Another failure in the garden - Leeks

This year I tried to plant leeks for the first time. They are usually very long to grow but for some reason they really did not grew well at all. Maybe it's the hot dry summer that stunted them. I'll try to plant another batch for winter garden and see if they'll do better in the hoop house.

At any rate, all these will be used - all 3 lbs of them. They'll get chopped and frozen for winter soups and stews. I'll keep green parts for making stock as well.

September 23 harvest

Another small weekend harvest - tomatoes, peppers, beans, corn, eggplants, melons, kale, parsley, red cabbage and a handful of first brussels sprouts.

First corn

I took few minutes after work to pick couple of things from the garden, and one of them was first few ears of corn. Wasn't sure if it would form at all since it was planted very late - in mid July, but looks like they formed. Not good pollination and ears are tiny but it's fresh and it's home grown. And since I'm not a big eater it's actually perfect size for me.  Also picked couple of small cantaloupes, handful of beans for dinner, one tiny sunflower that birds have been attacking non-stop, pitiful first fall radish and a handful of tomatoes.

there were some herbs that I needed for cooking so I sniped few lemon thyme twigs, rosemary, parsley, regular sage and pineapple sage.

Harvest Sep 15

Another week another small harvest - tomatoes, sweet & hot peppers, kale, beans and last butternut squash.

Maitake season starts now!

Happy Hunting to those who like picking mushrooms! Old oaks - preferably decaying black oaks are your target areas.

 

Future pantry shelves

Yes we have a pantry and no, these jars are not just sitting on the kitchen counter for nothing - I'm working with my hubby on building a new shelving unit that will house allot more than my little pantry can hold at this time - currently it's stuffed and I'm out of space. And once they're build and we figure out how to keep shelving dark so the canned goods don't go bad from sunlight, then all these jars will be moved once again. I just have to label them all :)

 At any rate this is where all those many pounds of tomatoes went - sauces, salsa, chili, meat sauce plus added quite a few more jams and jellies - strawberry, plum, peach & nectarine butter, blackberry, pineapple & habanero infusion, rose jelly and tomorrow will add pear jam. 

In addition to canning for winter, we've been grilling fresh veggies as well. Last weekend we cut one of the smaller butternut squashes and grilled it, added it to the meal with slow-smoked pork tenderloin. And we baked few of the Yukons as a side too - made it for a very yummy meal.

Funny melon

Just for laughs today - green zebra tomato bigger than a watermelon. And yes, that melon was fully ripe - one perfect bite :)