What We’re Doing in the August Garden

Green beans, green beans, green beans!

We have green beans coming out of our ears this year. We have already put up more than 100 quarts, and they are still coming!

We’ve canned them, blanched and frozen them, and given plenty away to family and friends. When the garden gives us more than we could possibly use ourselves, we’d much rather share the abundance with someone else than let any of it go to waste.

One thing we haven’t tried yet is pickled green beans. I’ve heard they’re absolutely delicious, so maybe that needs to make its way onto our list before green bean season is over!

Corn Season Is Almost Here

We haven’t had our annual corn shucking day yet, but I have a feeling it’s right around the corner.

Corn day is one of those days that you know will be a lot of work, but you also know exactly why you’re doing it. There is something so satisfying about putting food away now that we’ll be able to pull from the freezer or pantry months from now.

Our banana peppers have started slowing down, but the jalapeños are still coming in hot.

And then there are the tomatoes.

My Favorite Time—Tomato Season

We are abundant in tomatoes right now, and I am so excited about it.

I’ve already made roasted tomato basil soup, and within the next week I’ll start making spaghetti sauce and, hopefully, another batch or two of tomato basil soup.

I would have to say tomato season is probably one of my favorite seasons in the garden because we use them all year long.

There is nothing quite like pulling a jar of spaghetti sauce or tomato soup off the shelf in the middle of winter and knowing exactly what went into it. We grew it, picked it, cooked it, and preserved it ourselves.

Canning truly is a labor of love.

It takes time. A lot of time, some days. But there is something so peaceful about it.

The older I get, the more I understand why my grandmother canned so much.

And now, I get to bring my own children into it too.

They may not be able to do every part yet, but there is always something they can help with. They can wash jars, help put lids on, or add ingredients to the big stockpot. They’re right there in the kitchen watching, learning, and being part of it.

I hope that by living this way, we’re teaching them more than simply how to can a jar of tomatoes.

I hope we’re teaching them leadership and stewardship. I hope they learn to respect the ground we’re blessed to live on and understand just how far the skills they’re learning now can carry them someday.

When the Garden Has Other Plans

Of course, not everything in the August garden has gone exactly according to plan.

Our cucumber trellis has been completely taken over by our pumpkin and melon plants.

And I mean completely.

They grew so big and heavy that the top of the trellis actually collapsed.

When I saw it, all I could do was laugh.

Gardening has a funny way of humbling you. You can plan and build and think you have everything figured out, and then a pumpkin vine comes along and reminds you otherwise.

So, we’ve already learned one thing for next year: build a stronger trellis.

That’s part of gardening, though. Every year teaches us something that we’ll carry into the next.

Berries, Berries & More Preserving

We’re also right in the middle of berry season, harvesting blackberries and huckleberries.

We love making blackberry jam, and we freeze berries to use later, but this year I want to try something new: blackberry syrup.

I’d love to put some away for homemade lemonade and summer drinks next year—or really anything we decide needs a little taste of summer during the winter months.

I’m planning to try huckleberry syrup as well. That’s one of my favorite things about preserving: there is always something new to try.

And Next Come the Apples…

As August starts winding down, we’re already looking ahead to what’s coming next.

Apple season.

We’ll be putting up applesauce and apple pie filling, two things we use throughout the year and look forward to making every fall.

And then come the pumpkins.

We love preserving pumpkin because there are so many ways we use it—casseroles, pumpkin pie, muffins, pancakes, and even the homemade coffee syrup I make when fall rolls around.

I think fall may be one of my absolute favorite seasons.

But then again, I think I find something to love about every season.

Maybe it’s the newness each one brings, but I think it’s also the familiarity of it.

Knowing the tomatoes will come.

Knowing corn day is coming.

Knowing apples will follow.

Knowing there will be pumpkins waiting in the fall.

There is comfort in knowing what a season holds while still wondering exactly what it will bring.

For now, though, we’re right here in August—with baskets overflowing, jars filling the pantry, plants taking over trellises, and more green beans than we know what to do with.

And I’m thankful for every bit of it.

Would you use a harvest apron? What do you grow in your garden?