I discovered swiss chard when I lived in San Diego, an asian neighbor dug up some of her plants and gave me 2 big plants. I LOVED them. They had big huge leafs, I would steam and then briefly saute in fresh garlic and butter..YUMMMY...Now for some reason, the chard I have planted here in GA is not as good to me, the flavor is very different. I got a bunch of seeds in a seed exchange, so maybe the varieties were just not the same. I'm going to try to plant more of the big green ones, the shorter more colorful (more red stemmed ones) just dont have the same buttery taste to me. I also got seeds from a neighbor last year of what i was told was a climbing okra...turns out that it is something else which I cannot recall the name, I know that they are used when left to dry out to make luffa's?, and since they were planted so late last year, I did not get a chance to try them out..but they were really big long pods. I'll try them again this year and see what happens. I LOVE Okra, planted Emerald for the first time this year, last year and the few years before, I planted Clemson Spineless, hope I am not dissapointed with Emerald, as I have NO Clemson's planted at all this year. My first year here, I planted 6 yes SIX okra plants, I'll never forget, I was admiring the very lush garden of a neighbor of my MIL's , he's an older gentleman and I was so proud that I too had planted OKRA, he asked me how many plants I had, and I told him SIX...and he chuckled outloud and says "well you might be able to get a mess from them" I learned quickly, there was NO MESS of any kind with just six plants...the next year I planted 20 and even then never had enough to put any up...and it took a week to get a "mess" to cook up. this year I have planted 3 rows (15 feet each), I'm hoping this is enough :) I also have for the first time successfully grown garlic, I bought a mixed bag (she sent me a few of each of several different varieties) from a lady who sells on the farmers bulletin from Atlanta, I think I planted like 6 or 7 different types. they are all over my garden..cant wait another surprise that I just love are the multiplying onions. got free bulbs from someone on freecycle, and now I have more of them than I know what to do with.. last year I also for the first time successfully grew PEANUTS!! that was WAY COOL...harvested and put up a dozen gallon bag full of them. of course here in the south we boil them in salty water, yummy!! I have volunteers all over my garden!! I have enjoyed mustard greens and love having parsley in my garden...I found some growing in the cracks in my lower patio, I had let some in the flower beds go to seed, and I dont have the heart to pull them up!! And finally sweet potatoes! no hassle great reward!!

Well, the party line answer is clearly both, and obviously for me too, there is enjoyment of the process and the results. I think that must be true for any gardener who is involved in the making of their own garden space and who isn't getting paid for doing it. But I find that as I get older and farther down the garden path, I would like to enjoy the results more, and I find that the process itself can sometimes be tedious, expensive, require too much patience, and overwhelming. So I am going to be brutally honest here -- while I enjoy the work of gardening to some extent, if I could hire more people to do more things for me and just enjoy the results myself, I would do it. The problem is that, for the most part, if you are a real plant geek like I am (and a whole lot of others who responded above), you can't really hire people to arrange plants for you in the way you want them. So there is a certain amount that you have to be involved with yourself. Being involved again in the creation of a new garden, and having left a mature one, I have to say that so far, I enjoyed the mature one more. The last few years I spent there I did work a lot in the garden still, of course, but the proportion of time spent just enjoying the garden was greater. That doesn't mean that I was sitting when I enjoyed it. It doesn't mean that I didn't pull a weed or two when I walked with a glass of wine in the evening. But after 20 years working on that space, the garden felt "finished" to a great extent. That doesn't mean that there would never be anything new. But the garden had a certain cohesiveness that is certainly lacking in my new garden. It also had as much seasonal interest as I could pack into 2/3 acre in my rotten climate. So, weather permitting, the garden always had moments of great beauty and enjoyment for me. But then again, I know that one of the reasons the garden meant so much to me is that I had spent 20 years making it. I had watched the trees, shrubs, perennials that I had planted get moved from one place to anohter (NAY he says, "I MOVED them from one place to another"...) until they finally found a place that they (and I) liked. Still garden making takes patience, and it is hard in the early stages not to want more results, with less work at garden making. I think that's one reason why, relatively speaking, I did not take many pictures of the new garden this year -- in the last year I was at my old place I took over a thousand, this year less than 100. A reflection that the garden was more about process than results, so far. One of the greatest times of garden enjoyment I ever remember in my old garden was after a big garden tour. The weeds were all pulled, the plants all relatively pristine (it was mid-June), the crowds were gone, my family and the dog were gone, the walks and drives all neat and clean, no cars or other distractions to be seen. Then I walked through and enjoyed my own garden, for a couple of hours, nobody but me and the hummingbirds and butterflies. One of the best times of garden enjoyment I ever had, along with very early foggy mornings and late summer evenings. Give me more of those, and less back-breaking work, any day....

I've only made this once for some reason. It's very good! Chicken-Pecan Quiche (Debbie/AL) Crust:* 1 c. flour 1 c. (4 oz.) shredded Cheddar 3/4 c. chopped pecans 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. paprika 1/3 c. vegetable oil Mix first four ingredients in a medium bowl; stir well. Add oil and stir well. Firmly press mixture in bottom and up sides of a 9" deep-dish pie plate. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. Cool completely. Filling: 1 c. sour cream 1/4 c. mayonnaise 3 large eggs, lightly beaten 2 c. finely chopped cooked chicken 1/2 c. (2 oz.) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese 1/4 c. minced onion 1/4 c. pecan halves 3 drops of hot sauce (optional) Whisk together sour cream, mayo and eggs. Stir in chicken, cheese, onion and hot sauce. Pour chicken mixture over the prepared crust. Arrange pecan halves over chicken mixture. Bake at 350 for 55 min. or until set. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serves 8. *Deep-dish premade pie crust can be substituted for the cheese/pecan crust. Just sprinkle the bottom of the pie crust with 1/2 c. shredded cheese and add the other half (making 1 c.) and pecans to the chicken mixture. Then prebake the crust for 10 minutes.

I found this recipe yesterday when looking through some craft sites. Looks so refreshing, a must try. Lemony Lemon Bread This recipe makes two loaves and freezes well, so you can enjoy one when you make it, and enjoy the other loaf at a later date. This bread takes a bit of time to prepare, and requires at least 4 fresh lemons, but it is just as good (maybe better) the next day, so feel free to make it the day before you plan to serve it . ~ For the Lemon Cake ~ 1 1/2 cups cake flour 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 2 1/4 cups sugar 8 large eggs, at room temperature 1/4 cup grated lemon zest (from about 4 lemons) 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled 1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract ~ For the Lemon Syrup ~ 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice 1/3 cup sugar ~ For the Lemon Glaze ~ 2 cups confectioners' sugar 4-6 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice Making the Lemon Cakes (Recipe yields two 9"x5" loaves) Preheat oven to 350*F. Spray sides and bottom of pans with non-stick cooking spray. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper and spray the paper as well. Sift both flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl. Blend the sugar, eggs, lemon zest and lemon juice in the bowl of an electric mixer and mix until combined. Slowly add the melted butter, while mixing. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until just combined. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the flour mixture, one third at a time, until all the flour is combined. Do not overmix. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 minutes, rotate the pans, reduce the oven temperature to 325*F and bake another 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, make the Lemon Syrup ~ In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the lemon juice and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once dissolved, continue to cook for 3 more minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper and invert the baked and (mostly) cooled loaves onto the pan. Use a toothpick to poke holes in the tops and sides of the loaves. Brush the tops and sides of the loaves with the lemon syrup. Let the syrup soak into the cake and brush again. Let the cakes cool completely, at least 30 minutes. (The soaked, but unglazed loaves will keep well, wrapped in two layers of plastic wrap and frozen, for up to 6 weeks.) Make the Lemon Glaze ~ In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar and 4 tablespoons of lemon juice. The mixture should be thick but pourable. If the mixture is too stiff, add up to another 2 tablespoons lemon juice (a little at a time) and whisk again. Pour the glaze over the top of each loaf and let it drip down the sides. Let the lemon glaze harden, about 15 minutes, before serving. The glazed loaves will keep for up to 3 days, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature. Recipe Source ~ Baked, New Frontiers in Baking