I’m a big fan of planting fruit trees. Even if you’re renting. Ever since I wound up living in one rented home with a huge yard for over ten years, and realized I could have had a whole orchard back there, I’ve planted fruit trees. They do take a long time, but time passes, right? This curl-free peach tree (‘Frost’) is about 4 or 5 years old. There are only a couple of dozen peaches, if that. But they are such heaven!

Fuzzy home-grown peaches, so perfumed!

Linking to Through My Lens Monday1, Macro Monday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Our World Tuesday, Tuesday’s Wordless Wednesday, Tuesday Treasures, Wordless Wednesday, My Corner of the World Wednesday 1, Little Things Thursday, Friday Bliss, Pink Saturday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, and All Seasons Sunday1. Thanks so much for visiting here and hope to see you again soon. Please sign up at upper right for notifications of new posts.

If you have never eaten lemon cucumbers, poor you. They are delicious! They are called that because when you let them (over)ripen, they appear the size and shape of lemons, but still taste like regular cucumbers. As a public service announcement I offer the correct stage to pick them. They should have just a tiny hint of yellow starting. Select ones in the store at this color; do not buy if dark yellow. The inner seeds are hardly developed at all. So tender, sweet and crunchy! Rub off the little prickly things and you can even eat the skin at this stage, but I do peel them. Let’s hear it for backyard gardening!

Harvest of lemon cucumbers picked at the perfect time, the first Sungold cherry tomatoes, and some Blue Lake stringbeans

Linking to Through My Lens Monday1, Macro Monday, Our World Tuesday, Tuesday’s Wordless Wednesday, Tuesday Treasures, Wordless Wednesday, My Corner of the World Wednesday 1, Little Things Thursday, Friday Bliss, Pink Saturday, and All Seasons Sunday1. Thanks so much for visiting here and hope to see you again soon. Please sign up at upper right for notifications of new posts.

Our local Trader Joe’s has had magnificent peaches this year. I noticed that they are even MORE beautiful than the illustration on the packaging, which is saying something! Hope you are enjoying your summer fruit in this unusual, to say the least, year.

Heavenly yellow peaches, the best part of summer

Linking up with Through My Lens Monday1, Macro Monday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Our World Tuesday, Tuesday’s Wordless Wednesday, Tuesday Treasures, Wordless Wednesday, My Corner of the World Wednesday 1, Little Things Thursday, Friday Bliss, Pink Saturday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, and All Seasons Sunday1. Thanks so much for visiting here and hope to see you again soon. Please sign up at upper right for notifications of new posts.

I know this is similar to a recent post, but I love this photo, too! We had a few days of sun in Seattle, and with a lot of cloudy and cool weather this year, the sunshine is so glorious. My flowers think so, too.

Various day lilies and sweet peas bloom in Seattle in July

Also on Through My Lens Monday1, Ruby Tuesday 2, Our World Tuesday, Tuesday’s Wordless Wednesday, Tuesday Treasures, Wordless Wednesday, My Corner of the World Wednesday 1, Little Things Thursday, Friday Bliss, Pink Saturday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, and All Seasons Sunday1. Thanks so much for visiting here and hope to see you again soon. Please sign up at upper right for notifications of new posts.

A box of dead-ripe peaches from Trader Joe inspired me to adapt a very easy raspberry clafouti dessert recipe.

Peach clafouti (or clafoutis) easy custard and fruit dessert

Here is my version:

Ingredients:
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour)
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (3 ozs) sugar
• Pinch kosher salt
• 3 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• Finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (3 ozs) whole milk
• 3 cups ripe peach wedges (about 3 peaches or so), peeled and cut into wedges
• dash vanilla
• Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Instructions:
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350°. Generously butter a 9-inch gratin dish or pie plate. In a bowl, whisk the eggs, butter and lemon zest until smooth. Whisk in the sugar and a pinch of salt. Add the milk and whisk until light and very smooth, a couple of minutes. Add a dash of vanilla. Whisk in the flour until no lumps. Pour the batter into the gratin dish and top with the peach wedges in a pattern from the center, or just any which way (rustic!).
Step 2
Bake for about 30 minutes, until the clafoutis is just set and golden. If using a glass pie plate, raise temp. slightly, might take extra 10-15 minutes. Let cool slightly. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, cut into wedges and serve.

Even though I forgot to do the sugar dusting, it was FABULOUS.

Linking to on Through My Lens Monday1, Macro Monday, Our World Tuesday, Tuesday’s Wordless Wednesday, Tuesday Treasures, Wordless Wednesday, My Corner of the World Wednesday 1, Little Things Thursday, Friday Bliss, Pink Saturday, and All Seasons Sunday1. Thanks so much for visiting here and hope to see you again soon. Please sign up at upper right for notifications of new posts.

The good rain we’ve had this spring has been great for the garden. The back flowerbed hasn’t had much attention from me but the daylilies and rose campion are doing so well. Enjoy the glorious summer sunshine!

Perennial border in July

and a bonus image!

Close up of orange and red daylily

Linking to Through My Lens Monday1, Macro Monday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Our World Tuesday, Tuesday’s Wordless Wednesday, Tuesday Treasures, Wordless Wednesday, My Corner of the World Wednesday 1, Little Things Thursday, Skywatch Friday, Friday Bliss, Pink Saturday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, and All Seasons Sunday1. Thanks so much for visiting here and hope to see you again soon. Please sign up at upper right for notifications of new posts.

Seattle certainly has been having a cool and rainy spring and summer, so far. The way roses look after a light rain, however, is priceless.

Rosebud after a light rain

Also posting this on Through My Lens Monday1, Macro Monday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Our World Tuesday, Tuesday’s Wordless Wednesday, Tuesday Treasures, Wordless Wednesday, My Corner of the World Wednesday 1, Little Things Thursday, Friday Bliss, Pink Saturday, and All Seasons Sunday1. Thanks so much for visiting here and hope to see you again soon. Please sign up at upper right for notifications of new posts.

From my Mother’s Day bouquet, pink peonies with magnificent golden anthers.

Delicate petals and sweet fragrance of springtime peonies in a Mother’s Day bouquet

Also posting this on Through My Lens Monday1, Macro Monday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Our World Tuesday, Tuesday’s Wordless Wednesday, Tuesday Treasures, Wordless Wednesday, My Corner of the World Wednesday 1, Little Things Thursday, Friday Bliss, Pink Saturday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, and All Seasons Sunday1. Thanks so much for visiting here and hope to see you again soon. Please sign up at upper right for notifications of new posts.

Happy Valentine’s Day to you! A holiday devoted to devotion of all kinds. Here are a few tulips for you.

Buckets of tulips. Such a happy sight!

Connecting with Through My Lens Monday1, Ruby Tuesday 2, Our World Tuesday, Tuesday’s Wordless Wednesday, Tuesday Treasures, Wordless Wednesday, My Corner of the World Wednesday 1, Little Things Thursday, Friday Bliss, Pink Saturday, and All Seasons Sunday1. Thanks so much for visiting here and hope to see you again soon. Sign up at upper right for notifications of new posts.

Oh, photo archives are a treasure. So many photos, and after a few years, some are completely new to me. I took that? Apparently I did, on a garden tour ten years ago. Here’s to July, and kitties, and sunshine!

A very relaxed orange kitty named Tully, basking in sun and summertime shadows

Also linking with Through My Lens Monday1, Macro Monday, Our World Tuesday, Tuesday’s Wordless Wednesday, Wordless Wednesday, My Corner of the World Wednesday 1, Little Things Thursday, Friday Bliss, Feline Friday, Camera Critters, Pink Saturday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, and All Seasons Sunday1. Thanks so much for visiting here and hope to see you again soon. Sign up at upper right for notifications of new posts.