Hello Friends!

The summer heat has broken and what a relief it is! Temperatures this past week have ranged between 75F/24C to 85F/29C, which is what “normal summer” should be. That’s not to say there won’t be a 90F/32C day slipping in now and then, there will be, there always is. Only, the likelihood of excessive heat warnings shrinks with each passing day. The hours of sunlight are shorter—the sun is rising on my bike commute and setting by 8:30.

But of course it can’t all be care-free rainbows. Ragweed season is upon us and it took me a couple of days feeling poorly to figure it out. Once I started in with the extra allergy medication I felt much better. While spring allergies are worse for me, I somehow manage to power through with the help of medication, but by summer’s waning, I feel so very tired. I’m certain the explanation is allergies combining with a spring and summer’s worth of garden work and the shortening days. Still, I’m not ready for autumn, I will hit that wall sometime in early September.

Meanwhile the green striped cushaw squashes get bigger by the day. The one on top of the trellis arch is so big and heavy the arch is drooping in the middle:

Given how much the pumpkins (only on tiny long pie and a couple small ones from the volunteer feral pumpkin that we don’t know if they will taste good) and butternut (none) struggled in the heat and drought this summer, I did a bit of research for winter squash substitutes that might be more heat and drought tolerant. I have discovered Hopi Pale Gray squash that is highly productive even in challenging growing conditions and is an excellent substitute for pumpkin. Also, it will keep in storage for up to two years. I am definitely going to try this one!

The other squash I found is an Italian heirloom called Tromboncino. The young squash can be eaten like summer squash and the mature squash can be a butternut substitute. It is also resistant to squash vine borer, squash bugs, and powdery mildew. While this is definitely intriguing, I am leaning more towards the Canada Crookneck. This is the ancestor of the butternut squash and is thought to originate with the Iroquois. It stores well, needs moderate moisture, and thrives in temperatures as warm as 95F/35C. Seems like it might be a winner.

The elderberries are getting ripe, I picked the first bunch yesterday. The elderberry is in the chicken garden and Baba loves them. She stands beneath the tree and jumps up to eat whatever she can reach. I don’t mind at all. She can have as many as she can eat from the lower branches. The sparrows get the ones on the highest branches that I can’t reach. I get the bulk of the berries in the middle. Everyone gets some!

I stopped growing zucchini in the garden a couple of years ago partly because their productivity dropped ( I was getting almost all male flowers) and partly because I wanted to grow more winter squash. At first I worried I would have to buy zucchini to make relish (we did buy a few from the farmers market earlier in the season and made relish) and other zucchini things. I didn’t need to worry! When sheepish friends with excess giant zucchinis ask if I would like one I gratefully accept and we are all happy. We got a giant zucchini from a friend the other day and James made zucchini lasagna and chocolate zucchini bread. There is still a large chunk left that might turn into garlicky zucchini rice. By taking excess zucchini off their hands, it’s like I am doing friends a favor, while at the same time I only have what I actually want. It’s a win for everyone!