The herbs are still doing well, as you can see. Last night we had Rigatoni Bolognese with lots of fresh sweet basil and Italian oregano. Yum. We also have tender rosemary, parsley, and thyme that are still vigorous and producing.

Herbs are adaptable.

My tomatoes reacted to the odd summer weather by producing poorly and what fruit they did make tasted like grocery store tomatoes. And my eggplant production this year was pathetic. But while the basil was a bit slow to get going, all the herbs look great now.

A few sprigs of basil, whether Thai or Sweet, added to a sandwich, soup, or even ramen noodles pushes any dish above average.

It’s one of life’s small pleasures to simply walk out to the vegetable garden and pick something so fresh for my lunch.  We’ve let the cilantro go to seed and now the bees hum contentedly, weighing down the spindly flowers.  Soon we’ll pick the seeds and all winter when I crush the citrusy coriander seeds for curries or stews, I’ ll remember those warm drowsy days.

Sometimes small pleasures can run pretty deep.