Harvesting On

DSCN2074The garden is in full swing. Even with 5 plants we’re getting more tomatoes than we can eat. So far we are eating all the Cherokee Purple heirloom ones and many of the cherries. The ‘eh’ hybrids are going into the freezer to join the bushel of canners we’ll need to buy to make salsa.

DSCN2077Every day I slice yesterday’s remaining cherry tomatoes in half and put them in the dehydrator to make room for today’s. The resulting chips are delicious in soups and stews, and any kind of stock. Extra yellow squash gets the same treatment.

The onions and shallots are dying back, just about ready to harvest. The leeks are big enough to eat, but still growing, so they stay where they are. Despite a few attempting to go to seed and refusing to bulb up, this is the most successful allium crop we’ve ever had. Of course Minx liked onions very much and preferentially grazed them whenever she broke into the garden. That is at least as relevant as the Missouri weather.

The sweet potatoes are a jungle and the carrots are happy. I’ve got five half gallon jars of pickles fermenting: When they reach the flavor I like, I water bath can them and put them on the shelf. I lose much of the ‘living food’ benefit, but now they keep indefinitely. The only disappointment is the okra. There are 4 plants out there that have yet to bloom, so I’ve only got two half pint jars pickled.

Sauteed Chanterelles I can’t leave out the mushrooms. We’re working on our second quart of dried bolete caps, and there’ a freezer bag of stems and cosmetic rejects filling up for stock. Not only are there 10 jars of canned chanterelles, but I’ve frozen then, both sauteed and as a paste with shallots.

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