Late-July/Early-August Notes from Rosebriar Farmette…

Midsummer has settled in over our little place like a heavy quilt; sun-drenched days, mosquitos the size of tennis balls, and the kind of heat that makes everything shimmer (mostly with sweat). We’ve had more rain than we know what to do with, and the humidity has been nearly unbearable most afternoons. My lazy, morning coffee sessions have moved from the porch swing to the cozy chair in my office. It’s been one of those summers where you feel like you’re gardening in a sauna, working in muddy boots in the morning and wilted hats by noon.

Still, our garden grows.

Despite the soggy weeks and sultry days, our raised beds have been a blessing. The extra drainage has kept the roots from drowning, and somehow, we still have an abundance of fresh veg tumbling in from the garden most days.

Blueberry season has just wrapped up. I picked until my fingers were stained purple. There’s jam in the pantry, frozen quarts tucked away for winter’s smoothies and pies, and more than a few berries that never made it past the garden gate.

Now we’ve moved on to the real heart of summer harvest: fresh vegetables galore.

Cucumbers are coming in strong, crisp and cool, just what you want after a steamy day. I’ve been making every variety of pickle, cucumber-onion salads, and layering thick slices on sandwiches with crisp bacon, fresh lettuce, and cracked pepper.

The heirloom tomatoes are hitting their stride and in abundance! I almost can’t keep up. Brandywines, Black Krim, and Blue Auroras that melt in your mouth like candy. We eat them every way we can; sliced with basil and olive oil, with chickpeas, tomato and onion (lemon and dill to round it out), chopped into fresh salsa, or piled high on white bread with a slather of homemade mayonnaise. I’ve also preserved some Italian style and made several pints of thick tomato sauce for later use.

Green beans, wax beans, burgundy beans, and the beautiful dragon tongue beans are hanging heavy on the vines. The purple-streaked dragon tongues are almost too pretty to eat (almost). We love them roasted with garlic or tossed with lemon and herbs for a quick side dish. Martha Stewart’s bean salad is perfect this time of year!

Squash and zucchini are not producing as well as we would like. The rain has also invited little creatures that specifically like to feast on squash plants, so I’m battling multiple of nature’s elements, and losing like Napolean at Waterloo. When we do have squash, we are thoroughly enjoying it roasted, grilled with parmesan cheese, grated, and even sliced thin for zucchini ribbon salads. I’ve also frozen a few for winter soup.

I did lose my lettuces to rot early this year due to all the rain, but the rainbow chard is thriving in the heat, its jewel-toned stems shining bright against the green leaves. I chop it into soups, wilt it with garlic, puree in my juices, add to a quiche, or serve it under a fried egg for a garden-fresh breakfast.

Fennel is starting to bulb up nicely. I love it shaved into salads or roasted until sweet and caramelized. It also adds real flavor and depth to homemade vegetable stock. Recently we pulled our first full heads of garlic, small, but they’re drying on the porch now, filling the air with their earthy fragrance.

And then there are my herbs; a patchwork of scent and flavor: basil, dill, thyme, oregano, parsley, mint. They’ve weathered the rain surprisingly well, and we snip them regularly for preserving, sauces, and to toss into whatever’s cooking on the stove.

It hasn’t been an easy summer season … too wet, too hot, too many bugs, but somehow, we’re able to enjoy the garden. Still cooking. Still grateful. The raised beds, the early mornings, the long evenings, Captain Jack’s Organic Bug Dust, they’ve all helped us keep things going.

Thanks for stopping by the garden today. Sending wishes for cool breezes, ripe tomatoes, and just enough rain to keep your garden happy.