We just got back tonight from a week and a half out of town and the whole time I was on pins & needles about the garden. Seattle had record breaking temps while we were gone but I was thrilled to arrive home to a lush garden bursting at the seams with bounty!
The irrigation system is worth it’s weight in gold. Tonight after unloading the car I harvested 5 ears of corn for dinner – that’s right CORN. In Seattle. Before August. Wacky eh? But it was the sweetest, freshest corn I’ve ever eaten in my life. It went from stalk to grill in 5 minutes then into mouths in 15, smeared with Golden Glen Creamery buttery and sprinkled with a mix of sugar, salt, chili powder & cumin. A-maise-ing.
A-maise-ing
The neighbors ignored our pleas to pick the zucchini while we were gone so I harvested a wheelbarrow full. Some were larger then either of my newborn babies were. We put a box of them out by the curb labeled “FREE” and sent a mail around to the neighborhood chat group but only got a few brave souls. Tomorrow Chicken Little is planning to take them and knock on doors. Otherwise I’ll just buck up and get my canning jars ready for relish.
heaps of zucchini
I picked scarlet runner beans and beets in preparation to pickle those tomorrow.
scarlet runner beans
I harvested the Ernst Roesling potatoes. I had tried burlap bags, one hilled and one not hilled. There was the same amount of potatoes in each bag. Hilling for me was not worth the effort or extra dirt. I haven’t dug up the Yukon Golds yet but I will tomorrow.
I harvested 5 cucumbers, all ready for gazpacho tomorrow night. I’m thinking a frozen yogurt panna cotta with some savory spices might make it a more special bowl of soup. Certainly a cooler bowl of soup, anyway.
Not only did the corn not all ripen while we were gone but I’m thrilled to report that it is not all ripening at once. That means we can eat corn for probably a month! I think I have about 50 ears of corn out there so we can eke it out throughout the month of August.
And the tomatoes didn’t all ripen without me. In fact, it looks like only a handful did and the rest are compliantly waiting, the weight of them threatening to break my wooden trellises. I’ll need to reinforce those tomorrow since they are ready to snap! Note to self: next year use 2 x 2 s, the 1 x 1 s just didn’t cut it.
Even the beds of carrot seeds that I planted before we were gone went to work germinating under their cover of remay instead of drying out.
The acorn, butternut squash and watermelon are getting large – even the pumpkins are starting to turn orange!
Sunday’s menu – potato salad from refrigerator pickles, celery, new potatoes, parsley along with jerk chicken from Pastured Sensations and fresh picked corn.
And if I have the energy to make it to the farmer’s market tomorrow perhaps a blueberry cobbler since we ate the few pints on our new bushes already. If not I’ll pull some of the amazing apricots from my freezer that Rama farm grew for me. Either way it means we’ll pull out the ice cream maker tomorrow and start some vanilla bean ice cream from Golden Glen’s rich cream.
I love summer!
This post is part of the Tuesday Twister at GNOWFGLINS.
Hope you had a great vacation! Lucky you to escape the AZ-like temps in Seattle while you were gone. I just wanted to thank you for what you are doing. I just went to see Food, Inc. & have been re-inspired. It reminded me of all the other reasons, besides health, that I am doing what I am doing, and I think I need to pass that on to my clients. The greatest change we can all effect in the world is to change how we eat & how we spend our food dollars! So, thanks again for showing us all “how it’s done”!
i know what its like when you return to your garden after vacation, sheer excitement and overwhelming fear of all there is to do!
glad to hear everything survived happily.
i am in the area and would love to get together and chat, if you would also like to send me and email
I am so glad you returned home to find everything well and flourishing! We had so much heat that it is quite impressive that everything fared so well in your absence.
The corn sounds wonderful. Mine are filling out the ears but not ready yet. Soon.
Wow that sounds amazing! Worth all the hard work!
Sounds great! I would love to learn more about how you set up your watering system.
Sheri – you are awesome. I need to see that movie sometime.
Leslie – I’d love to! I’ll shoot you a mail when I get done with comments if I haven’t passed out by then.
KitsapFG – you beat me on the tomatoes though!
Gilliebean – it really is. Once you get the seeds in it’s not as much work as everyone thinks it is.
Sandy, I have several posts on it if you click on the “growing groceries category” which needs some sub topics. Feel free to let me know if you can’t find it. I keep meaning to have one big post tying all the little ones together. It took some figuring out and next year I’ll be taking the t-tape for the raised beds and putting them on their own zone so I can set the time differently because the sprinklers on the trees & bushes put out much more water and don’t need to be on as long as that t-tape takes. Next year…
I just found your website, (a friend passed it on,) and I love it! My husband and I live in Everett and are working with some neighbors to start a Transition Town initiative here. If you haven’t already heard of it, check out http://www.transitionus.org. Or, http://transitionus.ning.com/group/transitiontowneverett.
Aside from that I started a blog about gardening with my daughter and I think it’s fantastic what you are doing. I think I might “borrow” your rules and see how we do. It’s fun to come home and see how the garden takes care of itself when you’re gone, isn’t it, I love that! Also, there is a vendor at the Mukilteo farmers market who sells olive oil that he and his wife make local from their olives in New Zealand…not sure if that counts or not for your rules, but thought I’d pass it on. Happy Gardening!
This is incredible, or as you said A-maising! Great that you can enjoy the corn for a whole month; that worked out well.
Hi Sara,
Very cool! I’ll have to check that out. I just almost bought a half pig from some farmer in Everett but decided I just don’t have the time to learn how to cure pork at the moment. Yay for logic!
They grow olives in New Zealand but live her? I’m confused about that one. I’ve been thinking about getting an olive tree but I can get olive oil from Napa and for now that will just have to do. What is your garden blog?
Wardeh – wish I could swap some corn for some goat cheese.
Me, too! Thanks for participating in the Tuesday Twister
The couple from Mukilteo bought some olive groves in New Zealand and ended up farming it themselves. I think they make the oil there and bring/ship it back here. The name is Far North Olive Oil. Napa is definitely more ‘local’ though, isn’t it.
My blog is http://www.gardensprout.blogspot.com
Again, love your blog and can’t wait to catch up on older posts.
Sara, I just love your descriptions of sweet Lily’s experiences with the garden. What a great way to grow up! An old saying says you need to eat a peck of dirt before you die to keep healthy – this way she can get a head start and you know at least it’s good dirt in your own organic garden.
Really, really beautiful! Don’t know what I was thinking, not planting squash this year.
What a great saying about eating a peck of dirt!! I love it, thanks so much for sharing. It makes me feel better too because Lily already likes dirt, and now she’s discovered compost. Yum! Yum! Hopefully I’ll get a compost post and picture up on gardensprout today. Have a great week.
Sugar, salt, chili powder, and cumin! YUM!! We’re going to try that!
Ren, you’ve inspired me to grow chayote next year. I just need to find the right spot for it since it will live there permanently and looks like it gets really big!
Sara, I need to get an rss feed for your blog. That Lily is a charmer and one I can’t wait to watch grow up!
Salihah – loved your blog. And we have many of the same personal blogs we follow. I’ve been following Jess Wiseman online now for 6 years with all her various blogs, heart Mrs. G and Pioneer Woman was my first real intro to blogging. Your blog format is gorgeous and the recipes look great!
Thanks for mentioning Pastured Sensations’ chicken! I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying them. Would you be willing to share your Jerk Chicken recipe? I don’t have a good one yet.
Shawndra – love your chickens and I can’t wait to get the Turkey for Thanksgiving! I’m apart of the Ballard buying club. I’m still trying out jerk recipes and haven’t settled on one that I’m totally crazy about yet. Still trying to duplicate a little place I used to live across the street from but that is hard to do. When I get there I’ll post it!