A gift from my sister

I mentioned to my father last night that I had gone to TSC in search of canning jars and baskets, and struck out in both cases. He asked why I didn't use the baskets my sister got for me? And I had to reply, "what baskets?" Evidently when the grocery store where she worked closed, my thoughtful sister asked for permission to take these lovely half-bushel baskets home instead of throwing them in the dumpster. Dad has been storing them in his barn for a few years. He said "I told your husband." Now, DH does not like clutter, so I am sure he just "forgot" to mention it to me. But see what good use I have put these baskets to! These tomatoes are the Quali-T 23 variety from Territorial. They are nearly perfect, except where the hornworms took a few bites. I still have several more to pick on the Mortgage lifter and Bloody Butcher varieties, but ran out of time and energy tonight.

The sweet corn in my garden is mostly past its prime. I will have to pick it tomorrow and freeze for soups and chowders this winter. Next year, I will have to revert back to the Burpee Super-sweet varieties that did so well last year. The old Golden Bantam variety just doesn't last very long once it is ripe. We probably had a window of only a few days when it was at its peak, and we can't eat that much corn that fast.

Tonight I picked all the zucchini, since I pulled out half my plants it is retaliating by refusing to grow.

I picked all the cucumbers I could find in the garden except for the ones that were an inch long. I am not sure if the heavy rains here affected the cukes, or if it was the hot, humid weather, but suddenly, all the vines shrivelled up and turned brown and the leaves have a yellow patching - is it cucumber mosaic? I will look it up.