The Late Summer Garden Update
Inside: We spent all of June sowing seeds for our garden. How’s it growing six weeks later? Find out with our late summer garden update!
Amy, Amy, hopefully not contrary, how does your late summer garden grow?
Well, no silver bells or cockle shells, and if I had pretty maids all in a row, they’d have dirt under their fingernails after I put them to work weeding. But the cucumbers are growing (see above photo), and, in fact, I’m collecting some in my vegetable crisper to make curry pickles.
Remember my little tomato seedling? It’s over a foot tall now.
The sweet potato vines are off and running, trailing up the log now. Dreaming of Thanksgiving dinner! I can almost taste Emily’s sweet potato casserole. . .
I’ve also got watermelon planted in a hay bale. Lots of watermelon, actually. And me on a special diet. . . Not to worry, though. The chickens absolutely love melons, and I can have limited amounts to eat. Mom loves it, too. Plus these are sugar babies, which is a small variety I fell in love with years ago. Just right for a serving or two.
Other veggie seed I’ve sown. . . Winter squash is trailing up a mammoth sunflower (the variety, not necessarily the size, as this sunflower is fairly small from others I’ve grown in the past). Cabbage and cauliflower seedlings are waiting for their new home in the cole crop bed.
Now for the not-so-good news. A marauding band of raccoons dumped over my containers of wildflowers right after sowing the seed, so scooping up soil back into the pots created seedling uncertainty. Some seeds were buried too deep, and knowing what is what has been a challenge. But after doing a little hunting online, the foliage in one pot resembles forget-me-nots, so I have three of those. They seem to be growing a little slow, and I’m not sure they will come back in my zone, as only the hardiest varieties are perennials in zone 5. Granted, I’m zone 6a, (although I’ve heard folks in my neck of the woods say we are in zone 5).
The small zinnia seedlings in the flower bed are just starting to bloom. This seems to be the year for zinnias to flourish. They are doing quite well everywhere I have them. Some flowers, well, not so much. Definitely a zinnia fan. I have another post in the works for a zinnia story update from a post I ran last year, but that will have to wait.
That’s the status report six weeks in. We’ll do another post toward the end of the garden season to see how the late summer garden has turned out this year. Stay tuned.
How does your garden grow? Tell us about it in the comments.
Related posts:
Planting the Late Summer Garden
Turn Sprouted Sweet Potatoes into Plants
Compost 101 and Other Cheap Organic Fertilizers
Posts from a year ago:
Open Windows, Food Shoot, and Other News Fresh From the Garden
Brighter Sides, New Leaves, and Other News Fresh From the Farm
Inside: Looking at the brighter sides, turning over new leaves, and words fitly spoken. Catch up on all the latest, fresh from the farm.
Looking at the Brighter Sides
It’s been a lackluster year for the sunflower field. The rains haven’t come, at least nothing substantial, and that’s on top of last year’s dry fall and winter. The ground is parched, though I’ve seen worse. We’ve had two rains in July, for which I am very grateful. No sound is more beautiful than the sound of rain pounding a tin roof in a dry year–believe me. I stood under the barn roof happily listening to the loud-beautiful noise one Sunday as we received water from heaven.
But we need more. And I’ve been asking.
So what exactly is the bright side–or, rather, brighter sides? A few things, actually. The weeds have been easier to keep up with, and we haven’t had to mow as often. (Poor Hubs. He’s had to mow a little more often than everyone around us because my sprinkler hits parts of the yard.)
The corn is still high as corn is likely to be in July. We’ve gotten one cutting of hay. Our well supplies bountiful amounts of cool, clean water to keep our vegetables growing and our flowers flourishing. And while my yellow horizon field of sunflowers from last year was more dazzling than this summer’s, we weren’t without our nodding beauties. Just not as tall or long-lasting.
And one unexpected gift. Walking over to Mom’s one day I noticed the patch the stud horse used to occupy had grown up in a meadow of little blue flowers–chicory. Chicory thrives just fine in dry conditions, and, in fact, the absence of the rain has allowed the plant to take over and grow because other weeds have been stunted. It’s a lovely sight, this pasture grown up in chicory.
So in a year of little rain, I’ve found another field worth celebrating–my blue pasture.
Turning Over New Leaves
In keeping with my positive attitude, I’ve witnessed another mini miracle of nature. In the wake of the Japanese Beetles departure, the grapevines trailing up my Chinese Elm took a beating, the leaves turning into brown lace from the beetle banquet. The vine looked pretty pitiful for a few weeks, brown leaf skeletons covering it. Then, little by little, tiny green shoots emerged, growing and taking back the vine. Same with the apple trees. Healthy green leaves replacing the brown ones.
It’s amazing to see nature heal itself. And it nearly always does. Or, rather, the Healer has a plan to mend things, whether they be plants or people.
And it’s a wonder to witness.
Words Fitly Spoken
July is gone, and with it visiting family members. It was great catching up and reconnecting with everybody. In particular, spending time with nieces and nephews is something I always enjoy. This year included a trip to the craft store and pizza restaurant with Cora, a game of Battleship and putting together a puzzle with Judah, and avoiding getting splashed by the kiddie pool. And several trips to feed the chickens and play in the hay barn.
Another blessing this time around has been listening to my nephew Elijah. When you do something for him, whether it’s fixing him a snack or helping him with his water color paints, he says in a low voice, “Perrrfect!” He’s a little boy with a lot to say these days. . .
But it wasn’t always that way.
Two summers ago I remember us taking him and his brother to the empty silo so they could lean in the bottom door and hear their voices echo. Elijah wasn’t saying much then. He pointed a lot and had a dozen or so words he spoke. We hoped that bringing them up to the silo might coax him into practicing words. And he did say a few.
It’s a credit to the wisdom of his parents that he’s a boy with a lot of words to say now. His mom and dad worked with him these last two years and prayed for him. I did, too. The Lord gave me a prayer from Proverbs 25:11–that Elijah’s words would be fitly spoken. And they are.
His mom wrote me this the other day: “When we were driving to Texas, we passed through a storm in Arkansas. As we approached it, Elijah said, ‘I saw the sky crack!’ (He’d seen lightning.) Then he was telling a story and said, ‘Judah hit the water with a loud smack!’ I thought his word choices were unusually vivid for a 4-year-old, so I started paying closer attention. He was talking like a writer–showing, not telling. Could he be the next generation of writer in the family? Just wondering, but wouldn’t that be cool?”
I think it’d be just perrrfect.
What’s happening in your neck of the woods? Tell us about it in the comments.
Related posts:
Plant Shopping, Yard Jungle, and Other News Fresh From the Farm
Lily Days, Pickup Talk, and Other News Fresh From the Farm
Neighborly Encouragement and the Power of Flowers
Posts from a year ago:
Open Windows, Food Shoot, and Other News Fresh From the Farm
Have You Heard of Switchel?
Inside: Have you heard of switchel? An old-fashioned Gatorade with its roots in seventeenth century New England. A fermented drink that has become a favorite among the hipster crowd, switchel is easy to make and a refreshing way to beat rising temperatures.
What is Switchel?
Switchel, aka switzel, ginger-water, switchy, or haymaker’s punch, is a beverage with it’s roots in New England–or possibly the Caribbean depending on whom you believe. In it’s classic form, switchel is very simply made–water, vinegar, ginger sweetened traditionally with maple syrup or molasses. By the late seventeenth century, the drink gained popularity in the American Colonies during the summertime, and by the 1800s it became the go-to thirst quencher for farmers in the hay field–thus the name haymaker’s punch.
Herman Melville wrote about it in I and My Chimney, “I will give a traveler a cup of switchel, if he want it; but am I bound to supply him with a sweet taste?” And Laura Ingalls Wilder reminisced about a type of switchel beverage in The Long Winter: “Ma had sent them ginger-water. She had sweetened the cool well-water with sugar, flavored it with vinegar, and put in plenty of ginger to warm their stomachs so they could drink till they were not thirsty. Ginger-water would not make them sick, as plain cold water would when they were so hot.”
So with all that wonderful farming and literary history, I decided to make up a batch. For my first attempt, I followed the classic recipe, using real maple syrup. I tasted it freshly made, and what surprised me was how tame it was. I had been expecting the apple cider vinegar to overpower the drink, and it didn’t. If anything, the ginger seemed to be more prominent. I sampled it again at 12 hours and then at 24. Not much difference to me.
I gave Mom a jelly jar full of the concoction when she stopped by, and later she told me she had thought it just okay. My sentiments exactly. Then I remembered from my research some recipes called for lemon juice–and oatmeal, believe it or not. I added lemon juice to a new batch–held the oatmeal–and sweetened it with a stevia blend instead. I also sliced the ginger rather than grating it. Our foremothers, masters of make-do, stirred up their switchel with powdered ginger instead.
Eureka! Beverage success! So I texted Mom and invited her over for a glass of switchel. In the cool of the day, we sat around my outdoor table, transported to a bygone era when people gathered on porches to visit. We passed the afternoon that way, sipping switchel and talking as evening settled in around us.
“Refreshing,” Mom pronounced the new version. I agreed.
Since then I’ve made a couple more pitchers of switchel–and even paired it with green tea for my own switchel iced tea. I also tried molasses as a sweetener and found it changed the flavor completely. The molasses version has an earthy, deep taste, and if you’re a fan of molasses, you might like it. My suggestion is to make the classic version with maple syrup, give it a taste, and then experiment with different sweeteners–honey, sugar, brown sugar, stevia blend–and other ingredients. One website suggested cinnamon sticks instead of ginger to give it more of a cider vibe.
By the way, if you’re looking for health benefits, switchel is the drink for you. Ginger, a key ingredient in switchel, naturally reduces inflammation as well as aides digestion by settling upset stomachs. Ginger also fights off disease and breaks down toxins in the body, helping to boost immunity. Apple cider vinegar has many wonderful benefits, among them potassium, magnesium, and probiotics. Both the maple syrup and cider vinegar have potassium-rich electrolytes, which explains switchel’s popularity as a summertime drink. If you happen to sweeten your batch with honey, make sure it’s raw. Raw honey boasts 22 amino acids, 27 minerals, and 5,000 enzymes.
Here’s the classic version:
Classic Switchel
- 4 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar (preferably with the mother)
- 4 tablespoons of 100% pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger (additional ginger slices optional)
- 4 cups of water
Combine all ingredients and mix well. Serve over ice immediately or wait 12 – 24 hours for flavors to blend. Stir each time before serving.
Here is the recipe to my switchel:
- 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (preferably with the mother)
- 2 tablespoons of Truvia or other stevia blend
- 3 tablespoons juice of a lemon
- 3 - 4 thin slices of ginger (approximately ⅛ inch)
- 4 cups of water
- Combine all ingredients and mix well.
- Stir each time before serving.
- Enjoy!
Notes: For a refreshing iced tea, mix one part sweetened iced tea with one part switchel for a fruity drink. I’ve been mixing up a batch of green tea switchel lately.
Give switchel a try this summer and make the recipe your own! Then you can experience a little “Little House” yourself, just like Laura Ingalls Wilder.
What’s your go-to beverage during hot summer days? Tell us about it in the comments.
Related posts:
Stay Cool with Water Infusions
Coffee Love: How to Make Pour-over Coffee
Prime Day Tuesday
Inside: It’s Prime Day Tuesday, when the deals go fast and furious! Let’s see what’s in store today.
Tinkertoys–how many remember this oldie but goodie from childhood? This 200-piece Tinkertoy Super Building Set is going for $25.98! It’s an excellent idea for the child you know who loves to, well, you know, tinker. . .
This caught my eye today, particularly because I don’t have a food processor at the moment. The Cuisinart Mini Prep Food Processor comes with a 3-cup bowl and runs $38.36–nearly 50% off the regular price! I think this size would just about be perfect for Hubs and me.
Maybe it’s just me, but I’m feeling nostalgic for the toys and play items of my youth. Enter Play-Doh’s Modeling Compound 24-pack case. They’ve got it marked down to $12.43, a 41% savings! And who can resist that squishy fun? Would also make a great gift for a child’s birthday party.
Okay, so I mentioned the Instant Pot deal yesterday. Now it only stands to reason that you should have a good cookbook to go with it! Here’s my pick of the bunch: The Essential Instant Pot Cookbook. Evidently it’s quite popular, but you need to hurry to get it at it’s current price of $11.16! And don’t forget about the $5 coupon on any book purchase of $20. But remember, that ends tonight!
Finally, for those of us who spend a lot of money buying gift cards and love to shop Amazon, Prime members can get a free $5 Amazon credit with the purchase of a $25 Amazon gift card. Use coupon code GCPRIME18 at checkout to take advantage of this deal. Once you add the gift card to your cart and enter the coupon code, you’ll see a message that confirms your $5 credit. (Make sure you see this message before paying.)
For all the Prime Day deals, checkout Amazon’s Prime Day Deals page. But hurry, sales end tonight!
Have you gone shopping today? Tell us about it in the comments.
Related posts:
Saturday Prime Countdown Bargains