It's Monday already and I had intended to do a post about how the garden is growing before today but that just didn't happen. We are days into a severe heat wave at the moment with temperatures hitting 100ºF+ and every time I got out to the garden to photograph it nearly all the veggies were looking wilted and stressed (just like me!). I did get out there this morning before the sun started blasting everything so I got some decent photos which I'll be sharing later this week. In the meantime the garden hasn't stopped producing veggies, some of which I got around to photographing.
The squash have been basking in the heat. Here's a representative shot I what I harvested on a few days last week. The Tromba d'Albenga was an unusually short specimen but the Tatume squash and San Pasquale zucchini are typical.
 |
| San Pasquale zucchini, Tatume squash, Tromba d'Albenga squash |
I got one new veggie last week, some leaves of Yellow Cabbage Collards. I used those along with some San Pasquale zucchini to make a gratin of Zucchini, Greens, and Ricotta. Spinach or chard are usually my green of choice for that gratin but the collards were just as good. The photo doesn't give a perspective on how large the leaves can be, one that I photographed this morning is longer than my forearm.
 |
| Yellow Cabbage Collards |
Tomato season still hasn't really started yet in my garden, just a trickle so far. The Jamaican burr gherkins are also producing a steady trickle.
 |
| Piccolo Dattero and Golden Sweet tomatoes Jamaican burr gherkins |
The only other thing that I harvested but didn't photograph was a big haul of Speedy arugula.
Critter cam update. I've not had a repeat visit from the mountain lion but the list of critters is growing.
Sightings so far:
- deer, 3 different bucks
- gray fox, at least 2
- possum
- raccoon
- mountain lion
 |
| Gray Foxes |
 |
| Blacktail Deer |
Harvest Monday is hosted by Dave on his blog Our Happy Acres, head on over there to see what other garden bloggers have been harvesting lately.
You are getting lots of wildlife. At those temperatures it’s amazing that your vegetables aren’t cooked.
ReplyDeleteSome of them are definitely showing signs of heat stress but other than that they seem ok. I've been going out midday and giving everything a shower of cool water which seems to perk them up a bit.
DeleteVery cool snaps of the fox and deer! Those gherkins look very interesting; are they sour like cucamelons? Beautiful squash too.
ReplyDeleteNo, they aren't tart, they taste just like cucumbers but are a bit more crunchy.
DeleteI grew the Yellow Cabbage collards last year, and planted them again this fall. I rolled up and fermented some of the whole leaves of it and other collards in a brine, and they made great wrappers for savory fillings. Of course you don't need to ferment them, but it added another layer of flavor. Your temps are hotter than ours. I do my outside chores early before breakfast or I wilt too!
ReplyDeleteThat's a great idea for the collards, thank you! We are having freakish hot weather and so is the lightening. I can't wait to get back to our normal cooler temperatures and perhaps some fog too.
DeleteWhat no coyote? OK so now you are getting (really good photos by the way) top of the food chain predators. Might they be keeping in check some of the smaller more bothersome rodents? Did you have mt lion before?
ReplyDeleteNo coyotes have posed for the camera yet but I have seen them loping across the hillside, although it's been a few months since the last sighting. No bobcat pics yet either and I know they are in the area, someone lost a couple of chickens to a bobcat less than 1/2 mile away just a couple of weeks ago. No doubt the predators are helping to keep the rodent population in check. Neighbors have seen mountain lions over the last few years but this is the first evidence that I have of them personally.
DeleteLove the critter cam photos. All we get is rats and opossoms. We could use a few coyotes at the top of the food chain to keep the rodents in check. Not enough hawks or barn owls. Neighborhood or ferrel cats help but the effect on the bird population is troublesome.
ReplyDeleteyour courgette harvest is splendid, but i am rather taken by your Jamaican burr gherkins
ReplyDeleteLove the critter cam! I am so very envious of your squash (they didn't make it onto the reduced grow list this year) - they look amazing.
ReplyDeleteYou're still OK so far fire-wise, aren't you? Just feelings the effects of the heat and air pollution? Both still a pain down here but with a possible T-storms like you.
ReplyDeleteI see that there is a new fire since I wrote and it's on Carmel Valley Road I wish you good luck and I'll be checking the Calfire site to see how you are doing.
ReplyDeleteDate Started 08/18/20 2:24 PM
Location Information Cachagua Rd and Carmel Valley Rd, South of Carmel
https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2020/8/18/carmel-fire/
We are okay, but we did have to evacuate yesterday. Fortunately they gave us a good 8 hours to pack up and go. We are staying with a friend in Carmel at the moment. Another friend who lives in Carmel part time and is away now has offered us her home. So we are good. With any luck there will be a house and some humongous zucchini in the garden when we return home.
Delete