Independence Days: The Summer Solstice Edition

Happy summer to those north of the equator. (If you’re reading this from south of the equator, happy winter–and please leave a comment, because it’s fun to hear from people in far-flung places.) And blessed Solstice to my fellow pagans…and to everyone else too. Even if it’s not a holiday in your tradition, it’s still the longest day of the year in this part of the world, the shortest for our Southern hemisphere friends, and that’s a good excuse for a celebration. Of course, it doesn’t take much for us to celebrate!

Today is our wedding anniversary as well as the first day of summer. We deliberately got married on the Solstice and always celebrate on the first day of summer, even though it varies slightly from year to year. We’d had plans to head up to Ogunquit, Maine for a day of hiking and beaching, but I was feeling off last night, so we rescheduled for tomorrow and instead spent a mostly leisurely day at home. Apparently all I needed was a day of rest and healthy doses of lobster and champagne, because I’m feeling much better now and am raring to go have outdoorsy fun tomorrow.

Since I had a little time today, I did some garden and homesteady things, so it seems like a time for my Independence Day update. A more detailed explanation can be found here, but basically it’s a state of the garden and food preservation.

Last year’s photo…but it seemed silly to take basically the same picture again.

Plant something: We haven’t planted a lot this week, because right now everything is growing madly. We have the green tomatoes in the mad tomato jungle, the bush beans have buds on them as do the peppers, the first lettuce and most of the spinach are gone, and even the eggplant and cukes, which started out slowly, are beginning to take off. The only think I’ve planted was lovage. (I thought I bought parsley, but what the heck, we have lovage now!).

Harvest something: lettuce, mustard greens,arugula, mizuna, snap peas, shelling peas, spinach,green onions, broccoli,  dill, lemon thyme, basil, oregano, kale, broccoli raab, rhubarb

Preserve something: Snap pea pickles, dehydrated mangoes (not at all local, but so delicious!), dehydrated lemon thyme and oregano.

Waste not: Composting, and setting aside books, clothes, and miscellaneous items for donation. Found a fun gift item at a flea market today.

Want not: Nothing special this week.

Eat the food: Lots of salads and fresh peas. A stir-fry that included our broccoli and snap peas. Broccoli raab with frozen roasted tomatoes from last year. Snacking on peas and broccoli. Strawberry-crisp with my own rhubarb. So very good! I made it gluten-free this time, with oats and cornmeal instead of flour.

Build community food systems:Found another source for local eggs, since our egg lady shares her bounty with many people and supposedly free-range grocery store eggs pale in comparison. Bought more local berries. Shared our produce with Himself’s co-workers and our friends. Celebrated with a local speciality: lobster! Served with my own greens and Maine potatoes, roasted with herbs.

Skill up: Seeking out new ways to cook in a healthier, lower-calorie, but still delicious way.