The days are inching toward Lughnasadh. The harvests are well underway as the mountains get smokier and the buzz of insects in the afternoon gets more insistent. Even as the days get hotter, I yearn for cool autumn mornings wet with dew and the fragrance of bracken browned in the sun.
In my garden it is WAY easier to grow spinach than basil. I usually grow basil in big pots so I can keep and eye on it but have masses of spinach out in the garden. So, when I make pesto, I find that cutting at least 50/50 with spinach makes the basil go much farther, you can barely tasted the spinach especially if you like your pesto garlicky and cheesy. I try to keep jars of it in the fridge to make quick pasta meals when it's hot and all else fails.
Almost all of my garden is doing fantastic this year. It's probably due to "Cowboy Wayne" and the load of stuff from his ranch that he brought us in early spring. But, this year seems especially amazing. Look at this turnip. These things are usually not good when they get this big but this one is crunchy, juicy, sweet... perfection with humus for lunch.