Tomato season has finally arrived here in Maine and holy cannolis people, it’s AWESOME. 🙂
Lucy and I harvested over 50 pounds of {mostly} Roma and San Marzano tomatoes yesterday and as soon as I get my Etsy orders out this morning I’ll be starting up the outdoor camp stove and canning some salsa.
The Girl has already put in her order for 6 jars {and I’m sure Monkey Boy will want some too}. I have a feeling we might need an entire shelf dedicated to just salsa this season with all the tomatoes we’ll be picking over the next few weeks.
The leeks I planted in between the tomato plants this spring are doing really well too.
We should have at least 60 of those to harvest once they get big enough. I plan to dehydrate most of the leeks and use them for winter soups and other dishes over the winter months.
The corn is coming along too… albeit a little on the small side I think.
It sure is pretty to look at though.
And the pumpkins are starting to form.
This is a Howden pumpkin. It’s a good one for carving {although I think we’re probably past the pumpkin carving stage at this point}.
And it looks like we’re going to get a bunch of butternuts this year, so that will be nice. I’ll be sharing my butternuts with The Chef this year. I had tried growing Delicata squash for the Kiln Guy and the Chef but the Delicata squash didn’t make it so hopefully we’ll have a good crop of butternuts.
I think last winter we went through about 20 butternuts {roasted butternut squash and butternut squash lasagna are a few of our favorite winter dishes}.
But the most exciting thing we have growing in the garden right now is our New England cheese squash. Or at least I think it’s a New England cheese. It’s either that or a Musquee De Provence pumpkin. {I’m hoping for a cheese though as they are SO TASTY!!!}.
I also spotted a hubbard squash out in the lasagana garden too so with a little luck, in about another 45 days or so we’ll be swimming in all sorts of squash. Weeeeeeeeee! 🙂
I love this time of year. It’s hectic and fun and everyday there’s something new ripening in the garden that you have to deal with.
Life is good!
What’s new this week in YOUR garden? Are you starting to see little squash babies yet? Are you growing any unusual ones this year? Curious minds want to know.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone,
~Mavis
Lisa in Denver says
I had a hail storm come through last Sunday which basically destroyed my tomato plants and tomatoes. So instead of throwing out all the green tomatoes I made 12 jars of pickled green tomatoes. Gardening in Colorado is quite the challenge! The weather predicters said nothing about hail, only that we were going to have a serious rainstorm. Most of the leafy stuff in my garden was shredded. Your garden looks amazing!!
Alicia says
Speaking of pickled green tomatoes, I need a good recipe for pickled green tomatoes,basically, similar to the kind you find served in fish restaurants or any great PGT recipe. Thanks,Alicia
Jamie says
It has been really hot and stormy in Maryland the last two weeks (85+ during most days), so the ripening of the tomatoes and peppers has slowed to a crawl. It should be cooler this next week and I hope most of the fruit will be ready to harvest by Friday. The beans and pumpkins are loving the weather and are growing like mad. I pulled out the spent bean and cucumber plants too to make way for fall crops; the first wave of which will go in this weekend.
Julie says
You’re never to old to carve pumpkins! My husband will only participate if he can use power tools. LOL.
Tammy says
I’m in zone 8A and the tomatoes are almost done. They’re still limping along in spite of bugs and heat but they will get pulled out pretty soon. I replanted some cucumbers which all came up nicely. When it gets cooler (in another month or so) I will plant some carrots, kale, and radishes.
Julie says
Mavis, do you happen to know why I randomly don’t get the blog in my email sometimes? I can get it every day for months and months and then all of a sudden It will skip a few days, and think, oh, dear! somethings happened! Then I dig a little, and find the ones I missed online. ???
LindaT says
Me too. I contacted the service to resubscribe and was told I was okay. Then a week or so later it came back
Mavis Butterfield says
I have no idea why the newsletter is weird like that sometimes. I wish I knew how to fix it. Glad it’s working for you again though.
Sherry in Sumner says
I am having the same issue. I haven’t gotten your blog, Mavis, in over a month. I re-entered my Sherry in Sumner email address and it said I was already signed up, but I’m still getting nothing. And I’m so anxious to see how your kitchen is progressing. Sure miss what’s happening in general too.
KC says
Have you checked your spam folder? That’s where most of my missing newsletters hide…
ML says
Same here, didn’t get my email for a very long time, decided to just check the blog from the website. Really enjoy getting in my email, but it just doesn’t come after a while.
Heather K says
Here in my western Illinois hot mess garden I have been harvesting cukes & zukes, a few green beans, cherry tomatoes, a few Early Girls, green & jalapeño peppers. Plan on making a small batch of hot pepper relish for the hubs over the weekend. Planted another round of beans and cukes today. Also planted a few rows of carrots. Something killed my summer squash plant but it was pretty prolific before it’s demise – it had a wonderful short life.
Waiting for my peaches to ripen. Ready to implement Project Peach Protector!! Watch out raccoons!!
Wynne says
I was visiting family in mid-coast Maine these past two weeks and came home to a big garden catch-up. Cabbage moths in the kale, bacterial wilt in the cucumbers, baseball-bat zucchinis. Neighbors did visit to pick things, but it looks like they just took all the tomatoes and bush beans. 🙂 I’m looking forward to September — ripe figs and raspberries, fall greens underway, maybe potatoes ready to dig. In Maine, my mom gave me some giant heads of Red Russian garlic to trial, which I’m testing against my usual German hardneck.
Mavis Butterfield says
Fresh figs! Wouldn’t that be nice. Lucky you.