Starting to get hot

It's warm outside-  The weather has finally changed. Last week it was cool, cloudy, and damp.  Today we could fry eggs on the sidewalk. This has surely been a year for strange weather patterns.  We had warm, balmy spring-like weather in February and March, regular spring weather in April, then rain, rain, rain all through May and June.  We took advantage of the unseasonably, unreasonably early warm weather and started our gardening very early -- knowing full well that things could change.  Although, at the time I was sure that we would continue to bask in the sun.  Well, change they did.  The seedlings that we had coddled and nurtured sat dormant in the cold rain after being transplanted into the garden. We wondered if they would survive.

Reyn and I bravely put our garden in the hands of another and headed out for a three week vacation in June- sometimes the only way to get through a wet June in Western Oregon is to just leave, knowing that summer has arrived in many other parts of the country.

Although it continued to be gray and cool here while we were gone, it apparently did not rain much.  We had decided not to turn on the watering system before we left, and it is appears that the garden did not get enough water.  Things were rather sad looking when we got back.  The result being that we will not have peppers or eggplant this summer, and the cucumbers are getting a very slow start. *Thankfully, we did have a great vacation.*  No regrets.  Well, actually, not too many. Fortunately, as July brought summer weather and we have begun our watering protocal the plants have perked up and look good.  We also gave them a good dose of our magic fish fertilizer.  All is well.

Today I was happy to harvest and deliver to a local food bank over 40 beautiful heads of lettuce.  Reyn harvested one variety of garlic - Polish Jen, and planted bush beans in its place.  He also transplanted basil into the garden.  The garlic is drying in our garden shed.

My job today?  I used an ice cream scoop to measure out portions of Garlic Scape Pesto - see earlier post for recipe -  and froze them.  What a good idea!  So nice to have next winter.  Garlic scapes are such a sort lived wonder.