The cucurbits are flourishing with the abundant rain we’ve been getting, which means I finally have summer veggies to share! I will have cucumbers, zucchini, and yellow squash in limited quantities at the Broadway Community Market on Saturday. So come celebrate with me, and come early! There will also be a food truck, a coffee cart, and several other wonderful vendors to shop from.

I have enjoyed snacking on a few cucamelons straight from the vine this week, but they aren’t producing enough just yet to bring to the market – soon, though! And we may have had a bit too much rain for the tomatoes’ liking (they’re prone to blight and such with excessive dampness), but I’m still hoping to get a decent harvest from them, starting in the coming weeks.

What else is happening in the garden? An abundance of lush weeds! But also potato plants dying back and onion tops beginning to flop over – both signs of harvest time. I will likely be digging potatoes next week (and pulling endless weeds), and onions won’t be far behind.

Abundance. Late summer is a season of abundance, and we draw nearer all the time. For now, I’m savoring July. Mmm, cucumbers.

See you at the market!

We all have that romantic image of the tough farmer working outside in all kinds of weather, invincible as the fabled postal worker. And certainly many farmers (and postal workers) are toiling away in the heat today, hopefully with plenty of water breaks in the shade.

But we, too, are human, and it is hot outside. This morning I weeded the herb garden, still in the shade that time of day, then ventured briefly into the sun to weed and mulch the potatoes (by piling said weeds around the base of the plants – unconventional, perhaps, but efficient). I was outside maybe 30 minutes.

And now I am sitting on the couch, A/C and ceiling fan running, a glass of lavender lemonade beside me, to draft this update with pencil and notebook. With the exception of brief forays into the garden, I am using these exceptionally hot days to do housework and long-neglected office work, like updating my accounting sheet. Unglamorous and tedious (hence neglected), but necessary and not done in direct sunlight. I am grateful for the ability to choose to be inside on a day like today.

Tomorrow, I will brave the heat (again, briefly) to dig fresh garlic and pull radishes, and likely cut some lavender bundles – all for you! So please come visit all the vendors at the Broadway Community Market on Saturday and enjoy the fruits of our labor. We love serving our community, and it makes our day brighter when you stroll through our booths.

I have been teasing you with hints at summer produce for a while now, and I promise, it’s coming! The cucumbers and summer squash are starting to ripen, and tomatoes and jalapenos won’t be long behind them. But for now, come grab the last of the spring radishes as well as freshly dug garlic, lovely lavender, delicious garlic salt, and thoughtfully crafted crocheted items.

See you at the market!

I received a rain gauge for my birthday last week, and it’s turned out to be a timely gift. Yesterday we got an impressive 1.2 inches in just an hour or two of downpour, and I was surprised to wake up to steady rain this morning. I’m at my computer during naptime instead of in the garden because, yep, it’s still raining. The garden looks greener already. If I can keep the groundhog out long enough, the squash and sweet potatoes might finally take off!

Speaking of my furry neighbor, the kale harvest might look a bit slim this week. And all this rain, while I am enormously grateful for it, will likely split a good number of radishes. But! If things dry out enough, I hope to dig some fresh garlic for the markets.

Yes, you read that right: markets. In addition to my usual Broadway Community Market on Saturday (9 a.m. – 1 p.m.), I will also be attending my first Bridgewater Retirement Community Farmer’s Market this Thursday, 8:30 – 11:30 a.m. This market is open the fourth Thursday of each month June through October.

In honor of this new-to-me market, I also have a new crocheted product I’ve been itching to release! These mini plant hangers come in white or green, each with their own terra cotta pot, so they’re ready to be filled with soil and small plants. These would also be great for air plants! I already have two larger, “prototype” hangers in my kitchen window, filled with trailing plants (string of pearls and string of hearts), and I love them!

So, come out to Bridgewater on Thursday morning or Broadway on Saturday morning for late spring veggies, fresh herbs, garlic salt, plant hangers, and more crocheted items.

See you at the market!