Wow! Has it really been a week since I posted last?? Yikes! The time has flown. We spent last Thursday-Sunday at a music festival in Appleton, Wisconsin called Mile of Music. We had a great time and Dan's sets went swimmingly! I then flew home from Milwaukee on Monday morning and proceeded to rest and recoup for the rest of the day. Yesterday was then spent catching up on a few things around the house and in the garden. And speaking of the garden...
It has become quite the jungle out there! The tomatoes are going wild! I've picked fruit off of 8 of the 12 plants so far and I think the others will follow soon. This year I'm striving to take better notes (well, just taking notes in general) on what varieties perform the best and taste the best. I've already ruled out the Italian Heirloom as one I will probably not grow again next year. It produces huge bright red tomatoes, but they are rather mealy and not very juicy. We'll see how it continues on for the rest of the summer. If it's a a consistent producer, it may be a good one to make soups with, but it's definitely not my favorite for fresh eating. The Fred Limbaugh, on the other hand, is a fabulous fresh eater! It has a slightly pinkish color to it and it is juicy and perfect. Yum! I have a huge African Queen tomato that I've been eagerly waiting to try as well. The first and only fruit I've picked from it so far is over a pound and has a lovely shape and color. Yes, the tomato season is going well here!
The tomatillo is also doing very well! It is full of fruit and continues to produce more and more flowers! Now...I just have to figure out when to harvest the fruit and what to do with it...any suggestions, my dear readers??
We have little red lunch box peppers!! Hooray! They are so yummy for fresh eating! I was a bit surprised to see the red ones ripen first, but happy to bring them into the kitchen. We've had a few green peppers as well, but those don't seem to be doing as well this year.
The cucumbers have also started producing!! I've got a few normal looking ones and a few weird ones, probably due to inconsistent watering. However, this year's crop is looking better than any others have in the past, so I'll take it!
The herbs are also doing well. I made a batch of basil pesto yesterday and brought in some mint to dry. I do so love using herbs from my garden all winter long!
I so love this time of year when meal prep is so very easy and so very fresh. But it also means that these next several weeks in the kitchen will be busy (and hot!) as I begin stockpiling summer's goodness for winter.
How about you?? What's coming out of your gardens right now? What things are you tucking away for the colder months ahead?