I am tired but satisfied - Stephen and I had a productive, busy week, but a second major milestone is now as complete as possible...the book text draft 1 is submitted, and photographs for the book are taken.
It was hard to pay much attention to the garden last week with all of the chaos of slicing, photos, labeling and tasting. The driveway, frankly, looks awful - lots of disease, sun-baked, askew - it is hard for me to even look at it, never mind continue to water and tend and pick...
The endless plethora of rain has been replaced with searing heat and sweltering humidity - it is hard to get enough water into the containers - at one point the eggplant looks worse than half dead!
This morning's haul at the Farmers Market was a nice orange fleshed seedless watermelon (from Cox Farms), Canary melon (from Naylors), blackberries (from John Farmer's family), along with peaches and zucchini.
Today's must do list - sieve the seed that's been fermenting, perhaps far too long, in the garage, and save seeds from tomatoes that have been sitting in the same area for far too long!
Dive into the tangles that represent the dwarf tomatoes, record observations, pick, seed save and taste (there are ripe fruit on most of them, and likely, some surprises) - and then do the same with the indeterminate tomatoes.
Catch up on what's going on with the sweet and hot peppers, eggplant and experimental peppers - pick some Padrons and eggplant
Roast coffee!
I probably won't get through it all, but that's where things are - it is about catching up on lost time (and hoping I have the energy to do so....the Red Sox are on at 4 - a significant distraction!).
Tonight - tomato bisque!