Harvest Monday October 9, 2023

It’s time once again for Harvest Monday, where we celebrate all things harvest related. We are finally getting cooler weather here, though frost is not yet in the forecasts. I am ready for some seasonably cool weather, after the long hot summer we’ve had here. The garden gave us more of the summer veggies though, and I was happy to see them. The eggplants were especially welcome, since the plants took a break and we haven’t had many for a month or so.

early October harvest

I got a late season harvest of Andiamo tomatoes last week that were a pleasant surprise. After having written off this variety earlier in the year, it has now become one of my more productive paste tomatoes. This latest batch weighed right at two pounds, and I decided to freeze them as whole tomatoes for later use. For that I dip the tomatoes in boiling water for a minute or less then put in cool water before slipping off the skins, coring and freezing. Andiamo fruits are meaty and have good color, and the frozen ones should make a good addition to soups and sauces.

Andiamo tomatoes

I got another harvest of greenhouse cucumbers too, again from the Nokya variety. This vine just won’t give up! Normally I have all the vines and support removed by now so I can plant greens for fall and winter. I’m leaving this one plant for a while longer though, and making room around it for the greens.

greenhouse cucumbers

I also got a couple of the Carosello cucumber melons from the greenhouse plantings. I’m growing these Italian heirloom cucurbits that are a melon that is eaten green like a cucumber. I have to say the taste is quite different, sort of like a green muskmelon or watermelon, and the jury is still out on how to eat it!

Carosello cucumber melons

Another harvest last week featured more pole beans and assorted hot peppers. The pole beans were mostly the Pink Tip Greasy Bean, a NC heirloom that always does well for me here.

October harvest of beans and peppers

I cooked up the green beans for a side dish to go with our dinner one night. The main dish was Baked Cod with Lemon and Garlic, served over fregola pasta and with green beans from the garden. It’s a lot like a piccata treatment, very lemony, and the fregola helped soak up the sauce. The flat leaf parsley from the greenhouse added flavor and color as well.

Baked Cod with Lemon and Garlic

In non-harvest news, I baked up a batch of Moomie’s Buns last week for sandwiches. I try and have some of these in the freezer whenever we need them, and they are my favorite buns for sandwich use.

Moomie’s Buns

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 please check out what everyone is harvesting!