July 17th Midsummer Bounty

Well, here we are in the thick of Summer’s abundance. I have been picking, washing, paring, trimming, simmering and canning for two weeks. I’m tired! This has been the driest and hottest June and July that I’ve seen in the 18 years I’ve lived here. I really wish we had tried corn this year. The ornamental corn plant that I put in the garden just for its foliage has a happy looking couple of ears. Here come the photos…

Here is Matt harvesting some beans. Right now the bush beans are producing a lot. Later the scarlet runner beans will start doing thier thing. I planted the bush beans earlier by about three weeks and then planted the runners in back of them beneath the trellis. Also planted somewhere in the tangle are two yellow summer squash plants. We’ll se how they do. They are a little crowded out, but hey, two of the the three sisters right?

Ah, the bounty. The long straight ones will become dilly beans, and the curly and/or short ones will be cooked up now or blanched and frozen.

pretty

A close up of the scarlet runner. This is the bean they always give to little kids to plant in kindergarden because they are such instant gratification…

I actually pickled eight quarts. If you want to make an absolutely outrageous borscht, use pickled beets mixed with regular beets. Mmmmmmmm.

One of Frank Morton’s Calendula ‘flashback’ flowers in all its glory.

Ornamental castor bean plant–this is what they use to make the toxin seren apparently, but I have no plans other than to enjoy its beauty.

So, this is a picture of the smallest egg I’ve ever found in the nesting box. Either a quail snuck in to the coop and laid this, or one of my chickens has a really good sense of humor.

We kind of wanted to crack it open and see if it has a teeny tiny yoke, but I might blow the contents out and save this one for the chicken hall of fame.

~ by rosetta11 on July 18, 2009.