the garden thru the end of august 2024.

~ fairy roses ~

~ sweet pepper ~ 

~ sunrise serenade ~

~ veggies have overtaken the dining room table, so we dine al fresco ~ 

~ cosmos ~ 

~ rapicante squash ready for the freezer ~ 

~ althea ~ 

~ potatoes parboiling for freezer storage ~ 

~ althea ~ 

~ roma tomatoes ready to roast ~ 

~ black-eyed susan vine ~ 

~ potatoes ready for processing ~ 

~ sunrise serenade ~ 

~ roasted tomatillos ~ 

~ black-eyed susans ~ 

~ cherry tomatoes ~ 

~ swiss chard ~ 

~ tomatillos ~ 

~ eggplant ~ 

~ hosta bloom ~

~ patty pan squash ~ 

~ sweet peppers ~ 

~ pillow fight rose ~ 

I have been listening to The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett while doing work around the house and it had a marvelous description of the hidden garden at Mistlethwaite Manor which I thought could easily apply to our garden in August. 

~ ~ ~ He {Dickon} began to walk about, looking up in the trees and at the walls and bushes with a thoughtful expression."I wouldn't want to make it look like a gardener's garden, all clipped an' spick an' span, would you?" he said, "It's nicer like this with things runnin' wild, an' swingin' an' catchin' hold of each other." ~ ~ ~

"Things runnin' wild" is definitely the theme around here, and with regular rainfall coupled with the typical heat the vines are "catchin' hold" to anything nearby. 

The vegetables are growing, growing. We have harvested almost 200 pounds of squash, mostly butternut, and are so pleased since it was the intent to have a surplus. Butternut soup, bread and enchiladas will be served in the near future. The new potato bed is providing quite the yield, and a first this year is parboiling potatoes cut into fries and cubes to be stored in the freezer. It will be easier, since we don't have a root cellar, to have piece of mind knowing the vegetables are ready in the freezer for roasting and/or frying, rather than keeping them fresh over months and risking spoil.

In the kitchen I have been baking potato bread, squash muffins, carrot muffins. Sauteing eggplant, turnips, squash, frying potatoes, making salsas, ketchup, pickles, pasta sauce. My family dubbed my most recent chicken enchiladas the "best ever" and I know it was due to the fresh tomatillo sauce, and the homemade tortillas added a little something too, I think.

September will be for harvesting potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots and the final tomatillos, tomatoes and herbs. The heavy lifting ~ harvesting almost 500 pounds in a month and a half ~ is done, so it will be nice to enjoy the garden in a more casual way as the seasons turn. 

~ ~ ~ Near the end of The Secret Garden "Dickon stood out among the trees and rose-bushes and began to sing in quite a simple matter-of-face way and in a nice strong boy voice:

Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him all creatures here below, 
Praise Him above ye Heavenly Host,
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen." ~ ~ ~
 

2024 Garden thru August {  609 lbs. } 

Beets { 1 lb. }

Carrots { 4 lb. }

Cucumbers { 30 lbs. }

Eggplant { 1 lb. }

Garlic { 12 lbs. } 

Green Beans { 28 lbs.} 

Greens { 10 lbs. }

Ground Cherries { 4 lbs. }

Onions { 28 lbs. }

Potatoes { 153 lbs. } 

Squash { 185 lbs. } *Record*

Sweet Peppers { 3 lbs. }

Tomatillos { 14 lbs. }

Tomatoes - Roma { 92 lbs. }

Tomatoes - Cherry { 10 lbs. }

Tomatoes - Sandwich { 18 lbs. }

Turnips { 9 lbs. } *Record*

Herbs & Flowers { 7 lbs. } :: Basil, Sage, Oregano, Chamomile, Rose, Yarrow, Lemon Balm, Mint, Rosemary, Thyme