Monday Musings

  The remnants of the garden require attention, as it continues to produce. More zucchini and summer squash have appeared, hidden beneath the voluminous leaves. One of the yellow squash will be seasoned and grilled to accompany tonight’s dinner. The others will be grated and frozen. This morning, I seeded and grated several large zucchinis (these were in addition to the above photo). The process produced six large cups, which I sealed in gallon Food Saver bags. (Please excuse my misspelling of zucchini in the photo lol). Each bag of 3 cups is sufficient to prepare my favorite Zucchini Blueberry bread featured in the July 21, 2025 story “National Blueberry Month.” The big, beautiful green zucchini above will render another 3 cups of grated vegetable. I’ve already frozen three 1-cup bags of blueberries shown in the 8/11/25 “Garden Preservation” story. Saturday, I picked an additional 6 cups of the luscious fruit. More sweet morsels to garnish granola and yogurt, or to bake into tea b...

I’m eating lunch while searching for an idea for today’s topic: a sandwich and a banana that is past its prime. As I scroll, a yummy photo catches my eye, and so it is, National Banana Split Day. This delicious dessert was invented in 1904 by a pharmacist’s apprentice, David Evans Strickler, at Tassel Pharmacy in LaTrobe, Pennsylvania. In the soda fountain era, many counters shared locations with pharmacies. Banana splits were an immediate hit with the college crowd who eagerly paid 10 cents, double the rate of a regular sundae, for this tasty treat. The split became all the rage in ice cream parlors. The  ideal banana split recipe  includes a banana split in half, topped by 3 scoops of ice cream (vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry), fudge sauce, whipped cream, and chopped nuts; crowned with maraschino cherries. You don’t have to stick with the mundane, tried-and-true presentation: be creative. Change up the bananas by carmelizing them like Bananas Foster; dip them in chocolat...

  We are well into the Atlantic Hurricane Season: June 1 — November 30. The peak time is September. The official list for 2025 is posted. In addition, the severity predictions have been announced. Erin is now brewing off the Atlantic Coast. You can follow her current status at  Weather.com . As of this writing, she is a Category 4 storm. Several online sites offer suggestions for  Hurricane Safety Checklists . Generally, it is recommended that individuals gather these supplies and make plans before the hurricane season. However, if you have not yet done so, now is the time to do so. If you have supplies, check to be sure everything is in a preplanned location, you have fresh water and batteries, and that nothing is outdated. Sometimes gear and items “wander off” during the year: it's time to round them up. Supplies are essential, but one should also identify their personal evacuation zone, consider evacuation routes, and alternative routes. The  map in this link prov...

  Mid-August: my garden has reached its peak. We have enjoyed the fruits of its abundance: crisp salads, tasty sauces, and grilled produce. Now, it is time to store up for the cool fall and cold winter months ahead. Over the last couple of weeks, I have blanched and frozen excess green beans and freezer-bagged beautiful blueberries. I cooked up a large pot of pasta sauce, its ingredients gleaned from my raised beds: four types of tomatoes, garlic, onions, basil, oregano, and parsley. We feasted on a portion, and I placed the remainder in the freezer. Last weekend, I tackled the start of the root vegetable harvest. I began by pulling up the four rows of carrots: two of Nantes carrots, the other two mixed color. Four large buckets of carrot greens topped off my rotating compost bins. I  packed the carrots, layered in fine pine sawdust, into wire bins lined with burlap . They will overwinter in our unheated basement. The red and white onions were prolific, yielding dozens of plum...

  As citizens of the United States, we live in  America , but the  Americas  are a vast continent which includes North, Central, and South America. Peter Kulkkula  founded this theme to encourage travelers and explorers to visit all of the Americas. If time and budget don’t permit you to expand your vacation plans as broadly as the entire continent, there is plenty to do in the USA. August 4 is the fifth anniversary of the passage of the  Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) , which funds critical infrastructure improvements. Today and every year, as a result of this legislation, there is  free entrance to the National Parks , a great budget-friendly way to explore our national treasures. Or perhaps in the style of Jack Kerouac, in his classic book,  On the Road , you would like to embark on a cross-country road trip. Other authors have penned descriptions of their journeys.  Atlas Obscura  cartographers outline these excursions. Another i...