The Modern Victory Garden

We are into our fourth straight week of sunshine and warm weather.  This is unusual for us so early in the summer but welcome nonetheless!  There is a downside to the warmth and dryness though, in that the garden beds are all drying out very quickly and require quite a bit of attention for just watering needs.  Luckily, the beds of broccoli and peas are so thick and developed that the plants have formed a living canopy over the soil surface, which helps to keep it cooler and slow down the water loss.  As a result, the peas do not seem at all phased by the warm temps and indeed have been flourishing.  So much so that I would have to say that this year's pea patch may very well be the best one I have ever grown.  Not sure if it is the new horizontal support system I created this year, or the bed location, or the unusual weather itself that is the cause - but the results are astounding.  The entire bed is lush and covered in blooms or pea pods.  Here are just a few of them on the outer edge of the bed.                                                       

The broccoli is really producing well now too. I took a picture of one of the heads just before I harvested it (and several others) for the evening meal.    

I steamed the broccoli and served it with just a pat of butter and salt to taste.  The broccoli accompanied some crisp roasted free-range chicken thighs, Italian Bean Salad (made with fresh basil, onions, and parsley from the garden) and warm crusty slices of freshly baked No Knead Bread with butter.            

The summer garden is growing well and beginning to yield a greater variety of produce.  What ever is "on" in the garden dictates the dinner menu (for the most part) and with the growing (pardon the pun!) choices in the garden - meal options in the summer tend to be more interesting and flavorful.             

I hope you were able to enjoy some of summer's flavor today.