I am glad that I cleaned out the pepper patch the week before because the freezing temperatures were a surprise, the forecast offered no warning that it would get that cold. But we were overdue for a freeze, so it wasn't really too much of a surprise.
Last week Norma asked if the Red Salad Bowl lettuce is winter hardy. Here it is on the morning that the temperature dipped below freezing - splayed out and frozen - the plants are out in the open with no protection. I'm happy to report that it bounced back once the day warmed up and it is looking just fine. I haven't harvested any this week so I don't know if the flavor was affected.
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| Frozen Red Salad Bowl lettuce |
This was my largest harvest for the week, another giant "scallion" and a little over a pound of Couve Tronchuda. This went into a riff on Caldo Verde that I made with Tarbais beans instead of potatoes and sweet Italian sausage instead of chouriço - it's yummy!
I used only the leafy parts in the soup, but I sliced up some of the stems to munch on raw, they are tender, crunchy, and taste like cabbage. I think I'll use the next bunch of stems sliced thin to make some sort of salad.
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| Tronchuda Beira |
The weather lately has been either clear and cold and breezy with the first freezing temperatures of the winter, or gray and soggy. Neither type of weather has been conducive to gardening.
I also harvested a big bunch of Lark's Tongue kale that I used for another soup and some Kale Chips, but that didn't get photographed. And I found a few more peppers (pre-freeze) hiding in the pepper patch.
Here's all the harvests for the past week:
Apollo broccoli - 2.6 oz.
Purple Peacock broccoli - .2 oz.
Dorato di Asti celery - 4.2 oz.
Couve Tronchuda - 1 lb., 1.5 oz.
Lark's Tongue kale - 1lb., 2.5 oz.
Parade "scallions" - 1 lb., 5.6 oz.
Large Sweet Antigua pepper - 4.8 oz.
Odessa Market peppers - 6 oz.
The total harvests for the past week came to - 4 lb., 13.4 oz.
Which brings the harvests for the year up to - 768 lb., 10.9 oz. (or about 348 kilos)
Harvest Monday is hosted by Daphne on her blog Daphne's Dandelions, head on over there to see what other garden bloggers have been harvesting lately.
The tronchuda cabbage is beautiful. I really like that particular variety and enjoy it in a variety of ways too. The weather here has been wet and cold and we may even get some snow for Christmas morning - won't last long but it is nice all the same.
ReplyDeleteIt is a really good variety - tasty and productive. Snow for Christmas, lucky you! We get more rain...
DeleteAmazing that you still picked some peppers last week. And I love that thermometer too. I like my weather center as it records everything, but the little gray box that sits on my desk is very ugly.
ReplyDeleteThe last pepper gasp... I love my dial thermometer for a quick glance at the temperature when I'm in the garden, but I have a basic weather station that I use more often for checking the temperature - but mine doesn't record anything but the highs and lows. Hmmm, sounds like something for the birthday wish list!
DeleteYou grow the most exotic sounding vegetables. Your blog is a constant source of inspiration!
ReplyDeleteI must have a look for tronchuda cabbage here - i have to admit its not something I've noticed it before though but I reckon someone should stock it.
ReplyDeleteHi Michelle and thank you so very much for my "Christmas gift" I almost jumped of joy when I got the tiny seeds from you. How wonderful to get a small packet of seeds from a garden friend so very far away. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI wish you a Happy New Year! LOVE Tyra
Tyra, I'm so happy the seeds got to you. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Now I'll keep my fingers crossed that the seeds survived their journey and will grow well for you.
DeleteA lot of people throw away the stems and leaf-midribs of cabbages and other brassicas, because they perceive them to be tough. I think actually they are often the best bit of the plant - especially if we're talking about broccoli!
ReplyDeleteBTW I have only just seen your 17 Dec blogpost, and now I have a very severe case of Pepper-Envy. I'm planning to grow some Sweet Peppers next year, with the intention of making them into paprika. Have you ever used yours that way?
Mark, Oh yes, that is one of the things I love to make with my dried sweet peppers. And it's also fun to play with adding some spicy peppers to the mix. And I love to make sweet pepper flakes with the thin fleshed peppers like Sigaretta Dolce or Jimmy Nardello. I'm just not all that fond of blasting my taste buds with hot pepper flakes anymore, it really interferes with my favorite wines, so I liberally apply sweet pepper flakes instead of hot pepper flakes or a mix of the two if I want a bit of spice. I think you will really enjoy experimenting with your homemade paprika, it will be so much fresher and tastier than anything you can buy.
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