Just another day in the garden

Friday evening we woke in the middle of the night to the sound of thunder (close!) and rain on the roof.  In the light of day, the rain gauge revealed that a much needed inch of rain had fallen. No matter how hard we try, our watering efforts are never as effective as a good soak from Mother Nature. The plants have perked up. The veggies are growing like mad.

Yesterday I was mostly focused on getting green beans and beets processed and ready to eat, then putting up another batch of berry jam. Today, I took a closer look at the rest of the garden. Oh, my! The cherry tomatoes needed tying up. Two of my roselle plants had fallen over. The shishito peppers are ready to harvest, with one plant so overloaded with fruit it had fallen over on its side!

I got busy and picked the peppers. This is my first year growing shishito peppers. Last summer, they were all the rage, and for good reason. Oh my gosh, they are tasty! Officially classified as hot peppers, they are actually not hot at all ... except when they are! One out of every ten or twenty will be a bit spicy ... just enough to get your attention. Anyone for a little "Russian roulette" at the pepper platter?

No need to remove the seeds from these peppers. Just throw them, whole, onto the grill or into the skillet. Char-grilled or blistered with a little olive oil and sea salt, they make an awesome appetizer or unusual side dish. Can't wait to dig into our first batch!

Next task ... shore up the roselle. I carefully placed large tomato cages around the plants, taking care not to break any branches. I hope that will provide strong enough support in the long run.

Then, my espaliered cherry tomato plants needed some attention. What a mess! Fortunately, I was able to get them under control. I trained them up and across the plastic fencing, tying as needed. We've been enjoying the black cherry tomatoes, with plenty more to come. And finally, some little green tomatoes on the sun golds.

Once the urgent tasks were complete, I accomplished the daily picking of beans and cucumbers. I finished as the first hot rays of sun came over the tree tops and into the garden. Perfect timing!