Harvest Monday July 15, 2024

It’s time once again for Harvest Monday, where we celebrate all things harvest related. Summer veggies continue to roll in here, including the first tomatoes of 2024. These first ones are Sun Sugar, a sweet golden cherry type I’ve been growing for many years now. More plants are beginning to get ripe now too, so it won’t be long before others join in. These first ones were especially tasty, and wound up on a salad.

Sun Sugar tomatoes

Squashes are still abundant and I cut another cabbage last week too, this time the flathead Sweet and Tender. The head was nice and solid, and weighed right at three pounds. I used about half in a stir fry last week, which also had zucchini in it.

summer harvest

Cucumbers are setting on in the greenhouse, and I cut several last week. Corinto is a dark green slicer I’ve grown for a number of years now. Nokya (dark green) and Itachi (white) are long, skinny Asian types with mild crunchy flesh. All have kept us supplied for fresh eating, and they have appeared in several salad creations and bowls.

Corinto cucumbers

Itachi cucumber

Nokya cucumbers

closeup of Nokya cucumber

The summer lettuce is beginning to bolt, but I managed to get a couple of decent heads last week. The green crisphead  Tehama and the red leaf Karen’s Fave were tasty for salad use and look well together on the plate. I sowed more seeds recently to set out for a late summer crop.

summer lettuce

This lettuce went in a salad I made for lunch last week. In addition to the lettuce, it featured the cherry tomatoes plus some cucumbers and zucchini. I tossed with a homemade lemony vinaigrette and topped with feta cheese and some of our sourdough bread I made into croutons. I added a few big Royal Corona beans for protein along with a handful of almonds and pistachios, and it made for a filling and tasty meal.

lunch salad

The container eggplant continues to give us ample amounts. Fairy Tale, Gretel and Icicle are all AAS Winners that are early and productive for me here.

eggplant harvest

Last week I made another batch of Baked Ziti & Summer Veggies using our yellow squash and zucchini. The combo of the squash and pasta plus a cheesy mix of ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan is tasty and filling and is one of my favorite dishes to make when the summer squashes are coming on strong. We made a meal of this one, and I served it with our cucumber pickles on the side.

Baked Ziti and Summer Veggies

Another dish I made for lunch yesterday was a Mediterranean Quinoa Salad with Roasted Summer Vegetables. I tossed yellow squash, zucchini, eggplant and onion with olive oil and roasted on a sheet pan until tender. Then I added some Slow Roasted Tomatoes from last year and a bit of fresh basil from the garden. The vegetable mix went into bowls with cooked quinoa, and I topped them with crumbled feta cheese and a bit more fresh basil. Lemon juice and olive oil served as a dressing. I served it with some fresh baked Ligurian Focaccia bread. My wife and I both declared this one a hit, and it was yet another way to use up the summer garden bounty.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

In non-harvest news, the Cranberry Crush hardy hibiscus has started blooming now. The deep red ruffled flowers are almost 8 inches wide! More hibiscus will join the party soon, as they are budding up.

Cranberry Crush hibiscus

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!