for instance, two saturdays ago the beans were in blossom. beautiful white and purple blossoms. just one week later there were slender, ripening, six-inch beans already dangling from the bunches of bush beanness.
for another instance, last monday i surveyed the state of the zucchini plant: plenty of blossoms, some moderately sized squash coming along quite nicely. two-and-a-half days later, or possibly three--BOOM! gigantic zucchini of death is born! i turn my back for a second and the plant goes wild! (as a preemptive strike, mom has plucked all squash from the vine, including those that are just barely big enough to eat.) for anyone who has not grown zucchini in the intermountain west, it is a test not only of one's constant diligence in guarding the plant (and your front porch) but also a test of your creativity in preparing a variety of zucchini dishes and desserts that go beyond the limp, steamed option.
peppers have magically appeared on plants that double in size in a week, and--my favorite of all--tiny purple jewel-like eggplants are peeking out from beneath the hoods of their shriveled purple blooms.
all of these mid-summer, heat-loving little buddies were planted memorial day weekend--nearly 50 days ago. (take a look a few blog entries back to remember their puny, tidiness) here is what a gorgeous, wet June and a perfectly hot July have wrought:
tomatoes and basil. one more month and the tomatoes will be ready to eat.
remains of the spring garden: lettuce row partially demolished and kale 
baby jalapenos!
beans. yeah, so the rows are a little tight...
one-week old beans!
baby eggplant. my fave. no one is excited about this entity in the garden.just wait until crystals eggplant curry...
octopus of a zucchini plant. find the squash, and you win!
the sweetest cukes in all the world. they're supposed to grow on a trellis. ah, well.
rhubarb chard. the leaves have suffered a bit, but still. brilliant. i swear i heard this thing whisper, "feed me, seymour!" as i walked by.
my least favorite squash looking the most gorgeous on a sunday afternoon.
and so far we've employed zucchini in zucchini chocolate chip cookies and as a simple side sauteed in butter and canola oil with fresh ground pepper, salt, a little seasoning, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
coming up next: the once-a-year gooseberry pie, black currant jelly, and pesto-o-rama brought to you by the magnificent 9 basil plants.
6 comments:
your garden is fabulous! sooooo jealous!
LOOOOVVVEEE it!
Your garden looks beautiful.
I covet a little heat - I always plant tomatoes and hope that there will be enough heat to ripen them. Over the years our yard has gotten more shade so it becomes less likely every year.
I grate zuchs and put them in lasagna and spaghetti. And I freeze grated zucinni for use later in bread etc....
Yummy. some bugs ate our squash leaves when little, boooo.
I'm jealous of your garden and of the heat. It's been so cool here, more like April than July. Our cherry tomatoes have been green on the vine for weeks and weeks. Sad. Enjoy all your bounty!
i like eggplant...
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