Why Every Gardener Needs a Mystery Garden

Every gardener needs a place to plunk miscellaneous plants, plants they procure without knowing much about how they look or behave, plants that may not have a clear home.  Three years ago my in-laws helped us remove several overgrown junipers from alongside our house.  We put in a curved bed in the exact footprint of the former shrub.  During the first year of the bed it was my cut flower bed, full of zinnias and cosmos.  Now it is my mystery bed.  

The Thrill of Summer

The day is hyper clear, the sky is deep blue.  The sun is warm, the breeze soothing, the air ripe with possibility.  It is the beginning of summer.  What is it about warm weather that makes us feel younger, lighter, optimistic?  The plants are exploding with growth (especially the grass!  yey mowing!)  and everything is so green.  Its mind boggling, especially after such a long winter.  K. built a trellis out of cedar and today I will anchor the trellis and plant the same purple beans my grandmother grew each summer along her arbor.  

Dinner Tonight

We got a new grill, and it's a whole new world.  I looked at the seafood market and the butcher's with new eyes after years of not grilling.  The possibilities!  Grilling recipes to follow later this summer.

For our inaugural grill feast we prepared asparagus, corn, cheeseburgers and chicken.  Tonight, we will make a simple meal of previously prepared foods: garlic scape pesto, grilled chicken and pasta.  We'll add broccoli and toss together.

If you haven't made garlic scape pesto, it's flavorful way to use (and preserve) your scapes.  For those who don't grow garlic, or frequent a farmers market, the scapes are a part of the garlic plant pruned in summer to allow the energy of the plant to go into making sumptuous garlic bulbs, rather than a flower.  If harvested promptly, the scapes are tasty and succulent.  After time, they become tough.  I use tough scapes in avant garde flower arrangements.

For those of you grilling tonight for the holiday, enjoy!  And Happy Fourth of July!