First Crop

I dropped off the first food bank crop on July 24. Right now, it's beets, summer squash and peas. The peas were not as prolific as I had hoped. I think the heat wave that hit right when the peas started to flower might have affected their productivity. Normally, it is still cooler the first week or two of July. Well, the melons liked it, and that is all that matters. I already pulled my snow pea vines and seeded some Sugar Ann snap peas. I had good success with Sugar Ann in spring 2011. This is the first year I've tried for a fall crop of peas.

Chioggia and golden beets picked for the food bank.

 
I cut off the beet greens before delivery because food bank participants want vegetables that look like they came from market. Anything too exotic, such as eggplant, kale or yellow cucumbers, is not desirable. Perfectly globe-shaped Early Girl tomatoes get snatched up quickly, knobby heirloom tomatoes not so much.

"If I hear one more person say how much they love heirloom tomatoes, I’m going to punch them right in the face," says Annette Bening's character in "The Kids Are All Right." That's two good movies with the same name. "The Kids Are Alright" is a midnight movie classic about The Who. I wonder if Pete Townshend likes heirloom tomatoes?

For some hybridization of an heirloom standard, go here.