So here we are, the first week of August, and finally, finally, the summer bounty is in. In the last week or so we finally turned the corner from green garlic back to cured garlic; we picked parsley from our own potted plant; we ate fresh tomatoes from the farm where we have a CSA. There is fresh, not frozen, corn in our fridge.
The past few weeks have been something of a blur here with unexpected family commitments taking us out of town three weekends in a row. It seems like July was utterly lost to us and before I had realized it, August had come. And with it, all the summer goodness we waited the winter for. Today, our veggie list is really something to marvel at:
Eggplant
Tomatoes & cherry tomatoes
Jalapeno peppers
Zucchini
Basil
Red and white onions
Arugula
Amaranth greens
Chard
Beets
It is also nearly a year since we moved to this area: this time last year, living further south, I had already frozen most of the peppers, corn, kale, and zucchini that got us through the winter. And here we are again, ready to start freezing for next winter. We’ve already got some pesto and peas. Next to come is corn, peppers, zucchini, kale, and more. As always, the year turns around and we face again the seasons and tasks of the year before. There is something gratifying in turning this corner. We not only made it through the winter, we’re back to freezing for next year, while enjoying the fruits and veggies of the summer. We’ve moved from the hopeful looking-forward of green garlic to the real thing, the cured garlic which, when stored well, can last up to eight months.
Potato Famine 