Welcome August

Made it through July, always a tough month. Having our new dog has made a difference and brought a lot of joy to our lives. Pi has been really, really good about not chasing cats for over a week but, instead I guess, has discovered that the kitchen has food that is yummy. Since we are not feeding him scraps or any 'people food' it took him a while. This morning we found that we had left the pantry door open and there were two almonds on the rug by his crate. Since he didn't seem to have gotten into the bag of almonds I can only guess that Sweetie dropped a few last time he snacked on almonds. Still Pi and I had words and a stern warning was given to stay out of my kitchen.

One of the blessings of August is the bounty that becomes available for harvesting as things ripen in their time. Although the plums are finished for the year, we have tons of blackberries that are just ripe now. I've harvested a few cucumbers but more are on the way. The zucchini squash continue to produce enough for us with extra to share. So far we are greeted with 'Yay' when we bring them to friends. It might be a different story by the start of September. The Gravenstein apples will soon be ripe and I have some beans getting bigger, so they will be eaten this month, too. The pears look like they might be ready in late August.

The biggest news is that we had our first full sized tomato of the season last night. I had used a few of the Juliet grape tomatoes in a salad the day before but it is always a treat to enjoy the first slicer.

We had it sliced and dressed, lightly, with good olive oil, salt and pepper, and a splash of balsamic vinegar. What a pleasure to experience the taste of summer in each bite. No recipe needed. Just be sure to not put the vine ripened tomato in the 'fridge. The cold changes the chemistry somehow and the taste suffers. We have been known to eat tomatoes right off of the vine, like an apple, with juices running down the chin. Heavenly August!