Herbs and vegetables from our allotment

A big dream my hubby and I share is to grow our own herbs and vegetables in our own garden someday. Since that dream seems somewhat far away at the moment, we've decided to take a step towards it by getting an allotment!

We cherish every day spent in our allotment, despite the hard work and long hours it demands. It's a wonderful way to spend our lovely summer together,  and it brings great joy to our kids too.

Recently, I harvested some vegetables from our allotment, and I can't wait to use them in various dishes and recipes. The lovely chard will be perfect for making dolma (iprax) along with vine leaves. We usually chop off the leaf stalks and fry them with onions and eggs for a delightful breakfast. I also like to layer them at the bottom of the pot when I cook the dolma; it prevents it from burning and adds a delicious flavor.

Next, I harvested some mint, which is versatile and works well in salads. Likewise, the cucumbers from our allotment are wonderfully crunchy and leave that refreshing taste in your mouth. To me, that's the sign of a great cucumber! I've also added the very mild chilies to my salad and used them in various stews, chilies, and soups I've recently prepared.

As for the plant on the left, we call it Tolik in Kurdish, but I'm still trying to figure out its English name. It has pink and purple flowers and beautifully shaped leaves. We usually chop it up and fry it with onions and eggs for breakfast. I'm excited to create all these lovely dishes using our homegrown produce.