The Harvest

With autumn weather sweeping in with a sharp abruptness that feels as chilly as the air outside, I found myself surveying my garden and what is left of the ripening vegetables. Picking this late summer harvest and noticing that there is yet still unripened fruit on the vines gives me hope that this season may tarry just a little bit longer..

I planted less square footage this year than in years past but almost every plant

thrived and yielded produce beyond my expectations. We have enjoyed bowl upon bowl of homemade tabbouleh & salsa from the one parsley and 2 Roma tomato plants I put in. I literally picked my whole parsley plant clean a few weeks ago and was able to pick enough for another tabbouleh salad today! Same goes for the never-ending Greek salad bowl that was fuelled with my tomatoes & cucumbers. I planted two pepper plants and after three batches of stuffed peppers I still have a huge bowlful of shiny green peppers to transform into this tasty dish. The green beans are finished now but while they were producing I got two huge potfuls of this favorite dinnertime vegetable. My four Brussel sprout plants are just getting ready to present their sprouts for picking now. Mmmm...steamed Brussel sprouts with butter & salt. Yum.

 

Sheri, our renter, left us and her small section of garden behind to go back to school in Sarnia. Most of her plants were done with their contributions but her beefsteak tomatoes are still growing rapidly. I have already made a huge potful of homemade marinara sauce and have enough to make another pot today.



The only disappointments were the strawberries and peas. The strawberry plants blossomed beautifully but the plump, juicy berries were nibbled on or completely stolen by a renegade squirrel so we didn't get to enjoy them. Next year we plan on hanging those plants where wildlife is unable to reach them. The peas were an afterthought and I should have given them something to climb. One plant that grew and intertwined with my wire fence did exceptionally well.

Shawn mentioned that he noticed I haven't been using my juicer recently and at first I felt a twinge of guilt. Had I purchased this appliance and quickly lost interest as I have in the past? It wasn't until some days later that I realized that the slowing of my juicing and blending had corresponded with the weeks of harvesting my garden vegetables. The energy I used to apply to regular juicing was now being used to pluck, clean, and prepare these wonderful veggies into culinary delights. It is one thing to plant, weed, water and pick and another altogether to ensure that the abundant food does not go to waste!

I feel a little sad at the thought of this season coming to an end. Soon the plants will be shrivelled up and my garden plot will be covered with leaves first and then snow. I will have to go back to the market where I typically purchase my fresh produce but it will not feel the same.

I have already jotted notes down for next year and have plans to expand my garden in years to come. I would have appreciated having my own cilantro for the salsa, green onions for the tabbouleh and red onions for the Greek salad. The blueberry & raspberry bushes and the pear tree I planted this spring may also yield its fruit in the years to come and we look forward to more summers of healthy, organic foods from our own back yard.