August & September seemed to steamroll by as the garden flooded us with projects from harvesting,pruning & weeding, to mulching, canning tomato sauce and cooking up a storm day after day. Cucumbers struggled this year without persistent watering from the sky but as with all years something shine while others just glimmer. The trick is to be diverse in what we plant and to embrace what we do have and try not to stress over those in which we lack. It is a never ending balance of juggling a families schedule along with weather patterns all the while maintaining a garden that not only gives you sustenance but also mental well being. The pleasure of accomplishment must outweigh the dread of being behind on upkeep. Guilt can be motivation but the reality of it comes down to just doing the best you can to create a cycle of growth year in and year out. I always strive for a perfect balance but sometimes the striving part is where the real balance is hidden.
A dinner cooked with 100% of the ingredients coming from steps out the kitchen door are what we daydreamed about all those years of living in Portland.
Asian Pears, cukes, peppers, beans, tomatoes all coming in by the handfuls!
Tomatoes finished up strong with plenty of sauce canned and ready for the cellar!
These lunchbox peppers were a hit and were a very prolific producer with a few plants we could harvest a pint of peppers, almost daily, for whole month of September.
The hot varieties are keeping Hazel busy and our baskets full.
Jack Be Little pumpkins seemed to have crossed pollinated with our delicata squash which has given them a unique size and more mottled yellow appearance than we had expected.
Elderberries setting fruit for the first real flush since planting a couple years ago.
Shinseiki Pears
This was a delicious.
This was stinky.
Swallowtail Caterpillar
Easter Black Swallowtail
Question Mark Butterfly
Bee Balm w/ Bumblebee
Dahlias, Dahlias, Dahlias!
Zinnias, Zinnias, Zinnias.
So many blossoms emerging everyday... its a full time job just keeping our growing vase collection filled with seasonal arangements!
Our Morning Glory trellis idea worked beautifully over the arbor entrance to our homestead.
A paused moment of garden beauty as a few fallen leaves and petals created this stunning moment of color and symmetry. Speaking of color and symmetry.... here is a glimpse of whats been going on down in the Rootcellar Studio as summer fades away.
Exploring materials through collage and different methods of applying paint has been keeping me inspired and thirsty for more time in the studio...
So long summer, till we meet again!
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