The Great Field Trip

We are leaving tomorrow on the great field trip. This is our fifth year of homeschooling. Ever since the beginning we were excited about the idea of being able to learn hands-on. We hoped to be able to learn through field trips that would give us greater understanding of the world we live in, and the history of the people. When we went to Hawaii with my parents a couple of years ago, we made it an opportunity to learn about the place and the people. We learned about the island environment. Hawaii doesn't have snakes or mosquitoes.

One of the places we have badly wanted to visit is Williamsburg, Va. Our girls love history, and love learning about the way people used to live. We are planning on heading to Williamsburg for the Spring Homeschool Experience. If you aren't familiar with the Homeschool Experience, you really should check it out. Williamsburg has two a year...one in the fall, one in the spring. I assume they are held during their slowest weeks of the year. But the prices are amazing. Several places offer lodging at a fraction of their normal price, and the pass to all the historical buildings and activities in Colonial Williamsburg is incredibly reduced. I believe the normal price this time of year is somewhere around $26 for a one day pass, and a five day pass is being offered for $11. Now that is what I call a savings! They also offer additional programs for homeschoolers during this special week.

We are also starting a new blog and hope to have it up at our return. Myself, and the girls will be posting on this new blog. They are itching at the opportunity to blog themselves and it is my desire to use it as a tool for school. They are wanting to write about their interests and experiences. You may even get to witness their growth as amateur photographers and see what little creative projects they are working on. They will begin by telling you about some of the things they learned during their wonderful Williamsburg experience. Please encourage them and help me guide them so they can learn and grow through their writing.

That Time of Year

It's that time of year again! The time is right for sitting around the wood stove and gazing longingly through seed catalogs. I like to sit and daydream about my summer garden, perfect and pest-free, blessing me with a bounty of blemish-free, organic produce.

This year is different. We are in a house. We have stability. We have running water! We have a kitchen and a refrigerator. We have a freezer and a pantry. We have a stove top big enough for setting a canner on top. We have a deep crawl space under the house. We have an opportunity to start really progressing on our Independence from supermarkets.

I am branching out this year in my search for seeds. I made some new friends who turned me on to seed saving. I was given the gift of some seeds last fall as well. It is my desire to plant old heirloom varieties of produce. I am focusing on varieties that are either unusual, grown specifically for this climate, or are known for their great storage or preserving abilities. I'm looking for seeds with history.

That is why I am totally enchanted with my newest catalog ~ Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. They are located in Virginia and they carry many varieties that are suited to the climate where I live. They carry many obscure and unknown varieties such as Black Seeded Kentucky Wonder Green Podded Pole Beans. This one is an Ohio heirloom. "Original seed from Tom Knoche's Aunt Marge, who kept this variety alive for 60 years". I love that they give the history and origin of the seeds they sell. They also describe the best soil and climate, the disease resistance, best uses for the produce, and even some challenges. I LOVE it. I can't stop reading it. I feel like I am reading about farm families of the past when browse through this catalog. SESE is where I will be buying a majority of my seeds this year. I'll have to let you know how they turn out.

We are trying a new project with our garden this year. Last year was both a challenge and a learning experience. We purchased this last that had basically been abandoned for the last few decades. As a result, even though we are near town, it is basically a wilderness. We are teeming with deer, raccoons, opossums, and birds of every kind. They all ate well last year. We lost all our sweet corn and popcorn, and much of our tomatoes and melons to fat, happy critters. They helped themselves to the fruits of our labors. Unfortunately, we didn't have alot of options. We were living in the camper. We had to haul water in buckets and were travelling across town to shower and do laundry. We didn't have much time to dedicate to garden security.

This year we are landscaping around our house with our garden. We have brought the dogs inside the house and they have access to a large, enclosed yard through a doggy door. We are going to put some raised beds in that area. Take that, critters! Our veggies will now have watchdogs! The rest of our fruits and vegetables will be placed in small beds scattered around the perimeter of the house. They will be closer to water. We have a sunny side and a shady side. They will be closer to watch and closer to care for. Instead of rows, we will have areas. Instead of hills or trellises we are going to make tepees out of cedar from this land. We'll just have to see how it goes. My hope is that is will not only be functional, but beautiful as well.

Well, back I go to daydreaming.......

A garden is evidence of faith. It links us with all the misty figures of the past who also planted and were nourished by the fruits of their planting. ~ Gladys Taber

A 21st Century Victory Garden

During World War I and World War II citizens were encouraged to plant gardens to support the war effort. By planting their own fruits and vegetables, they were told, they would lessen the strain on the public food sources and lower the cost of food for the troops, freeing the military to spend money on other supplies. Gardens popped up everywhere. Neighborhood yards, empty lots, and even public parks became transformed into sprawling landscapes of fresh fruit and vegetables. It became one's patriotic duty to grow their own fresh produce.

Then, with the end of World War II, the efforts of citizens were directed elsewhere. Husbands and fathers returned from the war, and families were reunited. Men returned to the workforce, and women returned to their homes. The victory garden posters were discarded and the radio announcements ceased, and the once vibrant gardens stood empty and overgrown....or were replaced by flowers and grass.

We are in the midst of a new crisis. Unemployment rates are soaring as industry leaves this country. Foreclosures are on the rise. Yet I can drive around my hometown on any night of the week, and restaurant parking lots are filled to capacity. Convenience foods leap off the shelves of our supermarkets. Many of us spend more money on food than we spend on our housing. What if we were to think back to those victory garden slogans? What if we were to spend a little sweat and energy so that our money could go toward other purchases?

Restaurants add more fat to food than we would normally add at home. That is why we can't always reproduce the same tenderness and flavor at home. Order a grilled chicken and even have them eliminate the fattening sauce....chances are they still brushed it with butter or oil. Their goal is to make money. They do this by keeping the customer satisfied. Taste, not healthiness is the key to keeping the customer satisfied.

Food in the grocery store comes from all over the world. Produce is no different. In order to serve fruits and vegetables that are out of season here, they must be shipped from somewhere they are in season. They must be picked before they are ripe, be preserved in some way (often through waxes or other preservatives), and travel by boat, plane, or truck, adding fuel consumption into their cost. The goal is to ripen them somewhat but not too much, and to preserve them as long as possible so they can be purchased, and maybe even consumed, before they rot. It should also be noted that the grower's goal is to produce as great a profit as possible on as little land as possible with as little labor as possible. This means that chemical fertilizers and pesticides have been applied to the produce as well. And that produce is expensive!! We are paying a premium for unripened, aging produce containing pesticides, preservatives, and fertilizers. It really is crazy when you think about it.

Prepackaged food is full of additives and preservatives as well. Have you checked the labels of the foods in your pantry? How about those frozen dinners? Check it all. I really don't have many commercially canned items in my pantry, but I have some. The label on the chicken noodle soup is fourteen lines long as contains such things as high fructose corn syrup, disodium inosinate, and l-cycteine hydrochloride. The cream of chicken soup looks no better. Check your labels. What really concerns me is when they just put 'artificial flavors'. What does that mean? Of what, exactly, is artificial chicken flavor composed? My canned kidney beans contain high fructose corn syrup and my canned mushrooms contain MSG. Almost everything, unless you purchase the NO SALT ADDED version as I do, contains sodium. There are other 'not so goodies' in there as well. Check those labels!

Fresh, home grown fruit and vegetables are fresher and healthier. You have control of what you apply to your plants and produce. You can grow them organically for little or no additional cost. You can pick them when they are perfectly ripe and at their peak in flavor. The flavor of fresh produce barely resembles the flavor of produce purchased in the grocery store. You know that watery, grainy cantaloupe you purchase in the grocery store? We grew some cantaloupe last year that tasted like it had been drenched in honey water. It was amazing! People are already reminding us how much they love us so they can obtain some more this year. And with a little more additional labor, you can freeze and can some of the fruits of your labor. You can choose what to add. You can preserve your fresh, flavorful harvest without the use of additives or preservatives. You can control the amount of sugar or salt you add. You are free to eliminate it altogether. And you can enjoy healthy, flavorful produce throughout the off-season.

Gardening is economical. Seeds are cheap. You can buy most packets of seed, more than you could possibly need, for somewhere between $1.00 and $3.00. Each plant that grows from each seed has the potential to produce a bounty of produce. You can grow dozens of flavorful cantaloupe for less money that it takes to purchase one watery, grainy cantaloupe at the supermarket. Many varieties of seeds, especially those from open pollinated, heirloom varieties, can be saved and used next year, eliminating the need to purchase seeds again. Many hybrid varieties, however, are sterile and need to be purchased yearly. If you do get into saving your seeds, you have the added benefit of being able to trade seeds with other seed savers. It doesn't get any cheaper than that!

There is an additional bonus to growing your own garden. Tending to your garden gives you the opportunity to spend time in the great outdoors, breathing fresh air, and getting beneficial exercise without the cost of a health club membership. It is theraputic, and many people find the garden a great place for prayer. Not only is the food healthier for you, but the act of growing the food is healthy for you. What more could a person ask for?

I believe it is time we resurrect the victory garden. Victory over our finances....victory over flavor....and victory over our health. I hope you agree. Happy gardening!

A Quilt In Progress

Well, I decided I had way too much free time on my hands. In other words I have nearly thirty minutes to an hour each day that I am not running around like a madwoman, pulling my hair out. That is just not acceptable. I needed to do something about that disgraceful waste of God-given time.

Anyhoo, I absolutely love learning new skills. I have never been one to allow fear of failure ( or fear of making a fool of myself) get in the way of discovering a new love.

So I decided to make a quilt. Not just any quilt, but a queen sized quilt to grace our bed. So much for just getting my feet wet. Just to make sure I would make such a quilt and not put it off for another year...or ten, I didn't buy a bedspread. ...even though I saw a perfectly good one...or two on clearance...

I can sew. I don't much, but I can. I have skills, as they say. I once sewed a quilt. Well, sort of. It was a small wall hanging made from a kit, and it was nearly twenty years ago, but I figure it's kind of like riding a bike....a bike that I have only ridden with training wheels, or maybe a tricycle, but suddenly decided to enter in an endurance ride. But I always enjoy a challenge.

Really, it is going better than planned. It took me days to cut the pieces. I was originally going to construct it of all 3" squares. That was until I did the math and discovered that I was going to need 1080 such squares. I just don't believe I have that long of an attention span for that kind of project.

But the actual piecing is going much quicker.
Today during my 'free' hour I sewed my first ten squares. So they aren't perfect. They are SO much better than I expected. Anyways, who wants perfect? I think I may even get it completed before the weather gets too hot to sleep under a quilt.

I am using the little Kenmore Mini Ultra that Alea got for her seventh birthday. I don't know what happened to my old 1960's sewing machine. Maybe it is still in the storage trailer. It hasn't really seen alot of use here lately. But hey, the Mini works great!

Well, wish me luck. I may be busy for the next couple of weeks.

But, hey, I am really enjoying this. I think I love quilting!

A Community Update

So much has been happening around Koinonia Community that I am afraid I haven't taken a moment to write. I hope that is beginning to change. I miss this and I miss you, and I hope to be returning more frequently.

We are fairly settled into our home and have been working around the farm most free moments. There are always fences to put up, there is maintenance to do, and buildings to work on constructing. There are animals that need tending to (and babying). Add to that the fact that it has consistently remained muddy and water has remained frozen a good portion of the time. At least now we don't have to haul those buckets quite so far.

Just like everything God does, none of this has been progressing in a way that resembles our original plans. Proverbs 19:21 Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. We have allowed ourselves to become discouraged at times, but after a time we have seen how much better God's way of doing things has been. We were just so excited and ready to be a part of building a community. But in our haste and excitement, we tried moving things along in the way they should go.

But God doesn't always work that way. A community of believers that is focused on serving God and each other can't be built....it must be grown. It must occur organically, like the growth of a fruit tree that bears good, strong fruit. Strong roots must develop before the tree can support itself. Time must pass as the roots reach deeper into the soil, and the branches develop upward, soaking in the nourishment from the sun and rain. The exciting thing is that we can now see development. God is sending the sun and the rain. And we can see our branches developing. And we are patiently waiting for our tree to get strong enough to bear fruit.

So, a few changes that have occurred? Nick, our courageous first settler, is becoming adjusted, doing his sleeping in his camper, but much of his living in the house. We have been meeting weekly here at the community house for church, and the number of people that have been joining us has been growing. This house has truly become a house of prayer. It is a beautiful thing to see people joining in true communion, fellowship, and prayer, every week.

Are you wondering what happened to that lovely camper that we lived in for ten glorious months? Were you thinking we would want to keep it to go camping on weekends? We needed to sell it as we desperately needed the money. Then a friend offered us a trade of our camper for a small log cabin. We prayed over it for a LONG time. A cabin would provide another home for someone who may desire to move out here to Koinonia Community. But we couldn't ignore the fact that we needed the cash. So we prayed some more. In the end we decided to trade for the cabin. After all, he was going to give it to someone who needed a place to stay. It just seemed like God had a hand in it all. So we gave him the camper. Mysteriously, after we made that decision, the company my husband's farm contracts with decided to start getting caught up on the money they owed him. I just don't believe in coincidences, do you?

Well, I will stay on top of updates and drop in for a few short notes and quotes as well, just like old times. We hope you are enjoying many blessings.

A Busy Week

soap ~ midnight pomegranate and green apple




pickled peppers



sourdough bread

Today is his birthday!!

Today is my honey's birthday. Happy birthday, Darrell! Thank you for giving us an excuse to eat cake.

We are in a house!

Well, we are in the house. We have been in for several weeks and are still getting settled. They issued our Certificate of Occupancy on September 25. Considering that we closed on the building loan on July 14, that was not a long process. We are still moving things in and unpacking but we are in the house, enjoying the luxuries of indoor plumbing and a full kitchen and SPACE!

Life has been busy lately as it becomes for many during the fall. The girls have started back to dance classes, and the dance studio is now further away. For a couple of years we were travelling quite a distance for their classes and had finally moved closer. Then they moved further away. Funny, huh?

The animals have been keeping us quite busy. As the cooler weather sets in and the orchard grass slows in growth, the horses have been eating their pasture down, so we had more fencing to put up. We have had quite a few baby goats born this summer, but one came early and didn't make it. In just the last couple of weeks, two older baby goats mysteriously died.

The time has come when we have tilled up the summer garden and planted the winter one. We have learned and lost quite a bit this year about gardening...and opposums, and racoons, and whatever else has been eating the fruits of our garden. Soon, hopefully, our garden will be safe and sound within an electric fence. But that is a project for another day. Although it has been an incredible amount of work, we have benefited from it as well. We have enjoyed many fresh fruits and vegetables. And we have learned, so next year should prove to be even more productive.

Then there is the unpacking, sorting, washing, organizing, and picking items to give away. We have given quite a bit away over the last year and a half, but there are still boxes that we missed of items we can no longer use, or that the girls have outgrown. We have learned quite a lesson this year and a half about what is necessary and what is not. We are looking at things we have multiples of as well. How many sauce pans do I really need? Or casserole dishes? How many pairs of shoes do I need? How many coats? What do I have that someone else may be in need of?

But we have been trying to take our time settling in so we can enjoy everything around us as well. I have been making bread and canning apple butter. We have had many friends over for fellowship. We have huddled around the wood stove. We are trying to live more simply. It is amazing how much richer our lives have seemed since we have been learning to live with less. It is amazing how much closer we feel to God when we learn to rely on him for our provision. It is amazing how much closer we are becoming to each other when we work along side each other to accomplish so much, and when we take the time to sit and talk together.

I hope you enjoy the pictures of scenes from around our home. I know we are.

The trouble with simple living is that, though it can be joyful, rich, and creative, it isn't simple.- Doris Janzen Longacre

Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.- Robert Brault

You have succeeded in life when all you really want is only what you really need. - Vernon Howard

Reduce the complexity of life by eliminating the needless wants of life, and the labors of life reduce themselves.- Edwin Teale

Practically speaking, a life that is vowed to simplicity, appropriate boldness, good humor, gratitude, unstinting work and play, and lots of walking brings us close to the actual existing world and its wholeness. - Gary Snyder

Voluntary simplicity means going fewer places in one day rather than more, seeing less so I can see more, doing lessso I can do more, acquiring less so I can have more.- John Kabat-Zinn, Wherever You Go There You Are, p. 69

Close to Completion

We are getting close to completion. Maybe we will close next week!

I Sure Have Some Awesome Friends!

My friend Britnie has a bible study this morning and I am keeping her adorable four year old son for her for a few hours. She made him his own 'happy meal' and brought two for my girls as well. They are full of healthy goodies including homemade chocolate chip cookies made with whole wheat flour and dark chocolate, and peanut butter and honey sandwiches. She even printed up her own bags with some fun activities.

Also, she knows how much time we have been spending at Lowes lately, and how bored the girls are becoming with going there. She printed up some fabulous scavenger hunt activity sheets for the girls to do while we shop for supplies for our new home. She even attached them to little clip boards and included a pen. How cool is that? Don't I have the most amazing friends? I only wish I had that much imagination.

The Countdown Begins

Stage Three

What a Difference Three Weeks Can Make

Okay. So are our builders applying themselves, or what?!

Near the end of the first stage

We have broken ground on the first home at Koinonia Community. To date, we only have approval to build the first one. The more time we spend here, however, the more we feel that God is going to do something amazing at this location.

There is a neighbor moving out to the community....maybe today. More information is to come on this individual who is wacky enough to follow God out to this amazing place and help make living in koinonia a reality.

A Quote Worth Reading...and Pondering

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us most. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
~Maryanne Williamson

Just a quick update....

We closed on the building loan. We are now in the midst of constructing a house. God is awesome! I'll post some pictures when I get a chance.

To Close or Not to Close.....that is the question

So....are we going to close on our building loan today? Or not? It is less than four hours to closing and they have not given us any idea how much money we need to take to closing. We have been disappointed before and were starting to believe that the whole idea of living in a house was just a legend...a tale we heard tell of and retold...but based in fantasy instead of reality.

But a weird feeling hit me this week. Indecision and an odd feeling of peace. Honestly, living in a camper hasn't been that bad. Do I even want to build a house and live a normal life in a normal house just like everyone else? And fear. What if I become too comfortable? What if I forget about all that I have learned this past year? What if I become complacent? What if I become lazy and stop living intentionally? Also, something I hadn't thought of before....it is easy to live a life that others consider peculiar when your living conditions warrant peculiar living. But when you live under conditions like everyone else and just choose to make peculiar choices....that makes you....well, just peculiar.

So how about that feeling of peace? I feel complete and utter peace about whatever happens today. The fate of our building loan is in God's hands...not the lender. If we don't close on the loan for one reason or another, that is a closed door...not an obstacle. Honestly, I'm still not opposed to the idea of putting up a yurt. Quick, easy, inexpensive. Of course, there must be running water. That is my one request.

So that is where I stand today. What will the day have in store for my family? I don't know. I just know it is going to be awesome. At the very least, for now, I get to wake every day to the most amazing view, with the most amazing people I know. Our God is a wonderful, powerful, and loving God, and I am his servant.

Romans 8:28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.

Community Updates

There are many, many things happening at once here at Koinonia Community. The garden is in full swing, so much weeding, harvesting, and canning has been underway. This is the largest garden we have ever undertaken, and we have learned so much this first year of gardening at this beautiful place. This is also the first year that we have undertaken gardening since committing to not using pesticides. Whew, what a learning experience. I am developing an intense hatred for squash bugs. I have located some diatomaceous earth though, so they just may be wiped out soon, even if it is too late to rescue a huge portion of our squash plants.

We are still living in the camper. Harvesting and canning is quite a challenge when you have a limited water source and limited space. We have been collecting cucumbers and beans and storing them in a plug-in cooler out in the barn until I gather enough to haul, along with my canning supplies to my mom's house to take over her kitchen. We have pickled several batches so far. My parents have been so supportive and helpful through all of this experience. My in-laws surprised me last week with a pressure canner. (See how spoiled I am!) Yesterday I canned my first batch of green beans in it. I say I, but truly my husband was an enormous help. We have enjoyed working together on this year's canning and pickling.

We have been blessed with more animals. Two of our goats had babies. Snow had one adorable little girl, and Jane had a boy and a girl. One of our cats had four kittens. We have new ducks, more chickens, and two new horses. We have a donkey coming our way once he is weaned...maybe later this month. We are enjoying them all so much.

We are scheduled to close on our building loan tomorrow. I am trying to keep my cool though since we have been scheduled to close before, and errors in paperwork caused delays. The incredible people who are building our house have gone ahead and started the grading and footings. It is so awesome to witness people stepping out on faith. I am excited to see progress, but a little frightened of forgetting all I have learned along this incredible journey within the confines of a comfortable life.

It has been 14 months since we closed on the selling of our previous house. We spent the first six months living with a friend. We started out as near strangers, but became more like family as the six months progressed. We have been in this camper for nearly eight months now. It has been a struggle and a blessing at the same time. It is a struggle because we are living very primitively by American society's standards. Our family of four is living in a little over 200 square feet. We still don't have running water. We haul it in by cooler loads. We heat it in a pot on the stove top. We haul water to our several dozen animals by the bucket full. Darrell spends alot of time filling up buckets of water at work. We recently acquired a large tank for him to put on the back of the truck to fill. It has been a serious blessing.

We do use an outhouse most of the time. We do have a toilet in the camper, but with no septic system...what goes in must be taken out. Anything in the tank must be removed by the 5 gallon bucketful as well. Additionally, as hot as it is outside, it smells up the camper in a couple of days if you use it.

We are still going to my mom's house or friend's house to shower and do laundry. The shower is probably the biggest struggle we face. It is hard to work outside all day in the heat, and try to sponge off with a small amount of water. I love my showers, and I love being clean. And it really takes quite a bit of time to pack up a shower bag and shower at someone else's house. And it is never first thing in the morning or just before bed as I was previously spoiled to be able to do to my heart's content.

But we aren't suffering by any means. We work hard, but live quite comfortably. We even have air conditioning in the camper. We all sleep on beds. That is more than many people have. We have food. We have family. When it rains or is too hot, we hang out and watch a movie together.

What a blessing this whole experience has been. We have become closer as a family. We have truly been focused on what is necessary and have banded together to get things accomplished. We have grown in our faith immensely. We know we are doing what God has intended for us. We knew we were giving up comfort and security but did it anyways out of obedience, trusting God to meet our needs. And He has. I have to say there is no greater comfort than to KNOW you are within the will of God. No doubts!

I assure you that when you step out on faith and depend fully on God to meet your needs, you have no choice but to see Him working in your life. For example, we have spoken with person after person who have seen their gardens perish this year due to lack of rain. They have told us that they watered and watered it, but it just isn't the same as rainwater. We don't have a way to water our garden, except for the occasional hauled 5 gallon bucket of gray water. But our garden has flourished. We have harvested hundreds of cucumbers. I keep thinking the plants are dying, then I'll check the next morning and find more than forty beautiful cucumbers. We've had more than enough to share. Only God is capable of making that happen.

Oh yeah, and we are getting a neighbor here in the community. Seems we have made camper living sound SO appealing that someone else wants to give it a try. But more on that in the next post.

Poetry by Alea Hunsucker ~ Age 9

On a dark night
you help me see the light
in the depths of the sea
through sights of blue and green
through it all
Your grace helps me
and now I see
it wasn't all me!

Just For Fun....food from the garden.

We are suddenly blessed with vegetables from the garden. I was planning on doing a bit of canning and freezing this year, but did not expect to still be limited to a camper sized refrigerator and freezer. So we are having to eat as we pick and give away the rest. Kasi is a huge fan of zucchini, but both girls claim to not like yellow squash...or red peppers. So I decided to shred everything together into a sauce. I told them that that way they will get all the yummy flavors mixed together instead of isolated. I shredded yellow squash, zucchini, carrots, onions, garlic, red pepper, and mushrooms (leaving a few mushrooms to be sliced ~ Kasi loves her mushrooms).


After sauteing with EVOO, I added a jar of organic spaghetti sauce. I simmered that for awhile, and just before serving added some fresh thyme, oregano, and sweet basil. Yummy!

Instead of being chunky, the sauce cooks up nice and thick! I'm getting hungry again just looking at the pictures.

Mix it in with some fabulously flavorful whole wheat pasta, and add a salad made of fresh cucumbers, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, fresh thyme, salt and pepper. It was a fresh and inexpensive and delicious!

Enjoy your garden!