Spring and fall are my favorite times in the garden! Spring, because I've been itching to get my fingers in the dirt and my face in the sun, and March, April and May give me plenty of cool, sunny days to get out and prepare my beds, tidy the yard, and just enjoy tending to my little spot on planet earth. I love watching the seeds I have planted turn into seedlings, and mature as the weather warms.
I do not, however, love the hot summer months. I am extremely sensitive to the sun, and can only take it in very small doses, so it makes it difficult for me sometimes in the summer to keep up with the weeding, and supporting plants that have gone wild. But come September, ahhhh, the garden and I become fast friends once again. The garden is providing me with an over abundance of her bounty, and I lovingly come back and spend hours caring for her, pampering the late bloomers, and enjoying the harvest.
Right now, like most everyone else, I have lots and lots of tomatoes, my second planting of green beans is flourishing, cukes, zucchini, carrots and kale are still doing well too, and I'm finally getting some peppers! We can't eat it as fast as we're picking, so it's time to get creative in the kitchen. I spent much of Labor Day prepping my harvest to have over the winter.
Canning and freezing are what I do most, although I like to dry my herbs. Yesterday I put up 4 pints of salsa, froze a couple of quarts of green beans, roasted and then froze cherry tomatoes, pickled more cherry tomatoes, made a couple of quarts of tomato sauce, and several gallons of soups.
Here's a great resource for preserving your harvest: http://pickyourown.org/index.htm#states
Wow, I can't believe all that you made 4 pints of salsa, froze all those green beans, roasted tomatoes, and made so much soup! You are amazing! How big is your garden? I am already planning to expand next year, and I am super excited by my green beans, tomatoes, and cucumbers! I have planted kale for the cooler weather, and want to plant garlic through the winter (we can do that here, right?). I'm hoping to become more involved in the program as we go, I am learning so much, and would love to give back! I'm going to look back through your posts, I want to see pics of your garden!
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