August is the best month!

“Sun is shining, the weather is sweet,” – Bob Marley.

The weather is perfect. Abundant with sunshine and well-timed rain (the kind you can take off all your clothes and dance in). It’s warm enough to garden in bare feet and rinse off in the outdoor shower. The lakes are perfect for swimming – even Lake Superior. And the garden is kicking!!!

It’s getting wild around here. You name it, it’s ready to eat (or preserve). Broccoli, cucumbers, cabbage, cauliflower, salad greens, carrots, beans, tomatoes, peppers, raspberries, thimbleberries, blueberries, blackberries, bean fed and summer harvested venison. The corn is just days away and the Boss is already drooling. The electric fence is plugged in and he is ready to zap the shit out of any raccoons coming to sample his booty.

The flowers are in full bloom representing all the robust summer colors — orange, yellow, pink, red, purple. I’ve been practicing my flower arranging skills with bouquets all over the house. August is JOY!

It’s GLORIOUS around here right now and I’m giddy. The eating is so good right now!

Time to reap the rewards of all the hard work we’ve put in over the last few months. This is why we do this baby. We plant and hope and wonder what will come of it all. And then mother nature works her miracles and here we are with enough food to feed us throughout the year.

It’s challenging to keep up with all this abundance, but it is the most glorious challenge. Time to kick it into high gear. Do we have enough canning lids? Damn, those have become expensive.

Everyday, there is something to put up. This morning I canned peaches, froze broccoli and processed the garlic. We’ve got buckets of tomatoes waiting to be turned into sauce. There is a counter full of peppers waiting to be roasted. I’ve never seen the blackberry bushes so loaded. I’m happy to give away green beans. The plants are loaded down and we don’t freeze them (They are best fresh. Frozen and canned beans, yuck.)

Dinner plans are easy-peasy this time of year. Just eat whatever is coming out of the garden. Oh and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention one of the best parts of August — NO BUGS! If you ever come visit us, come in August. Because August is the best month.