A hot summer day makes perfect basil drying wx!

On a late July day when the temperature was expected to be in the nineties under a sunny sky, I thought it would be a good idea to dry some basil!

Earlier in the spring, I started basil form seed in an improvised cherry tomato container! The basil grew quickly and before long, I was able to transfer some to a spot in a cold frame out in the front yard! That was in April and now in late July my three or four plants are being harvested and dried in the sun!

By the end of the season, sometime in August, I will have enough dried basil to meet my culinary needs all winter long!

Tomatoes coming on strong!

I harvested a decent tomato on July 8^th. It measured about three inches in diameter and weighed seven ounces! So, while it was by no means a Whopper, it still worked nicely as a welcome addition for a hamburger I cooked on the grill! Sorry, I have no idea as to the variety...

Early Cucumber and garlic harvest!

I know that it's still spring, but already I've harvested my very first cucumber of the 2014 season along with a couple of garlic cloves. That's the kind of year it's been – everything has matured early on.

The cucumber was grown in a pot using Miracle Gro potting mix. It's a burp-less variety I got earlier in the year at a nursery as a small start. There is a twin plant growing in a small raised bed, but so far lots of flowers with no cukes!

Of note is the fact that the temperatures for June have averaged a full seven degrees above normal! So, the added heat may have contributed to early crops like cucumbers while other crops like my lettuce have tended to bolt!

The tomato crop continues to look promising – they do love the heat don't ya know. And, with the plentiful rain we been getting, I haven't had to worry very much about them getting enough water.Interestingly, the problems I normally have with insects and worms are pretty much a non issue thus far. Nor have the deer been a problem! I;ll just keep crossing my fingers as the season moves on forward.

Garden looking good in spite of near miss!

OK, it's June the 8^th and asteroid 2014 HQ124 termed by some astronomers, 'The Beast', has apparently missed smacking in the earth! (At least on this go around). Somewhat disturbing to contemplate, On average, an object about the size of 2014 HQ124 will pass this close to Earth every few years! Should we be worried? Why no! Obama says he's on top of it! I'm totally serial on that...

There's also no sign of those dreaded Japanese beetles that normally emerge from the ground every year about this time! I'm sure I won't miss them if they were, in fact, killed by the last hard winter. In point of fact and in spite of the rather wet weather, there hasn't been much in the way of pest damage so far. I'm looking forward now to decent harvests of onions, tomatoes and peppers!

A kicked up beef stir fry party prepared in almost no time!

by DanO

For me, a really great beef stir fry consists of just a few basic ingredients. Those would include; steak cut into strips, sliced bell pepper, sliced onion and maybe a few stimulating aromatics including; a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce with maybe a dash of dried oregano and Rosemary. (The items in green are all growing in my raised beds and will be available for summer and fall enjoyment).

But, today Ive managed to get my big boy pants on, and this breakfast soirée is about to get much more interesting!

Please, everyone, welcome the new party crashers:

1 tbsp sliced mushrooms

2 tbsp diced cherry tomatoes

1 tbsp pineapple chunks

All, of which, is served on a bed of rice! [Man, this could get really interesting]! Is anyone hungry yet?

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Note: For those of you who haven't tried a beef stir fry like this, it's actually easy and very fast to prepare – (especially if you had the foresight to get most of the ingredients prepared the day before). Then, come breakfast time, it's really a simple dump and cook meal-deal! (I've actually cooked this meal and prepared a slice of toast in about the same amount of time)! Trust me....

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Preparing the instant rice was perhaps the most time intensive aspect of the entire preparation. After that, I just heated up some olive oil in a small frying pan and dumped in the meat, veggies and herbs – in just a few minutes it was set to hit the table! Note that I've limited my beef intake for this dish to just 60 grams! Please, give this one a try!

Basil harvest is good early on!

Even among all the raindrops that have fallen persistently, I've been harvesting Basil like there is no tomorrow and still am managing to get some dried whenever the sun peeks out from behind the ever present clouds!

What had been drought conditions for much of southwest Missouri is rapidly turning around and stands to make a real dent in the yearly rainfall department by months end! The way the rain has

arrived has also been a major boost to all things growing! We'll get a short rain followed by some sun followed by more rain. That's a pattern that started up in late May and which looks to be repeated as we head for mid month!

No Japanese beetles sighted in early June 2014!

Every year, right at about the start of June, my garden areas have been assaulted by Japanese Beetles. These insects crawl out of the grown and then go after about any thing they happen to land on. I've had entire raised bed crops decimated overnight! So, this year, I've keep a sharp eye out for these distinctive looking little critters. Only, they somehow must have missed the wake up call. I've not seen a single beetle thus far!

My theory, as to what happened, centers around the very cold winter we all just went through. It might be possible that the deep and prolonged freezing of the ground may have killed off the larvae. If true, then it may take them a number of years to make any significant return. A possibility that I can live with! At any rate, I still plan to watch for them for another week or two!