Most of August spent COOKING!

OK, Mom... Here's the reason I haven't called, haven't emailed much, and have neglected the Garden Blog. I've been processing the harvest!

Did you know that 32 tomatoes makes 4 quarts of tomato sauce?

Did you know that 20 cups of basil leaves makes 56 servings of pesto??

Perhaps I should harvest things more often, and not wait until I have mountains of all of this.... The good news is that I've done two such basil harvests, and the plants are ready for a third cutting!

WHAT is this squash vine??

The other healthy plant I want to show Mom is actually an accident. A peat pot that never germinated got tossed into the north garden, where the lettuce and carrots were. Well, it turns out to be an aggressive squash vine. We only recently saw some fruit, and it looks like patty pan but it's too small to be 100% sure. It could be spaghetti squash. Both types had several seeds that didn't germinate. The flowers are small, like cucumber flowers. The leaves are much bigger, and vines are bigger, stronger, and much more aggressive. I didn't plan on this, so I didn't have climbing toys ready for it!

There were two vines, one got dog up by a dog and looks yellowed and fading but hasn't died like I'd hoped. The other has taken over the whole side of the house!! I've given it a few things to climb, but it wants more. I've just been scratching my head wondering what it's going to do next. It probably would have climbed over the neighbor's fence if I hadn't picked up the runners and draped them around some pepper supports....

Pole Beans are up!

Mom's complaining about the lack of blog entries, and I finally have a functional camera, so here are some recent pix. The garden in general usually looks horrible in August. Everything burns up and dies. But two things are a surprise. The pole beans that were only seedlings in late July are doing great, but I'm watering twice a day religiously.

The basil is doing beautifully, and the peppers are chugging along. The six tomato plants are producing, two fading fast, two in full fruit, and two just starting. But they look pretty ugly so there won't be photos for Mom...

Our first pickling experience

We survived our first pickling experience. It was a small batch, yielding only four jars. We had a good recipe (I think) with the tip to soak them for two hours in an ice water bath to help keep them crisp. They have to sit for six weeks so it'll be a while before we can announce our success. It looks like the 20 or so one inch sized cucumbers will be ready for pickling next weekend. I think we'll get the hang of it, and then we'll need a serious break! Pickling was Dan's idea. His dad used to make pickles when they were young. If we go nuts and have 80 jars of pickles, I will remind him that this was all his idea.

Zukes and Cukes have gone mad!! Helllp!!!

Since this blog is mostly to share my NC garden with my Mom in PA, I'll have to remind her of all the times she had me deliver zucchini in paper bags to neighbor's doorsteps. I recall being asked to run a bag over to the Kapke's front door, even though it was dark out and they obviously weren't home, with all lights out.

I only give them to folks who ask for them, plus I'll dice a few and pack them in vacuum-sealed bags for the freezer. Any others will go to the food bank drop-off spot at Logan's, my favorite garden supply store in Raleigh. Cukes are getting pickled when not going into salads.

Gorgeous Butterfly!

We've had a ton of bumblebees and bumblebee moths, which are stunning, but it's days like this that make the butterfly garden worthwhile! Dan and I were hanging out on the back porch when two of these floated by.

Harvesting Dinner

This is the reason I work so hard to grow stuff...well, fresh garden tomatoes are reason enough, in my book.