for the cucumbers, pickles are easy enough to do after certain small fingered ones are safely in bed and they last for long enough to give them all away to extended family and only have to take a couple of jars to work. and small cucumbers are easier to work with then big ones, so harvesting early and often is a smart strategic move.

I've only had one bumper cuke year, though, one that let me take two jars to a potluck (where one of the jars was confiscated and returned two weeks later, clean, with a recipe request that I could give, because when I put the damn things up, I was winging it so hard there were feathers in my kitchen. There was garlic involved.) and didn't involve mailing any jars to family, though.

But my so-called garden is a line each of stunted tomatoes and peppers and the grapevine, which is reaching for the asparagus with malign intent. I'd be happier about its enthusiasm if the darn thing would set fruit.

On the other hand, the annual invasion of the neighborhood squirrels has begun, as the peach trees are setting fruit. Maybe the squirrels, bugs, and birds will let us have a few this year.