Red, White, and blue... potato salad

Red leaf lettuce is the red, not red potatoes. It self seeded from last year, and has held up to the heat (90 degrees plus today). Yukon Gold and Adirondack Blue pots, and a sherry vinegar olive oil dressing with my own red and white onions,  fresh garlic and snow peas for some crunch. And no, I did not make the cottage cheese, but most of the meal is from the garden. And to continue the theme, I am going to have yogurt with rhubarb and blueberries for dessert!

July 1 Video Tour

Here's a tour I recorded yesterday. There was a tornado watch north of us, outside Boston.  All the fierce weather this year has reminded me, yet again, of how important it is to treasure what you have when you have it, including a thriving garden.

Everything's coming up blue-- potatoes and berries, that is.

I am so happy about my blueberries! Until two years ago, my 20 bushes ( a wonderful mix of early, mid and late season varieties I got from White Flower Farms) were productive and carefree. But then the winter moth caterpillars descended and ate the flowers before they had a chance to bloom.

I researched methods of controlling the worms, and decided to use Bt. Unfortunately, my overgrow bushes were so tall that is was tough to get the spray to reach the foliage, even when I stood precariously on a ladder.

Next I researched pruning blueberries and gave them a major overhaul, removing old woody stems and trimming back suckers. 

This spring the Bt worked, the bumble bees bumbled from flower to flower, and the branches are bent to the ground with ripening berries.

I don't cover the bushes to keep the birds away-- instead I planted another ten bushes out among the perennials for them, and I pick all the ripe berries every day, morning and night. I can't bring myself to net and hurt even one of the friendly birds that eat so many insect pests in my garden, and sing to me all day.

When I was picking this morning a cat bird sat nearby and argued loudly that they were his berries...

The first harvest:

I also snuck a few new blue potatoes out of the edges of the planting, and made a colorful salad also featuring Oregon giant peapods, radish pods, and red scallion -- it was colorful and delicious. Here are the ingredients before chopping and mixing: