Garden Tuesday: First Food

Well, the garden is growing right along, after 6 weeks of cold rain. Not that it's been all that warm, and not that we've lacked rain (although we've not been the subject of monsoons as Chan has), but everything is relative. And the boys have had their first picnic lunch of the summer, so the world might be turning our way, after all.
We've had some more growth in our garden. Does anyone know how to tell when these onions are ready to harvest?

This is going to come off as a shameless plug for a product. When we were buying our soil, we bought the last of the locally produced potting soil, then had to buy Miracle Gro soil for the top layer of the last quadrant of the garden. I hate to admit it, but look at the difference in the size of the plants (all seeded on the same day). The friendly folks at Miracle Gro can send me more products to sample, if they'd like. I testify honestly.
We cut some lower lettuce leaves, so our lettuce plants closest to the camera in the big picture are looking a little scrawny (Dog might notice that). First they went into turkey grinders, on homemade French bread toasted in the George Foreman grill, with some homemade mayo, shredded cheddar cheese dill pickle chips and our beloved lettuce. Excellent lunch, just excellent. And, yes, I did use a Pooh plate. What better way to make lunch fun?
At dinner, a salad too small for all of us. Thankfully, only 5 of us were home. The lettuce got washed about a million times - no insects or dirt for me, thank you - and mixed with shredded carrot, shredded mozarella, and craisins. Topped with an orange balsamic vinaigrette dressing I pulled out of thin air, there were people swarming around the salad bowl looking for the elusive "more!"

And of course, you wanted this...

ORANGE BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE DRESSING

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp orange juice
2 tbsp snipped chives (1 tbsp dried)
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
pinch salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup salad oil

Combine in a cruet or jar. Shake vigorously. Enjoy!

And, just for variety, my first moss roses have bloomed. They're not classic pretty roses, but they're certainly colorful!