Well, I could tell an incredible,
tall tale about how I have been by attacked by noxious weeds and swallowed by garter
snakes to explain the reason for the dearth (absence in fact) of recent posts. However, while weeds and garter snakes have made
our garden their home, this is no excuse.
In fact, I have been neglecting the garden almost as much as blogging
and the surprise of it is that the veggies don’t seem to have noticed! We have been harvesting our bounty for weeks
now and flashing huge grins in amazement at each colourful and delicious
treat.
Credit given where it is
due; Gord (the previous owner) left behind a big mound of rhubarb, a delightful
and productive strawberry patch, a gigantic crop of garlic, and some really
great soil! We started eating rhubarb in
early June (and froze lots for later) and have been nibbling strawberries since
later June. The plants are ever-bearing
so we are still enjoying these tasty morsels.
My clever husband, Joedy, has been cultivating baby strawberry plants (from
the runners) so we will have an even bigger patch next year!
Our seedlings were mostly
successful (the grow lamp above and heating pad under the trays really got
things going) and the productive broccoli and tomatoes plants are proof. I thought we might be remiss and let the seedlings dry out, but it's like having a child, you just don't forget about their existence and we rushed home each day to see what growth and development had occurred! The
peppers didn’t actually survive being set out, but we’ll try again next year. After nursing them on the covered deck, we
planted our tomatoes in the greenhouse. This turned out to be a great idea
given the very wet spring and early summer experienced in our region. We are hoping to avoid the dreaded tomato
blight by watering below the foliage. Next
year we plan to have a drip irrigation system in place. We have kept the green house doors open all
summer to ensure good air circulation too (another happy-tomato-plant tactic.) Later in the summer Joedy planted beans and
cukes in the green house. These are just
a few weeks away from a grand result!
In the main garden, after much
roto-tilling thanks to the ubiquitous Joedy, we planted from seed peas,
carrots, beets, radishes, and squash.
With seed potatoes we planted both a white and a red variety and
followed suit with a row of white and red onions too. Beside the broccoli, we planted some
cauliflower and brussel spouts but so far these have been less than stellar. Our worst failure was the three rows of corn
that never even sprouted. My research
tells me that the wet weather during planting-time likely caused the vulnerable
corn seeds to rot. For this year, it
will be a fallow area ready to pack a nutritious punch next season!
The poor corn results have
not dampened our excitement. We are so
thankful for the harvest we have enjoyed (with much more to come!) Here is one of our favourite recipes and in
an upcoming post I will share more of our summer tricks and treats (and our
tentative plans for a winter crop too!)
Roasted Harvest Vegetables
4 medium potatoes (any
variety, mixed is desired)
1 butternut squash
1 white onion
4 medium carrots
3 beets
12 cloves of garlic (or more
to taste!)
¼ cup of olive oil
Sprinkle of dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375
degrees. Prepare each vegetable as
desired. I leave the potato peels on but
prefer naked carrots. Leave garlic
cloves whole with outer casing removed. Veggies
should be coarsely chopped and placed evenly spread in a large oven proof baking
dish.
Pour oil over veggies and
stir to coat (adding a little more if desired)
Sprinkle with salt,
pepper and oregano.
Bake for approximately 45
minutes until fork easily penetrates the potatoes or beets. Veggies
should be nicely browned and delicious!
Enjoy
