Garlic Harvest

The garlic crop told me it was ready yesterday. It did so by standing up straight (the seed heads, that is). Brian took a picture of me yanking them up out of the ground.From stem to stern, the plants were about as tall as I am (5'4"). We composted the leaves and most of the seed heads, but I have two seed heads in a vase in the kitchen; maybe they will mature. I'm a scientist, so I must experiment!I like to give the garlic a week to "rest" before diving in and adding its deliciousness to, well, everything I can! The outer skin is a bit moist from being in the ground, and this helps it dry.When they are ready, I'll give the roots a trim, rub off the remaining soil, and cut down the stalks. Some of the garlic will go to good homes, like my parents'. The third one from the left is the perfect size for a pot of marinara!

The lettuce is still pick-as-you-go, and the bean plants have tiny little beans on them. There are green cherry tomatoes popping up, wee little zucchini and cucumbers, and beets poking up above the dirt. Sometimes I turn over a leaf and find a lightning bug escaping the noontime sun; other times there is an industrious column of ants, or a spider patiently biding its time until a Japanese beetle stumbles into its web (no sympathy for the Japanese beetles here!). Sparrows disappear underneath the bean plants looking for snacks, and the mockingbird flies overhead on its way to scold a stray cat too near its nest. Who said the suburbs are devoid of activity?