This week has seen a lot of good food come out of the gardens. In fact, I’m going to have to get cracking in the kitchen to make sure nothing goes to waste. (On the topic of waste, please read the Worm Bin pages. Links are at the upper right of this page.)

We have Brandywine, Cherokee Purple, Better Boy, Golden Jubilee, and Juliet tomatoes (two heirlooms and three hybrids, if you’re keeping score.) The Juliets are small plums that I like to grill, the Golden Jubilee is a pretty yellow tomato that is especially good in a stew or casserole, and the others are all big slicers. All taste pretty good right now, but none so far have knocked my socks off. The riper the better, and I’ve been unwilling to wait.

There’s also a good supply of eggplant and plenty of peppers. I’m still getting gold-colored beets out of the garden, though they seem to have stopped growing in the heat of summer. The red ones are flourishing and even seem to like it. They are medium-sized (MUCH smaller than the ones in the supermarket, which I think are grossly oversized) with smooth, thin skins. The tops are not as bountiful as they were earlier in the season; the bugs have nibbled on them a little, as they have on my chard, but I still have plenty of braising greens, wild and cultivated, for anyone who loves them.

Still have those sweet, flavorful scarlet nantes carrots, too. A few squash and cucumbers. No green beans to speak of at the moment, but another bed is underway and there will be more in a few weeks.

As I’ve mentioned before, I have too much bounty for my family and not quite enough to make it worth setting up a table at the farmer’s market, so if anyone’s looking for a weekly delivery of washed, trimmed local vegetables (with the option of organic baked goods), send me an email. We can size and price the basket to suit your needs.