Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Harvesting

Summer is really clicking right by, and it is so hard to believe that the middle of August has already arrived.  We have had beautiful weather this summer (well at least since the weather straightened out and stopped raining), and my garden has been producing very nicely. 

At first were the radishes ..... I love planting radishes because they just pop out of the ground so quickly, and really make you feel quite accomplished:


And next on the agenda came the zucchini, green onions, and cucumbers:


Speaking of cucumbers, a couple of days ago, I got up early and picked while it was still cool outside.  I picked an entire basket full.  They actually weighed in at around 7 pounds worth.  (And yes, I weigh my cucumbers when I pick them, because I have an antique scale in my garage, and I figure I might as well put it to good use):


You might be wondering what I plan on doing with 7 pounds of cucumbers.  Why, make pickles of course:


So far I have made 15 quarts of dill pickles, and hope to make at least that many more.  My recipe is the same recipe my grandma used for years and years, and has become a family favorite.

My garden hasn't received the special care that I had hoped to give it this summer, but it is such a blessing to still receive a bountiful harvest despite the fact that I planted it so late in the season, there are still many weeds that need pulling, and plants that haven't gotten properly thinned.