It’s time once again for Harvest Monday, where we celebrate all things harvest related. As autumn approaches (according to the calendar), I started harvesting the first of the winter squashes last week. The delicatas are ready, and with our wet conditions we lost a couple of them already to rot. The Honey Boat variety seems to be quite variable, and this year the fruits were on the small side compared to past years. We cooked one up and they are just as tasty though.
Honey Boat delicata
Tetra is a hybrid delicata I’m growing again this year, and they turned out larger than the Honey Boats. Delicatas don’t keep very well, and they also don’t need curing like some winter squashes so we will be eating these in the next few weeks. Our favorite treatment is to cut them into slices and roast in the oven.
Tetra delicata
The third squash I harvested is called Jester, and it has a rounded shape like a Sweet Dumpling squash. It’s hanging out with two of the Honey Boat squashes plus eggplant and a zucchini in the below photo. The summer squash are done for as I finished pulling the vines on Saturday. It was an outstanding year for them as I harvested 140 pounds of them! That means I likely need to plant a bit less next year, though none have gone to waste and the freezer is full. I use the frozen zucchini in my morning smoothies, as well as for winter soups.
squashes and eggplant
Jester squash
We’ve had over seven inches of rain already this month, and the tomatoes are not liking it very much. Wet conditions plus high heat and humidity have many of them rotting on the vines as they ripen. That said, I got enough of the paste tomatoes to cook up another batch of sauce last week for the freezer. I had over 10 pounds of them once I culled out the ones that were bad. The slicers are suffering the most it seems.
paste tomatoes for sauce
The pole beans are setting on and with all the rains the vines are lush and it promises to be a good year for them. Being up off the ground is a virtue during wet conditions. I did sow some bush snap beans for a fall crop.
Robe Mountain beans
This red hibiscus (Hibiscus coccineus) is blooming in the Wild Garden. The seeds were a gift from two sisters who grew it in their garden that was part of the SWIMGA 2009 garden walk. We’ve been enjoying it here ever since, as have the butterflies and hummingbirds. The blooms only last for a day.
Hibiscus coccineus
I baked up a sourdough batard last week for sandwiches. I added a bit of freshly milled Yecora Rojo wheat flour to give it extra flavor, and it made for a tasty and crusty loaf. I slice and freeze the leftovers for later use, so we always have some on hand.
Sourdough batard
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!