I'm Still Alive! - First Harvest of the Year

Yes, I'll confirm that I'm still alive! At the moment, we're slowly getting settled into our now home/community. I will admit that I've been feeling a bit sad these past few days. It was harder to say goodbye to our half-acre home than I would have expected. I'll be staying there a couple of nights a week (when I'm in Boston for work) until we're able to sell it, but deep down inside, I know it just won't be same as living there. In fact, I'm sure it'll be down right depressing since most of our furniture has now been moved out.


Before we left, I remembered to harvest some tatsoi to take with us. The outer few leaves were a bit hole-y but most of the rosette was fine. Some of it went to a stir-fried noodle dish I made last night. It was a tasty reminder of the old garden. I'm gonna try to harvest the rest of it when I'm in town again.


I also picked some kale, which I'll probably freeze and use within a soup during one of these particularly brutal Vermont winter days.

The December Garden

I noticed the other day how well my Imperial Star Artichokes were still doing, which is in stark contrast to how they looked this time last year. Maybe this has something to do with the fact that I'd side-dressed the plants with compost and organic fertilizer in August after they'd stopped producing.

Temperatures are expected to dip down to 26 degree F later in the weeks so I have a feeling they will fade fast soon after. In any case, I'm hopeful that they will overwinter in the garden this year. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.


Even if they don't overwinter successfully, it's definitely worthwhile to grow artichokes as annuals in our climate. I got an especially good crop of artichokes from my seven plants this year. Aside from the tasty flower buds, the plant's leaves are very decorative in my opinion and would add a lot of eye candy to any garden.


My Rhubarb Chard is hanging in there. The leaves have turned a deep burgundy color. Too bad I'm not a fan of this vegetable.


Even though they don't produce florets in their first year, my purple sprouting broccoli plants seem hardier than my fall broccoli. I'll cover them with fabric grow cover and see if they come back next spring. I have no idea whether or not they'll overwinter successfully in our Zone 6 climate.


Finally, the kale still looks virtually unfazed by the cold weather. You can tell that the nighttime temperatures are approaching freezing when the Red Russian kale takes on a purplish hue.

End of November Harvest

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! In many ways, I consider it be as close as you can to a farmer's holiday, which is probably why it's my favorite.

I've been amazed by how mild the weather has been lately. And according to the forecast, it should stay this way for at least the next 10 days. Things tend to deteriorate fast when nighttime lows reach down into the mid-20's. Thankfully, we haven't experienced that yet. Today I harvested more Tatsoi from the garden. Tatsoi is an extremely hardy Asian green, which is why it's usually one of the last things to be harvested from the garden this time of year. I had these growing under fabric row cover and was glad to see that they had formed into beautiful rosettes. My spring sown Tatsoi tends to bolt before they get this big but there's no risk of that this time of year.


I also picked some kale to go into the annual turkey noodle soup, made of course from the carcass of this year's bird. That might sound rather unappetizing to my vegetarian friends out there but I look forward to it every year. If anything, it's a great lesson on frugality.


This year's soup turned out REALLY good. I used carrots, celery, leeks, kale, poblano peppers and herbs from the garden. It's a bit late but for anyone interested, you can read more about how I prepare mine here. The veggies always change but the rest remains the same.

The Season For Kale

Ok, I officially take back what I said about kale. While it's definitely not one of my favorite vegetables, I can honestly say that I'm starting to develop a taste for it, especially since we've had several hard frosts now and the fall veggies are fading fast. Our kale will probably be the last thing to bite the dust this winter.

Above is a Portuguese kale, the seeds of which were kindly given to me by Michelle. (Thanks again, Michelle!) I wonder if it will taste much like Red Russian.


My spring sown Tuscan kale last year grew like gangbusters and was virtually ignored all summer long, which is why I decided to grow it as a fall crop this year. Well things didn't really pan out all too well. Out of the four varieties I plants, this one did the least well. Tuscan kale is not as winter hardy as other varieties so I doubt that we'll get much of a harvest.


This more traditional-looking variety is 'Vates'. (Thanks again Dan for the seeds!) I have a feeling that it will fair the best this winter. The love the crinkly leaves on this variety.


Finally, the mice seem to be ignoring my Red Russian kale so far this year. That will probably change as the seasons progress. I've grown Red Russian for the past two winters as it has proven to be extremely resilient if given some protection in the form of plastic or fabric row cover. I may not cover it at all this year just to see how much it can take. The most recent batch I harvested was really good in an Italian Wedding soup that I made last week. I can see how this variety is a favorite of many gardeners.

Will you be harvesting kale this winter?

Late October Harvest

It's strange how suddenly the weather can change around here. Last week was really the first week where our nighttime lows reached down into the 40's. This week, we're expected to get at least a couple of nights in the mid to high 30's. I have a feeling that our first fall frost is just around the corner. Thankfully, all of our fall veggies can tolerate a bit of frost. Last night, I placed some fabric row cover over our citrus trees and will bring them inside for the winter in the next week or two depending on the weather forecast.

Even though we're trying to clear out what's left in the fridge, I did harvest a few things this week. We still have plenty of leeks in the garden. I'll cover them with some fabric in November and then plastic in December. As long as the soil isn't frozen solid during the day, we should be able to get to them.


Our broccoli is producing lots of side shoots, which will slow down as fall progresses. And this may very well be the last of our fall cauliflower. My remaining two plants don't seem to be heading up.


Finally, we just finished off the frozen spinach from last spring so I decided to start picking some of our fall Red Russian kale. We'll use some of it fresh and the rest we'll freeze. Admittedly, we're not huge fans of kale, especially when it's cooked by itself. But we do enjoy it in a vegetable soup or cooked with other veggies. At the beginning of this year, I debated whether or not to grow kale or Swiss chard (both low of our list of favorite veggies). However, they are such good producers that I ended up talking myself into at least a couple of plants. Next year, chard will definitely get the axe.

Last Harvest of April

We're finally starting to get a good amount of greens from the garden now that the weather is heating up. I harvested the first of the Shanghai bok choy this week along with the first asparagus spears. All of my Asian greens are sizing up nicely and should provide for many meals in the coming weeks. The slugs have kept away for the most part (Sluggo has worked awesome so far) and I will start applying Dipel dust once a week now that the white butterflies are out.

I've also been surprised by how quickly the Asparagus spears are growing. They put on at least 4-6 inches of growth per day. If I forget to check on them, chances are there will be one or two that have grown too long and tough to eat. I'm looking forward to the crowns being even more productive next year and being able to harvest for a longer period of time.


So I read a really interesting post about "mock broccoli" the other day and decided to clip a few flowering buds from my Red Russian kale to sample. (I have to thank one of my local MA readers for pointing this one out to me!) In it's raw state, the buds tasted pleasantly sweet and surprisingly a lot like broccoli. I decided to harvest all of them, which I then sauteed very quickly with a bit of butter for dinner. The results??? All I can say is "WOW!" It was like eating broccoli raab without any of the bitterness. The buds, stems and young leaves were sweet and very tender (unlike the stems and leaves on most mature kale).

The best part about harvesting the main flowering bud was that a couple days later, I went out into the garden and there were tons of side shoots. Who knew that overwintered Red Russian kale would offer this added bonus? Not me. Now I feel really silly about not harvesting my flowering kale before.


Sadly, I did have to dig up all of my kale plants today in order to make room for my potatoes. However, I did manage to pick a good amount of leaves to freeze and also gave a ton to my next-door neighbor.


Finally - the claytonia is still hanging in there. Even at this flowering stage, the leaves are delicious.

As a side note -I kind of regret deciding not to weigh my harvests this year as I'm sure the heavier numbers will slowly begin to roll in as the season progresses. Oh well. I might just weigh a select few crops this year like cukes, corn, tomatoes, zucchini, melons, peppers and potatoes. That way, I can at least have some figures to archive without feeling obligated to whip out the scale every time I pick something from the garden.

April Harvest Update and the Emergence of Asparagus

This weekend, I harvested a good amount of greens for an Easter dinner party we attended on Sunday. I picked a bunch of claytonia and added some mizuna, spinach and baby lettuce to the mix. Thankfully, it was a hit!


The Red Russian kale has started to flower. I've been trying to harvest as much as I could, but to be honest, after a long winter I'm looking forward to pulling them up and planting something different. Does anyone know whether kale buds are edible?


I've been harvesting some of our overwintered scallions as well. The remainder of these will have to be pulled, chopped up and frozen as they are showing signs of bolting already.


Finally, our Jersey Supreme asparagus are starting to emerge from the ground. It's nice to see a sight like this, especially on this Easter - a holiday traditionally observed by pagans to celebrate this time of rebirth and fertility.


I planted these asparagus crowns last spring and they eventually grew into healthy plants last year. There is some debate on whether you should begin harvesting the tender shoots in the 2nd or 3rd year, but according to Ohio State University:

The year after planting, asparagus can be harvested several times throughout a three-week period, depending on air temperatures. Research shows there is no need to wait two years after planting before harvesting. In fact, harvesting the year after planting will stimulate more bud production on the crown and provide greater yields in future years, as compared with waiting two years before harvesting.

Sounds good to me! In fact, the spears that are emerging now are of good size so I am looking forward to seeing them on our dinner plate soon.

Over-Wintered Kale

Not much growing in the garden right now, except for maybe the kale. This week is the first time in months that the nightly low hasn't reached below 31 degrees in our area. Some of my early transplants suffered major frost damage when it got down to 25 degrees last week but I think they'll recover. I guess I'll start some more now just to be on the safe side.

Some random tidbits - Inside, the peppers and tomatoes have sprouted and the artichokes are ready for cold treatment (they'll be kept outside unless it gets below 35 degrees). I've just done a second sowing of Poblano peppers - something we didn't grow nearly enough last summer. Also, I'll have to fit in some time during the next couple of days to sow some shell and snow peas. (Finally.) I feel like they were already up and growing this time last year.


Anyway, I was able to harvest some Red Russian kale this past weekend. Something tells me these plants won't last very long as they were the first to bolt last spring.

Beware: Messy Hoop House Tour

It's been a while since I've given an update on the hoop house. Some of you may have been wondering whether or not it was still standing. I'm glad to say that it has in fact endured the terrible winter and the 90+ inches of snow that fell. One of the arches has stuck deeper into the ground and now dips lower than the rest but I'm sure I'll be able to correct that later this summer. As far as my short term plans for the hoop house are concerned, I hope to transplant all of my spring greens into it this weekend. By May, I will probably remove the cheap plastic covering and replace it this fall with the more durable and transparent professional greenhouse plastic that I purchased last November. Hopefully the professional stuff will work out even better next winter.

Anyway, here's a mini-tour of my messy hoop house:


It's not very pretty is it? I need to lay down a fresh layer of straw and clear out several of the beds. If you look closely, you can see that my spinach bed (front right) has been ravaged by voles.


The voles haven't done too much damage to this particular bed. The mizuna has come back to life and the lettuces are beginning to grow again.


The claytonia has changed dramatically since I last saw it. The leaves have become much more succulent and there seems to be enough for several salads. I wonder when it will produce it's characteristic heart-shaped leaves with a flower protruding from the center.


The Red Russian kale has made it through the winter without any problem as expected. The voles haves stripped many of the leaves, leaving the purple stems behind to rot on the ground.


I was also glad to see my friend Mr. Pippin again. Here he is among the kale trees.


Here's another bed of lettuce and mache. If you look closely, you can see some half eaten leaves on the right. (Those darn voles!) Eventually, the greens will be cleared out and I will grow all of my perennial herbs here.


Now that the weather has warmed up a bit, I'm sure the sage will rebound quickly. Thyme (left) has to be one of the hardiest herbs there is. By the looks of it, a dramatic haircut is in order.

Tuscan (Lacinato, Dinasaur) kale is less cold hardy than other varieties but this one appears to have made it through the winter. Interestingly, it's starting to branch out. It's unfortunate that I have to rip it out now.


Out with the old and in with the new. Spring cleaning, gardener-style.

First Harvest of 2011

It felt good to kick off 2011 with a fairly decent winter harvest (by New England standards of course). Today I picked a good amount of mache (aka corn salad), which we prepared lightly dressed with a simple vinaigrette for dinner. If you've never grown or tasted mache, I'd highly recommend it. This hardy winter green is very delicious and simple to start from seed. The leaves are mild and have a slightly floral flavor reminiscent of rose petals.


I also harvested a bit of spinach, which has proven to be very disappointing this winter. I haven't been able to harvest nearly as much as I did last year. The plants seem completely unfazed by the cold but are not growing at all (probably because I've been too lazy to cover the bed with some fabric row cover). Plus the voles have been taking much more than their fair share.


Speaking of voles, they are having a field day with my Red Russian kale right now, toppling whole plants and scattering stripped stems everywhere. They've already done away with my winter carrots and Swiss chard. I never thought in a million years that they would become such a problem this time of year. Building one of those industrial-sized 5 gallon bucket mice traps is definitely on the top of my list of things to do this spring. Anyway, I harvested as much kale as I could (no sense in leaving it for the little bastards) and some thyme to store in the fridge.

On a side note - I love the look of Red Russian this time of year. The leaves are so beautifully tinged with shades of purple.


And yes, more Meyer lemons. I'm sure you're all sick of seeing them in my harvest posts but considering the climate we live in, every single one is so very precious to me.

Finally, I've decided to forgo weighing my homegrown produce this year. I'm glad I did it last year but after a while, the effort began to feel tedious. I'll still post about my weekly picks and envy your harvest totals though!

A Cold Mid-December Harvest

Winter is getting an early start here in New England, at least compared to last year. We were lucky that it got into the high 40's today, despite the fact that it rained all day. The soil thawed enough for me to go out and dig up the remainder of my leeks. These are the leeks that I transplanted out in August. I'm really impressed by how big they've gotten. I will chop and freeze most of it for later use.

Also, I harvested a good amount of Tuscan kale that had been left unprotected in the garden. The haul would have been a lot more if I had picked it before the temperatures reached down into the teens last week.


I also harvested some bok choy in the form of micro-greens. They were great in a Pho soup that I prepared for dinner tonight. I placed them in a bowl with some rice noodles and poured the hot soup broth on top, which scalds them just enough to render them cooked. Delicious!


Admittedly, I had started the extra-dwarf white-stemmed bok choy a few weeks ago with the intention of transplanting them into the hoop house. But with the present conditions being what they are, I don't think that they would have fared too well. Since it only took them about four weeks to reach this size, I think I'll continue to raise some micro Asian greens for the remainder of this winter. Having one grow light in operation doesn't seem to have a noticeable impact on our electricity bill and it will be nice to have some fresh greens in the dead of January.

This week's numbers:

Bok Choy micro greens - 0.30 lb
Leeks - 1.92 lb
Tuscan kale - 1.44 lb

Total this week - 3.66 lb
Total so far this year - 687.46 lb

Signs of the Time

I thought I'd just share some random photos from the garden:


I noticed the other day that one of my leeks had sent up a flower stalk. It's pretty enough to be in a vase if you ask me.


I'm trying to find new ways to prepare kale. The garden is overflowing with it right now. I wonder how my people you could possibly feed by planting an acre of kale. It has been a very reliable crop for me and unlike most greens, the leaves stay lush and healthy for a very long time when left unpicked. If there was ever worldwide food crisis, this is what I'd grow.


Radishes are another reliable crop for me. I love the fact that you can plant and harvest them in as little as 28 days. I've also learned that what they lack in popularity they more than make up for in nutritional value.

Finally, the French lavender cutting that Winnie sent me earlier this year has grown into a wonderful healthy plant. The scent is amazing and flows throughout the garden. It's become one of my favorite things.