Yellow Boots

I've had a helper in the garden this week. If you'd been hanging around our backyard you might recognize him by his yellow puddle boots, which he often insists on wearing even in the thick heat of summer, and that hose he wields indiscriminately. 

I finally snipped off the scapes and made my once-a-year favorite double garlic soup. Really, I should have done this weeks ago, but let's just be glad that I eventually got around to it. I almost felt badly cutting them off -- they really are so lovely swooping here and there.

Things are growing fast. This pepper (which is supposed to be a habanero, but I am having doubts) is literally twice the size since I took this photo a few days ago.

Tomatoes are approaching ripeness. I'm looking forward to abundance. We seem to be dealing with septoria leaf spot again this year. Sigh. I suppose I really will have to move the tomatoes to another bed for a few years.

The flowers are providing us with fresh color straight from the garden - one of my favorite summertime things. Herbs are filling in the little corner I've allotted them. Sunflowers are growing tall. And that malabar spinach is a doozy.

Our big harvest this week was an enormous head of broccoli that went straight from the garden to the grill. Sweet and crisp with a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon. You haven't really tasted broccoli until you've tried it fresh, still warm from the sun.

I expect those yellow boots will be clomping around a whole lot in the coming days and weeks as the garden comes into her full glory.