Our dill is daintily charming, and so fragrant. Yesterday evening we harvest our 1st crop, and will put in a 2nd crop after the 4th of July holiday. Wild sunflowers and sprigs of dill fill a green vase today. Our chef son-in-law will use this 1st crop of dill to make pickles with his homegrown cucumbers. Maybe a jar or two of Hannahway Farm sun pickles are on our way?! The patriarch spice shoppe owner says in Europe dill is used in just about every dish. I love it with my baked fish and potato salad dishes. The 3rd crop of dill will go in early autumn, with plans to take as show-n-tell farm products to the City of St. Charles preschool classrooms Farmer Dean and I visit in November. Our 1st crop of basil screams pesto! Served with veggies, chicken, bread, and pasta, I cannot wait!
This week’s other farm chores include straightening and cleaning the screenhouse, putting extra pots and trays together in somewhat orderly fashion, and throwing broken items in the recycle pile. One recycled dresser is filled with “tea room” stuff, as well as a recycled tile-top table put aside for our meal and snack times. Another recycled dresser holds pots of blooming geraniums. We are making space in the screenhouse in case we need to move our plants to this cooler side of the greenhouse structure. Last year at this time the heat wave and drought was well underway in Missouri. The extreme heat required us to water two times a day, early morning and early evening. Our plants were housed under the shelter of shade trees in our yard while the greenhouse reconstruction plans were being modified until autumn when the heat subsided. The lack of rain has not been an issue this spring and early summer, thank you God! The growing gourd plants will go into the ground this weekend.
Growers, what are you harvesting now? What are you putting in for an autumn crop?
Jul2
Deanna Greens and Garden Art 
Hey, Anna! We just finished with green beans, about 40 quarts, with some left over from last year. Tomatoes are about half done with about 30 quarts in the basement. Pickles are just beginning. Our summer squashes are prolific. We took some of everything to our daughter in OKC, this weekend.
We, too, are enjoying much cooler and damper weather this year, and share your feelings of thanksgiving to God. What a relief! I remember during one son’s wedding, a couple of years ago, we remarked at how much cooler it was at 95 degrees, and how glad we were for the cool spell. Also one day llast year, it seemed so cool out and it was actually 101. We were heat-crazed, I think! 🙂
Thought I’d share a favorite basil recipe here, for lemon basil: I call it “green beans amadin”, but don’t know if that’s accurate or not…
1/2 stick butter (real)
1/2 onion sliced thin
1/2 c. sliced almonds
1 qt. greeen beans (fresh, frozen, or canned, snapped, frenched, or whole)
1/4 – 1/2 c. fresh lemon basil (or 1 Tbsp dried)
1 t. salt, or as desired
Saute onion in butter until slightly browned. Remove onion and saute almonds in same butter until slightly browned. Remove almonds and add basil to butter. Heat or fully cook beans in same butter/basil, in enough bean broth or water to cook as you desire. (I like fresh, whole beans, in very little water, with a clear lid so I can watch carefully, on medium heat, to caramelize the beans every so slightly.) Serve topped with browned onions and almonds.
My grandkids won’t eat regular grean beans anymore…
You have been busy with your garden! And thanks for the delicious green bean recipe. We will give it a try. The weather is all relative, is it not?! {:D