Welcome to Harvest Monday, where we celebrate all things harvest related. On Saturday we got the last cutting of asparagus for 2018. It was a good year for it, and we got 24 pounds total which was the same as we got in 2017. Now it’s time to let the new spears grow up into ferns to replenish the roots for next year’s crop. Each year the first spears are an eagerly awaited spring treat, but 8 weeks (and 24 pounds) later we have had our fill and ready to sample something else from the garden. And now for something completely different…..
last asparagus of 2018
Enter the first of the summer squashes! These two are the light green Clarimore and the darker green Spineless Beauty. I cooked them up Saturday night. More are setting on, and we should have a good supply until the squash bugs inevitably suck all the life out of the plants. And for that reason I have Tatume and Tromba d’Albenga planted which are usually not bothered by those little suckers!
first summer squash of 2018
In the ‘more of the same’ department, I cut two more heads of the napa cabbage last week. The one in the below photo is Minuet, which weighed 3.75 pounds. The other head was Soloist, which weighed 3.5 pounds. I used them to make another jar of kimchi, and a jar of fermented napa cabbage kraut (aka Tsukemono). I also made a batch of ‘unstuffed’ cabbage rolls which was heavy on the cabbage and had brown rice, ground beef and tomato sauce as the stuffing ingredients (that weren’t stuffed). I neglected to get any pic of that but it had all the flavors of stuffed cabbage, but none of the effort to actually stuff the leaves! It also let me keep the napa cabbage crisp tender and not get overcooked. All the napa cabbages have slug damage but they clean up nicely and once chopped all traces of damage disappear!
Minuet cabbage
I got another cutting of broccolini last week, this time from Artwork. The side shoots are the real attraction here, and the stems are long and tender.
Artwork broccoli
And I cut the last of the greenhouse lettuce last week. It was starting to get bitter, though still edible with a vinaigrette dressing. I have lettuce planted in a bed outside that is ready to start cutting now, and hopefully it will not be bitter. We shall see! I gave up on planting summer lettuce, since summer came early this year and frankly I just can’t see the point of nursing a cool season crop in what is shaping up to be a hotter than normal summer.
Tango type lettuces
In the ‘what we did with it’ department, one of our favorite ways to enjoy kohlrabi is raw, and I made a yogurt and tahini sauce to go with it for a couple of meals. It’s a cool and light treatment which has been appealing to me given our hot and humid weather. This is Konan kohlrabi, which has a great flavor and is exceptionally crisp and tender.
Konan kohlrabi
I also served the last meal of Asparagus Mimosa last week. For us, asparagus is a homegrown seasonal treat and we will not likely eat it again until next spring. This time I served it up with sourdough crostini that I slathered with a bit of garlic scape pesto. That combo made for a tasty lunch one day. The garlic scapes are gone now too, but it won’t be long before I will dig the first of the garlic bulbs.
Asparagus Mimosa with sourdough crostini
Harvest Monday is a day to show off your harvests, how you are saving your harvest, or how you are using your harvest. If you have a harvest of any size or shape you want to share, add your name and blog link to Mr Linky below. And please be sure and check out what everyone is harvesting!