After a soggy June, we had almost no rain in July, historically the wettest month of the year around here.August hasn't been much better, although one night last week, when the rest of the area saw only a trace, our rain gauge registered over two inches. We also got an unexpected downpour last night, dropping better than an inch.
In our garden, all of the herbs, with the exception of a couple of ill-timed cilantro plants, are doing well. The peas should've been thinned early on, but they still provide the occasional snack while I'm out tending the plot.
Thumbs-up on this year's crop of lettuce. Thumbs-down on the radishes, most of which again rooted up and sideways instead of down. The soil was plenty friable, so that's a puzzler.
Our lone (and quite prolific) tomatillo plant, a last-minute experiment, seems bent on taking over an entire bed. The pasillas and jalapeños are teasing us, mostly. True to form, we're still awaiting the first habaneros.And then there are the tomatoes. Every one of our seven plants is loaded with fruit and six have grown higher than their cages -- one, in fact, is taller than I am, and I'm a tall guy. The big slicers are still green, but we've been enjoying fresh plum and cherry tomatoes for several weeks now.
Out in our compost pile, by the way, is an eighth plant, a volunteer that sprang from a few on-the-vine tomatoes we discarded last fall -- and it, too, is loaded.
In the morning, I believe I'll harvest some of those sweet-as-sugar cherry tomatoes and a jalapeño or two. I'll add some locally grown corn, shaved from the cob, along with chopped red onion, minced garlic, black beans, a few sprigs of cilantro, the juice of a lime, extra-virgin olive oil, fresh-ground black pepper and a pinch of cumin.
Tomorrow night, we feast on salsa fresca!
