Our first harvest!!

The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just on the body, but the soul.

          ~Alfred Austin

     We harvested our first vegetable this morning!  I have been watching closely the progress of our cucumbers, and this morning one of them just seemed to say, "I'm ready!"  As a novice gardener, I don't often hear the nudgings of my plants, so I decided it was time to follow this one. I picked the cucumber, took it in the house and we had it for breakfast.

     There is nothing more satisfying than eating something you have grown yourself! Of course we thought it was delicious-- the tastiest cucumber ever.

     How do you eat a cucumber for breakfast? Well, I have a wonderful, easy recipe my sister shared with me many years ago that I will share with you. The name of the dish is indicative of the visit I payed her long ago, and how the next morning I had some issues getting going. My family was on our way to a week-long stay at a cabin in Wisconsin, and we had stayed overnight at my sister and her family's home outside of Chicago. It gave my boys a chance to play with their cousins, and me a chance to spend time with my sister and her husband. Who are excellent hosts. And I was a thirsty guest. The following morning my sister detected my difficulty and served this to me. It not only tasted good, but it calmed the stormy seas that were thrashing about inside my head and my gut.

     I don't recommend hangovers, so why not just try these for breakfast because they are so tasty? If you don't have a vegetable garden, why not pick up some fresh, local produce at your local farmers' market?

     Here is the recipe:

Hangover Bagels

toasted bagels, 1 per person

cream cheese spread on each half to taste (I use the fat free stuff for calorie control)

hard salami, sliced very thin, 3 slices per bagel half

fresh cucumber slices (or green pepper slices, or tomato slices... whatever sounds good!)

sweet onion, sliced very thin

dried dill

sea salt

Spread the cream cheese on each bagel half. Then place 3 slices of salami over the top, placing them evenly around the bagel. Then place the sliced green veggies over that, followed by the onion. You can add or subtract veggies according to your taste-- I tend to pile them on! Sprinkle with dill and sea salt. Serve with hot coffee, or a glass of cold tomato/vegetable cocktail juice.