Volunteer fingerling potatoes
I must have left some potatoes in the ground last year and I found three potato plants that came up this spring. Those were super early, earlier than the ones I planted intentionally, which still have green foliage. I usually pull volunteer crops but left these and harvested some super delicious fingerlings yesterday.
Today’s mini garden bouquet: dahlia, Thai basil and asparagus
I usually have one Thai basil plant in the garden plot. I love the fragrance of it. It will be used to garnish a Pad Thai I plan to make in a couple of days. I also harvested a few more cucumbers, kale and parsley.
Garden plot “bouquet”: dahlia, mint, asparagus and yarrow.
Last night while watering my garden, I took stock of what is going on right now. I have a couple of tomato plants that are not producing as heavily as I would want them to and one cucumber plant which has given and is giving me plenty of delicious cucumbers. I also harvested a bunch of beets, kale and parsley, and a small bouquet of flowers and herbs.
The radishes, carrots, lettuce and bok choi I planted a few weeks ago are coming along nicely. I had also planted pole beans earlier (my second batch and a little late this season because the first batch of seeds went right to the birds apparently) and they are looking alright. The leeks are looking good as well and the potato foliage is starting to yellow.
Two weeks ago, I harvested most of my garlic. I had planted a ton of softneck garlic last fall, but I realized in the course of the spring and summer, that I had a few hardneck volunteers popping up in clusters all over my garden. Those came from plants that I had forgotten to harvest last year or where the stalk had broken off and I had not dug up the bulbs. They produced several small heads very close to each other as they all came from the same garlic head. 
Garlic right after harvest
For curing, I normally spread the garlic in a single layer in the sun for a couple of hours, just to dry off the dirt. I then gently rub off the dirt, leaving the skin intact and hang the garlic to dry in a ventilated place. A cool place would be ideal, but that is really an illusion for the humid, hot summers here in the Northeast.
Dried and cleaned
I found that our back hallway is a fine place, especially in the cool summer mornings and evenings. The hallway connects the kitchen with the back porch and we usually leave it open, even during the night. I leave the garlic there to dry until the leaves and stalks are very papery, about two to three weeks. Then, for hardnecks, I cut off the stalks and store them in a basket in the pantry. This is my first year growing softnecks and my first attempt at braiding garlic (see above).
Space-saving drying places -1
Space-saving drying places -2
I spent several hours on this cool cloudy summer day weeding, harvesting and planting. I pulled all remaining carrots (a total of 2.5 pounds), a couple of large cucumbers and some beets. Also parsley. The plan is to turn the carrots and parsley into a Moroccan carrot salad (I always cook the carrots). The beets will be roasted and either go in a salad or will top some fresh bread with goat cheese. I also pulled the last garlic and sowed radishes, carrots, bok choi and lettuces.
2. Dandelion greens (Cicoria) and garlic scapes. With some basil (from the store, as my plants are still too small) , some pine nuts, grated Parmesan and good olive oil, these will make a nice pesto for later this week.
Rhubarb – always one of the first harvests of the year in my garden, together with (my minature patch of) asparagus, spring onions, radishes, spring greens and herbs. I got a new plant last year, and the stalks are still thin. But very tasty. Sadly, this year’s rhubarb harvest is winding down. One of my favorite things to make is this strawberry rhubarb galette, which in my house is always gone within minutes. One last one of these today for my son’s birthday.
The various stages of delicious sugar snap peas. Both pictures were taken today.
The garden plot has started to deliver: radishes, rhubarb and tons of green garlic and scallions. All in pretty shades of red to purple and green. The scallions I harvested today will go in a vegetarian Pad Thai. I love the recipe for Your Pad Thai or Mine by Didi Emmons from her book Vegetarian Planet.
The radishes, I like to just slice up, sprinkle with salt and pile them on a buttered slice of baguette. Or I use them in a spring salad I make from romaine, sliced cucumber, diced avocado and sliced radishes with a creamy cilantro lime dressing.
It has been a cool and wet May here in Boston and my vegetables are loving it. This morning, in the drizzling rain, I put in pole beans and bok choi and also direct-sowed basil – an experiment. In the past, I have always started basil from seed indoors and then transplanted.
In my garden I have currently growing: rhubarb, scallions (already harvested those two twice this season), strawberries, radishes (almost ready to harvest), carrots, parsley, leeks, beets, kale, chicory, Swiss Chard, bok choi, Brussels sprouts, garlic, peas, arugula, potatoes, pole beans, basil, spring greens and flowers. For flowers, the tulips have faded, but I also planted dahlias, nasturtiums, sunflowers and zinnias. And the borage keeps coming up everywhere of course, as does the mint and the lemon balm.
