The freshest vegetables and herbs...

The freshest vegetables and herbs are the ones growing in your backyard.

Last year's garden managed to produce a small amount of produce after a major setback- the day after I planted my seedlings, a 72 hour nonstop downpour hit my neighborhood, leaving my newly planted garden partially flooded. Several plants just didn't make it, and the survivors never fully recovered. I was lucky to get what I did from it. This year is shaping up to be a better crop - although I planted probably three weeks later than I should have, my plants appear to be well on their way to giving me a large amount of produce to work with in the kitchen...

Of course, being a card carrying Italian-American, I have tomatoes. It's practically a requirement, and most of them will probably end up in the Sunday gravy, or in another attempt at recreating a famous pasta dish... Of course, you'll need plenty of Basil to go with it...

My kids love Basil already - they know that if they ask nicely, their Dad will pluck off a sweet-smelling leaf or two for them to chew on.

Between the tomato and basil, I have the makings of a nice Sunday gravy, so I may as well go a step further with something I've never tried to grow before... Eggplant... meaning I'll be able to make more Eggplant Parmigiana...

While we're still in Italian mode, there are always Zucchini- the zucchini squash is a nice vegetable in it's own right, but the flowers are en even better treat- especially fried in a light batter, or breadcrumbs, and stuffed with cream cheese.

Mexican food is something I crave often- simple hearty food with bold flavors. This year I'm attempting to grow a few serrano chiles, and it looks like I have a few on the way already.

One of the things that gives Mexican food it's distinct character are herbs that are just a little different than their typical European counterparts- such as this nice clump of Cilantro...

Cucumbers are an old standby. They are easy to grow- last year's plants didn't seem to mind the flood that disrupted most of the garden. They are great for salads, or pickles, or most anything...

Thyme is an old favorite of mine - a great flavor to add to a wide variety of meats. Last year's thyme plant didn't survive the deluge- this year's plant is in a spot less susceptible to flooding and has had a chance to dig in it's roots and recover from transplant shock, so it should be able to survive another three-day rain storm by now.

I've never grown Tarragon before,, and I haven't used it in the kitchen very much. The main reason I planted some was because the flowers are supposed to attract butterflies, which makes my kids happy... if the kids are happy, the parents are happy...

Finally, we have another one for the kids - a fruit I've never tried to grow before. My middle daughter is a huge fan of Strawberry Shortcake toys and videos, and strawberries are her favorite fruit. She was amazed to no end when I told her that the plants with the funny looking leaves were strawberry plants. Now that they've had some time to get used to their new home, it looks like a good number of strawberries are one the way...