July roars into New York City farmers markets as though June never happened. Suddenly, it is all there. (Although - speaking locally - not tomatoes. Yet. At least we can say that. Tomatoes - real ones - are still to come.)
But apricots. The best-tasting ones over the last ten days have been New York-grown. I've been eating them fresh, and made a batch of jam. The jam is wonderful. The white peaches are also from upstate New York. Ditto the cucumbers, all pickled. And the black currants (in bowls and in the large jars to the right) are a generous gift from a Vermont friend.
As the season unfolds I am very curious about rain. The last three weeks have been dry. Crisp. Streams are disappearing, plants are wilting. That's a lot, for the tropical Northeast. We need real rain, and soon.
What's ripe, where you are? How's your weather?
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My Gardenista recipes and stories
In the middle of a ferocious heatwave in France. Even here in the mountains streams are turning into trickles and grass is crisp underfoot. Peat bogs are alarmingly dry. Flowers such as heather are 6 weeks in advance. So is produce, and farmers say that everything is ripening at once - early and late varieties planned to spread the crop over the season are ready at the same time. No forest fires in my region, thank goodness, but so many elsewhere. Sad and very worrying.
ReplyDeleteHere, in Naples, FL, we are bringing in the mangos and pineapples ripening in our back yard. We have been getting rain daily and enjoying the slower pace of summer.
ReplyDeleteTomatoes were done last month here in Texas. We're in a lull between growth and season because of the high heat, even the green beans won't set fruit right now. Waiting patiently on a zucchini to make some fruit, but otherwise, I look forward to cooling temperatures.
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