Our past several days offered a reprieve with lower temperature and a bit of rain, but with the weekend upon us we must yield to 80 degrees and an increase tomorrow to the mid-to-hi 80's. Although we prefer the coolness, mother nature has something else in mind, so work in the garden will be limited to a before noon status.
The fruit and vegetable garden has kept us busy and our daily diet has been filled with that very fine and healthy food group. Long gone are the snow peas, carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, spinach, lettuce and broccoli, but we are now blessed with an abundance of tomatoes, green beans, peppers, squash, onions, eggplant, zucchini. . . oh, yes, and zucchini. Amazing what one plant can produce. And potatoes! We grew some last year, but decided not to plant them this time. . . they came anyway.
Marionberries are finally gone, but the wild blackberries have now shifted into position, and strawberries continue all summer long. Many marionberry crisps were made and shared, as well as fresh strawberry and marionberry bran muffins. As the freezer now contains an adequate supply of muffins for fall and winter, I have begun to freeze the strawberries. Peaches were quartered and frozen today, as well as some fresh tomatoes, blanched, skins removed, and placed in quart size freezer bags, with just a little bit of salt.
Pears, apples, and figs are well positioned on their branches, and the fruit fairy is temporarily granting me a stay.
There is nothing quite like it: the freshness and full flavor of it all and with little or no seasoning in the preparation. And when we see what grocery stores are charging for these items, how thankful are we that our preference is to grow our own?
