Still eating fresh out of the garden?

[Ruth_10]

Seems like the winter garden doldrums are full upon us.

Who is still eating fresh out of the garden? What are you harvesting?

Temps got down to around 27F here the other night, but we're still eating Brussels Sprouts, broccoli, carrots, and lettuce. There are a couple of volunteer bok choi out there, too.

This is my first time growing fall lettuce and it's been a treat.

[habitat_gardener]

I picked a big bunch of parsley and another bunch of perennial kale earlier in the week, and I still have a few carrots in the ground. I found 1 strawberry and about 3-4 raspberries the birds didn't get.

The yacon leaves are getting burned by the cool night temperatures (in the 30s), but they're over 6 ft. high and in bloom. When I dig them up in a month or two, I'm expecting to get lots of big sweet tubers.

A few volunteer potato plants got pretty big in the past month, so I mulched them with lots of straw. The next time I go to the garden, I'll have to see if they've produced anything. Usually we get a freeze around the first week of December that turns any remaining tomato plants black, but this year, not much is left.

[cdbva]

We haven't had a frost yet. I still have lots of beautiful mustard greens, although I'm not sure what to do with them. I put them in a lasagna -- half spinach, half mustard -- and it was very good. I put a few small, new leaves in salads. I don't know what else to do with it. But it sure is pretty.

I have a nice row of frisée. It has grown like gangbusters. It's one of my favorite salad greens, and when you buy salad mix at the store, or get it in a restaurant, there are only a few bits sprinkled here and there. We can have as much as we want.

I have one cauliflower that's about 4 inches across. I doubt it will survive long enough to harvest -- I've been told to wait until it's 6" -- although the Post says we won't have frost this week.

The deer harvested my lovely parsley and beans. I put soap out to keep them away, but didn't anchor it. In a few weeks they figured out how to kick it across the plot! (I thought "Who would steal my soap?" until I found it a while later.) I'm going to bring the remains of the parsley in this week and see what I can do with it indoors.

Christine

[cdbva]

Habitat G., what do you do with the yacon? It sounds very interesting.

Christine

[habitat_gardener]

Christine, I peel yacon and eat it raw. I've read that it can be cooked, but I've never gotten around to that. It's crunchy, like jicama, but with a sweet and a little earthy flavor. (I've noticed pricey yacon syrup at Whole Foods.) I'll also have lots of propagules when I dig it up, if anyone's interested (and if I figure out how to send them more cheaply than in the small priority mail box).

I haven't planted parsley for several years. It reseeds freely, and I let it grow everywhere. I've been putting off my garlic planting because there's a big clump of parsley where I want to plant the garlic.

[RJ_Hythloday]

Picked about 5 black from Tula last week. Birds keep getting Vinson Watts before I do. Should see several more BFT and Rutgers in the next week, several different peppers still in the garden. Gotta keep an eye out for that first frost, peppers are all going to spend the winter in the garage.

[Mt.Imagine]

Originally Posted by habitat_gardener

The yacon leaves are getting burned by the cool night temperatures (in the 30s), but they're over 6 ft. high and in bloom. When I dig them up in a month or two, I'm expecting to get lots of big sweet tubers.

You say it will still be a month or two before you harvest your yacon? When did you put it in the ground, if you don't mind my asking? I harvested mine in early November--should I have waited longer?

[dokutaaguriin]

I still have some long Japanese green onions growing outside. Most of the garden is covered in shade because of the angle of the sun.
I still have plenty of lettuce, spinach, mini chingensai (bak choi), mizuna and tah tsoi growing in my unheated greenhouse.
It has been down to -17 C (1.3F) and I have still been able to keep things growing. Last year I stretched my season out until Dec. 6 or so. I think I will be able to have some vegetables growing for at least another week.
I harvest my outdoor carrots and spinach last week as the ground was just about frozen. I have never had such sweet spinach in all my life....nothing like extreme vegetable gardening, eh.

Jeff

[habitat_gardener]

Mt.Imagine, your climate is probably warmer than mine!

I've moved my reply here

http://tomatoville.com/showthread.ph...851#post148851

because I think yacon deserves its own thread.

[Marko]

We also have unusually warm weather for this time of year. We usually get first frost in late october, but this year we are still waiting for it .
My garden is still full of lettuce, spinach, corn salad and chicory grumolo verde for spring crop. And some volunteer pak choi I don't know how it came to my garden .
Photos were taken this morning after rain:

[rxkeith]

still have broccoli, brussels sprouts, and cabbage here. kale just did not do well for some reason this year. usually a no brainer for us. a few plants are hanging on. also have parsley which should winter over.


keith

[tjg911]

the garden is long gone just a distant memory tilled and put to bed 24 days ago.

however, fresh from the last pickings in the fridge are chard, parsley, cabbage, cayenne peppers (lots of these) and some potatoes. then there's the pickled beets, pickled pole beans, pickled cabbage and fridge pickles.

in the basement i have onions, garlic (both will last to summer) and butternut squash (that'll last to march).

in the freezer i have broccoli, pole beans, yellow squash, sweet peppers and more cayenne peppers.

i have some dried cayenne peppers i ran thru the coffee grinder, i stopped drinking coffee or i'd never have used the coffee grinder to do that.

tom

[geeboss]

I'm finishing off the last of my maters and looking forward to starting more early next year.

George

[shelleybean]

I have not had my first frost yet either so I still have some pimentos out there. The storm a couple of weeks ago knocked over my butter beans so those are done for the season. I have cabbage heading up, broccoli, collards, chard, spinach, lettuce, kale and carrots. The butter beans fell on top of the turnip greens and they're all crunched. Seems weird but I'll be starting spring onions for 2010 in about a month! I'm happy as long as something is outside growing or in the works inside.

[rnewste]

Here in Northern California (San Jose area) still picking Cherokee Purple, Carmello, and Celebrity tomatoes. Indian Stripe and Champion are now blushing. Yolo Wonder Bell Peppers are also still producing for me.

Raybo