From the Garden

Summer Squash – Delicate in flavor with a soft shell and creamy white flesh, summer squash are a perfect addition to any summer meal. Best available fresh from the garden between May and July, the summer squash come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. We like to grill them on the barbque as well as serving them paper thin, finished with extra virgin olive oil and freshly shaved parmesan cheese and toasted pine nuts.

”The summer's sun creates the light and warmth that draws our plants into flower and fruit. As gardeners, once our summer gardens are planted we are able to sit back and watch this miraculous process develop. At harvest time when we consume the summer's bounty we should remember that we are actually filling our bodies with that light and warmth.“

~ Degge Hays, Head Gardener

Summer Crops

Basil	Sweet, Aroma 1, Super Sweet Chen, Greek, Verde a Palla, Lemon
Beans	Blue Lake Bush, Carson Yellow Wax, Black Coco, Coco Bianco
Corn	Italian Polenta
Cucumber	Sweet Slice, Green Finger, Pepinex English, Tyria, Striped Armenian, Armenian
Eggplant	Pingtung Long, Mangan F1, Bride, Little Fingers, Black Beauty, Long Purple Italian, Nadia, Dancer F1
Flowers - Celosias	Amish Cockscomb, Scarlet Fire, Red Flame, Burgundy Supercrest
Flowers- Zinnias	Cut and Come Again, Peggy’s Delight, Pastel Dream
Melons	Hale’s Best, Hearts of Gold, Haogen, Green Nutmeg, Sharlyn, Early Silverline, Petit Gris De Rennes, Arava, Ambrosia, Savor
Parsley	Plain Leaf
Peppers, Hot	Early Jalapeno, Hidalgo, Cayenne Ring O Fire, Zavory, Numex Sunrise, Hungarian Hot Wax, Aji Crystal, Georgia Flame, Hot Portugal, Espanola Improved, Ancho Gigante, Piquillo, Padron
Peppers, Sweet	Cal Wonder, Jupiter, Orion, Gourmet, Golden Cal Wonder, Orange Bell, Little Bells, Chocolate Beauty, Purple Beauty, Lipstick, Apple, Red Ruffled, Tangerine, Tennessee Cheese, Marconi Red, Carmen F1, Golden Treasure, Tejas F1, Frigitello, Jimmy Nardello
Potatoes	French Fingerling, Yellow Finn, Rose-Finn Apple, Red Lasoda
Pumpkins	Howden, Young’s Beauty, Small Sugar, Speckled Hound, Moonshine, Casper, Jarrahdale
Squash, Summer	Anton, Soleil, Costata Romanesco, Dark Green, Goldy
Squash, Winter	Musque de Provence, Galeux d ‘Eysines, Marina di Chioggia, Orangetti, Delicata, Butternut, Futsu Black, Uchiki Kuri, Lakota
Sunflowers	Red Sun, Discovery, Teddy Bear, Tiger’s Eye, Velvet Queen, Italian White, Evening Sun
Tomatoes, Cherry	Super Sweet 100, Sun Gold, Fruity, Ladybug, Zebra, Brown Berry, Chocolate, Flammee, Isis Candy, Yellow Mini, Snow White
Tomatoes, Heirloom	Thessaloniki, Box Car Willie, Red Zebra, Brandywine, Pruden’s Purple, Caspian Pink, Striped German, Valencia, Gold Medal, Mandarin Cross, Green Zebra, Cherokee Green, Tangerine, Limmony, Black Prince, Japanese Black Trifele, Paul Robeson, Black Krim, Cherokee Purple, Cherokee Chocolate, Rose
Tomatoes, Paste	San Marzano, San Marzano Redorta, Black Plum, Purple Russian, Powers Heirloom, Speckled Roman
Watermelons	Blacktail Mountail, Sorbet Swirl, New Orchid, Crimson Sweet

• Check watering systems to assure proper function during the summer's heat.
• Apply mulch around plants to retain moisture and reduce weeds.
• Sucker tomatoes and hill your potatoes.
• Fertilize throughout the summer: initially with a nitrogen based fertilizer ~
at flowering and fruiting with a fertilizer high in phosphorus and potassium.
• Stake and trellis plants early so they do not become unruly.
• Harvest regularly so you don't become overwhelmed ~ can your surplus veggies.

	Tomatoes need to be supported off the ground to keep them free of disease and to conserve space.
Tying Tomatoes One simple way to trellis a row of tomatoes is as follows: After thinning seedlings to two main branches, place a stake in the ground every four plants, with one at each end of the row. Vining tomatoes need long stakes and bush varieties take a short stake.

The plants are sandwiched between two strings that are strung from stake to stake crossing in the middle (every two plants). Starting about 6 inches off the ground, tie a new pair of strings every 6 inches as the plants grow upward.

Tree Painting This summer we painted the trunks of our fruit trees with a biodynamic tree paint solution composed of equal parts clay and fresh cow manure (which acts as a binder) mixed with enough water to reach paint consistency. The paint protects the trunk from summer sunburn and blocks possible entry points for insects and disease. The paint also acts as an organic “mud pack” for the trunk and aids in healing lesions and renewing the bark underneath.

Flowers not only provide a splash of color and charm, they encourage beneficial insects to your garden habitat. In our gardens, you'll see any combinations of sunflowers, borage, sweet peas, nasturitium, cosmos, Echinacea, sweet peas, Yarrow, coreopsis, Alyssum, to name a few ... Flowers

Bulbs We wait with anticipation
for our fall planted bulbs
to emerge - tulips,
daffodils, muscari

Sunflower These big, cheerful blossoms
"volunteer" from seeds and
past harvests to bring
sunshine into our garden.
They provide pollen for
beneficial insects as well.

Herbs... evocative of Tuscany & Provence enrich the soup as well
as the soul! Stroll our gardens and you'll find...

"Gigante d'Italia" Parsley
This old Northern Italian variety boasts big, deep-green, shiny leaves with sweet, mellow flavors. Vigorous and robust, the "Gigante" can be harvested liberally throughout the season.

"Bronze" Fennel
This variety is prized for its beautiful coppery-bronze fronds and its sweet, yet soft, anise flavors. Try toasting the seeds and sprinkling on homemade breads or use the lacy leaves in your salads or over grilled fish. A favorite of butterflies, too!

"Russian" Sage
A little bit of fresh sage really enhances tomato and eggplant dishes. More traditionally we'll put it in our holiday poultry stuffings; but "Sage Brown Butter Sauce" over tortellini really reveals this herb's true essence!

Rosemary
No garden should be without a rosemary bush! This evergreen has a reputation for strengthening memory, enhancing fidelity, and can be enjoyed year-round in milder climates. Rosemary grilled chicken or lamb is a perfect pairing with our Zinfandel!

"Genova" Basil
This Italian variety is a favorite for pesto due to its intense, perfumed flavor. A vigorous producer, the "Genova" can be harvested in abundance throughout a long growing season. Great added to soups and casseroles. We plant ours among the tomato vines.

"French" Thyme
This Provencal variety makes a pretty shrub with cascading stems of tiny leaves. Legend has it that "French Thyme" provides a secret home for garden fairies! But we find that it adds something special to our soups, stews, and grilled foods.

Lavender "Grosso"
The most widely grown lavender in Provence is named for its French breeder, M. Pierre Grosso. Bigger, more colorful, and more fragrant than most other lavenders, these cultivars have both culinary and cosmetic uses. Stash some in your drawers or sprinkle of tops of desserts.