Here’s a Harvest Monday update from Eight Gate Farm. The past week began with a “heat wave,” which ended with a strong downpour, then the temperatures moderated for the rest of the week. Overall, this had a positive effect on growth and harvests.
For “first harvests” of the season, we got several cuttings
of salad greens. I grow two different mixes, both from Baker Creek Heirloom
Seeds. One is called “European Mesclun Mix,” and looks to consist mostly of
brassicas. The other is “Rocky Top Mix,” which looks like mostly loose-leaf
lettuces. They both get thrown together in our salads. It is very nice to not
have to buy salad from the store.
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| Salad mix |
We also got several cuttings of turnip greens. These will go into our morning smoothies. The variety is called “Shogoin,” which produces white roots, but we are mainly going to harvest the greens.
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| Turnip greens |
We also got the first cuttings of garlic scapes. This “byproduct” of hardneck garlic growing has many culinary uses. We had some briefly cooked on the charcoal grill, and they were delicious.
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| Garlic scapes |
For continuing harvests, we took the last of the “Asian Delight” bok choy, now starting to bolt. I love dishes prepared with Asian greens.
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| Asian Delight |
Also, several more “Brisk Green” bok choy.
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| Brisk Green |
We had company over for dinner, and The Kitchen Goddess picked flowers from our garden to make a fragrant centerpiece. This came out really pretty, I thought. There are roses, peonies, and yellow and white yarrow. I like everything about peonies except their short blooming period.
That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading, and thanks once again to Dave at HappyAcres.blog for continuing to host Harvest Monday.
I do miss garlic scapes, they are indeed a valuable by-product of growing garlic. I love peonies too. My parents had several bushes in the yard when I was growing up. They don't last long, but they are beautiful when they bloom. It looks like you have some lovely ones planted!
ReplyDeleteFunny thing is, the peony was a gift from my MIL, who could not get it to bloom in her yard.
DeleteOh peonies! One of the things I miss most about living in New England. Your wife made a lovely bouquet. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sue. Peonies don't grow in San Diego? I think I remember seeing them in Santa Barbara when I lived there.
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