25 July 2018

A healthy garden and fair skies

The temperature this morning, when I got up at 5:00, was slightly above 20ºC. That's really high by Saint-Aignan standards. And temperatures like that explain the healthy state of our vegetable garden. Also, credit where credit is due, so does Walt's good work planting and watering...

The big leafy greens in the foreground are Swiss chard — « des blettes » in French.






A few minutes ago, it dawned on me that I hadn't yet shown a picture of the vegetable that has been the basis for nearly all our menus over the past week.






And not only do we have zucchinis, we also have winter squashes like this potimarron (a little orange pumpkin) growing out there.






Next up are these. They are starting to turn red now.






I forget whether Walt set out 25 or 30 tomato plants. You can guess what we'll be doing in August and September.

This was the scene that greeted me yesterday when I went out for the morning walk with Tasha. Forecasts call for a little bit of rain over the weekend but then another week of fine, even hot, weather. Here in the country outside Saint-Aignan, it hasn't been oppressively hot so far.
C'est un temps très agréable.

8 comments:

  1. From here in hot dry Texas, your garden looks like paradise. Have you ever tried zuke disks sautéed lightly in olive oil and then sprinkled with parmesan, turn and repeat? They're crispy on the outside and cooked just enough on the inside. Of course, that's just a side dish and not going to make a big dent in your supply.

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    1. Walt cooked slices of zucchini on the barbecue grill yesterday, with a result similar to what you describe. When they came off the grill, still hot, we grated some parmesan over them. This is one of our favorite ways to cook zukes.

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  2. Yumm, Sheila's zuke disks sounds good, too :)

    I always love your summer garden photos. The last photo is just a fabulous bonus!

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  3. I think I'll try Sheila's zuke disks soon. I like zucchini in omlettes also.

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  4. Your jardin is looking good. Looks like you have several varieties of tomatoes going there. The ones I'm finding here in CA this summer are red and have no taste. ;-(

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    1. That's why I have a tomato salad every day here in France where tomatoes, even store bought, taste like tomatoes. I wish I could send you some. A tomato salad with a buttered piece of baguette, it's heaven!

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    2. Another way to eat fresh tomatoes: Spread hummus on a rice cracker or piece of baguette, top with sliced tomato. I had some tomatoes this week from a friend's garden, Yum.

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    3. I wish you could send me some too, chm!

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