Late August, and chances are that any vegetable that will produce is doing just that right now.

It’s been a hot, dry summer, so some vegetables may be showing significant signs of stress.

My tomatoes are tiny, compared with how they usually look each summer at this time. So, too, are the blackberries. Although these wild varieties are abundant, it seems to take about twice as many as usual to make a pie or jam.

Late August, and everything is looking worn and tired, including me. Although I have fairly well kept up with the weeding, some of the grass and weeds are getting ahead of me. Most of the tomatoes have not yet ripened, and in fact, some appear to have blossom rot, which means the tips of green tomatoes have rotted. I applied a mixture of water and calcium, crossed my fingers and now hope that the rest of the tomato crop will not have this devastating disease.

The below-the-ground crops, such as carrots and beets, are doing well, and soon I will pull them, remove most of the leaves, wipe the soil off and store them in a cool, dry place for use during the next few months.

As always, the broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbages are doing very well. I have picked some broccoli for evening supper vegetables, and soon I will harvest the cabbages and Brussels sprouts.

I preserve Brussels sprouts by blanching for a few minutes in boiling water, blotting and letting them cool. Then I pack them in pint-sized freezer bags. I have tried a similar process with cabbage in the past, but have found that the texture is not to my liking. Raw cabbages, if wrapped and stored in a cool place, like the bottom drawers of the refrigerator, will last for several months. Same with carrots and beets.

Sweet corn is slower than usual this year. Perhaps this week we will have a few ears. The summer squashes are ready to harvest and saute with garlic and butter, and the winter squashes have a few more weeks to grow and harden their shells before picking.

Each year is different, with some vegetables doing really well, and some not. Doesn’t look like I’ll be making pickles as I usually do because the cucumbers haven’t liked the dry weather and have not grown. Beans, as always, have produced fantastically. And so, too, has the basil. We have several large, leafy plants that we’ve make into pesto, and will make more.

The garlic crop, harvested a couple of weeks ago, is hanging to dry in the garage.

Not sure we’ll have pumpkins this year. They got a late start, then the lack of rain stunted their growth.

The plants that seem to be doing the best are the wild flowers. Daisies, black-eyed Susans, Queen Anne’s lace and other naturally growing flowers seem to like this dry weather and have adapted well.

With the end of August upon us, there are still a few vegetables that can be planted:

* Use some leftover radish seeds to plant, grow and add to an early autumn salad.

* Same, too, with lettuce; there are several varieties that require only a few weeks to grow to maturity.

* If your garden produced lots of spinach this year, and it hasn’t yet bolted, pick it all, blanch it for a couple of minutes, drain and dry well, then freeze. I like to add spinach, with all its wonderful nutrients, to soups throughout the winter.

* Dig the potatoes; this is one vegetable I really like to grow because I never know how many are below the surface. Brush off most of the soil and then let dry a bit in the sun — not too long or the potatoes will turn green. Then store in a cool, dark place. They should be good for several months.

* Now is the time to pick any herbs that may be growing. I have both dried them and frozen them. To me, basil is best dried, then stored in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Parsley is best chopped, then frozen. Both make excellent additions to soups and stews.

* Clean up any sections of the garden that are done growing for the year.  This way, when the killing frost arrives, there will be far fewer plants to pull and place in the compost heap.

* The main broccoli plants have been harvested, but right about now, some side shoots should be appearing. Cut them off and enjoy, or blanch and freeze.

* Know that this year has been very dry and that not every year is that way. Some years, we get so much rain the fruits just starting to set on plants begin to mold. Occasionally, we get a growing year that provides just the right amount of rain to water all the vegetables properly.

* I keep a rain barrel at the corner of the house. Often, I use the water collected there to water the plants that need it the most.

* Apparently insects don’t like this very hot, dry weather. I’ve seen far fewer than usual munching on my vegetable plants. Also, Japanese beetles have yet to make a noticeable appearance. Either they don’t like this hot and dry weather, or the milky spore we buried near the garden last year has done its job.

Soon, the grapes, apples and elderberries will be ready to make into jelly. I’ve stocked up throughout the summer with bags of granulated sugar when it was on sale for just such a use. Also, despite the lack of rain this summer, our old Wealthy and Baldwin apple trees have produced some good crops. Lots of apple pies are in the future.

This has been a challenging growing year, but then, each year presents its own problems. If we ever had a perfect growing season, we’d probably have more produce than we’d know what to do with.

As always, the earth comes through with some good, nutritious foods to feed our families and ourselves.

Eileen M. Adams has been gardening for decades. She is always amazed at the abundance provided by the magical earth. She may be reached at [email protected]