salad last night for dinner, using veggies from garden.

Use any hardy pasta, cook al dente. cool it off with some cold water (so it stays al dente).
Pour some olive oil - eye ball it, to keep from sticking. I tend to be generous.
then put veggies in and some feta cheese.
I used arugula, basil, cucumbers, little yellow pear tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, Italian green pepper, green and wax beans (blanched for about 3 minutes and cut into bite size pieces and feta cheese. It was light yet hardy and very tasty. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

I will be back next weekend so I am not gone for good, but I will truly miss my daily jaunts, the quiet and peace that my garden offers me.