Gardening Doldrums

I must admit that the presence of our grandsons (and now our middle daughter) has kept my attention away from my yard and garden. We’ve been golfing, attended two productions at the Fort Peck Theatre (Always, Patsy Cline, and Suessical, the Musical - we highly recommend this current show), to Kiwanis Park for tetherball (mainly to blow off energy before the theatre), and dining in town quite often. The boys are learning to adjust their hockey slap shots into proper golf swings - mostly.

This unusual summer activity has brought home to me (again) the huge advantage of having the drip system in the garden. It makes it so easy to keep that watered. The poor lawn has been suffering greatly from the combination of excessive heat, no rain, and little watering. I won’t leave a sprinkler running when I’m not home to adjust it for wind conditions. I know I’ll get back to soaking it properly in another week, when our company has flown back home to Florida.

There has been more raspberry picking, though. I can’t stand to see that great crop going to the flies, box elder bugs, and the birds. Those bugs and birds should be satisfied with the honey berries, Hanson cherries, and gooseberries I sacrifice to them. Cam, the younger grandson, has been eating his fill of raspberries, adding powdered sugar and whoosh (canned whipped cream) with abandon to his bowl. Grandmas are allowed to indulge their grands, right? And yet I’ve managed to freeze enough berries for a few packages to enjoy this winter. There will be more going into the freezer next week.

I did pull my first cabbage (I only planted four, that’s plenty for me) last Saturday. I plan to quarter and steam it until just crisp/tender, then add some tarragon butter to it. As those who use the Glasgow on-line Facebook sale page know, I have a surfeit of french tarragon, as well as cilantro, and dill. One gal I gave some cilantro to said she didn’t know what to do with tarragon. That, of course, sent me searching for recipes. I really like this tarragon butter (as did the grandsons when I added it to my boiled new baby potatoes).

Tarragon Butter

8 Tbl softened butter

3 Tbl minced tarragon

1/2 tsp lemon zest

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp pepper, white or black

Combine all, then chill. Use with chicken, fish, or veggies.

I still don’t have green beans to pick, but I expect to have too many by this time next week. That tarragon butter, along with bacon bits, will be great with those beans. The netting over the peas has not helped. Those birds are really determined to eat my crop. (I’m making a mental note to install that netting when I seed the peas next spring.) the sharp tails strolled impudently through the yard with their clutch of 15-20 babies last evening, the first I’ve seen of them this summer. I suspect them of the pea theft. Yet at least they’re cute thieves.

The garden has become even more jungle-y (I’m making up words now). Everything has been growing by leaps and bounds. The zinnias are starting to bloom. The volunteer flower section is almost impenetrable. The sunflowers are towering over their neighbors. The scarlet runner beans, aptly named, are twining along their support and in riotous bloom. There are lots of moon flowers everywhere. The maroon cockscomb also vividly stands out against the greenery. And so my garden grows, with silver bells and cockleshells…