Notable Events and Goals in July

Welcome, July

Aah: July, the seventh month of the year, is officially here. Traditionally the second hottest month, we see more outdoor cooking as well as recipes based on fresh fruit and ice cream. In the garden, we tend to reserve most of the chores--weeding, feeding, watering, and harvesting to the cool hours of the morning (preferable) and/or the evening. For teachers as well as schoolchildren, July is the last full month of vacation, so an almost imperceptible energy that demands increasing fun activities, such as barbecues and beach trips, while not neglecting the midday siesta, fills the air during this time.

Notable July Dates, Some Sillier Than Others

National Blueberry Month

National Hot Dog Month

National Ice Cream Month

Mango and Melon Month

1 Build A Scarecrow Day 

1 Canada Day

4 Independence Day (U.S.)

6 International Cherry Pit Spitting Day

7 Chocolate Day

7 National Strawberry Sundae Day

9 National Sugar Cookie Day

10 Piña Colada Day

12 Pecan Pie Day

13 National French Fries Day or National French Fry Day 

15 Tapioca Pudding Day

17 Peach Ice Cream Day

19 National Raspberry Cake Day

21 National Ice Cream Day 

22 National Penuche Fudge Day

23 National Hot Dog Day

23 Vanilla Ice Cream Day

28 National Milk Chocolate Day

29 National Lasagna Day

30 National Cheesecake Day

My Goals for July, in the Garden and in the Kitchen

1. Harvest from the garden. I currently have the following planted: tomatoes, jalapenos, bell peppers, Swiss chard, basil, various green beans, wax beans cucumbers, zucchini, yellow squash, white scallop squash, asparagus (can be harvested next year), mini pumpkins, and acorn squash (the last two can be harvested in the fall). Plus, I have several perennial herbs, such as mint, rosemary, and Greek oregano, that can be harvested.

2. Preserve this harvest by drying, freezing, and canning. In the past, my canning has consisted of using the hot water bath method; I plan to learn how to can using a pressure cooker.

3. Learn how to make herbal wreaths.

4. Keep up with weeding the garden.

5. Mulch the entire garden.

6. Visit pick-your-own farms and farmers' markets for other produce, such as strawberries and blueberries.

7. Make sourdough starter.

8. Do more grilling outdoors.

9. Learn how to make homemade ice cream.

10. Spend more time relaxing outdoors, near the garden. Enjoy the season.

How do you plan to enjoy the month of July? Please feel free to share your comments.

By Lotus Head from Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa (sxc.hu) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC-BY-SA-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5-2.0-1.0)], via Wikimedia Commons