Welcome to another Harvest Monday update from Eight Gate Farm! Today marks the start of what passes for a heat wave in our region, temperatures above 90 degrees F. for at least three days. Most other parts of the country would find that laughingly cool, but not us! I will make sure to do all my gardening chores in the very early morning to avoid becoming overheated.
Leading off with the “first harvests” of the year, we got a
nice picking of snow peas. This variety, Avalanche, has short vines that produce
a lot of tendrils. These are edible, but so far I have not sampled them. I just
like pea pods!
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| Avalanche snow peas |
I cut the first iceberg lettuce. I’ve written before that I don’t know why iceberg gets a bad rap. Personally, I love its crispness and juiciness.
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| Iceberg lettuce |
We enjoyed it the same day as a Wedge Salad, with bacon and bleu cheese crumbles. The tomatoes came from the market, of course, but they are surprisingly tasty for store-bought ones. It was served with a hoppy, gluten-free beer; very pleasant on a hot summer day.
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| Wedge Salad for lunch |
I cut the first head of broccoli. This variety, “Blue Wind,” is always the reliable, first-producing one for us.
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| Blue Wind broccoli |
For continuing harvests, we picked snap peas several times this week.
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| Super Sugar Snap pea pods |
And more spring onions. I’ve stated in the past that I just don’t seem to be able to grow large onions, and this extends to the scallion/green onion/spring onion varieties. No matter, we enjoy what we get.
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| Nabechan green onions |
The turnips were all bolting, so I pulled them out. They produced useless roots, but a large quantity of greens, so I’m satisfied. They filled 4 gallon-size storage bags. I immediately replanted more seeds. I’m not sure how they’ll do in summer, but no harm trying.
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| Shogoin turnip greens |
The Kitchen Goddess made a delicious chicken stir-fry using the broccoli, snow peas, and green onions. It was all I could do to not take a second helping!
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| Chicken stir-fry |
Lastly, in Wildlife Notes, I was watering our peach tree when I spied this Common Snapping Turtle. I’m not sure what this aquatic species was doing here. We are several hundred meters from any permanent water, and while they do roam in search of sandy soil to build nests, this guy looks to be way too small to be breeding. Adults get scary big, and are fierce out of water. I let it be regardless.
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| Snapping turtle |
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'm not laughing at 90F temps. It really doesn't sound like June weather in your area! The stir fry looks yummy, and I would have wanted seconds too. I grow turnip greens here for fall, planted about a month from now.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I should have waited to replant the turnips. I guess I'll find out!
DeleteI was thinking your timing was about right, since I'm thinking your first frost date is a few weeks before ours.
DeleteStir-fry with garden veggies is the best! Looks like summer has come your way. What a lovely head of broccoli. Having a reliable variety to grow is important.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sue. Several more broccoli heads to cut this week I think.
Delete