A few harvests are coming in, as I play in clay madly.
Grapes dangle, waiting patiently.
Of course, we would rather get through this intense heat by lying around face to face.
Canoodling.
But as the rains came in, a few things ripened in the garden and needed to come in.
The grape vine looked as though it could take no more heat.
Zinnias exploded.
The grapes got very sweet.
And when the Phainopeplas turned up and were gobbling them down...
Bunches at at time, then I knew.
I had to pick.
I love these little grapes.
They are small and so sweet with a little hint of tartness every other one.
Which I love.
I ate so many while washing and taking off the stems.
Such cuties.
Pumpkins are starting to get great big vines...
As we work so hard to protect everything from critters.
The gophers have been especially awful this year.
They got a whole bed of tomatoes, even though there is intense wire mesh under ground.
They killed our 10 year old lemon tree, two roses bushes...
And countless other things.
They sucked down chilies and bell peppers.
It's been a doozy.
I replanted 3 times, but then couldn't keep up.
I plum stopped crying over it.
We may have to switch to above ground planters.
We are working on those plans.
Thank goodness they stay away from the basil and carrots and leeks and onions.
(knock on wood)
I love roasting carrots and potatoes and beets.
Just wash and dry (chop the potatoes as you wish), coat with a little olive oil, put on a cookie sheet.
Sprinkle with salt and pop in oven for 45 minutes at 425' F.
(turning halfway through cooking)
They are so yumm.
If you want to herb them with rosemary and such, just finely chop your fresh herbs and then toss them with the veggies as soon as you take them out of the oven.
I also make barbecue chicken a lot.
Leg quarters quite often.
(with skin on for moisture)
You can make your own sauce if you don't have any.
Just mix ketchup, Tabasco (hot) sauce, a little vinegar, brown sugar, salt, garlic powder and worcestershire sauce if you have any on hand.
Mix those all up to taste, and coat your chicken with it in a big bowl.
(or just buy your fave barbecue sauce)
Heat both sides of your grill.
Brown your chicken as you wish for about 3 minutes a side, always stay present in case the skin goes up in flames you can flip it real quick.
Then turn off one side of the burners on your grill and put all your chicken on the side that is off.
Leave the other side on high or med-high flames.
Then close the lid and let each side of the chicken cook on the side that is off for 30 minutes per side.
Total of 1 hour.
It's soooo good, you won't believe it.
Let cool a few minutes before serving.
The garden is in full summer magic.
Peaches almost ready.
Butterflies and critters everywhere.
Resting from the heat on my freshly watered wild verbenas.
I brought some wild verbenas from the river bed 10 years ago, in a tiny cup, and now they grow all over my yard in big waves. I love it when that happens :-)
Sunflowers unfurl happily.
And then look who turns up.
Gobbling away all the goodness it can find hidden in flowers.
Moving at the speed of light.
Yumm yumm!
It's lazy dog days of summer my friends.
We are about to have crazy heat and no rain again for a while.
But we have lots of little sweet grapes.
Which I am boiling down to a grape syrup.
It's sooo good hot.
And of course, more basil than we could ever use.
We ate so much pesto this weekend and so much French bread we should be ashamed.
The gift of all gifts.
Mister Lovee presented me with the first ripe giant peach of the year from our kind tree.
It was lovely.
Basil and peaches and grapes and...
Lots of love.
What more could we ask for in the dog days of summer?
I tried to transplant my lemon tree tonight, with all its roots gone from gopher eating.
One can hope.
I have soo much clay fun on the table.
I will start firing and painting this week.
What is going on out there in your world?
Send me more rain, k?
Looove, V
