Harvest season

Having just finished a market steak (Dr. Karen might be on to something about beef not tasting as good as it used to: this piece of meat had a texture that I have never experienced in grocery store steak. Like a good piece of sashimi: buttery texture and flavor, seasoned perfectly well with just a bit of salt and pepper before cooking, my teeth marks apparent on the side of the bone after I finished gnawing the last of the flesh off of it) I realized I haven't said much about the harvest this year.

We came as close as we ever have to using the oregano as it became available. The garlic harvest started as it usually does with whips back in late May:



And then just a few weeks ago we pulled a pretty good batch out of the ground:



I've already put in about 8 cloves back in the ground. Another 15 or so are sitting in a cup next to me as I type this. 2 weeks ago we made a massive batch of pesto (which I finished with my steak just now) with the first good batch of basil for father-in-law and friends. There's still about a half pound. This continues to be the garlic we found wild when we first moved in. Now the best heads have a nice stiff neck, purple skin, and produce about 6 large cloves each. I wish they were a bit more productive, but the flavor is excellent.

Around the same time the pesto was made, the first cherry tomatoes came on. 2 plants are producing about a pint a week now. And this afternoon for lunch I had my first two slicing tomatoes (Big Boys) of the year:



It's a bit late. I'm afraid the spring was too cool and I was too slow to get a good tomato harvest. I'm afraid the Santiams and Black Russians won't get a chance to ripen at all now that it's cooling off.

Well, that's the news from Yoo-Gene. I'm off to be the licensed driver for an immigrant friend who's practicing on a learner's permit.

btw: I had an audience the whole time I ate that steak: