The changing of the guard

This weekend, I officially traded seasons in the garden.  The pea shoots that sent my 3 year old into the garden every night for crunchy, sweet goodness were ready to come down.  Last year we had a cool summer, and our peas lasted almost into August!  This year was more typical with the vines yellowing mid-July.  We had had our fill of peas by then, and were ready for some new arrivals.
My garden seems to be lagging behind a little this year, but we are finally seeing the start of some tiny fruits!  Most impressive was our haul of bush beans this week.  On two separate days, I filled a quart size container to the brim.  I never can decide what to plant, so this year it is golden wax, contender, blue lake, empress, purple pod, and a flat, curly spotted bean called dragon tongue.  They are so delicious picked fresh, rinsed and thrown right into a steam basket with a few green onions!  Kira, who is 5, loves to crunch them raw (especially tasty dipped in blue cheese dressing!).
There is only a small crossover between the spring and summer veggies in most parts of the country, but here in the normally cool NE, we often have peas mixing with green beans.  This year, with the early heat, I think I am lucky to have any cool season veggies at all!
I am excited to see what will be successful in my garden this year, but nervous, too.  The first week of August last year I spent cutting and destroying my beautiful tomato plants that had succumbed to the dreaded late blight that plagued most farmers in my local area.  This year, the threat seems to be less, but I still check on my babies every night and pinch off any leaves that look the slightest bit discolored.
Until I'm spending more time harvesting, I am snatching up the local seasonal berries.  I've moved to blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries.  I love to watch those gallon bags fill up as I freeze and stock them away for the colder months.  My new deep freezer finally arrived on Monday and it will be full faster than you can read the manual.
I also took a canning class this weekend.  I always wanted to learn, but the cost and lack of experience kept me away.  It was a great experience to learn, risk free, and get some hands on experience making jam and pickled beets.  I think I may be buying a large pot and canning rack soon!
Next on the list?  Root cellaring!