The harvest moon has come and gone, the leaves are showing off their technicolor transformation, the sun is sleeping in and going to bed early, and I find myself, without a struggle, slipping into a new season of ingredients. As we hike through Fall, I thought it might be nice to conclude our prime growing season with a sort of annual report from the Evins Mill Garden.
There are still a few odds and ends basking in the warm days and cooler nights, but for the most part, the harvest is in. I would probably not be writing a report on the garden had we not been very successful, but it just so happens we had our best year to date.
Results like this year can trick you into thinking you have a clue about gardening, but I think the recipe was something more like a pound of great weather, with a dash of hard work, a tablespoon of planning, and powers greater than myself mixing it all together. Below is a list of the bounty and what types of menu items each ended up in.
There are still a few odds and ends basking in the warm days and cooler nights, but for the most part, the harvest is in. I would probably not be writing a report on the garden had we not been very successful, but it just so happens we had our best year to date.
Results like this year can trick you into thinking you have a clue about gardening, but I think the recipe was something more like a pound of great weather, with a dash of hard work, a tablespoon of planning, and powers greater than myself mixing it all together. Below is a list of the bounty and what types of menu items each ended up in.
- salad greens...22 gallons, lunch and dinner salads
- snow peas...15 pints, dinner side, lunch salads
- cucumbers...150 pounds! several varieties of pickles for all winter long!
- green onion...16 bunches, salads, dressings and garnishes
- green tomatoes...39 pounds, fried green tomatoes
- ripe tomatoes...133 pounds, salads, sandwiches
- cherry/grape tomatoes...37 pints, salads, side salads
- beans...34 pounds, dinner side, cold side salads
- summer squash/zucchini...80 pounds, dinner sides, ratatouille, soups
- bell peppers...80 each, omelets, salads, soups, garnish
- blackberries...9 quarts, cobblers
- potatoes...80 pounds, breakfast, lunch and dinner!
- butternut squash...20 pounds, butternut squash bisque
- watermelons...15, breakfast fruit platters
- acorn squash...12 each, vegetarian dish
- muscadines...several quarts, garnish for muscadine sorbet, cheese boards
- apples...50 pounds, cobblers
- pears...50 pounds, cobblers, cheese boards
- okra...10 pounds, dinner side, soups
We do still have fall salad greens coming in as well as mustard and turnip greens, and hopefully some of the turnip roots too. The cucumbers certainly jump out as the biggest producer; that was all off of 12 plants. They really did not look promising at first, but any free time we had in the kitchen this summer was making several varieties of delicious pickles. It is quite comical how much room they are taking up in our cooler.
I hope all of this produce was enjoyed being eaten as much as I enjoyed growing and preparing it. Time to start planning for next year!
I hope all of this produce was enjoyed being eaten as much as I enjoyed growing and preparing it. Time to start planning for next year!
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