Postcard From the Garden
Early September harvest.
Two weeks later: cucumbers have succumbed to squash bugs and the drought, but green beans and wax beans are now harvestable: Yeah! As you may recall, summer beans were devastated by Mexican bean beetles. Peppers are ripening – although there is no question that the drought has been hard on the plants. Lima were a failure, summer squash – not quite a failure – but not far. Certainly no zucchini glut this year. Swiss chard was very disappointing (isn’t they supposed to be a fool-proof crop?). But the raspberries, oh! the raspberries…
Let me tell you about the raspberries. They like the cooler temperatures, they need to be picked every day (underripe today, perfect tomorrow, overripe the day after), they respond well to a big drink of water… and they are soooo good. My nano-CSA clients get a pint in their basket every week, we are eating them with yogurt, by themselves, with other fruit, and I am freezing them by the bagful. I was able to make jams but unfortunately have no time whatsoever to bake. This is both harvest time, putting up time and working on the fall and winter garden. And the catering business is picking up for the fall. No time, I tell you….
Looks wonderful, Sylvie. Unlike last year, we had no problems with cucumber beetles. We planted much later. But we didn’t get many tomatoes at all this year. Very mysterious. And the ones we got were mostly eaten by a family of field mice, along with the eggplant and green pepper. But we had huge amounts of green beans and okra. I nominate both of them as D.C.-area vegetable champs. They never fail us.
cette table a l’air tres gourmande.domage qu’on est pas les odeurs. Les deux legumes un peu couleurs chair, c’est quoi comme especes?
You have some very fortunate CSA clients…what a fine selection of homegrown produce.
Isn’t it kind of Ma Nature to bring us raspberries just as the great crops of summer–tomatoes, sweet corn–are winding down? Sort of a consolation prize as autumn comes in–though for myself, I don’t require consoling, I love this time of year.
Beautiful postcard, Sylvie. Enjoy the harvest, and a happy autumn to you~ Brett
c’est beau tous ces fruits, tu devrais mettre en fond d’écran sur ton ordinateur.