The yard is humming along. The basil is at its peak so I pinched a bunch of leaves and made some pesto to freeze. Much smoother than the dandelion pesto that I made earlier this year!
We're also seeing the beets start to mature. There is an interesting selection of cylindrical, globe and others as I had to do several sowings this spring to get a full bed (lousy weather in May).
We're finally seeing some tomatoes ripen. The cheery tomato plants are loaded with green ones but I found a red one that I'm watching.
There are also some interesting darker heirloom tomatoes ripen out back, but these are a ways of.
And the lilies are out. I am amazed where these appear as I've made a concerted effort to root out the left-behind bulbs and put them in a flower bed. But up in the middle of the carrots they come.
I'm not sure what we'll do this afternoon. The jamming is finished and the splatter has been cleaned up (until raspberry season starts in August). I may just sit down and read a book this afternoon! I also have what looks like wild mustard coming up in the back alley. Must go find a plant identification website.
Unfortunately, all my guides are from Eastern Canada.
ReplyDeleteIt's strange, there don't appear to be a lot of online resources for wildflower or weeds in AB. There are guides to trees/shrubs and aquatic plants; and UofC has an identification key (that doesn't appear to be working).
I did find Alberta Invasive Plant Identification Guide: http://www.wheatlandcounty.ca/index.aspx?NID=260
I thought you might also be interested in Wild Edible Plants of Alberta: http://northernbushcraft.com/guide.php?ctgy=edible_plants®ion=ab
Otherwise, take some photos of the wild mustard. I am very, very rusty, but I was a botanist in a previous life.
Thanks. This seems like a helpful guide. Will go retrieve a sample when it stops pouring! http://www.agriculture.gov.sk.ca/Default.aspx?DN=746e8235-8472-49de-b10c-382684fbb710
ReplyDeleteThat's a great site for mustard crops - of course, it won't help if you have a wild mustard :)
ReplyDeleteLooks like I might not get a whole lot out of my garden this year (which is okay - it's the first one in a long while, so the battle with weeds continues). I do have a lot of turnips though (and hopefully lots of zucchini...)
After some more sleuthing, this looks like canola. My guess is the city bought some dirt from a farmers field to repair some water main damage to the lawns. Either had canola on it or the seed blew in. Hopefully Monsanto won't file suit against me... :)
DeleteSorry to hear the weeds are winning. I've lost a couple of beds to weeds over the years--mostly purple bellflower which requires aggressive weeding. This has been a good year for turnips!
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