Peak August in the Kitchen Garden: How I Preserve the Harvest and Make My Own Cream

Subscribe to follow my little world of gardening, cooking, art, and the simple routines that I enjoy. I write from my garden in Bavaria, Germany, USDA hardiness zone 7a, sharing practical gardening lessons, my meal prep, and how I balance a full time job with the passion of growing my own food.

August is my absolute favorite month of the year, and I think many gardeners feel the exact same way. This is the month where all the hard work from spring pays off and the garden yields more than ever. Most excitingly, the king of the garden is finally ripening: the tomatoes!

Something I started doing this year that I had never tried before is harvesting my tomatoes at the “breaker phase,” which is right when they just start blushing with color. This has been a complete game changer for me. By picking them at this early stage and letting them finish ripening on my kitchen counter, I no longer lose any tomatoes to hungry slugs or sudden skin splitting. I honestly have no idea why I only discovered this trick so late, but I am never going back.

Another exciting milestone this week was harvesting my very first vertically grown, Red Kurri pumpkin. Seeing those rich orange fruits finally mature on the vine was such a joy. After admiring my first pumpkin on the counter for a while, I decided to celebrate by turning it into a delicious, comforting meatless pumpkin lasagna.

While the kitchen is full of food, keeping the garden alive is still a daily task. There has been basically no rain this month in Bavaria, and it remains very hot. However, I am managing to stay on top of the game because all my vegetables are planted quite close together, creating shade for the ground, and I keep mulching heavily with fresh grass clippings.

Alongside fresh meals, I am focusing a lot on preserving for busy days ahead. Just like last year, I am making batches of fresh pesto and freezing it in small silicone ice cubes. Later in the autumn or winter, when work gets busy, I can simply pop out a cube or two to toss directly into hot pasta or gnocchi. I love cooking from scratch, but having these frozen sauces and dressings ready makes eating well so effortless.

For the excess tomatoes that will soon flood my kitchen, I am skipping canning this year. Instead, I plan to blend the fresh tomatoes raw in my blender, pour the puree into silicone molds of various sizes, freeze them into cubes, and store them in freezer bags. They will be ready to drop into soups and stews whenever I need them. Whatever fresh vegetables we cannot eat or store will be happily shared with our friends and family.

I also made a small purchase recently that brought me so much simple joy: a handheld labeler! I have been labeling all my glass jars and storage containers.

I am making this infusion to create my own face cream, lip balm, and hair masks. Over the last few months, I got so tired of reading the ingredient lists on commercial cosmetics and body creams. Most of the time, the natural ingredients are pushed to the very bottom of the label, hidden beneath synthetic chemicals. I want to minimize my exposure to unnecessary chemicals by making my own simple, nourishing skincare at home.

I am so excited for the rest of August. Tending to the garden, harvesting daily, and preserving the fruits of my labor brings such deep joy and motivation to never stop! To me, this month is all about good rest, glass of wine, simple Mediterranean food, and enjoying the peaceful flow of summer days.

Talk soon,

Take a peek at my painting gallery if you are curious: My Art Gallery

Share