There are still a few tomatoes left to harvest, but now there's more tomatoes headed straight for the compost rather than the harvest box. The rain we had the week before last caused a number of tomatoes to spoil and I'm really not all that sorry about it. It won't be long before the plants come out and the favas get planted.
The Palace King cucumbers are still coming in and there's a bunch of Marconi Purple sweet peppers ready to harvest. I picked a few last week to add to the tomatoes and cucumbers that I gave to my neighbor. And the basil is still doing well. I think another batch of pesto is in order.
The Pimento de Padron peppers are still coming in at a steady pace. I also picked another basket like the one shown below that I didn't photograph. For some reason there seem to be more hot Padrons now so I'm more careful to pick them when they are small, the larger they get the more likely they are to be hot. The Red Florence fennel seeds are ripening nicely as well.
The Piracicaba Broccoli is producing a steady supply of shoots. I picked 2 bunches like the one shown below. It was about 80F on the day I picked this bunch and it started to wilt right away. A wash and a bit of a soak in some cold water perked it up quickly. I really like that the broccoli leaves are just as delicious as the buds. To prepare the shoots, I simply trim off any stem ends that are tough (usually not much), then I cook the shoots with leaves still attached in salted boiling water for about 2 minutes, drain and toss with my best extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, sometimes a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Normally I like to steam my veggies, but there are usually a few aphids or a tiny cabbage worm or two hiding in the buds and boiling removes them better than does steaming.
Also harvested this week were 3 Diamond eggplants, a handful of Petaluma Goldrush beans that I allowed to dry on the vine (seed for next year), and about 8 snap beans. I'm giving up on the snap beans, I planted the seeds at the end of July and I've harvested about a dozen beans, and doesn't look there's much more to come. I'm going to try some potatoes in that spot instead. Potatoes supposedly grow in the winter here if they are protected from the frost and I'm willing to experiment since that spot would most likely be empty all winter anyway.
Check out other Harvest Monday posts at Daphne's Dandelions. Show us what you've been harvesting lately also!
The box of tomatoes still looks wonderful even if it is only one. I envy that you can plant in the fall for crops over the winter. Then I think again and I'm OK with my break over the winter. I get a break from all the work. I just wish the break was shorter. I really get cabin fever come February.
ReplyDeleteDaphne, I have to admit that I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by the garden last week and a little bit of me was wishing for a break... just a little bit.
ReplyDeleteOnce again you have such a beautiful harvest but definitely less tomatoes. I harvested nothing this past week except 2 sticks of celery.
ReplyDeleteDan, it sounds like your winter break is almost here. It's hard to believe, but I'm so happy not to have so many tomatoes to deal with!
ReplyDeleteWOW! What a harvest...!
ReplyDeleteMichelle, I love getting to see your harvests. It's interesting to get a sense of what gardeners in warmer climates are growing. Those are interesting looking cucumbers and the tomatoes as always look spectacular. Do you grow any artichokes? If I was living somewhere a tad warmer, I would definitely grow them as a perennial.
ReplyDeleteUrban Green, thanks!
ReplyDeleteThomas, I find it equally interesting to see how gardeners in colder climates cope with short seasons. It seems that you must be on a strict schedule, get things going by a certain time or forget about it. The climate here is so much more forgiving of lazy gardeners like me! I love artichokes but don't bother to grow them because of gophers and deer. The plants would take up way too much room in my protected garden area. Besides, 75% of the commercial artichoke crop for the entire U.S. is grown locally. I can find good artichokes here year round.