I'M THE PROUD MAMA OF --- CABBAGES!!!

I cut my very first ever cabbage today.  I guess I've never grown cabbages before because I thought that the bugs and rabbits would get them before I did.  And although the leaves were gnawed on by some worm/insect/larvae, etc, the head is perfectly good for my husband's favorite food - cole slaw.  So I have one more good head and two other heads that are shaded by my runaway squash plants and therefore, rather puny.  I'm pretty surprised that I even have cabbages to pick since I didn't initially plan them for this year's garden.  I bought what I thought were broccoli plants from the nursery, but since I wasn't wearing my glasses, I picked up cabbages instead!  Then, while they were just forming heads, something was munching the leaves and I picked some dill and layed it over the cabbage.  I don't know whether or not this deterred that pest, but after that, it seemed as though the munching stopped and the heads formed very nicely.  Maybe it was just a coincidence, or maybe, when I cut into that head, I will find a big, fat, happy worm!  A little meat with the cole slaw, honey?!

The weather here, as in most of the country, is very hot and dry.  We haven't had rain for a few weeks and the temperatures are hitting 100 today.  Putting it plainly, it is stinking hot out there.  I watered the garden, but I think everything will have heat stall and stop producing until the hot weather breaks.  I've been getting tons of tomatoes and after talking  with other area gardeners, it seems that I am the exception.  Planting the tomato plants in the hoophouse in very early April seems to be the thing to do.  I started picking early and the plants were well established by the time the real heat set in.  Same as last year.  I've picked a couple peppers already and lots of beans, although I think that they have heat stall.  Now the one plant that is not doing well for me but is doing great for everybody else is cucumbers.  I haven't really looked, but I suspect that I have something boring into the stem and killing off the plants.  This is disappointing as I really wanted to make more refrigerator pickles this summer.  Maybe I can trade my tomatoes for somebody's cucumbers!  The squash are spreading over the garden and I am trying to train them onto the fence.  I think that I will have a good acorn squash harvest this year, but I don't see any butternuts.  Pumpkins are running rampant and believe it or not, the strawberries are still producing. 

We had company over for dinner last night and almost everything came from the garden.  I made tomato sauce with zucchini and swiss chard.  It was delicious served over whole wheat pasta.  Well, not totally whole wheat.  My husband doesn't like too much healthy stuff!  I made a salad from the Swiss Chard, tomatoes, peppers, and onions - all from the garden, with store bought radishes, cheese and my brother-in-law's awesome balsamic vinegar dressing.  It was a great meal and our guests enjoyed it thoroughly.