I hadn’t planned on harvesting cherry tomatoes today, but when I glanced over at them, I saw masses of little golden fruits ripe for the picking. So I grabbed a container and began working my way down one side of the row. And the container filled up before I’d even reached the end, so I ran inside for another. When that one, too, began to overflow, I started laughing – who expects abundance in a drought? Yet here I was, with more than double my usual harvest of cherry tomatoes.

Just before this, I’d walked the row of slicing tomatoes . . . and picked not a single one. Sure, I picked some earlier this week, but not many, and finding none ripe is unusual.

Even more disappointing are the cucamelons. The vines seem to be thriving this year, full and lush, and they put on masses of tiny fruits, but they’re just not ripening. Many of those under-ripe babies fall off at the slightest provocation, such as when I harvest the few that are plump enough, and those that remain on the vine grow so slowly.

I’m blaming this on the drought, though the full-size cucumbers in the same bed have inexplicably been producing fairly well. Of course, I could carefully water the cucamelons every day to combat the heat and lack of rain, but thirsty bite-sized cucumbers feel like a luxury in the face of a drought. Irrigation this summer involves a delicate balance between water conservation and nourishing the plants so we can continue eating. So, I’ll take the abundance I’m given, and dance when the rain finally falls.

This Saturday morning, you can find me at the Broadway Community Market with the following, in varying abundance:

• cherry tomatoes
• bell peppers
• jalapenos
• garlic
• cucumbers
• beans
• garlic salt
• crocheted items

See you at the market!

I think I mentioned in my previous post how I’ve never gotten very excited about Christmas in July. It seems odd to me to celebrate a holiday apart from the actual holiday, to completely remove the meaning and occasion and turn it into shallow fun. And yet, I’ve also always jumped at any opportunity to celebrate something. Special meal? Count me in. Cake? I’m there. Decorations? Absolutely.

So, a Christmas in July Evening Market? Why not! I’ve been happily crocheting little Christmas trees and mini stockings, and I even have colored lights set out to bring for display. This fun popup market happens today from 6pm until 8pm, at the Broadway Community Market. Vendors will have regular offerings as well as festive items, including special food! Jillian’s Farmstead Kitchen is offering a choice of turkey or roast beef platters, and Wiches and Brew will have sandwiches and holiday-themed lattes and cocoa.

I will be set up with the aforementioned crocheted Christmas trees and stockings, as well as other giftable crocheted items and fresh produce: tomatoes, beans, garlic, cucumbers, yellow squash, and chocolate bell peppers. If you can’t make it out to the market this evening, I will also have all of these things at the regular market on Saturday morning!

See you at the market!

The weather has been teasing the past couple days, with overcast skies and an occasional drizzle, but nothing of any real substance. I am immensely grateful that I finally invested in drip tape irrigation this spring. Instead of spending every morning hauling a hose through the garden (and grumbling when it flattens a plant instead of staying in the path), I simply turn on the spigot and let water seep through the drip tape for about an hour a couple times each week.

I’ve been picking beans, cucumbers, and tomatoes, and I plan to finally harvest the first of the cucamelons tomorrow! I also hope to get some of the garlic, which has been curing in the basement, trimmed and cleaned up for market on Saturday. Of course, I have garlic salt made from last year’s garlic, too, and it’s great on just about everything.

I took the platter in the image at the top of this post to a small gathering last weekend, and the Dragon Tongue beans were a hit! They’re at least as delicious fresh as they are cooked. I grew everything in that dish from seed, which is immensely satisfying (including the carrots, though the harvest has been very small so far).

Next Wednesday, July 24, is the special Christmas in July Evening Market, from 6 to 8 p.m. We have a great lineup of vendors with festive items alongside their usual offerings, including some special food. Check out the Facebook page for vendor spotlights (link above).

I don’t usually get excited about Christmas in July – it’s a bit of a strange concept – but I’ve been happily working away at a new festive crochet project: Christmas trees! These cute little evergreens stand on their own but will pack flat to take up minimal storage space. I also plan to bring mini stockings, as well as my usual crocheted offerings and, of course, fresh produce.

See you at the market!