Gardens in American Suburbs

[peacetraveler22]

Can you guess what's growing in the bright, green leaves? :) I think one of the biggest misperceptions about Americans is that we all stuff our faces with fast food and pizza every day. This may be true for some people, but not the majority. I once read a report from a well-known blogger who wrote that gardens are common "only in American ghettos." Such characterization is very strange, because it's ordinary for Americans to grow fruits and vegetables in their yards, and not only in rural areas. This photo is taken from my sister's house, right in the middle of suburbia. Each year, she attempts to grow various fruits and vegetables during the summer in her tiny yard. Hidden behind these leaves is a fruit that most Russians know very well and consume on a regular basis...

1. Cucumbers! This is my nephew's favorite thing to eat, and the fruit is easy to grow. Actually, I thought cucumbers were vegetables but my sister informed me over the weekend that the proper classification of this food is "fruit."



2. Cucumbers to me are tasty only if eaten raw, and I definitely don't like the pickled variety!! Pickles to me are the worst food on the planet, and the mere smell nauseates me. Usually, I simply slice and eat them on a plate with onions. The ones from my sister's yard are completely organic, she uses no fertilizers or special chemicals to help them grow, and most come out huge (though not perfectly shaped!).



3. One of my favorite homemade salads, we eat it during summer barbecues and other family gatherings. Tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and avocados, all mixed with light olive oil and various spices.



4.  I stopped drinking sodas almost twenty years ago, and consumer only water and herbal tea on most days. During the hot and humid summer months, I also use cucumbers to create tasty alternatives to plain water. It's very simple, yet the taste is somewhat exotic and refreshing. The best combination is to place water, ice cubes, limes, cucumbers and mint leaves in a jar or pitcher and let it sit overnight. Delicious! You can find the recipe here. In fact, you can use any type of fruit to add a spark to otherwise dull water (like oranges, tangerines, melons, etc.).



5. This year, we tried to grow strawberries but it was a complete fail! :( Japanese beetles infested the crops and completely destroyed them.



6. I recently left my nice apartment near the city to save money on rent. Now, I'm far away, sitting in huge traffic jams each day on my commute to work. It's horrible, but necessary if I wish to pursue my passion of travel. To pay over $2,000 a month for a 1 bedroom apartment - insanity!! When I was searching for places to live, I was surprised to learn that some complexes now have "resident gardens," making it possible for even apartment dwellers to have a garden. It's great! Here's an example from one of the properties I viewed. Almost all of the dirt plots are occupied and being used by residents in the high rise building. How about in Moscow or Peter? Have you ever seen an owner create such nice garden plots for residents of an apartment building to use?



7.  Now, I have tons of cucumbers sitting at home! In all shapes and sizes. Diversity is good. :) What else can I do with them? If you have good cucumber recipes or cooking ideas, share them in comments. I will be grateful.



Please don't believe all the stereotypes about what Americans eat. There's a wide-variety of food available, and as I've written before you can find organic products in almost every market, from expensive gourmet shops to cheap stores like Walmart. Yes, you pay more for such products but if you're anal about what you eat, or some type of health food fanatic, you can easily survive in the USA. It will just cost you more to eat. And it's possible to have a garden not only at your dacha, but also in suburbia and occasionally an apartment. How about you? Do you grow any vegetables or fruits, or do you buy such products at the supermarket?

Comments

[oblomius.livejournal.com]

Hi)) А вы удаляете середину огурца?

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

Привет! :) Yes, for the salad, we remove the middle of the cucumber. But when I eat the cucumber plain, I just slice it whole and eat it raw. Tasty! :)

[a-nimaida.livejournal.com]

I thought that the United States is forbidden to grow vegetables in a small garden)

I love to go to the market to buy vegetables and grandmothers!
  They sell to his little garden
In Sunday beg I experienced great pleasure)
bought peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, fennel, parsley, garlic and other
I also love their raspberry jam)) I bought a lot!

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

I also love to go to the farmer's market to buy fresh vegetables and fruits from local growers! :) I don't know why people think Americans can't grow vegetables in their own yards? :)) We can!

[a-nimaida.livejournal.com]

I am surprised))
I thought that vegetables grown only allowed farmers
  US planned economy))


very nice to buy fresh vegetables and talk to grandparents)
I feel a buzz)))
I even bought the milk home) Delicious!

[323mersy.livejournal.com]

Results of medical reports turned Americans to own vegetables gardens. When I came to US, 14 years ago, it was only one vegetable garden in our street, now everybody grow something.
The laws are more strict then in Russia. There is no such freedom here that you can grow any plant you want, from any seeds you want.

[a-nimaida.livejournal.com]

люди с древних времен выращивают овощи ))
ЭТО НОРМАЛЬНО
в США для этого нужно медицинское обследование ?
больше вреда не придумаешь

[mybathroom.livejournal.com]

My mother-in-law grows vegetables and fruits on here yard. It's like a hobby for her (not completely but still). When I was a boy my family had the yard as well. Now we don't have one and I glad because it was hard work but not pleasure. We had the yard because there were little food in stories and we were forced grow it ourselves.

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's very hard and laborious work to maintain a proper garden. My sister does it mostly for fun, not out of necessity. So, if the crop fails, they do not experience hunger as a result. :) A garden would not be so enchanting if it was the only means of survival and nutrition. Then, it becomes a job, requiring much more time, effort and discipline.

[323mersy.livejournal.com]

Shannon, can your relatives make an experiment and grow plants from the seeds of these cucumbers next year?

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

I will ask my sister to try your experiment. :)

[anna-sollanna.livejournal.com]

> it's ordinary for Americans to grow fruits and vegetables in their yards, and not only in rural areas
Btw why do you grow them? To have an ability to eat organic food or have an ability to eat food grown by yourselves or just for fun? ;)
> Do you grow any vegetables or fruits, or do you buy such products at the supermarket?
Well, I definitely don't have green fingers, so I buy! For me growing own vegetables and fruits is a very time consuming job, I'd better work more and get additional money to buy fruits than to grow them. You know, 20-30 years ago, when there was huge difficulties with food in Russia, people used to grow vegetables just to have something to eat. And after the situation with provisions improved they stopped doing this, but for many of them growing vegetables is a symbol of poverty and toil... They now visit their dachas just to have fun there.
> Tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and avocados
An interesting combination, but I prefer to have such a salad without onion and avocado but with sweet pepper.
> that some complexes now have "resident gardens," making it possible for even apartment dwellers to have a garden. It's great!
Completely agree with you! But I have never heard about such "resident gardens" before.
> If you have good cucumber recipes or cooking ideas, share them in comments.
Have you ever tasted them with honey? I like cucumbers with cabbage, dressing with mayonnaise and sour cream or olive oil with a drop of vinegar. And I have recipes of more substantial dishes, like a salad of cucumbers, eggs, prunes and boiled chicken.

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

Yes, she grows them just for fun, not because she has to for food. :) So, this makes it more like a hobby rather than a chore. It's really strange but I don't like honey! I love all sweets, but somehow honey isn't to my liking. In the summer time, my dad likes to eat a "honey sundae." It's soft vanilla ice-cream, with honey sauce and then crushed graham crackers on top!! :))

[elena-88888.livejournal.com]

I have two loggias/balconies in my apartments. 1m deep x room's width. One of them - for my cactuses and fig-tree, the other one - for small garden. Cucumbers. Tomatoes. Basil, different kinds of salad...
In the moment I'm a little bit lazy to take a photo ;-))) but I can attach my photo of tomato in deep Autumn

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

I love basil! And you're a better tomato grower than me. :)

[romaios.livejournal.com]

Cucumber... lemonade?! I'll try it! Thank you for recipe.

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

You're welcome! It's very tasty. :)