Pride of The Artichoke

A Heart full of Pride
The culmination of a year's cultivation
The Artichoke Heart fills the Gardner with Great Pride

Down to earth.  That's my girl.  She is so happy with the fruit of her labors these days, and after a year of nurturing the large green child in the middle of her garden plot, this child of the thistle family has turned out to be a good seed after all.   Sue positively beamed with pride and joy as the first artichoke was harvested - with the excited pronouncement that there are a half-dozen more tasty fruits to follow... at least.

She now fully expects that she will be able to make a fortune growing globe artichokes on the banks of the Pilchuck Creek once we can retire and move out to Washington and grow organic 'chokes.  "If I can do it in steamy Texas with this hard-scrabble clay soil, I can do it on our farm!", she reasons.  

 ...and we will raise goats, and I will make cheese, and we will have an orchard again with apples, plums and cherries, and then we will put in a big row of blue berries and raspberries and to supplement our retirement we will grow a variety of herbs to sell...

I think of the old proverb; 'A single artichoke does not a farmer make'.  But why spoil the dream and no sense in arguing with her success with her artichoke.  We will enjoy this baby with a dipping sauce of butter and garlic.

Not to rest on her laurels [or in this case, artichoke leaves], she has planted all manner of goodness.  Her okra plants each have a friend's name attached to them, the okra harvest is to be amply shared with them that loves the okra.  I tell her, share all she wants, as I will do fine with the very little that is left over for me this summer.

Spotted Cucumber Beetles
Invite themselves to be a part of the vegetable feast

Coriander blossoms attract pollinators
and will season our soups this autumn

The coriander is in full bloom and she feels bad about pulling out any of her plants that are doing so well, but additional space and light must be made for the up-and-coming vegetables and herbs.  The onions and ready to be pulled up and hung up in bunches to dry along with the coriander and garlic.  

Sue's garden beckons of the mild days of Winter and Spring
Steamy Summers make it a bit more of a chore to weed and grow