Wednesday in the Garden

Just a reminder that cool weather will return

“We came here to grow food but we ended up growing a community…”—Master Gardener Evelyn G.   It’s that community that draws us back every Wednesday, in the heat and the cold and on the glorious fresh and perfect days (too few).  

This is the end of June and our garden is still producing.  In times past as we learned to grow better, the garden would be spent and bug-eaten by the end of May, so our growing season is extending even as the climate warms in fits and starts.  We must be doing something right.  Following is our weekly report from garden coordinator Whitney M.

This past Wednesday was so typical for Tallahassee: It arrived hot, humid, sunny (and hence sweaty) but that didn’t deter the dozen Master Gardeners who showed up to harvest, weed and commiserate under the shade of the “Crybaby Tree.” The gardens were teeming with fresh vegetables ready to pick including eggplant, cucumbers, peppers and beans. Sweetly dancing in the breeze, the beautiful wildflowers popped up seemingly everywhere, gracing us all with their beauty and grace.

Cathy A. and Mary W. answered the call for weedwhackers, ensuring our garden edges and borders are once again neat looking.

George A., under cover of his shade umbrella, went to town on our never-ending battle with nut grass between the veggie and food forest arbors. George has mentioned seeding an edible peanut in this area once we let the nut grass know who’s the boss and that “we ain’t giving up!”  Janis P. and George are working on the peanut idea.  

As always, we weeded and weeded and we kept on weeding:

Nancy G. weeded Bed 9. Joanne S. weeded her beds. Laurie J. weeded her pollinator beds. Jeanne B. harvested beans and lemon cucumbers, thinned her okra and weeded the B and library seed beds. Peggy M. and Camille S. weeded, spread cardboard and put the last of our cardboard down behind the compost bins and shed while Evelyn G. hauled 5 very full wheelbarrows of mulch over and helped spread. Peggy M. also trimmed the roselle and tied them up for support. Emma weeded the patio garden while Louie weeded her “cocktail” and edible flower beds.

We always look forward to treats and cold drinks, especially during the long summer months, and today Louie delivered, bringing us “white chocolate and macadamia nut cookies” (insanely delicious) as well as “cucumber mint water” that was especially refreshing after a couple of hot hours under the blazing sun. The cucumber mint water quenched our thirst so well that several of us clamored for the recipe, and Louie was kind enough to share it.

That’s it for this week – hope to see everyone back in the garden next Wednesday!

Louie’s refreshing water!  Thank you Louie!

Cucumber Mint Aqua Fresca

1 pound cucumbers, ends cut off, skin on, chunked

½ C lime juice, or to taste

1 ¼ C mint leaves

½ C sugar

1 ¼ C water

Place all ingredients into a blender (making sure water comes up to ¾ of blender) 

and puree till smooth.  Pour through a sieve, using a rubber spatula 

to press against the sieve to extract a much liquid as possible.

Serve with ice, added mint leaves and lime slices.