July 11-16
Lots of firsts this week:
- First sunflower blooming.
- First delivery of produce to Second Harvest. 7 lbs of mint! And a great turnip!
- First yellow summer squash forming.
- First morning glory (volunteer), balloon flower, daylilies, echinacea, lavendar, marigolds blooming
- Julie M W - The garden looks so much nicer with the grass whacked off in the aisles.
- Christel P - The addition of contrasting hostas by the principal parking spots fill in some bare areas. Terrific!
- Kirsten J - Watering is your gift to our garden. Thanks!
- Ann H - Our newest volunteer worked nonstop to weed and water hostas and our veggies. Welcome to our Green Team!
- Carol T-S - The newly laid mulch around the center circle of veggies helps prevent weeds. Hopefully the netting around the cherry tree will prevent more Japanese beetle damage.
- Mint, basil, dill, cilantro, the l-a-s-t of the sugar snap peas, bok choy, lettuces, green onions, turnips, kohlrabis.
- There are a few green tomatoes and tiny cucumbers teaching us patience--they're not ready yet!
- Rake the newly mowed grass to create deeper mulch--especially around tomatoes and anywhere the garden soil is bare.
- Water the compost and turn it.
- Disperse the compost that is ready around the corn and tomatoes.
- Find a way to trellis some of our pumpkin, squash, and cucumbers.
- Put more wood chip mulch around the hostas and around the garden paths.
- And there's always weeding!
Summer Recipes
Mint Tea
Cut 7-10 stalks of mint--the upper part of each plant with about 6-8 pairs of leaves on each stalk
Rinse the stalks with the leaves.
Place the stalks (top end down) in an empty quart jar.
Bring water to a boil and pour over the leaves to fill the jar.
Let stand 5 minutes.
Remove the leaves.
Pour the tea into a pitcher (or glass) filled with ice. If it is too strong, dilute with cold water to taste. Needs no sugar and is simply refreshing!
Bok Choy - Leek - Potato Soup
Bok Choy is great as a raw, chopped addition to any salad. The white, crunchy, succulent bottom as well as the green leaves add texture and color to salads.
Few of my many cookbooks contain recipes for cooking this Chinese vegetable that is thriving in our garden this year. So in desperation, I invented this tasty soup.
Stir fry in olive oil until leeks are becoming translucent.
2 leeks - the white sections only, chopped
1 garlic clove
7-8 leaves of bok choy, sliced diagonally and chopped to fit nicely onto a soup spoon
Add and cook for 20 minutes, until potatoes are cooked.
1 quart of chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 sweet potato - peeled and cubed into bite-sized pieces
2 small new potatoes - peeled or scrubbed and cubed into bite-sized pieces
1/4 lb summer sausage - chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
season to taste - I used salt, black pepper, and 2 tbl of chopped fresh tarragon
Cut 7-10 stalks of mint--the upper part of each plant with about 6-8 pairs of leaves on each stalk
Rinse the stalks with the leaves.
Place the stalks (top end down) in an empty quart jar.
Bring water to a boil and pour over the leaves to fill the jar.
Let stand 5 minutes.
Remove the leaves.
Pour the tea into a pitcher (or glass) filled with ice. If it is too strong, dilute with cold water to taste. Needs no sugar and is simply refreshing!
Bok Choy - Leek - Potato Soup
Bok Choy is great as a raw, chopped addition to any salad. The white, crunchy, succulent bottom as well as the green leaves add texture and color to salads.
Few of my many cookbooks contain recipes for cooking this Chinese vegetable that is thriving in our garden this year. So in desperation, I invented this tasty soup.
Stir fry in olive oil until leeks are becoming translucent.
2 leeks - the white sections only, chopped
1 garlic clove
7-8 leaves of bok choy, sliced diagonally and chopped to fit nicely onto a soup spoon
Add and cook for 20 minutes, until potatoes are cooked.
1 quart of chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 sweet potato - peeled and cubed into bite-sized pieces
2 small new potatoes - peeled or scrubbed and cubed into bite-sized pieces
1/4 lb summer sausage - chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
season to taste - I used salt, black pepper, and 2 tbl of chopped fresh tarragon