Harvest Monday May 11, 2020

It’s time once again for Harvest Monday, where we celebrate all things harvest related. We’re still in the hungry gap here, but staying well fed with garden goodies all the same thanks to indoor crops and the greenhouse. I cut more microgreens again last week. These usually go on sandwiches or salads, and are an easy and quick indoor crop when grown under lights. After cutting this batch, I started another which should be ready in 10-12 days or so. It doesn’t make for a big harvest, but it’s a tasty and nutritious one.

microgreens ready for harvest

I’ve been starting sprouts regularly too, since they are another easy and quick growing indoor crop. I sprouted a batch of mung beans that went into a cabbage bowl I cooked for dinner last week. And I sprouted another batch of alfalfa seeds, which are one of my favorite sprouts for sandwiches.

mung bean sprouts

Asparagus is the big garden attraction right now. It accompanies many of our meals, including a lunch that included a portobello sandwich using a few of our alfalfa sprouts. I roasted the asparagus that day, one of my favorite treatments. Another meal featured stir fried asparagus with mushrooms. We’ve harvested just shy of 5 pounds of it so far, and hopefully it will make as much as the 20 pounds we got last year.

roasted asparagus

I used napa cabbage for that bowl I mentioned. I’ve got it growing in a container in the greenhouse, using plants left over after I planted the main garden crop. This one wasn’t fully headed up, but the big green leaves were tender and cooked in no time. I believe this variety is Soloist, which I planted along with Wa Wa Tsai.

napa cabbage

I’m cutting smaller greens as needed for dishes, like the kale, arugula and mizspoona I got to go in a frittata I made for lunch one day. I love frittatas because around here we never make them the same way twice so they never get boring. In addition to the greens, this one also had dried peppers and tomatoes from last year, a bit of green garlic plus the usual eggs and cheese. The kale is Tuscan Baby Leaf from Renee’s Garden and I am loving it! The leaves stay small and tender, and it’s a hit for salads too. I’m growing it in a container out in one of the cold frame beds.

kale, arugula and mizspoona

I found some old Jacob’s Cattle beans that had been hiding out in a glass jar in our basement pantry. According to my records, I grew these in 2014 and it was a bumper crop that year. Since I hate to waste food I decided to cook half of them up. I wasn’t sure how they would do given their age, but I pressure cooked them for 30 minutes (without soaking) and they turned out perfectly tender and tasty. I used some of them in a pot of vegetable soup I cooked up last week, and the rest went into the freezer for later use. They should work well in salads too. They lose the really vivid markings when cooked, but you can still make out the patterns of you look closely.

Jacob’s Cattle beans

cooked Jacob’s Cattle beans

In the future harvests department, the Astia zucchini I am growing in a Smart Pot is setting fruit. I’m amazed, because the first bloom was female and there are no male squash blooming anywhere. It must be parthenocarpic and not need pollinating. Several more blossoms are ready to open so hopefully we will have a few more squash soon. In a couple of months a squash will likely not be as exciting when they’re coming on strong, but for now it’s a welcome sight.

first zucchini fruit

In non-harvest news, the Encore azaleas are in full bloom now. These are repeat bloomers that put on another show in early fall, though I think the spring bloom is the heavier of the two. Our other azaleas have been done for several weeks now, so it’s a welcome sight at the front of our house.

Encore azaleas

And the bluebirds wasted no time in building a new nest after the first babies fledged last week. There were three eggs on Sunday, with more likely to come. I haven’t seen the young ones, but the parents are likely busy keeping them fed somewhere close by.

bluebird eggs

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 you want to share, add your name and blog link to Mr Linky below. And be sure and check out what everyone is harvesting!