my knitting life is a closed fist this week; all my current WIPs are secret projects. one thing i can tell you is the results of the cast on, bind off book giveaway—the winner is: nathan F. thank you all for participating!
soon i should have some knitting to blog about publicly as well, but until then, i’ll have to entertain you with a garden post.
i know, such a dreary topic.
we have been picking meal-sized amounts of vegetables nearly every day and the take has been slowly ramping up. i’m getting hints of it already
there are green beans to pick every day, which i collect in the fridge
and then every few days, i top the whole bunch, blanch them in hot water, and then pack into bags for the freezer. same with the greens; it’s an ongoing process.
we’ve been picking cherry tomatoes most days for the table and now there is one big ripe tomato that i’ve got my eye on for tomorrow’s lunchtime sandwich—my first of the year and i’m prepping for it like it’s an olympic event (you know, the exquisite taste of summer event).
it’s just one for now, but the rest are coming as surely as the sun will rise tomorrow.
we are about to enter those frantic few weeks when it will be a challenge to keep up with them—i love this part, when each day i wake up and put a pot of tomatoes on the stove along with the coffee. a few quarts of puree each morning and before i know it, the freezer is full.
hopefully, things will continue like this until we have all we need. i would love to be able to give them away to the neighbors, too.
the eggplant is phenomenal this year and plentiful as well; we have long asian ones, these traditional dark purple ones, white italian ones, and
these round, lobed, stripey ones which look like they will become a very large size.
i’ve got plans to use those with the squash, peppers, and basil we have in a big pot of ratatouille—maybe tomorrow. i had hoped to have tomatoes to cook with by now, but that’s a few days off . . . i wonder if the squash and eggplant will hold that long? hmmm, maybe . . .
i’m also looking forward to making ciambotta, using our own new potatoes; i’ve got to dig a few up so we can try them. i know they’re ready; they were already a decent size last month.
i did something different this year along the back garden fence—i planted climbing beans to make a pretty screen and it’s looking lovely right now. the beans themselves are nice long, slender green beans, too—i’m so glad i did it.
it gives the garden a pretty look from the back street side, where the patients for the doctor’s office can see it. it’s so hard to keep that area nice.
and with that, i’ve come to the end of my material for the day; time to get back to my secret knitting so i can make time for some public projects.
have a good week; see you in a few days.
16 thoughts on “the secret life”
Nothing wrong with a lovely garden post, thanks for sharing!
Enjoy your sandwich, hope it’s a gold medal winner! I would love to take a peek inside your project bags to see what knitting secrets are within!
The squash and eggplant should hold for a few days, for sure, if you put them in the crisper. At least mine do when I buy stuff at the farmer’s market on Saturday and don’t get around to using them ’til Monday or Tuesday. (They will actually last even longer but are noticeably not at peak… still better than grocery store stuff, tho.)
i love your garden posts. I have no space and grow a few things in pots. I grew up with a huge vegetabel garden in the back yard. I get so excited when You see your vegetables growing and it puts a smile on my face when I think of how good it is all going to taste. enjoy!
Lovely garden, Anne. I got hungry just looking at all of the goodies. Yum!
Hi! I’ve been lurking here for years…mostly for knitting but I love my summer garden as well. Would love to hear more about freezing green beans and tomato puree!
This is not a dreary post – it’s great as I enjoy reading about your garden. I had a good harvest of tomatoes last summer & also had a freezer full of sauce.
Anne, I was taught to make ratatouille by cooking each vegetable separately and then blending them only at the end. As, first the zucchini, then the onions, then the eggplant, etc. Individual veg maintain their integrity. Cook all the other ingredients, then do the tomatoes last?
I’m eyeing those green beans, Anne! I order them so often at this one restaurant for take out that the last time I called they said, “Wait, is this Christine?” lol You should try making fried green tomatoes one night just for kicks. Very southern and tasty even if you do have to chase it with Tums.
What great garden photos. I’m starting to get a few peppers and tomatos from my garden.
Great post. When you get a chance, I’d love to know what varieties you’re growing, too. For example, the climbing beans — which ones are they?
Stupid question from a very amateur gardener, but I see you have some kind of straw/hay there on the ground between the plants, what does that do?
Days in the garden are always followed by days in the kitchen! The veggies are so much better than anything you can buy, so it is worth it! I always feel like I’m really accomplishing something when I do this… Have a great weekend!
gorgeous garden!! I love green beans just quickly accross the grill with olve oil, rock salt & balsamic vinegar 🙂 and stuffed zucchini flowers with pinenuts, lentils..yum!!
Garden inspiration…Lovely!
I just started reading knit spot every day and I just love your gorgeous shawls!
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