Here's a look at what is happening there these days.
The shelling and snap peas were on their last legs, so I pulled the plants up and harvested the last of the pea pods. There is something I find very soothing about shelling peas – popping open the pods and then running my finger along the back ridge to spill the peas into a bowl. I can get lost in this kind of work.
I'm planning to sow buckwheat in the place where the peas grew. It should work out perfectly to harvest the buckwheat groats in October. And then I can use them in this recipe for chunky chocolate buckwheat granola.
I picked the first of the cherry tomatoes today.
The big ones should begin to ripen in about two weeks. You can see that I've mulched my garden in cardboard and straw and it does seem to have fewer weeds than in past years.
The zucchini and yellow squash blossoms are producing like crazy. Every night I harvest more than we can possible eat and have resorted to foisting them off on everyone who crosses my path.
Even the pumpkins have started sprouting beautiful blossoms. We'll have to see if any turn into actual pumpkins.
My sweet potato vines are off to a slow start, but my red and yukon potatoes have bloomed and I've even harvested a handful of new potatoes -- replacing the straw carefully so that the rest of the potatoes can keep on growing.
Asparagus season is over and so the plants have turned into gigantic ferns, which shade a number of small trees that we are growing in pots and bags, awaiting transplanting in the fall. Some of these little trees are ones that I've actually grown from seed -- acorns and buckeyes. We've taken to picking up nuts that we find when we travel, and then I plant them. Sure enough, sometimes little trees sprout!
I harvested a half dozen garlic bulbs last week and then decided to leave the rest in the ground for another week or so, thinking they might get a bit bigger.
The onions are almost ready for harvest.
And every day or so I pick a handful of green beans and a few okra pods.
Raspberry bushes look great, but are only producing a random berry or two, which I usually just snack on while in the garden. Maybe the birds are beating me to them?
And I harvested my first ever eggplant this morning. Its beauty astounds me.
Perhaps the sweetest thing to come out of my garden is 4-1/2 gallons of honey! The week before last, we harvested 50 bottles worth of honey from two of Maggie's three hives.
The bees are happy – and I am too.
your garden looks great! (and it's a reminder that i should have done a better job of documenting mine!) also, what are the two varieties of honey from Maggie's bees? gosh, i keep saying this, but i really need to visit!
ReplyDelete