Harvest Monday: September 17, 2012

Each Monday, Daphne’s Dandelions hosts “Harvest Monday” where everyone can share links to their harvest for the week. It’s fun to see what everyone is harvesting from his or her gardens in different areas.

I am amazed at how quickly the seasons have changed this year from summer to fall. We held on to warm temperatures into early September as remnants of a hurricane and a tropical storm brought some humid weather and rain. Since then the temperatures have been lowering rapidly and are much more fall-like.

The nights are getting colder and some parts of Maine are beginning to experience frost. I harvested most of the larger peppers this week:

Quadrato Rosso D'Asti Sweet Peppers

Marconi Rosso Sweet Peppers

Chile de árbol

Anaheim Peppers

Some of the larger bell peppers were reserved to make stuffed peppers this week and some went into another batch of canned Zesty salsa. However, most were sliced into strips and frozen. The strips are easy to use for fajitas and can be chopped down further for other recipes.

Still producing are pole beans, New Zealand spinach, peppers, herbs, leeks, bunching onions, and a few tomatoes still ripening on the vines. Many tomatoes are still ripening on the kitchen counter and a sink full is ready to be processed today into a batch of salsa. Some bush beans that escaped deer damage have produced some dried pods for next year's seed.

The garden has been neglected lately and it shows. Between hot temperatures, preserving the harvest, and graphic design projects there hasn't been time. The majority of the garden is begging to be cleaned up and the grass paths between the beds are in need of trimming. Hopefully I will be able to do some much-needed cleanup this week.

I still need to decide where to plant the garlic and the potatoes are in need of digging. The grapes are in need of harvesting. Although yield will be lower than last year, there should still be enough for some grape jelly.

I did start some fall crops in a 4x4 raised bed. Growing under protection is some kale, kolabri, spinach, carrots, and pak choi. I sprinkled some lettuce seed in this bed, but none germinated. I don't look under the floating row cover much, but the last time I did most of these crops are growing but are showing slug damage. I will take a look again this week.

Be sure to visit Daphne's Dandelions to see what others are harvesting this week.