Nine Months
Posted: 11/15/2009 1:22 PM
Here's our Oasis Garden, nine months after we first planted it.
We've now harvested over 181 pounds of vegetables. The top five producers in our garden have been tomatoes, zucchini, lettuce, eggplant and cucumbers.
The eggplant, which is on the right side of the garden, is huge- like a small tree. Even though it's mid-November, there are still more eggplant on the way. In fact, we've harvested nearly 14 pounds of it over the last 3 months. I must confess--we're getting tired of eggplant. I picked some the other day, sliced it, broiled it, and froze it. I'm sure it will seem like a special treat when I defrost it in a few months to make some eggplant parmesan. Soon, I'll pull the plant to make room for some lettuce.
Over on the left side of the garden, the broccoli and cauliflower are also becoming very large.
Right in the center of the brocoli plant, the first head of broccoli is starting to form. It should be ready to harvest in a few weeks. Whether it's raw or cooked, nothing beats home-grown broccoli!
Due to the cool nights, the crookneck squash is just about done. Next year I'll plant it earlier. Even though we didn't get as many squash as I would have liked, I did find a wonderful recipe for it: Sauteed Summer Squash With Rosemary and Garlic (www.cdkitchen.com). I'll definitely want to make that one again next year. I used bell peppers and Roma tomatoes to make a delicious Jambalaya dish (www.allrecipes.com). I also used some cherry tomatoes and basil for a tasty pasta dish called Jane's Pasta with Pesto and Cherry Tomatoes (www.culinate.com).
When I post new pictures next month, the garden will look completely different. All the summer veggies will be gone and the garden will be full of fall and winter items. I'm ready for the transformation and am looking forward to trying some new recipes.