summer, garden in review

Gardening this summer has been a bit of a challenge for me. The shop has been keeping me busy (a good thing, keeps me off the streets) so the weeds have been having a heyday. I am now beginning to harvest squash and we have had the first tomatoes of the season, thanks to a cooler summer. The raspberries were fabulous, it was pretty neat to go out and harvest a handful every morning for breakfast cereal. I've been harvesting potatoes as we need them, I grew Yukon Gold and French Fingerling. I cook scrubbed unpeeled, chunked potatoes briefly in water, then put them in a quiche pan with some salt, freshly ground pepper, fresh parsley and butter, 350 F till tender. Damn, thats good! The asparagus roots I planted this spring are showing promise, the ferny foliage looks very happy. I have been adding some coffee grounds as a top dressing to encourage better soil. I think I let them go all next year and then begin slight harvesting in 2010. Seems like a long time from now, but with as quickly as the days go by, it will be here before we know it. The pumpkins (2) are beginning to turn slightly orange. Acorn squash, we seem to have an abundance, though they aren't ready yet. Garlic planted last fall is very whiffy, strong smelling but when you cook with it, it calms down and becomes quite mellow. The shallots are doing well, I need to harvest them and allow them to dry. Still without a car, the dealership was planning on starting to work on Jeffs car yesterday. In due time, and a good lesson on patience.