Right next to our blooming azaleas the kids planted some flower seeds. We'll see if anything sprouts!

Reducing grocery costs and getting fresher vegetables interests many families, including ours.

Last weekend, we made the leap to growing our own victory garden, also known as a square foot garden. The vegetable seeds have been planted and watered in our brand new backyard garden. In about 10 days, I hope we’ll see the first sprouts of the peppers, zucchini, cilantro, and tomatoes–we’d love to have an abundance of veggies on hand this summer!

I love feeding my family fresh produce, and having our own veggie garden will help me in so many ways (including avoiding a short trip to the grocery store just to get some veggies).

Even our neighbors are excited–in fact, we’ve apparently inspired them to plant their own veggie garden! We’re excited and hopeful. The last time we tried to grow tomatoes was at our former house, about 9 years ago. The tomatoes grew big on the vine in the cage in a sunny spot in our backyard. But before they turned a bright red–when they were an unappetizing green–birds flew down and pecked big holes in the fruit. I was in disbelief that birds would deny us our tomatoes that summer. After that, we didn’t try a vegetable garden. But now, in a different neighborhood, I can hope that the birds will leave our veggies alone. You hear me, birds? Stay away from my vegetables!

Vegetable garden in our backyard, a day after veggie seeds were planted in it.

One of my good friends, Lisseth West, wrote a guest post about her organic vegetable garden a few weeks ago. I think she’s inspired a few people, including me, to plant a square foot garden. It’s all the rage now to grow your own fruits and vegetables, what with rising prices of fresh produce at the grocery store. When I received my latest issue of Self Magazine, I laughed when I saw the cover, which had a teaser about how to reduce your grocery bill. I quickly turned to that feature, and was shocked to see an article about growing veggies and herbs even in a small backyard.

I started out small. We’ve got dill and Italian parsley in a pot in our front flowerbed. Then, my husband announced he was willing to clear an area in our backyard for a vegetable garden. And so my dream of a vegetable garden is now reality! My 7-year-old daughter is looking forward to watering the back vegetable garden, weeding, thinning, and otherwise taking care of it as part of it as part of her chores.

So what’s the plan for your backyard? Are you going to try to start a vegetable garden?

Photos by Kelly Estes

My family loved this recipe. We came home ‘starving’ after a longer than usual mass. I was thankful my husband had started this crockpot recipe early Sunday morning, so that brunch would be ready when we got home. When we arrived back home, the aroma in our kitchen from this Sausage and Potato Bake was wonderful!

The smokiness and slight spiciness of the turkey smoked sausage permeates the entire dish and adds an addictive, delicious flavor. The crunch of the corn is also delightful, and something my kids loved. I served the Sausage and Potato bake with a few sliced Ugly Ripe Tomatoes (sprinkled with a little salt and pepper). There was one serving left; my 7-year-old claimed it for her breakfast the next morning.

Crockpot Sausage and Potato Bake

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 4 hours
Total time: 4 hours, 5 minutes

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 15 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained
• 14 oz. turkey smoked sausage, sliced (the Lite smoked sausage contained more fat than the turkey smoked sausage, so be sure to read the labels!)
• 10 3/4 oz. can Campbell’s Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 1/2 cup fat-free, reduced sodium Beef broth
• 16 oz. frozen hash browns

Directions

Put all ingredients into crockpot. Stir. Make sure the smoked sausage is not touching the sides of the crockpot, as it may get overcooked there.

Cook on high for 4 hours. Enjoy!

Photo by Kelly Estes