Fried Okra, Sliced Tomatoes, Butterbeans, and Cornbread

Hey, yall. It's the middle of May and my mouth is already watering about the bounty in the months ahead. Already I have green beans, swiss chard, mixed leaf lettuces, yellow straight-neck squash, 4 different tomatoes, bell peppers, carrots, cucumbers, and cantaloupe in my garden. I still have plans to get okra (we stripped the two plants I had last year) and maybe watermelon for the season, plus fall crops that won't go in til later. Big Monkey says "I don't like sweet potatoes that much." but, shoot, you can't garden in North Carolina without planting sweet potatoes, right? Plus I've got two kinds of basil, cilantro, thyme, and oregano (along with the ever-present rosemary) already and hope to put in more basil, dill, garlic, and onions and -- if I can figure out a pot to put it in -- a Bay Laurel tree (they're not hardy for this zone so must overwinter inside. Perfect! Laurel wreaths for Saturnalia!).

I guess a little blurb is in order for what (I think) this is: I'm a Foodie Mama with a Half Pint at home in Orange County, North Carolina. I am crazy about local, sustainable food and living, feeding my family right, and raising our daughter in harmony with the land. I'm also a retail widow: Big Monkey works for one of the big box home improvement stores. He works hard, but wishes he were home more, too. More on all of that later.

I want to share the bounty that is the OCNC with you, to show you what is available in my own backyard, both literally (my garden) and figuratively (the depth of wonderful things to do in this locale). We're on a pretty limited budget, so there'll be a lot in here about Slow Living and Slow Food and Slow Potty Training (the Half Pint is starting). I hope someone may find something of joy here, of southern passion, of the kind of happiness that reminds one of eating a homegrown tomato, straight from the vine, on a warm August day.

And, because it fits on so many levels, you must check out this video of "Cornbread and Butterbeans" by the local bluegrass group, the Carolina Chocolate Drops.