I love seeing the progression of cherry tomato development along a stem.
 |
| Heirloom cherry tomato Gardener's Delight Lycopersicon lycopersicum |
This week, we've been eating lots of cherry tomatoes, which I love. Lately I've found myself even eating a few with breakfast, which has been surprisingly satisfying.
 |
| Ready-to-eat cherry tomatoes (Lycopersicon lycopersicum) |
It's a good thing I like cherry tomatoes so much, because our Brandywine tomatoes have a while to go before they'll be ripe.
 |
| Brandywine tomato |
Thanks to our trees, we have a lot of shade in our garden...
 |
| Shagbark hickory trees (Carya ovata) and others, shading the garden |
so sun-loving crops (such as those Brandywine tomatoes, eggplant, squash, and other large-fruited crops) take longer to mature. However, we have enough sun for smaller fruits, and we've been harvesting lots of cherry tomatoes and green beans. The strawberries have also had a good year.
 |
| Green beans, cherry tomatoes and strawberries |
The butternut squash that I planted also has a long way to go. I always feel lucky if I get to harvest a few squash before the fall frost.
 |
| The tiny butternut squash is hidden under the leaves |
We often have a few surprise volunteer cucurbits growing from our compost. I always let a few of them grow. Last year, I thought a cucurbit growing from compost in a raised bed was going to be a pumpkin, but it ended up being a delicious cantaloupe!
This year I am letting a volunteer cucurbit grow right out of one of my compost bins. It looks like it might be a pumpkin, but maybe it will end up being a cantaloupe.
 |
| Volunteer growing out of the compost bin. The dark-green fruit is against the bin. |
The parsley and chives continue to thrive. We harvested a basketful of parsley
 |
| Parsley |
added some of our garden chives and garlic, and my husband made some delicious red quinoa tabouli (with the help of a farmer's market yellow heirloom tomato).
 |
| Quinoa tabouli salad |
