Seasonal Denial

I've been trying to make the transition into fall; putting my summer garden to rest. These last few days of rainy forecasts trumped by warm sun aren't helping.

I popped the last round of ripe Sun Golds into my mouth as though they would give me the courage to start yanking out plants. But look at all the green tomatoes that may easily turn yellow with a couple more days of this weather! I couldn't do it.

Really these are going to ripen...

 

The Shishito peppers, packed with flowers, made it difficult as well. The sun was warm on my back; certainly a few more warm days will help bring on another round, right? But then I caught a slight scent in the air finally convincing me this won't last. I collected another bowl to be wok fried as I plucked the plants from the garden.

 

 

All those white flowers made it tough!

 

The peppers I collected were significantly larger than the ones from earlier this summer. I saw some for sale at the Friday Harbor farmers' market a couple of weeks ago. I was a little envious since theirs were much bigger than the ones we had. And $8 a pound! I'll have to say they are spicy and loose that distinct, concentrated "green" flavor compared to the smaller, younger fruits. Plus, the larger they are, the longer they take to cook. And when it comes to snacking on these, you want them to be done quick!

 

 

Wok-a! Wok-a!

 

I needed little convincing with pulling out the basil though. Once the nights get below 50 degrees, basil slimes out pretty quickly. One last round of pesto. I brought the plants into the kitchen to pull the leaves off. As I took the left over plants out to the compost, my son asked why I was throwing the plants away. I explained basil is an annual and grows in the summer. I told him once it gets cold, the basil will die so it's time for them to go into the compost. A kid who likes to save EVERYTHING he didn't argue with me for once.

 

So long, farewell...

 

I've checked the forecast (NOAA is pretty accurate) and it's supposed to dip to 47 on Wed night. Perfect weather for turning my Sun Golds to mush for sure. In the meantime, I'll keep up my seasonal denial.



Explosion!

Wow! The weather cooperated and everything has doubled in size overnight. The number of blooms on the tomato plants promises a great harvest. My pepper plants are covered in mini bells.

This is the first year I have grown shungiku, the edible chrysanthemum. While I really like the blooms, the rest of the plant looks ratty. I think the trick is to keep harvesting the stems and blooms. One plant gets afternoon shade and stays more compact. It looks less weedy than the plants that are in full sun all day. Other than that, the sunny flowers are an inch in diameter and most have creamy yellow tips on the ray flowers and a golden orange center. I have some that are completely orange. My guess is that they must cross with other daisy-like flowers lending itself to the variation.

I'm still unsure how to use the shungiku in my cooking. I'm making a curry tonight. Maybe I'll slip in a few leaves and see how it turns out. Any suggestions you may have would be great!

My Italian sage has filled out its pot. I made muffins last week with blueberry and sage. The recipe I used called for too much sage. They tasted soapy like when you use too much lavender in a recipe. A little goes a long way. It could be the leaves I picked were too old, or I waited too long to use them. Next time I'll try using just one tablespoon and the younger leaves from the plant. Try adding it to your next batch of blueberry muffins or even pancakes. If you harvest them way in advance before adding them to the mix, place them in a little vase to keep them fresh.



The radishes got away from me this year. I tried the French Breakfast type which are beautiful for showing them off in an hors d’oeuvres tray. A friend of mine whipped sweet cream butter, sea salt, and herbs; transfered the mixture into a pastry bag and pipped it onto havled radishes. Voila! Fancy yet so easy. Make sure to trim off the ends with a knife so your radishes don't run away from you. I suggest using the 'Pistou' basil since it requires minimum chopping.

And speaking of 'Pistou' basil--it is such a cute addition to my garden this year. I'd actually like to call it "Boxwood Basil" since they look like miniature boxwood. They're much tastier. Line these cuties up along the edge of your raised beds to give a finished look to your veggie plot. Don't worry, it won't look too formal.


I caught a bumblebee sleeping on one of my plants the other day.

I better get back to the mayhem in my garden. I'm crossing my fingers so that everyone will have red tomatoes this year!