What's Growing: Brussel Sprouts

Just this morning I trekked out to the Potager and snipped a few collard leaves for lunch. I sauteed them in oil with garlic, chopped walnuts and a spiced pepper blend. Then gently folded them into some quinoa with goat cheese crumbles.

Kale and brussel sprouts in the Potager under our first snow 

I've also been enjoying brussel sprouts. I have one more delicious harvest left to savor. I harvest them from the ground up, clipping off the lower leaves as they grow, rather than pulling the whole stalk.

One of several brussel sprout harvests

I am still harvesting kale although my supply is dwindling. I found a wonderful recipe for it - Northern Spy's Kale Salad. I made it for Thanksgiving dinner and several times after. I rarely follow a recipe exactly and finished off a blend of carrots, parsnips and delicata squash with a touch of maple syrup. I am still harvesting carrots from the garden and enjoy them prepared in what I call "bistro style" which is simply pan-roasted on the stovetop.

"Bistro style" carrots, potatoes & onions

An honest confession: I am afraid to pull my parsnips. Every year I grow parsnips and they just do not seem big enough to pull by Fall so I leave them to over-winter but I never seem to find them again in the Spring. This year their leaves look large enough that there just may be a perfectly beautiful parsnip under there. I pulled one. It was pretty decent. I especially like them mashed, like potatoes, with garlic. My craving will overcome my fear and I will pull every last one next thaw. Any tips you might offer from your parsnip growing experiences would be greatly appreciated.

The cold frame is growing slowly. I have secondary leaves on most of the plants. I should have planted earlier (which I suspected when I finally did get around to planting), as I would now be able to enjoy some of the salad mixes. I could probably cut a little but I am trying to wait just a bit longer until the kales and collards that are growing openly in my garden are depleted. Maybe the Gourmet European Salad Mix (a blend of arugula, endive, radicchio) will have grown a few more inches by then. Hopefully, I will be eating from my cold frame experiment next month.

Our snow has melted. This photo shows the Potager now seamlessly connecting to the Woodland Edge (in foreground) and to a new bed that will continue along our new fence on the northwest side of the garden after a bit of reworking this summer.

By creating a little more space, I can plant an asparagus bed in the Spring – another new experiment – I hope you'll join me. For now, I will be planting sprouts - indoors.

What's Growing: Tomato Sauce & Freezer Pesto

I love my Potager. I would love it even if it did not produce a large amount of vegetables although it usually does. It is not just a crop to be harvested, it is a sacred place for me. All the plants have been carefully plotted and planned to work together and yet it still manages to sneak in a surprise or two. They grow upward, onward and intertwine. There is always a "moment" to catch - a humming bird attracted by the red blooms of the Scarlet Runner Beans, a bumble bee tipping the delicate disks of Blue Scabiosa, a Robin perched on top of the rustic arbor, a flushed rabbit ...

This year I planted Morning Glory among the runner beans, Cardinal flower beneath the peas, and Cathedral Bells along with the cherry tomatoes. Now, the Morning Glory masks the fading bean leaves and the Cardinal Flower blooms where there are no peas. The Cathedral Bells have yet to bloom but I see they have reached the top of the trellis and their leaves have a touch of purple to them and look fresh – not like the leaves of the cherry tomatoes that are growing tired.

I love this climbing Nasturtium Moonlight. It mixes wonderfully with the "surprise" ornamental gourds that began growing up the rustic arbor.

I have made three batches so far of tomato sauce which I freeze in jars. I cook them down skins and all and smooth using an immersion blender. I only add balsamic vinegar, basil, garlic, salt and pepper. This year I came across so many wonderful heirloom tomatoes between Cross Island Farms on Wellesley Island, the community garden and a very talented friend on Round Island. I am attempting to save some of their seeds. They are fermenting now on the back porch. So far, they do not smell too strongly. (Click here to read about how to save heirloom tomato seeds from a previous post.)

I don't believe my one German Striped Tomato plant has flowered yet. It may be too late. It is probably also too late for this eggplant. We will see but try, try again (next year).

With the dry, hot summer many of my plants bolted including the Cilantro. I chopped it down mid-summer and scattered the seed. I have a new fresh crop that I am really enjoying. This year I am going to harvest it and freeze it in oil for cooking all winter. And this year I finally harvested the Basil at its peak before too cold nights. I have a nice batch of freezer pesto.

Plenty of kale and collards for soups this season!

Carrots, golden beets and possibly a parsnip or two next. 

What's Growing: Scallions

Compared to last Spring, the year of monsoons in the Northeast, I feel pretty organized. That could change quickly so I hope I didn't just jinx myself.

The garlic is looking amazing. I have planted lettuce in between the garlic because I read it will discourage flea beetles who moved into my garden last year. You could use a row cover to prevent these tiny pin prick holes in your lettuce leaves but I just can't bear to cover up any of the garden. I want to see green and growth. The lettuces are just beginning to grow.

I've already been harvesting herbs especially chives and garlic chives.

This worked out well for me: Last fall I simply cut down my cilantro and laid it over the bare dirt where I wanted it to grow this year in a criss-cross pattern as a sort of over winter mulch. Now I have a nice crop of cilantro already coming up! I think I'll try this method with the basil as well this fall.

The peas I planted around St. Patrick's Day are finally coming up and looking good. Borage and calendula have freely reseeded themselves all over the garden. There are worse things. This year I will be planting Cardinal Climber among the peas so that when they're finished, I'll have some pretty flowers that the hummingbirds (who just came back this week!) will also enjoy. Hopefully in the full sun of the Potager they will bloom into summer.

Each fall I dig up as much of the horseradish root that I can and then only plant a few smaller roots. This prevents the horseradish from taking over.

New for me this year, scallions. These tiny grass-like blades are my first ever scallion crop. These are salad scallions great for eating raw or lightly sauteed. They are green and red. I can't wait to see the red ones. (Salad Scallions, Delicious Duo from Renee's Garden).

Indoors, my seeds are not the most robust but now that night temperatures are a bit warmer, I'll start keeping them outside. They should fill out with a couple of warm, sunny days. Next year I hope to invest in a good seed-starting lighting kit.

Strawberry fields forever, that is exactly what I have. Wild strawberries cover the Woodland Edge floor. Ever bearing strawberries are creeping into every corner of the Potager. Hopefully I can beat the birds to a few of each but probably not enough for six cups which is what this wonderful, easy balsamic strawberry freezer jam recipe requires. The rhubarb is looking larger this year. Last year I moved it to this spot where the soil stays more moist. My favorite rhubarb recipe is Heidi Swanson's recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble – I'll be making this for Mother's Day.

Radishes, kale, swiss chard and spinach have also been sown in the Potager and their tiny first leaves are just beginning to push through the soil. Right now it's raining and the garden is receiving a good soaking. 

What's Growing

With reports threatening our first frost it was a mad dash to the potager and frantic picking. Basil, peppers, tomatoes, were all picked to the bone.

The tomatoes ripened indoors. I should have probably picked the basil a little earlier. It really does not like any sort of chilly weather. I still have pesto for the winter but not as much as last year. I'll have to hoard it.

I no longer have a fear of growing peppers. All the peppers I planted this year grew well. My husband made hot sauce with the Cayenne ... whooo, fire.

Our first hard frosts have arrived. The potager droops. Tomatillos die on the vine. It's time to start clean up and put it to rest. What's left of the broccoli rabe, carrots, kale and swiss chard I'll leave alone. They should grow well into the colder months. I'm not going to have the energy to build a hoop house this year.

Here's where my novelty shows as a vegetable gardener – I did not know I was supposed to cover a cauliflower head with its leaves in order for it to develop. I now have a contorted, monstrous head of flowering cauliflower. It's sort of grotesque yet beautiful.

The cover crops are growing pretty well I think – not entirely sure as this is a new experiment for me.

I managed one last pick before the frosts.

What's Growing

Things are taller, fuller, bigger ... bolting, wilting, shriveling in the potager this month.

Greens, greens, greens! Mustard is looking good as are Broccoli Rabe and Swiss Chard. My lettuce mixes are suffering from the heat and lack of rain. This year my greens seem to be ridden with insect bites, more so than usual.

Some of the Chinese Cabbage and Kale bolted but I cut off the flowers with the hope that more leaves develop.

The squash has begun to flower. The bees scramble over one another to reach their pollen but of course conveniently disappear before the camera. Patty Pan or Scallop Squash has already been served for dinner. It's delicious and I will grow more next year.

Beans, beans, beans! Purple beans are also on the dinner menu. The Soy Beans are looking great - their leaves are very fuzzy and fun. I always have to rub them when I walk by. The Scarlet Runner Beans have finally reached the roof of the rustic arbor and are loaded with flowers.

Borage is also beginning to flower. I love these flowers, especially in my salads.

Also flowering are peppers! It's the first time I have been successful with peppers. I have tiny Jalepeno, Cayenne and sweet Lipstick peppers beginning. The tomatillos have been flowering and are now beginning to form. I just love the way these look but it won't stop me from picking them.

I have lots of green tomatoes ... c'mon turn red, red, red!

Beets for tonight!

Today should be the last of this heat wave. After our spring I never thought I would say this but I wish it would rain! I have watered the garden often but the soil is still dry and even cracking in some places. A new rain barrel is sitting in my shed waiting to be installed.