Six on Saturday: July 3

And the glut begins!

No complaints at all about the harvests in June, but July has begun with an even bigger glut of produce! Today there was a bounty of summer squash, five different varieties. The green basket is “Biet Alpha” cucumbers, and with the two “Parisian” cucumbers and at the right end of the wicker basket, and the “Tasty Green” cucumber almost hidden by the snow peas a batch of sweet pickles will be canned this weekend at some point. There are two bowls of “Green Arrow” peas shelled and ready to freeze. And then there’s this basket!

Found another summer squash!

I should have been keeping a closer eye on the cabbages, because these three heads had already started to split. The upper left corner is a Napa cabbage that weighs nearly 4 pounds! And, as I was carrying the basket back to the Lady Cottage to weigh the cabbage, I spotted yet another zucchini! They are sneaky characters, aren’t they? Anyway, looks like I’ll also be starting a batch of sauerkraut this afternoon.

Shallots are nearly ready to harvest!

Yesterday, I dug all the garlic, which is now curing in the Cottage, but I noticed today that the shallots are nearly ready. There are still a handful of shallots hanging on the allium rack that need to be used, so I’m in no hurry but the tops are falling over, so they will certainly be harvested before the next rain (if there is one!) Doesn’t look like the best harvest ever (which was an average of 6 shallots for each one planted) but it’s far better than last year, so I’m pleased.

Peppers, peppers everywhere!

There are peppers, numerous peppers throughout the potager. Only what we need to use fresh are being harvested, but there are various bell peppers, jalapenos, and “Jimmy Nardello” ready to pick. There are still bags of pepper strips and diced peppers in the freezer to use in any cooked dish, so I can let the ones in the garden color up. Today as I grabbed a couple “Fehr Ozone” peppers, I noticed that the “Royal Burgundy” beans are setting on.

3″ baby beans!

I was a little later than usual getting them planted because of cold weather late, but there will surely be a bounty of beans this year. Within minutes after the garlic came out, fences were moved in and “French Horticultural” beans were planted. There were already “Borlotti,” “Dragon Tongue,” “Jade II,” and “French Garden” beans planted. And finally #6, the last thing that will be harvested later today …

“Summer Perfection” spinach

We nearly were tired of spinach salad, even with all it’s variations, but there’s been a bit of a gap where we’ve had lettuces, Napa cabbage, and cole slaw instead. Now it’s hot, it’s dry, and it’s asking a lot of spinach to thrive in this weather. This row is absolutely perfect today, but by tomorrow it may begin to yellow and bolt so it’s spinach salad on the menu tonight, and what we don’t eat fresh will go into the freezer tomorrow.

That’s my six for this first Saturday in July! I hope your garden is filled with bounty and beauty. If you’d like to visit other gardens, go to The Propagator, who hosts this meme.

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