My garden and I have turned a corner--the corner--in the past week: we have arrived at the time in the garden season where all the planting, watering, weeding, babying, and sheer willing the plants to grow is suddenly worth it. The literal fruits of months of labor are now ripe for picking and the harvest suddenly requires bowls (plural) and only promises to get better with each day.
Perhaps nothing illustrates this transition better than a look at how the June harvest has evolved. It was only mere weeks ago that the bowls of strawberries and bunches of rhubarb were only punctuated by salads and radishes. Even two weeks ago, when our meals were centered around garlic scape hummus and chimichurri sauce, seems like a different season now that the raspberries, peas, and even a few tomatoes have started to come in. All in all, it was a pretty good month:
Of course June was not without it's challenges: the greens took the brunt of the wind and hail, and the radishes and peas have struggled against the oppressive heat that has gripped Minnesota in recent weeks. But as is always the case, there is a bright side to look at: the peppers are thriving in this heat!
Looking ahead, the zucchini have already started to come in, tipping the overall year to date total over 50 pounds in just the first two days of July. 50 pounds! And that's before a single full-size tomato, or any peppers, beans, kohlrabi, beets, cucumbers, or melon have been harvested. Garden eating is about to get good--really good!
How did your June garden harvest shape up?Labels: garden harvest totals
