Harvest Monday February 8, 2021

It’s time once again for Harvest Monday, where we celebrate all things harvest related. The weather has been cold, wet and dreary here lately, as it seems winter has truly arrived. I am happy for whatever winter harvests we get, and thankful for the veggies and fruit we have in the freezer and in storage. I used some of the frozen tomato sauce to make a bean enchilada casserole last week, and more sauce went onto a pizza for topping. The casserole has all the flavors of enchiladas, with beans, cheese and sauce. It is a bit easier to make though, and a good use for any broken tortillas. I also used some of my homemade guajillo chili powder to season the sauce, which gave it just the right amount of little heat for me.

Two Bean Enchilada

Also on the pizza was fresh arugula from the greenhouse. I’ve got the arugula growing in containers, and it is one of my favorite pizza toppings.

arugula

I made a large (for us) cutting of purple sprouting broccoli. I cut a main head from Santee, and side shoots from the early maturing Burgundy. The fresh broccoli is a real treat this time of year, and we most often roast it or sauté it.

Purple Sprouting Broccoli

As of last week, all the collard greens I planted last fall were still alive. Some looked better than others, to be sure, but all seemed alive. They aren’t growing much, but there are still a lot of edible leaves on the plants. The heirloom Ole Timey Blue has colored up well in the cold weather, while the green leaves of the hybrid Flash have taken on a slight pinkish tinge. I’ve been cooking up all the varieties I planted last year and doing taste tests to guide my planting for this year. The Alabama Blue I cooked up last week was especially tasty, and I want to see how the Ole Timey Blue compares. The leaves from Flash may end up in soup.

Ole Timey Blue and Flash collards

From the greenhouse, the Sea of Red lettuce has colored up a deep shade of red, and though the plants aren’t full sized I am cutting a few to add color to our salads.

Sea of Red lettuce

Saturday night we got a little bit of snow, brought in by a blast of arctic air. The temperatures are forecast to be below normal for a week, with the highs below freezing for several days in a row. It will be interesting to see how the outside garden looks this time next week. Inside, it is seed starting time and I already have lettuce and parsley coming up under the lights. It won’t be long and I will be starting the spring brassicas. The busy time of year for gardening is about to begin!

snowy February scene

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!