July Harvest

July has been an interesting month for the garden. Our summer season so far has felt like spring. Many days of cloud cover and some days of rain. The tomatoes seem happy but they are just sitting pretty waiting for the hot summer days to come. The last week or so has given them a boost as the temperatures have been rising to the mid 80's.

The greens in the garden look beautiful. Lots of healthy lettuce, kale, beet tops and spinach have found there way to salad creations. This has been the best season for my lettuce, no hot days to encourage them to bolt!

Beets, Onions, Garlic, Carrots, Potatoes and loads of Broccoli have been harvested and there are plenty more root veggies to come!

I have made two batches of Pesto a week for the past three weeks! Basil is doing exceptionally well with this summer weather.

I have also been continually harvesting lots of herbs. Plenty of Parsley, Rosemary, Epazote, Basil, Oregano, Dill, Thyme, Tarragon, Lemon Verbena and Lemon Grass.

An assortment of Mint has graced me in my potted garden on the patio including, Spanish mint, Silver mint, Orange mint, Moroccan mint and Banana mint. All of them combined make an excellent mint tea, hot or iced!

I have been picking Calendula flowers for tea and home made treatments for my skin. Coconut and Calendula salve has thus far been my favorite. I have been drying the petals and stocking them up for other healing tinctures, any ideas?

I look forward to the coming days of hot summer! so do the tomatoes, peppers and Okra!