Mountain Laurel was recently in full bloom at Mount Everett State Reservation, and it gave the trails a lovely fragrance. It's in the laurel family (fitting, right?) along with cranberries and blueberries.
Milkweed has a gorgeous pink bloom.
In my garden plot, the tomatoes are flowering. (And if you look closely, there are already some tiny fruits!) I planted this little garden very late in the season, so it's a thrill to see it coming along so nicely. More about that later...
The part of the broccoli plant that we eat is the flower head. We've been harvesting broccoli for a couple weeks now.
Snow peas are just about done for the season, but our sugar snaps are still going.
Oh, zinnias! Our members picked their first small bouquets this week.
You can't go anywhere around these parts without seeing the bright orange glow of day lilies poking their heads out onto the road. I recently learned that the flower is edible, and it's quite tasty. It would make a beautiful addition to a fresh summer salad.
We're just about done harvesting garlic scapes, which is what the garlic plant shoots up in the spring. These are the garlic's flower stalks. When they first come up, they curl around and keep growing until the flower bud eventually faces the sky to open up, which is what the one is this picture is getting ready to do. You pick 'em when they're still curled and tender. Pure garlicky goodness.
Eggplant has a beautiful purple flower.
We haven't yet harvested eggplants for distribution, but as you can see, they're growin'!
Same with the peppers. Lots of flowers, lots of maturing fruits, but not quite ready for harvest. They look good though!
Wild parsnip is also in full bloom. This a weed in the umbel family (apiaceae) which is the same family that carrots, dill, and Queen Anne's lace are in. Wild parsnip is everywhere, and I recently learned that the sap is toxic and can cause a reaction if it touches your skin. Beware of wild parsnip and its relative hogweed. Don't put them in your bouquet!
And of course, summer squash. We've been picking hundreds of pounds a week of yellow squash, patty pan, and zucchini, and the harvest has only just begun! Male blossoms can be picked and eaten, though I have yet to try this out.
It's starting to really feel like summer.
patty pans yummmmm. danielle these photos are beautiful and make me so happy!! my permaculture group did a forage walk recently and i also learned about he yumminessof day lilies. i put photos up though they're not nearly as nice - http://www.meetup.com/chicagolandpermaculture/photos/2112111/35654231/.
ReplyDeletealso learned about peppergrass, service berries, and lambs quarters which are all plentiful and growing wild around chicago. if you can't farm, forage!!
Thanks Kira!! It looks like there's lots going on in your permaculture group these days. Foraging is so interesting to learn about, and there are so many delicious nutritious foods out there that most people (myself included) don't even know you can eat. I wish I could be there with you on one of your foraging adventures! Today the farmers' children made "lemonade" out of sumac berries -- it was a little sour and a little bitter, but with enough sugar it was yummy! (And it looked like pink lemonade.) Learnin' new things everyday :)
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