Perhaps the first tomato marks the beginning of tomato season but I’m reluctant to declare it has started. The first tomato, a ‘San Marzano’ was nibbled on then snatched by some critter. The ‘Black Krim’ pictured will sit on the counter another day or two. I picked it a smidge early to avoid a similar fate. We have five rodent traps set in the garden but so far they are outsmarting us.

We need some warm weather and escape from the May Gray and June Gloom that have now continued into July. Tomatoes are slow to turn red, zucchini seem static and pepper plants are small with only buds waiting to blossom. Two weeks into July and we’ve had very few sunny days. The overcast keeps us cool when inland areas are hot but the summer garden needs some heat.

So lacking the desired tomato, squash and cucumber harvests we’re eating from stored foods.

Gardeners know a secret pleasure when most of the meal comes from food grown in the garden. This sheet pan dinner of herb-rubbed pork tenderloin and roasted butternut squash was easy. Flavors melded in a pleasant way with the addition of red onion, apples and olive oil.

I still have a half dozen small butternut squash in the garage that have held well from last fall.

My red scallions turned bulb onions are handy to reach for as they dry.

I use the ‘Dorsett Golden’ apples stored in the fridge nearly every day. A favorite way, when not going into applesauce or a dessert is diced for muesli.`

The bush green beans don’t seem to mind the cooler weather and are producing well. This is one day’s picking from a four foot row. I tried ‘Provider’ (on the left) this year and think I prefer it to Nickel Filet (on the right).

If it’s been a rough season with the corn—first opossums, birds then rodents. Nonetheless, we harvested our first six ears of ‘Sugar Pearl’ over the weekend. and there’s more to come, The Renee’s Garden catalog offers this apt description: “delicious ears of pearly white sweet kernels with that delicate, meltingly tender flavor that characterizes really delicious white corn.” I concur.

Garden meanderings over the weekend led to this bouquet of cosmos, grevillea, yarrow, feverfew and thalictrum.

See what other garden bloggers harvested from their gardens last week at Harvest Monday hosted by Dave at Our Happy Acres.