Gone From Berries To Beans

While I’m still harvesting a few raspberries, they are definitely at the tail end of their capacity to produce appreciable numbers for this summer. A few of the canes may flower again and attempt a second crop, but those berries will succumb to the first frosts if the usual pattern holds. And I’m thinking about possible frosts since our temperature dipped below 40° this Monday morning. Sunday morning was also quite chilly up here just south of the border. I don’t want to contemplate the coming of winter, but it is what it is.

Naturally, my green beans are now going into full production mode. I’ve already canned nine pints and have had several meals of the fresh beans. I planted four varieties, which is three too many. But two of those varieties can be left to produce dried beans. I just let them go, and this fall (after the wheat harvest is complete) I can gather the dried husks and shell out the beans. Those dried beans can then be stored at room temperature, no canning required.

A few of my zinnias have given me beautiful blossoms. I’m really liking the speckled ones. The white and red flowers make me think of the peppermint candies you get at Christmas time. (There’s that nasty “cold weather’s coming” thinking again!) The tiger lilies from my grandmother that line the east side of my garden are all in full bloom. They remind me of my Missouri background, and make me think of my two remaining sisters who live there.

It has turned really dry. Those hot, hot days with strong winds have sucked the moisture right out of the ground. My husband reports that his “leaf monitors” (they record the soil moisture down to a depth of 40”) show absolutely no moisture at 20” deep. And there’s very little at 40” deep. That’s bad, because moisture usually rises in the ground overnight, which helps our crops. But there’s nothing to rise. We’ve had no rain up here for well over two weeks, possibly three. (I’ve lost track of the days.)

I mowed my lush green lawn late last week. It’s now crispy. I’m running my sprinkler all day, every day, and running the water on the garden all night, every night, and can’t keep up. I’m losing the battle with the elements. This tells me my yard is too large. Some areas are just going to have to go brown. Of course, the grass will recover with the fall rains we always seem to get just as we start trying to harvest our money crop. (Speaking of which, Dennis figures we’re still two to three weeks away from combining.)

No recipes to share this week, although I am looking up sugar- and wheat flour-free raspberry dessert recipes so I can use my remaining raspberries that are in my fridge. (The WLC Challenge isn’t full-time, so I’ve also found some with real sugar and regular flour in them. I’ll do both, I’m sure.) Those can be frozen, giving me quick sweets to take to the field once we do start the combine. You might see some recipes next week, but no promises are given about that.