Two weeks of neglect take their toll...

It's amazing how quickly Mother Nature can get the upper hand. I went to the Swannanoa Gathering for one week. Turned around and flew to Seattle for a week in the North Cascades. Spent last week cleaning off my desks at the office and at home.

Since returning home, I've been picking green beans, okra, and butternut squash. I've pulled a few good sized carrots. I picked what seems to be the last of the blueberries... pitifully small. The tomatoes still have fruit on the vines, but ripening has slowed significantly. I harvested the basil this afternoon and made two big batches of pesto. The first was a basic basil/garlic mix, which I froze in 'blops'. The second batch contained walnuts and freshly grated parmesan. I used it to sauce up a big pot of pasta.

We missed out on the last of the field peas. There're plenty of dry peas for next year's seed, or to cook as dried beans... but to eat peas that are fresh and green is why I grow them. The aphids had taken them over, as they did by this time last year. I pulled the plants this morning and threw them into the chicken yard, along with the aphid-riddled rainbow chard and all the other weeds that had grown up in the last few weeks. The eggplant fruits are small and stunted. I don't think the garden got enough rain while I was away. Abi was holding down the fort while we were gone, but that entailed mainly picking produce so it wouldn't go to waste. I didn't expect her to water and weed and do real work.

Despite that, the patty-pan squash plants have been looking really good, with lots of blossoms. Today, though, I saw evidence of those darn squash bugs! It's a race now, to see if fruit will develop before the plant totally dies back. The sweet potato vines are growing like crazy. The butter bean plants look healthy and lush with lots of blossoms. I hope it's not too late in the season for the beans to actually develop. It's always hard for me to let go of hopes for the summer garden in time to get the fall garden in, and that time is here.

In news from the chicken house, my hens have stopped laying. I thought maybe something was getting the eggs, but I've had only 6 eggs all week. Don't know if it's the heat, the time of year, deficiencies in their diet and water - ducks in the chicken yard make it difficult to keep the waterer filled up - plus, Grayson is living here now. Having a doggie in the yard makes it difficult for the chickens to get their free-range time in. Will have to pay attention in the coming week.