Farm Fresh: Summer garden update

The garden is showing off its summer abundance these days.  So many flowers! Mixed tomatoes, tomatillos, peppers, and eggplant are all growing well. 

Lemongrass

 The weed pile composting under black plastic with cantaloupe seeds sprouting.  This worked great last year and made beautiful dirt by the end of the summer.

 Lots of basil, marigolds, and zinnias growing in with the tomatoes.

 Popcorn crop with squash planted underneath.

 I harvested a couple rows of onions this morning.

 Comfrey growing in the orchard -- part of my permaculture plans.

 Our local orchard had a bumper crop of tart cherries so they reduced the price to $1.75/lb.  Needless to say we have been back several times to pick more! I now have plenty of cherry jam, cherry pie filling, and cherry chutney.   I went to pick up 4 dozen canning jars from a craigslist ad over by one of my old favorite orchards. I stopped in and bought a bushel of cucumber seconds and tested out a new recipe: Amish Blue Ribbon Pickles.

 We also somehow found time to go to "Fiddlers and Fireflies" at a new (to us) nature center.  They had great live music and crafts.  We took a picnic dinner and had a grand time with our buddies.