Of Peas, Tarragon, and Perfect Strawberries

It’s one of those days that shouts abundance.  The sky is an incredible blue, the sun warm and gracious, the breeze slight but cooling.  In the vegetable garden, the peas are bursting with sweetness, so rich and ripe and crunchy.  We eat them pods and all almost as quickly as they appear in their smooth, stubby forms.  There may not be enough to shell and freeze!  No matter, I’ll soon sow another round for the fall. 

Meanwhile, I spied the first of the green and yellow wax beans today, long and slender amidst the vines. Finding them always surprises me, as if they are intentionally trying to hide their presence.  Soon, they too, will be hard to keep up with and the hot days of canning will begin in earnest.  But until then, I’m looking forward to lots of Bean Salad complemented by the fresh tarragon growing on the patio.  Probably the best batch of the herb I’ve ever grown. Must remember to plant it with plenty of grit mixed in the soil, and tuck it in the warm shade of the taller herb pots again next year.  The morning’s stroll through the garden also revealed the first golden cherry tomato – had to pick and savor it, even if it wasn’t quite ripe yet; and the last of the red currents and strawberries.  We never do seem to get much of the currents – thank you, birds – but the strawberries have been prolific enough to share a plenty.  Such a delight when I find one deep and red and juicy, warmed and sweetened by the mid-morning sun.  Ahh, that flavor, that gift of nature, will carry me through the day on a raft of gratitude for this little space.