My "early" garden was a bust, even with shadecloth on parts of it, though I may have waited too long before shading. I grew 4 kinds of corn, all supposed to be heat & drought tolerant & got nary an ear, but it bloomed. On the other hand, my fall garden did well & I managed to get at least some tomatoes. My winter garden is peculiar--lettuce & some greens bolting, broccoli making loose heads, etc. In January. Just enough cold weather for my cabbage to start heading finally. I have planted a couple of cool weather tomatoes in hopes they will survive, but the others stay in for now. Most of the black tomatoes will continue to produce in heat & a few others. I find myself freezing more now so I know I will have it. Last year was a sure cure for complacency!

Chris, As a grassaholic I'm always pleased when someone wants to incorporate them into their garden. I rarely water my grasses and believe me we have had some intense heat here this summer and very little rain. Other things have drooped but the grasses still look good. So, NO they don't suck up water like mad, lol. Here's a link that I found very informative and if you scroll down they list several grasses (with pictures) well suited for zone 5. I especially like the Pennisetum orientale 'Karley Rose'. I also like Blue Fescue Grass 'Elijahs Blue' (not pictured in the link)for its compact size and striking blue/grey color. Vikki Here is a link that might be useful: Ornamental Grasses

Oooh, gazpacho! If ony I had fresh tomatoes on hand. And a mufuletta is definitely a meal in sandwich form. I've made the exact recipe that Lars links to as dinner for our family of 3. 1 sandwich. 14" in diameter. Heaven on a plate. When the weather starts to scorch my brain I turn to thoughts of Southeast Asian cuisine. Rice paper wrapped spring rolls & green papaya salad, things like that. But one of my favorite things to make quick & easy is larb. This recipe is from epicurious & is very tasty. I substitute ground turkey for the chicken and will use red leaf lettuce for wrapping. I also drain the meat after it's cooked, prior to adding the "marinade".: larb chicken salad Bon Appétit : September 1998 Fragrant lemongrass, chilies and a sweet and tangy sauce flavor this classic Thai appetizer. Serves 6. Restaurant; Typhoon, Portland OR 2/3 cup fresh lime juice 1/3 cup fish sauce (nam pla*) 1 tablespoon sugar 2 teaspoons Thai roasted chili paste* in oil or chili-garlic sauce* 3/4 cup canned low-salt chicken broth 1 1/2 pounds ground chicken 1 cup thinly sliced green onions 3/4 cup thinly sliced shallots 3 tablespoons minced fresh lemongrass* 1 tablespoon thinly sliced Thai chilies* or serrano chilies 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint leaves 2 small heads Boston lettuce, separated into leaves *Available at Asian markets and some supermarkets nationwide. Whisk first 4 ingredients in medium bowl to blend; reserve sauce. Bring broth to simmer in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken. Simmer until cooked through, breaking up meat with spoon, about 8 minutes. Add green onions and next 3 ingredients. Stir until vegetables are tender and most of liquid has evaporated, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in sauce, cilantro and mint. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon into lettuce leaves; serve. Stir until vegetables are tender and most of liquid has evaporated, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in sauce, cilantro and mint. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon into lettuce leaves; serve. Epicurious.com © CondéNet, Inc. All rights reserved.

I like a side dish of cold baked beans. My German mother used to take a can of baked beans (such as Bush's). Drain off excess liquid...add cidar vinegar, a small thinly sliced sweet onion, thinly sliced celery stalk. Some ground spices, such as a pinch of ground cloves, cumin, dash of hot sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley, hard cooked egg slices. Refrigerate so flavors can blend before serving. Goes well with roasted hot dogs, hamburgers. Most any picnic fare. I don't have any specific recipe that I go by....just do everything according to your taste buds.