Just into September and the weather is beginning to change. So some crops that struggle with the very high temperatures and bright sun of summer will now begin to grow better. Crops that thrive on heat and sun will slow down.
Perhaps now is a good moment to review the successes are failures in 2012.
Tomatoes have produced a huge crop and this year I have been better at using them and preserving them. My store cupboard is full of tomato sugo, readyto use throughout the winter months to come. We’ve eaten fresh raw tomato sauce, gazpacho, and in numerous other recipes. They are coming to an end now, a little earlier than I would have liked but I can’t complain, every plant has produced more than I could possibly expect. I have cut back most of the plants, leaving off shoots from near the base in the hope that they might provide a few more trusses. I also used some off shoots as if they were cuttings, but I fear I have done this too late. I’ll update information about this in future posts.
I’ve loved preparing delicious tomato salads from all the different varieties I’ve grown, these are all small varieties but their taste packs a real punch.
Some tomatoes are now being eaten by a caterpillar
Zucchini have not been over prolific this year but if I’m honest, we’ve had as many as I’ve needed. The yellow variety were a disappointment, my favourite variety, Romanesco, were OK.
Climbing beans were not the success I was hoping for; I am pretty sure that there wasn’t enough humidity for good germination, but I will try the purple climbing beans again because they were so delicious. Dwarf beans were more abundant and I managed a successional planting so that I have lots more to pick now, I have made another sowing outside and will also sow in the greenhouse to hopefully have green beans until December.
Barlotti beans were also very good. I harvested some fresh and some dried in the pod, and then allowed the plants to continue growing; great as I’m now harvesting again from just one early sowing (March, I think)
Cucumbers were slow, there’s been enough for when I made gazpacho but really they needed more water and not quite such hot temperatures.
Capsicums and aubergines (melanzane in Italian) have been very stunningly prolific this year. One pepper plant alone had 18 fruits on it yesterday. I’m impressed because other years I’ve started with some grafted plants which everyone says produce more fruit more quickly but they have never been as good as this year.
I should probably thin the fruits on the peppers as the plants seem hardly big enough to support them
I picked a washing up bowl full on Sunday
…and another earlier last week
I roasted some prior to making into a concentrated sauce which I froze in ice-cube trays
Others made a roasted vegetable ratatouille
Aubergines
Melanzane I use to make baba ghanoush, curry, caponata, and some I prepare as in the image above and then freeze.
Strawberries produced prodigiously early in the summer, then a little rest with just a few bowlfuls now they are producing well again, with lots to eat and some I made into purée then mixed with Prosecco for a rather nice aperitivo.
Prosecco with some ice-cubes of frozen strawberry purèe, a little sugar and ……
……Salute!
Basil, both Genovese and Thai provide all I need and enough to freeze for winter use. Although I only make pesto in summer with fresh basil, I like to eat seasonally so don’t mind not having some things at certain times of year.
Raspberries need cooler temperatures than we’ve had this year, the early crop was miniscule but the autumn crop is a little bigger so we’re eating and freezing some every few days.
Chard is looking good and will hopefully take us through the winter. I’ve already planted broccoli, pointy cabbage, red cabbage and fennel. I have ready to plant some more broccoli and some cavolo nero and another type of cabbage. I planted leeks last week. I planted quite a few because I won’t have enough onions to take me through the winter this year. Last year so many went rotten, but I did have enough to last until the new crop so perhaps I’ll plant a lot again this winter.
I’m pretty happy with the crops this year, I haven’t bought vegetables or fruit except for a couple of melons, the fox ate mine!
What are you harvesting now?
This meme is great to compare what you grow and harvest with other gardeners across the world. Especially fun to compare the garden crops in the southern hemisphere with those in the north. Go to: The Garden Blog to read more.
wow Christina so it’s not all gloom and doom, you seem to have done very well with your veggies, Frances
The vegetable garden is irrigated, every day! all the crops that like the heat have done very well, others less well, but mostly good. Christina
All your crops look delicious and I love the sound of the strawberries and prosecco. It’s been a mixed bag here but I guess every year will be, especially as the climate changes. Glad to hear things have got a little bit cooler for you.
Your vegetables look great! I was disappointed in mine this year. I had cut down a little on some things but as it was a poor year I did not have sufficient. You can never win!
I thin that sums it up “you can never win”! Christina
Such a happy post today with your lovely images of the produce from your garden.
I haven’t meant to sound negative in my other posts. As is usual there’s been good and bad. Mainly I have learnt a lot, which is never a bad thing. Christina
You haven’t been negative so much as matter-of-fact. I just meant I’m happy your produce did so well. Love tomatoes and eggplants.
All of your veggies look wonderful. I am impressed with the amount and quality of produce you have, especially your tomatoes!
Thanks Debbie. I’m pleased with the crop, especially considering the difficult season it has been weather wise. Christina
Christina, I love yellow tomatoes much of all! I hope your frozen vegs will remind you about good harvest.
I prefer to eat fresh from the garden when I can, but when there is a surplus of such lovely produce I do store some. What’s growing in your garden now? Christina
Christina, some veges (carrots, zucchini, beet) are still ripening. We’ll have a lot of apples this year.
I often have much more luck with dwarf beans than with their taller cousins. I am so envious of your pepper harvest, they cost a fortune here, and don’t taste that good raw, either. Mind you, now that I am a two greenhouse girl, maybe I can grow some successfully… Great harvest!
Peppers seem to want as much heat and sun as they can get but with lots of water. Do try them in the greenhouse, you might have problems if you want them to be red or yellow but green ones should grow for you. Christina
What a delight given the rest of your garden. My harvest was meager. It seems my garden prefers rain water to tap water but I am happy we harvested a few things…your harvest is immense and so delicious…you made me hungry…I need to get out and harvest a few more things growing but the warm weather veggies will give way to cooler…lots of lettuces, beets, kale and such growing already…it was a pleasure to see your harvest Christina!
Thanks Donna, yes the plants that love the heat really got what they wanted this year. Christina
You’ve done really well despite your scorching temperatures – all those tomatoes, peppers and aubergines look wonderful.
Hi Christina – How do you freeze your basil? In ice? I did that and when I defrosted it really was not very nice anymore so I was wondering how you do it?
I chop it fine (in a food processor) and then freeze in ice-cube trays. It isn’t suitable for raw dishes but gives a good flavour in sauces and soups. It is the first time I’ve grown Thai basil so I’ve frozen some whole leaves and some chopped. I will add it to recipes a little earlier than if they were fresh leaves. I have sometimes frozen basil already made up into pesto but without the garlic as that often developes an ‘off’ taste; the olive oil helps the flavour stay fresh. Christina