So, it has come to this... the lull in gardening. And I am not at all sad to see it come. Right up until this time it has been hectic... HECTIC I tell you with all the FIG! crop coming in along with the okra. Now we have had rain almost every day which has prevented me from even checking on any remaining figs. And I couldn't be happier.
Here is what I didn't do this morning.
1. I did not get up at 6:30 am in order to beat the birds into the fig tree.
2. I did not struggle with the ladder in muddy and uneven ground and climb a nerve racking distance upward while my Border Collie frolicked oblivious to peril beneath me.
3. I did not get startled into nearly launching myself off the ladder by that annoying lone grasshopper that has been hanging out in different areas of the fig tree and leaping towards me when I get too close (I hate that grasshopper).
4. I did not pick 2 - 10 pounds of figs and then try and find a clever way to store them so they would not get crushed.
5. I did not suffer plant assault from picking the okra pods with my bare hands.
6. I did not get bitten by mosquitoes in spite of wearing long sleeves and long pants.
7. I did not get miserably sweaty and aggravated before having breakfast.
Of course all of this means I did not get any produce from my garden so I don't have anything to enjoy - but I am OKAY with this. These next few weeks might be deficient in homegrown produce but they will be full of free time and comfort. Oh yeah. I am going to live it up not gardening.
Now, unfortunately, reality will kick in far to quickly. Even though the fall gardening routine does not begin until at least mid-August, there will be a need to tend the garden periodically. I will need to debride the garden beds from the finished crops. I will need to amend the soil for the upcoming season. I will need to water those plants that will continue to survive and produce in the summer. I will need to weed the beds and pick whatever can grow in the harsh summer weeks between now and September.
But that is okay. I will take whatever small amount of relief afforded to me. The garden never sleeps but sometimes it does doze lightly. Shhhh... must be quiet lest it hears me.
The passing of the torch...
As we have entered the summer time garden phase there has been a changing of the guards in the harvest horizon. Gone are the tomatoes and cucumbers with their incredibly prolific yields that strained the kitchen counters, refrigerators and time allotment to my morning gardening. However, the garden replaces these wonderful pickings with another abundant crop. Make way for fig and okra time.
Fig time involves getting up at dawn, dressing in the most mosquito proof clothing you can stand to wear and climbing up and down ladders then moving the ladders to climb up and down them again. Repeat the ladder moving a dozen more times. Fig time involves a search for the ripe figs, contemplation regarding whether the fig is ripe enough to pick, frustration over perfect figs some bird or squirrel has mouthed and shear terror that only testing the limits of ladder, balance and reach can create. All of this before you even have a chance to grab a cup of tea.
Last year fig time had several weeks of pounds of figs per day harvest out of one tree. This year there are three trees. Thankfully the first tree to go ripe was the small 5 year old who gave us about two pounds of fruit total. We did not get very much from that tree because it is 'dog high' and the canine unit steadily denuded it.
The biggest tree is absolutely covered with figs that ripen daily. I know how to pick this tree as I have done it every year. The wild card was the 10 year old tree. It is huge and gangly. Last year with the drought, it did not produce much fruit. This year it too is covered with fruit. Between both of these trees I have been spending about a half hour to an hour each day picking figs and will do so until it finally ends sometime in mid-July or whenever I just can't stand to do it one more day.
How much will the fig harvest net this year? So far my daily yields have been between 2 pounds to 10 pounds per day. People have been asking me what I am doing with all of this fig. Aside from eating as many as I can stuff into my mouth I am sharing them. Family members are making fig preserves this year. Friends are being treated to fresh figs. I have met several people who have admitted that they have never eaten a fig before. Well, that kind of fig ignorance just can't be allowed. I am the ambassador of figs.
Now although the figs get a lot of my attention, the okra also has to be attended daily. The hotter it gets the more the okra loves it. Okra goes from flowering to tiny pod to vegetable stalagmite in a very short time. You want to pick the pods when they are just a couple of inches long because once it reaches the stalagmite stage, okra is becomes very woody. These woody pods can be cooked and the seeds inside eaten, but that is not as appealing as the tender pods. Our dogs however absolutely love those long pods and we give the ones that get to that stage to them. Vegetable chew toys.
So, okra needs to be picked daily and it requires a special technique. The okra plant has a lot of stiff hairs on its stems and on the pods. These hairy quills become an irritant to your hands if you try to break off a pod. Using a glove does not work because you don't want a dirty glove touching the pod of the okra. The pod itself is tender and although you wash it, the skin is permeable, so you want to keep it clean. My solution is to use scissors and bare hands. I still end up with a bit of irritation but very little. The biggest problem with this method is keeping track of the scissors. Typically I will lose several pairs of scissors over one okra season.
So, as I have said before, the garden never sleeps. It does have a changing of the guard from one season to the next, but it always wants my attention. After the fig/okra has finally petered out, there will be a brief respite from the harvest as we have our annual Mega-Summer celebration involving many days of 100 plus degree temperatures and vows to never step foot in the sweltering garden again. Then it will be time to plant the fall garden - in all of that sweltering heat. Good times.
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