Even as the summer crops dwindle, the fall garden is beginning to pour forth its bounty.  Ever-bearing raspberries picked back up in mid August after taking a few weeks off, and I just noticed that the snap peas are starting to bloom.

Early fall is my favorite time of year for salads.  We don't baby peppers the way we do tomatoes, so we only have ripe, red fruits for a couple of months between mid-August and the frost.  During that time, salads consist of lettuce, baby kale and tatsoi, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, sprouting beans, snap peas, and probably more ingredients I'm not remembering at the moment.  Such a treat to pour so many colorful vegetables onto our plates!

Another highlight of the garden this week is the beds of Dwarf Siberian and Red Russian kale.  I knew the seeds I'd saved this spring were viable because patches of baby kale started popping up around the parent plants in July, but I wasn't entirely sure that the two varieties wouldn't hybridize.  I planted them separately and am thrilled to see that the two leaf shapes are quite distinct --- no gene-hopping there.  (By the way, the photo on the right is tatsoi, not kale.)

Despite all of these fun fall crops, though, I'm still knee deep in tomatoes and loving it.  I read about a frost in the Pacific Northwest last week and I'd like the world to know we're not nearly ready.  Anyone know a good anti-frost dance?