August Garden

Is it already mid-August? It seems like only yesterday I was looking at my snow covered garden wondering if I ever was going to be able to start planting, and here we are at the height of harvest.  So many wonderful things are coming from the garden now...zucchini, summer squash, cabbage, green peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, beets, beans...oh, the beans; they just keep producing by the bucketful!  My plan to plant one row for summer eating and two for preserving has worked better than I expected. The freezers and pantry are filling up quite nicely with 8 quarts of dilly beans recently being added to the shelves. I used a traditional dilly bean recipe from my Ball Blue Book, not yet daring to delve into the world of fermentation.  After a very unsuccessful attempt to make sauerkraut, I haven't had the nerve to try fermenting again...oh, I shudder when I think of that disastrous outcome.

Meal planning this time of year is so easy. Some type of meat, usually grilled, or pasta and fresh summer vegetables are standard summer fare here on the farm.  Sauteed zucchini, kale salad, and Asian style slaw have been dinner favorites the past few weeks.  I love being able to stroll to the garden in search of our dinner meal, so rewarding and so peaceful.

My attentions have now turned to harvesting and many of the weeds have been allowed to take hold.  I did, however, grab a few Littles and enticed them to help me remove the "carpet" that was encroaching upon my tomato plants.  We have also had some trouble with one lone guinea hen, who escaped getting her wings clipped.  She insists on flying over the garden fence and pecking my ripening tomatoes, and she doesn't miss a single one that is at her level.  Hubby finally caught her in action this past weekend, and gave her a bit of a trim.  My tomatoes are now safe, as long as little children wandering in for a handful of blueberries remember to close the gate behind them.

It seems my attentions this summer have been mostly of the outdoor nature, and my knitting and sewing have come to an abrupt stop. Living here in the Northeast where winters are so long, I want to take advantage of every bit of summer that I can, knowing I will have plenty of time soon for those cozy indoor projects.  Today the sky is blue, and the air is crisp and dry, a nice change from the wet, clammy weather we have been experiencing. I'm looking forward to this lovely, late summer day.