Harvest Monday - 5 June 2023

What a wild weather week! We had three days of 90+ heat, where even small garden chores were exhausting. Then on Friday evening a thunderstorm front came through, ushering in a dramatic change. The weekend days were only in the 40s, with rain and drizzle. One source I read said we haven't had a "high" that "low" in June since 1916. On Saturday we were at the local garden club's plant sale, where I manned an "Ask A Master Gardener" booth, while The Kitchen Goddess (the club's newly-installed President) assisted in plant selection and sales. We were so chilled that we had to light the woodstove when we got home. In June!

This kind of weather contrast can't be good for the newly transplanted vegetables, but there's not much I can do about it. We'll see how they fare.

For harvests, I took two "Asian Delight" bok choys. I don't really taste much difference between the varieties I grow, but I like the contrasting appearance. Asian Delights are petite but well-formed, with fat white stems.

Asian Delight hybrid bok choy

We also did generous pickings of spinach...

Overwintered spinach

...And arugula.

Arugula

The arugula pizza featured by our Harvest Monday host, Dave, in his last post, inspired us, so we had our own, a little modified by adding prosciutto. Yum!

Arugula-topped pizza

Finally, a few more radishes were added to our salads.

Cherry Belle and French Breakfast radishes

On Sunday the University of New Hampshire (UNH) Cooperative Extension held a Volunteer Appreciation Day. The Extension has many volunteer organizations under its sponsorship, with hundreds of participants, including my group, the Master Gardeners. The event was held at the Gunstock Mountain Ski Resort, and "plus ones" were also invited. You could ride the chairlift to the top of the mountain, with its stunning views. After lunch you had your choice of educational programs. I chose the "Discover and Measure NH's Big Trees," then a "Plant/Fern ID Walk." TKG chose a 2 hour "Forest Bathing Mindfulness Walk."

We rode the chairlift to the summit, where it was 37 degrees with a fierce wind, so we couldn't stay long. There was a nice view of the big Lake Winnipesaukee, but the lofty Presidential Range beyond was hidden by clouds. A picture can't capture the total panorama.

View from Gunstock Mountain

Thanks for reading! And thanks to Dave at HappyAcres.blog for hosting Harvest Monday.