Welcome to summer! I feel like I'm living in the tropics with steamy, hot days and afternoon storms.  Even with all the rain, I've been watering regularly and, by and large, the EC plants are looking lush!  Here's an aside regarding the idiom "by and large".  I was thinking about the phrase and realized I didn't know it's origins and now, thanks to the Internet, I do!  "By and large" has it origins in nautical-speak; "large" refers to how the wind fills the sails and "by" is a measure of  "closeness to the wind".  For a more precise description of "by and large", check out this link. 

This week's Plant of the Week is fennel!  First off, I think fennel is beautiful - from top to bottom, fennel is eye-catching.  Anise flavored and fern-like leaves cascade from just below the seed head of this perennial herb.  The bulb is formed by a series of overlapping stalks, is rather flatish and can be blanched by mounding soil around its base.  Fennel is easily grown by direct seeding and is a terrific staple for your perennial herb garden.  Here's an interesting link on how to grow fennel in your own backyard.

Every bit of the fennel plant is edible.  The leaves and tiny yellow flowers can be snipped off and used to season salads or eaten out of hand.  Seeds are routinely dried and used in many Italian and Mediterranean dishes and the bulbs can be eaten raw in a salad, roasted w/ root veggies or grilled and served as a side. Fennel belongs to the Umbellifereae family, named for the umbrella-like flower head.   Parsley, carrots, dill and coriander are in the same family and if they're allowed to flower, will resemble the fennel umbel. Next time you're at Horsham, stop by the EC and try some fennel.

The small fruits are coming into their own right now.  Champagne currants and apricots are ripe for the eating and blueberries are not far behind.  Blackberries hang heavy on canes at the far end of the EC and are gradually turning from green to dark red.  We have a few weeks til they'll be ready for eating, and it's fun watching the berries move along the color spectrum.  

In the offing, Asian Pears are filling out and I spied a few small, green figs earlier in the week.  Last year we had a dismal grape set; this year the arbor is teeming with large bunches of green grapes.  The fruit is still firm, but as the summer progresses, it will give way and the green skin will turn a robust, purplish blue.  

Over at The Highlands, lasagna beds are supporting beans, tomatoes and okra  and straw bales are home to squash, kale, basil and tomatoes.   Flower seeds were sown in both no-till growing areas by visiting children and I've noticed sunflowers, sweet peas and nasturtiums taking form.  On a bit of sad note, some of the picnic tables were defaced with carvings.  I will try and sand the tops clean and hope there is no further damage to wood.

Have a good week.

Location: Pennypack Farm & Education Center at The Highlands, 7001 Sheaff Lane, Ft. Washington, PA 19034