It’s time once again for Harvest Monday, where we celebrate all things harvest related. Asparagus season is in full swing here now, and we have cut over four pounds of it so far. Gardeners who grow it will know that the spears come in all sizes, and we eat all that’s big enough to be usable. Unlike some vegetables, I find the larger spears are more tender than smaller ones, which are often tough and stringy.
We used some of the harvest to make Asparagus Mimosa again. It’s a seasonal treat, and we will get our fill of it during asparagus season and that will be it for another year. Add a slice of my crusty sourdough bread and we make a meal of it.
For the Asparagus Mimosa we steam the spears until just tender using a bamboo steamer. Our favorite treatment for asparagus is to roast it in the oven, either on a sheet pan or in a cast iron skillet. We had that for a side dish one night for dinner, served with pan-seared cod and roasted potatoes.
I also got another cutting of collards from the plants that have sprouted from the stems and roots. It’s a mix-up of several varieties, including a few rapini from the flowering plants. I used the collard greens in a pot of Tuscan Bean and Farro Soup (aka Zuppa di Farro) I cooked up for dinner last night. It’s a hearty soup, and the tender collard leaves held up well in the slow cooker.
The early plantings of lettuce are about done for, but I found another decent head of Starfighter last week. It had a lot of aphids though, so cleanup was a bit tedious. It made a tasty topping for our black bean tacos we had for lunch on Saturday.
The second planting of arugula is still producing, and I made a cutting last week to go on pizza. It was a mix of Speedy and Dragon Fire, both planted in containers in the greenhouse.
We used pita bread for the base of the pizza, and other toppings included olives, homegrown tomato sauce and pickled Aji Rico peppers from last year’s garden.
In other news, the baby bluebirds fledged the PVC nest box about a week ago and mama bluebird wasted no time in building another nest. There were three eggs in there last time I looked, though she has probably added a couple more since then. I have seen the babies once or twice, and no doubt the parents are keeping busy feeding them.
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!