in the garden...

I'm so behind on a garden update! The weather has been hot and humid, which has gotten everything finally growing. We haven't had much rain - the rain barrel has been dry more often than I remember from past years. But as the garden is sheltered it seems to hold onto the moisture pretty well. That shelter also means that the greens are still happy, even with the heat wave. I flood them with cool water when they are on the shady side and they keep right on growing without bolting (so far).

We had such a slow/late start with the cold spring, so things are not as far along as usual...but that they are growing at all after all that makes me very happy.


Right now we are still picking big bowls of lettuces and greens daily - chard, kale, mesclun mix, head lettuce, and more. Our cauliflower, carrots and broccoli which were stunted for so long in the cold are still growing and finally starting to look like something and managing hot quite well.


We are reaping a lot of herbs - dill, cilantro, basil (tons of pesto - yum!), shisho, fennel, spring onions, lovage, and the edible flowers are also all starting to come in.


The medicinals are slow growers generally, so they are happy but small.


We are starting to (!in July!) pick a lot of peas while the beans, melons and cucumbers look like they will need a LONG stretch of heat in order to kick start growing...they are way behind.


We have beets and chives and teeny tiny (tiny!) summer squash.



The strawberries are just about done, while the golden raspberries are being picked by the cupful for the past few days. Blackberries are just starting to color. Currants are getting plump. Red raspberries are just now flowering.


The tomatoes are getting slowly but surely bigger!


We have pots of all kinds of things growing happily and comfy spots to sit on cooler mornings or beautiful evenings.


I'm sure there are many things I am not remembering from inside my house at midnight. But it is good when the list of what is growing is long! I can't believe it feels like we are just starting the main summer fruit and veggies, but we are. Of course I hope that means we will have a long beautiful fall.


How is your garden growing?

inside and out.

G sprained his knee, so we have been close to home for a few days trying to take it easy. It is hard for a spunky 5 year old to remember that his knee will hurt if he ... jumps, kneels, twists, bends, runs. So we go up and down, with a lot of ice, books, board games, snuggling, and craftiness in between.


It is getting better, and last night he even went on a 3 mile bike ride with his dad & brother (he was on a third wheel, so didn't have to pedal too much)! Being close to home is good, though, as the weather was gloriously cool and cloudy yesterday - and breezy enough at times in the past few days for me to venture into the garden without wearing battle gear to ward off the mosquitoes. I could even get close to the raspberry patch, which is good, because...


...they are here!!! Looks like we are going to have a bumper crop of red raspberries from our small 4' x 8' patch! While I am still only getting around a pint or so a day right now, there are so many raspberries still ripening --- can't wait!

Happy Wednesday!

colors of summer.

It is that time of year - canning, drying, freezing, saving. I love when the summer fruit starts showing up - so sweet, so colorful, so fragrant. While fruit season doesn't last long, we try to preserve enough fruit at peak time to last the rest of the year. There is nothing like frozen fruit for smoothies in January, or dried berries for home made granola when the snow is piled high outside. It is a busy time in the kitchen, but it is worth it for all the months we get to enjoy our labor!

It is a busy time with CSA boxes, garden veggies, and recipes at my food blog, cook.eat.think. I'm starting a few things over there - photo challenges, canning, dehydrating, giveaway...all coming soon!

in the garden.

This week I have not been out in the garden as much as I should. My back went 'out' last weekend and I am not really able to walk (or sit! or stand!) much - not to mention the mosquitoes are crazy. Luckily, this is the time of year where the garden doesn't need me much. Sunshine, heat and rain and it is good to go. I send my husband out with a bowl, tell him where to pick, and he picks until the mosquitoes drive him back in the house!


We have been getting a lot of peas, chives, spring onions, golden raspberries and (mountains of) greens along with different herbs and edible flowers. Perfect for summer salads.


The peppers and tomatoes are getting really close.


The herbs are starting to get nice and full, and the melons, squash and cucumbers are *finally* starting to vine and flower.


This week, though, we do have one big harvest (the first picking on Saturday morning is what got my back) - white currants. I was able to only pick one super size mixing bowl, but have hundreds more just now ripe on our bushes. (If I can find a full body net perhaps my husband will pick them all for me?)

I definitely see white currant jelly in the future - yum. What is ready in your garden this week?