The Bounty of August

August is all about picking blueberries and harvesting veggies from the garden!!

The green beans are especially prolific this year and every morning I get out and pick a handful of these tender treats. And the blueberries have been just as fantastic this year!  We had absolutely no blueberries last year due to a late spring frost that killed off all the blossoms. So this year is just a gift and I am enjoying every moment I spend out in the blueberry patch.

plentiful and plump, big sweet blueberries

We moved into this homestead about 4 years ago with the blueberry patch well established although not very well tended. We have 26 high bushes here with about 6 different varieties. Most bear large, juicy berries which are great for snacking and adding to my breakfast yogurt and granola (my own creations I might add). There are several smaller varieties that produce firm, sweet berries similar to the wild types. These are great for pancakes and pies as the fruit holds up and doesn’t get as soupy as the big berries. They all freeze beautifully and this year I am aiming to put in 60 quarts. I have 26 quarts in the freezer at this point so feeling pretty positive!!  Add to that the many quarts we have eaten fresh. All in all a most impressive harvest.

picking beans, extras in my pocket

Each year I predict that I will be on summer vacation when the green beans mature and this year would have been the same!  We had a scheduled trip to Cape Cod the first week of August but due to an unforeseen accident, we found ourselves unable to travel. Staying home was a disappointment but being here for the beans not so much. I like them very thin and lightly steamed and we have enjoyed them with dinner for the past 2 weeks. The same could be said about the infamous zucchini.

prepping the zucchini for oven crisping!!

I haven’t had much luck over the past 3 years with growing zucchini. It does seem crazy that with such success otherwise, I couldn’t get a fruit past the blossom end rot phase. This year, with over a dozen plants (my husband said “You’re kidding, a dozen?”) and the diligence to pick each one when quite small, we have enjoyed zucchini sautéed and oven baked at most meals.

Every bush is just loaded with berries!!

I think it was last night. Trying to come up with something unique for dinner, we both looked at each other, sighed, and admitted  – we were getting tired of eating Blueberries, Beans, and Zucchini!!

Happy Gardening and Cheers,

Patricia

patcassidy