The garden is producing fast, I have to check it every day or something will over ripen. I picked two fabulous, juicy, crunchy cauliflower a few days ago, and several others are ready now. I love the tender peas before they fully mature, we eat them right off the vine. Every year during the last part of August while we are manning our booth at the Alaska State Fair the peas are ready to shuck. We spend the quiet hours during the fair in the camper behind the booth popping peas from their pods. They are sweet and delicious raw as well as when steamed for a few minutes. We like our vegetables right on the cusp of being raw, a little steaming on the stove and removed from the heat before they loose their crispiness. Early September frosts will bring most of the garden to an abrupt end, except for beets, carrots, potatoes and brussels sprouts. They all benefit from a little frost, it brings out the sweetness.
Gail Niebrugge, Alaska artist
