Garden in the Beginning of Fall

The Brandywine and Roma tomato plants were beginning to wither at the beginning of September. They had produced some tasty tomatoes in a satisfying quantity for our household. Seeing them, made me realize the growing season is just about over and I didn't feel like I had really used the garden to it's full potential. Thanks to some cooking episodes (Thank you PBS & Food Network) I was inspired to amp up the amount of herbs I had been using in my recipes. Now I realize I had been much too conservative with the quantities of herbs up to this point and they do make a big difference in flavor. Some herby recipes that I have been using most recently are:

Herb Roast Chicken (America's Test Kitchen)

Carne Asada (my version: Soy Sauce, Thyme, Rosemary, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Olive Oil & No Tequila & No Cilantro & No Butter)

Porchetta (my version: No Pork Belly, included small bit of lovage)

Halibut Vermicelli with Dill & Pineapple-Anchovy Sauce

Vietnamese Spring Rolls have included some to all of the following ingredients: slices of rolled lettuce, matchstick carrots & radishes, thai basil, cooked shrimp, nasturtium leaves/flowers, & mint.

Basil Pesto that I keep in the fridge for a week's use at a time includes just olive oil, garlic, salt and as much basil leaves as can be kept under a protective layer of olive oil in whatever jar I use. I add hot pepper flakes & Parmesan cheese just before serving.

Salsa (of course!!): roasted tomatoes or fresh chopped brandywine, cilantro, hot peppers, roasted garlic, lime juice and onions. Added Avocado to turn into Guacamole or mangoes to make it a sweet and spicy sauce.

Instant pickled veggies for the fridge have included 1 part cider vinegar to 2 parts water and some to all of the following: olive oil, salt, pepper, cloves, bay leaf, rosemary, oregano, thyme sprigs, garlic, red onion, yellow onion, sliced serranos, sliced jalapenos, sliced poblanos, carrots, and cauliflower.

Lovage salt: 6 tablespoons salt to every ounce of Lovage. Adapted Recipe from Celery Salt (Time Life CookBooks 1981)

Herb Butter Recipes (I've been creating sage & parsley butters for the winter)

Bread Recipes: I've adapted bread and pizza recipes by including sage, rosemary and/or thyme.

Bread Recipe that included finely chopped sage. I topped the loaf with whole sage leaves.

Other recipes that have used harvests from the garden have included:

Pho Bo: Beef Noodle Soup (used Thai Basil, Scallions, Radishes & Jalapenos as Garnish)

Moon-Viewing Noodles in Broth & Spinach steeped in Broth (scallions, collard greens, swiss chard)

Chicken with Roasted Coriander in a Coconut Curry Sauce (adapted to use small halved eggplants instead of chicken, tomatoes, hot peppers)


The state of the garden at the beginning of Fall 2014: A collection of pictures

I dug around the sweet potato plants last week to find the roots still too small for eating. These may not be ready until December.

Sweet Potato plants interspersed with Thai Basil & Italian Basil

These eggplants only grow to three inches long

The Honey Yellow Tomatoes grew so large in September that I wrapped them around the vacant cucumber teepee trellis. Now the new cucumber plant is growing up on the tomato vines. It seems to be working well.

Parsley has been growing at the base of the teepee over the season but not as well as in full sun.

Honey Yellow tomatoes growing around the teepee with the cucumber vining it's way around them

Poblano peppers (top), Eggplant (right) and Radish/Cilantro seedlings (lower left)

Radishes and Cilantro

Second attempt at a zucchini plant (top left) with swiss chard that has been growing dependably all season (middle) and poblano peppers (right) and carrots (lower left)

I recently planted collard greens near the carrots in the row with the zucchini plant. The roma tomato plants died away in early September and I planted a container tomato plant to see if it would still give fruit. One more tomato is growing.

Warm Days

We are experiencing some warm days after some wet weather. The garden keeps on growing.

Sweet Potatoes & Eggplants with Cilantro, Basil & Thai Basil scattered around

Cucumbers, Brandywines, Yellow Honey Tomatoes with Bell Peppers, Parsley & Lettuce scattered about

Roma & Southern Night Tomatoes with Calendula, Radishes & Carrots scattered about.

Chamomile (front), Onions, Rosemary, Oregano, Collard Greens (top) & Swiss Chard (top left)

Roma Tomatoe (right) and Southern Night (center)

Baby Cucumber

Marigold

Sage

Growing Jalapenio

Coriander Seeds

Herb & Flower Transplants plus a Strawberry Surprise

Today I planted some of the herbs and vegetables I have started indoors: four chamomile, three calendula, two parsley, and two dill seedlings. I also found what I think is a strawberry plant growing in the walkway that I transplanted to where the spinach are planted. I also planted additional seeds: Broccoli Raab in the uphill eastern part, Swiss Chard uphill and downhill, Nasturtium (2 additional scraped seeds since the original seeds haven't germinated yet), Spinach (scattered throughout the planting area), three carrots in the uphill north part, and four zucchini seeds in a diamond pattern. I also transplanted some Chef Jeff's Rosemary and Oregano plants that I've had inside the house.

There are also other "weeds" growing that could be celery or thyme that I've transplanted in the lower western corner where the chamomile are planted. Their leaves aren't as apparent as the strawberry ones to identify. I'll see if they come out with anything interesting and useable.

Next on the list is to set out my peppers in the cold temperatures on my deck (night & day) and begin hardening my tomatoes, cucumber and eggplants (during the day). Also I can get the leeks into the garden along with some sage and Thai basil tomorrow. I haven't really hardened my herb or flower plants before setting out (crossing my fingers they'll be okay).

The cilantro in the garden that got pulled out by that storm has recovered and true leaves are forming (they actually look like a regular cilantro leaf).

Herbs, Onions and Flowers

Today I planted parsley, sage, dill, chamomile, thai basil, leeks, scallions, and marigolds using yogurt, ricotta cheese and solo cups and egg cartons. I don't think these will work as well as the plastic egg cartons but we shall see.