Ten Months
Posted: 12/14/2009 12:32 AM
It's now been 10 months since we first started our Oasis Garden. The summer veggies are almost all gone and the garden is filling up with winter plants.
In the past 10 months, we've harvested 205 pounds of vegetables. Last month alone, we harvested over 24 pounds--our fourth largest harvest so far.
Even though it's mid-December, we still have cherry tomatoes--lots of them! The leaves of the plant are starting to turn brown, but the tomatoes keep coming and they are still so flavorful!
All the other summer veggies are gone. In the past month, I pulled out the last of the eggplant, peppers, squash, Roma tomatoes, bok choy and basil. In their place, I planted peas, cilantro, radish, parsnip, scallions, spinach and lettuce. I started all the new vegetables from seed, so the garden has a few spots that look empty at the moment. I planted the peas against the trellis, so hopefully, they will soon fill up the space where the Roma tomatoes used to be.
I picked the first head of broccoli last week by cutting off the crown at its base. It was so delicious! Soon, side shoots will form (little broccoli heads) and we'll have a second harvest. It's always a bit tricky knowing when to pick the broccoli. I like to allow the head to become as large as possible. But, if you wait too long, the head will turn into a bunch of yellow flowers. I think our timing was just about right for this broccoli crown.
Soon, the purple cauliflower will be ready.
We're also growing white cauliflower, but it's maturing more slowly. I've never tasted purple cauliflower. I wonder if it will taste any different than the white kind?
Here are a few recipes I made within the past month. For Thanksgiving, I served Creamed Swiss Chard (www.ebfarm.com) and Spinach, Arugula, Cranberry and Walnut Salad (www.lifeambrosia.com). Last week, I used some Roma tomatoes to make Chicken Sausage Lasagna (www.tastebook.com). All three dishes were very good and came from websites I just recently discovered. I love it when I stumble upon a new website with great recipes to try.
I'll put up another post in January. Until then, Happy Gardening and Happy Holidays!