Abundance

The garden, along with the weather, is heating up. We've been happily harvesting kale and cukes and lettuce for a couple of weeks now, but in the last week, we've also been getting zucchini, summer squash, and new potatoes, and we've begun carefully harvesting dill. Here are some before and after pics...

Basil on June 27th

Basil on July 9th

First Zucchini Harvested on June 27th

Jumbo Zucchinis and Pickling Cucumbers Harvested on July 11th

What a difference a couple of weeks makes! I delivered that box of zukes and cukes to the Beverly Bootstraps food pantry last Wednesday, along with some lettuce and yellow crookneck squash:

Donation to Beverly Bootstraps

Nice, Plump Yellow Crookneck Squash

I just went through the garden and harvested everything we had ripe except kale (they apparently have trouble getting people to take kale, alas). I brought it to the food pantry, where a nice volunteer asked me where it was from, and I said, "Um, my garden?" All three volunteers in the place turned around and stared at me. Then one woman broke the silence and said, "That's so kind of you." I shrugged and told them it was more than we could use, but inside, I was astonished.

Doesn't anyone else do this? Almost all of the other food there was neatly bagged and labeled, and while I was there, a large truck from Richardson's Dairy pulled up to deliver milk. I guess the vast majority of donations come from corporations and organizations. I know an intrepid middle schooler at Harborlight Montessori School was collecting non-perishables during the school year. But apparently, individuals never make food donations, or perhaps not donations they've grown themselves. And that seems terribly sad and broken, somehow. So if you find yourself with more zucchini than you know what to do with this year, I encourage you to find a local food pantry and donate.

Anyway, they weighed our produce, and it came to 16 pounds. They had me sign for it and indicate whether I'd like to receive a thank you note from them (I declined), then handed me a receipt. Woot! I can't wait to bring another box full.

With this heat, though, that may be a while. I checked this morning, and most of the zucchini are turning yellow and shriveling up on the vine. I will increase the watering schedule to an hour every morning and evening and hope that turns things around. Everything else seems to be growing even faster. The husk cherries now have palpable cherries in the husks, the giant pumpkin is growing like mad, and the corn and mammoth sunflowers are racing for the sky. Birds have found our strawberries and seem to be eating them in the early mornings, but there weren't all that many left anyway. And those first few new potatoes were scrumptious. We're pretty happy with the Bintje variety, and the Yukon Golds are pretty much as expected. Next, we'll try some Rose Finns. And I'm guessing that in another week or two, we'll start having ripe tomatoes. Ahhhh, the anticipation!