Monday, March 15, 2010

Little harvest Monday



Ok technically some of this wasn't quite this week's harvest.



I harvested the zucchini Saturday week ago, before the big storm, which was lucky really because the host plant literally melted into a puddle of rotten, brown sludge after the hail stone infused deluge. Bye bye Zucchini, we have had many happy times together, the risottos, the pastas, the occasional frittata.




The habaneroes and beans on the other hand were harvested this week. The beans went into a cous cous dish while the habaneroes, they, um, well, they're still in the fridge. Still in good condition, looking at me longingly. Problem is, I don't think I want to cook with them or eat them. I am really not sure why I grew them, except perhaps for their aesthetic value. I will say it for all to see, I am not really a super hot food fan. A bit of chilli is great for flavour but I've never been a 'heat that could blow the roof of my mouth off' kind of girl. My neighbours may end up in posession of these, or someone else, who knows. Maybe, just maybe, I might try cooking with one.


I've been harvesting lots of carrots. One a day usually and they are crisp and delicious. It is only the yellow ones which are ripe at the moment but I also have white ones and purple ones in the garden. In the above picture is a small daikon which I harvested alongside the carrots in all its dirty glory. Usually they are ten times bigger, but this one was a little trapped around a sunflower so he was midget sized. Added a tastey element to my lentil and tuna salad. Yum!



Sorry the posts have been few and far between. The thesis writing is keeping me busy. However, I did manage a good few hours in the garden this weekend, taking out the debris and storm-broken plants and adding some good autumn crops. I'll post on that this week.

4 comments:

Ottawa Gardener said...

Heck it still seems appreciable in size to me. You don't like hot food? Well, I'm sure a neighbour or friend will appreciate those habaneros. They are amoung my favourite chiles.

Daphne Gould said...

I have to laugh at your growing the haberanos for the look. I used to grow sunburst summer squash for that. I hated summer squash and would just give it away, but the nice bush plant and the pretty yellow squash were too much to resist. Now I like my summer squash for certain things, but usually grated.

michelle said...

The habaneros are too hot for me too, and I'm a chile fan. Someday you'll have to try a mild habanero, there are such things, I've been growing them for years. Sorry to hear about your zucchini plant, I always hate it when a good producer bites the dust early. Keep up the good work on the thesis!

PJ said...

Ottawa Gardener - I've already had a friend call dibs on the habaneroes, and he promised to make a chilli sauce with them, and gift me some, so I could use as little as I wanted to get the flavour as much as the heat

Daphne - Glad to see there are at least two of us out there who grow as much for eating (even if by someone else) as for aesthetics. Grating is a godsend! I use it for things I don't like, or even things I like the taste of but the texture doesn't work. It is great is risotto and spaghetti sauce!

Michelle - Wow what makes a mild habanero? Never knew there was such a thing! I think the zucchini had a pretty good run, and if the hail hadn't killed it the mould would have! I just wish I could have got one or two more. Luckily I have a late planted zuke to replace it which has one lone flower on it at present (male, not female, you know what my garden is like!!!) Keep up your good harvesting too!