Gourmet Gardener: July’s bounty
July is one of the best months to indulge in glutinous harvests. It is a time where you can look back and really appreciate your work over the last few months caring, nurturing and raising your plants to the point where they can provide a return for you. This midpoint in the year is for summer picnics by the lake, dining in the garden, and enjoying the energetic colours around you.
For me, these last few days have been particularly glorious waking up to the jewel-like colours in the meadow popping against the blue sky.
Listening to all the bees and watching the butterflies dance around make the work of setting the wildflower meadow back in March worth it. If you have a patch of ground that you look out on, I would highly recommend sowing some wildflower seeds this September for the following year to attract an abundance of pollinators to your garden.
Sweet peas
There are many garden chores that can be tedious or labour intensive. However, harvesting the beautifully scented flowers from your sweet pea plants is definitely on the other end of the scale. To continuously enjoy these dainty delights, it is essential to harvest every few days. This will prevent the plant from producing seed heads and shorten the flowering time.
Cut the stems using scissors, and you can enjoy fresh bunches of heavenly scented sweet peas in your home right through to September. Sweet peas are something I grow alongside my vegetables each year. Their scent is almost addictive especially when it floats through the evening air, and they range from pastel pinks to jewel tones of purple, making them the perfect addition to any garden.
Picking posies coupled with some freshly harvested tomatoes or salads can make a gorgeous garden gift to bring to a friend whom you have not seen in a while.
Garlic
From the sweet scent of sweet peas to the pungent and distinct aroma of garlic bulbs. The tell tale sign that your garlic is ready to be lifted is the colour of the leaves.
If they are falling over and yellowing this is a good indication that the garlic is ready. Garlic can be enjoyed fresh or you can cure the bulbs.
This process
The purpose is to remove excess moisture for an extended storage life. And flavours improve during this time as well, blending and softening. This makes them more palatable, both cooked and raw. To cure, layer plants on a tray or screen, keeping the leaves, roots, and stalk intact to concentrate their energies into the drying bulb.
Place the tray in a dry, warm location out of direct sunlight and with good air circulation. Turn the bulbs for three to six weeks, depending on how much moisture is present in the plant tissue.
An alternative way to dry them is by bundling or braiding then hanging them.
This method is easy and effective, hanging from hooks or a line of twine, provides maximum air circulation to the entire bulb, keeping them dry and dormant.
Summer Raspberries
Raspberries are one of my favourite fruits. When fresh, they can be added to a summer smoothie or simply enjoyed with cream as you would strawberries. Summer fruiting varieties will carry on last year's canes. So, new growth this year will hold next year's crop, unlike the autumn fruiting varieties which produce the fruit on this year's canes.
This year I added some new summer varieties to the garden. Picking raspberries on a warm summer evening is one of the best jobs. It is like hunting for treasure.
My advice is to harvest when you can so you get there before the wildlife do! You can always cover the canes with a net if there are too many raspberry thieves but I am a fan of sharing and first come first served!
Timely tips for the garden
● Ensure you are watering at efficient times during this spell of hot weather. Avoid watering during the day.
● Ventilation is key so open all vents and doors when growing under cover.
● Some of the early sown calendulas may have gone to seed, make sure to collect these dried seed heads for sowing again.
● Keep on top of weeding.
● Prune lower leaves of tomato plants to improve air circulation.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
• Tara Kate Linnane is passionate about sustainability and growing all things edible.
Together with her husband Barry, she has embarked on a journey of designing edible spaces and getting others started on their gardening adventures.
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