Starburst, Vanilla tootsie rolls, twizzlers, pretzels, spearmint gum, green frosted flakes, and green m&m's are what the veggies are made up of, (and a little elbow grease to manipulate the ingredients). What was great in making this project is that there is very little frosting or piping technique needed.
This was for a cake decorating competition so we used Styrofoam as a base. We carved the base to make rows for our garden, and then frosted it with chocolate and coated it with oreo cookie crumbs. This made the "soil". We found that by putting the oreo in the blender (without the filling) it created a finer soil.
The radishes are out of a cherry starburst rolled with a vanilla tootsie roll. By rolling the starburst and various other candies in your hand, the heat warms the candy up nicely and makes it pliable.
The leaves for the cabbage are actually corn flakes that are coated with a green icing glaze. You should try this process on some wax paper. This is the messiest part of the project. Once the leaves are prepared, you can use a green m&m, or green starburst rolled into a small ball as the center of the cabbage head. Then attach the leaves with a dab of frosting, and layer them to create the effect you like.
The beans are actually green starbursts with greem m&m to represent the peas. Green twizzler vines are also used to help finish the effect. Remember to just keep the starburst in your hand to get it warm and pliable and start rolling it until it resembles a thick snake. We used the back of a butter knife to split it open and then added the M&M's for the peas.
The carrots are orange starburst and she piped the carrot tops. The shovel is made from pretzel sticks,(handle) and we bent some green spearmint gum and attached it to the pretzel and had it look like a shovel.
The Row markers were made out of graham crackers that were frosted, and attached to another pretzel. My daughter then piped on the little pictures for the seed packets.
She won Reserve Grand Champion for this project, and I think it would be a great project to start the kids out on for Cake Decorating. My daughter was 10 when she made this cake, so its never too early to start cooking with your kids. Great Job Ashlyn!!! Thank you Tip Junkie for featuring this project!! I would love to hear your comments, so feel free to ask any questions, or just say hi!!
Yes, I realize that it is now August 1st, however in my defense I have been canning, pickling, and jamming for the majority of July. Better late then never right?
The majority of my family went to Chukchansi Park in Fresno, California on 4th of July, where we enjoyed a great baseball game, each other's company, and a spectacular Fireworks show. I'll be honest the Baseball game was a flop because the home team lost by almost 13 runs, but it was sure fun laughing about how bad they were playing. This was a minor league game for the Dodgers and Giants. (Sorry I can't recall the exact names of the teams at the moment). The only one of my siblings that wasn't present, was my brother Rick. :( We sure missed him though).
Left: My handsome husband Jeff enjoying the game.
Katherine and Shawn
Rachael and Meghan
Casey and John
Jeff, Kiyah and Jeffrey
My parents and some creepy guy posing in the background. :)
Ahoy ye mateys!
Katherine and Shaye enjoying a mother/daughter moment, with Ashlyn coming down from her sugar rush! 
If you are LDS then you will especially appreciate this mural, as it has one of the temples in the background. David as you can see has a gift, so if you are in the market for a mural design or art commission then go no further. He can do pretty much anything-3D Art, painting, graphic design, sketching etc. Below is another example of what he painted in his living room.
I am currently working on a children's book, and I'm trying to talk David into being my illustrator. He has two design blogs, so check them out and contact him if you are in need of an artist. The first is David L Sykes Design http://www.davidlsykesdesign.blogspot.com/ for examples of his Graphic Design and Logo work. To see some of the 3D art, and more of his incredible mural work check out Sketchbug -The artwork of David L Sykes http://www.davidlsykes.blogspot.com/ and http://sketchbug.awardspace.com/murals.html
My children love to cook, and I have been trying very hard to teach them what I know and help them become involved in the process. One thing that I have noticed is that by taking the time to teach them, it has also changed how they think about food in general. We live in the country and have a large garden. My goal this year is to can as much from our garden as possible. So far, we have canned our cucumbers into Kosher Dill Pickle Spears and chips, as well as making spaghetti sauce with all of the abundant and ripe Roma and Celebrity tomatoes! We also plan to can our tomatoes whole.
(Ignore the sheets on my windows, I'm saving up for the draperies I want) :)
6. Ladle the hot jam into the hot jars, one at a time, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Clean rim and threads of the jars using a clean, damp cloth to remove any residue. Center hot lids on the jars, allowing sealing compound to come in contact with the jar rim. Apply bands and adjust until fit is fingertip tight. 
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