It’s really hard to complain about the weather this year. Winter was mild and spring couldn’t wait to start. The trees bloomed early, the grass turned green, and everything came up in the garden in March.
We definitely didn’t get the rain we expected so I am glad that I had my sprinkler systems in place and all repairs made early. It looked like summer would arrive early as well since the rain became sparse and temperatures were starting to rise.
But at just the right time a few welcome cold fronts brought rain along with cooler temperatures. The browning grass immediately turned green again, and our plants in the garden flourished.
This entire past week we have been getting rain. It’s mostly the slow and gentle kind that soaks into the ground where it falls. There has been some flash flooding but not enough to cause real problems. The temperatures have been in the 80s.
We have enjoyed our first harvest from the garden. The zucchini, yellow squash, green beans, and beets have all been producing their hearts out. We are finding new ways to enjoy squash and zucchini; they make a fabulous vegetarian spaghetti sauce!
Our beets are top rate. Having grown up in Pennsylvania, I was unaccustomed to any kind of sautéed greens. We not only eat the beets, but I have discovered that I like beet greens, too. Organically grown and produced food is just so tasty! You can taste an immediate difference.
With our first batch of green beans we made a big pot of green beans and potatoes with ham steaks added in. This was a staple at my house growing up. Although we rarely eat pork anymore, this dish felt like comfort food to me; it was so yummy.
We have been watching our peaches grow bigger and bigger. This will be our first year to harvest peaches. Last year, high winds from a bad storm shock all the peaches off of our tree. This year we will have dozens of organic home-grown peaches. My husband thinks they will be ready in about 3 weeks.
I am not sure if I will be giving any peaches away this year. I may freeze what we don’t eat for pies and cobbler. With gluten free crust and coconut sugar, I can make healthy versions of these wonderful treats. There is no lack of tasty food around my house, that’s for sure.
All this rain has made the weeds grow, too. If we were growing weeds to eat, we could feed the entire neighborhood. I guess that’s what happens when you have fertile soil like ours.
I spent some time pulling weeds this weekend in between the rain showers. I don’t mind pulling weeds in the rain, but I prefer to stay inside when there is lightning along with the rain.
As evidence to how much rain we have been getting, the fish pond is full to overflowing. I have never seen that much water in it. I must have fixed all the places that it was leaking before.
I have a total of 5 fish now. They are a fancy goldfish breed called Oranda. They get kind of big, and can live up to 25 years. They are pretty fancy looking too. I can see that they have already grown, and I think maybe they are breeding. I hope so; I can’t wait to see what beautiful fish they produce.
I know I was late getting this post out, so I am going to keep this one short. I hope you have a great week, wherever you are.
Psalms 85:12 Yes, the Lord pours down his blessings. Our land will yield its bountiful harvest.
