Cock-e-leekie Soup Anyone?
An old teacher described every horrible event as a "learning experience." We've learned plenty this summer, about gardening, about the weather, and about how blessed we are to have farmers who operate, day in, day out, no matter what. Thank you, Lord, for the people who grow our food. May they be blessed a thousand fold!
Yes, first the rain, then the drought, and now millions of predator bugs have plagued us. Hardly anything grew as expected. Still, we've had some successes. Our early potatoes grew well and, before the bugs arrived we managed to harvest lots of squash of many varieties. Then, there is the Little Sprouts Garden which was a success at almost every level. Dawson Stice dropped off a watermelon yesterday (literally) and we enjoyed its sweetness a whole bunch after last night's supper.
We also have a pretty good bed of leeks, and you are welcome to go and pick some. If you don't know what to do with them, Google cock-e-leekie soup and you'll find a fine chicken and leek soup recipe to try out.
Maybe there will be tomatoes...maybe not...?
It has been difficult to resist tearing our pathetic tomato vines out of the earth and consigning them to the burn pile (it has been too hot for them to set fruit), but experienced gardeners have counseled patience. As you can see from the photo above it is possible that we may yet get some. If we get some please free to go into the garden and pick any that become available.
Apple trees rebound!
One bright spot has been our apple trees. The drought nearly killed the poor things--which hadn't been doing all that well to begin with. Consequently, we vigorously cut them back (at exactly the wrong time of the year) and lo and behold, they rebounded and look better than ever. Next year will be year three for these dwarfs: maybe we'll see some apples.
UPDATE:
Today, (August 23rd) we planted our FALL GARDEN. This included carrots, bush beans, lettuce, spinach, onions, kale, and chard. We're not exactly sure what chard is: one of our gardeners picked up a packet of chard seeds while in Zimbabwe where they apparently eat the stuff. If it grows I guess we'll eat it here too. See: always something to look forward to.
Finally, the potatoes we planted three weeks ago are now officially AWOL. If you see them hanging around town tell them to get back on the job. In the mean time: Thank you, Lord, for teaching us about how things grow, about how everything fits together, and for the steps big, and small, that we take in our walk toward You.
