Friday, August 14, 2015

Smiling on the Far Side of Summer


The blistering heat and suffocating humidity of the past weeks has been replaced with drier, cooler air. Even the quality of light has changed -- clearer and more golden. 

The tomatoes, hard hit by blight, are still providing enough to make delicious herb-rich tomato sauce to freeze. And the peppers are coming into their own -- so far the deer don't seem interested in them. (Unlike the corn and beans, alas!)

There are still a few big Brandywines and Cherokee Purples and we are taking advantage of them by having BLTs almost every day. Or even a turkey club sandwich -- bacon, lettuce, tomato, and turkey. Wretched excess but oh, how good!


My cossetted little fig tree provided us with ten ripe figs all at once!


Such a treat! I'd laid in some prosciutto in anticipation . . .



And we enjoyed an elegant little salad of mixed greens, figs, prosciutto, shaved Parmesan, and vinaigrette.

The pleasant weather sent me outside . . .


And the exuberant zinnias in my neglected box bed garden made me think a little tidying was in order.


It took the better part of two days but I pulled weeds till I could once again see the hidden herbs.


Gardening is a continual, mostly losing, fight against Nature,


But how good it feels to bring order, however fleeting, out of chaos.


Beds weeded or cleared; fall lettuce and peas sowed...


Tomorrow I'll visit the nursery to buy some spinach and beet seeds -- and perhaps a few broccoli and collards plants if they have them.


It's amazing the difference a little cooler weather makes. But the weatherman says it will be warming back up soon.

No matter. I know where we're headed.  

6 comments:

Ms. A said...

Nice haul! I'm envious of the cool and more than ready to have a little of it for myself!

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

A few nice tomatoes is all I need to make my summer a success. We've been indulging in a lot of BLT's and every now and then we can't resist a good club sandwich too. Life is good.
Sam

Barbara Rogers said...

Oh that figgy salad! Heavenly. TLT's too! And hoorah for Vicki for all the industry on those beds. Many hours it looks like, and you'll be so happy with fall and winter vegies too.

Jime said...

If you see a hobo coming up to your door it is me begging for a turkey club and some figs.

Frances said...

Vicki, I'm so glad that those naughty deer and erratic weather did allow your garden to grow some delicious fruit anf veg. How grand to actually pick your own figs!

And thank you for planting a seed in my head for my next grocery store visit. Must buy some Bacon while it's still tomato time. (I rarely use bacon...but I think it's truly now or never.)

xo

jennyfreckles said...

Your 'elegant little salad' is truly stylish - and delicious I'm sure. My daughter and family have a garden now so I am already enjoying some fruits from it - and the hard work of stripping redcurrants and making jelly!