ex gardens

It’s time for Harvest Monday, where gardeners from all over celebrate all things harvest related. The weather here has been cool but mostly dry this past week, which has made for pleasant working in the garden. I have been busy getting the beds ready for planting, and last week I got most of the tomatoes planted. Next up will be peppers and eggplant, followed by the pole beans, winter squashes and then sweet potatoes. Rain is forecast for here later today and for tomorrow, so I might get a rest day whether I want it or not. Meanwhile, it is still asparagus season and we have harvested 14 pounds of it so far. On Saturday we made Asparagus Mimosa for what will probably be the last time this year  since we will stop cutting it soon. daily asparagus harvest Asparagus Mimosa And it is still salad season here as well. We are enjoying the lettuce on salads, wraps and in salads. We make a meal from some salads, while others are side dishes. lettuce from the greenhouse salad for...

I’m taking a break from edibles today to showcase some of the things we have blooming here in late May. We have a lot of irises planted here, and while most of the bearded ones are done for the season, we do have a few late bloomers showing up now. Red Velvet Elvis is a Louisiana Iris with large red flowers is one of them. Red Velvet Elvis iris And Concord Crush is a Siberian Iris with ruffled violet-blue flowers. It is a stunner for sure! Concord Crush iris While the irises are fading out, the hardy hibiscus are just beginning to flower. Luna White is a short variety with large white flowers that have bright red centers. More varieties should be blooming in a week or two. Luna White hibiscus And some of the coneflowers are beginning to bloom as well. This short red flowered one was the first bloom this year. Panama Red echinacea We have quite a few spiderworts planted, and they have been blooming for a few weeks now. They come in all different colors, and the bees seem...

It’s time for Harvest Monday, where gardeners from all over celebrate all things harvest related. The weather has still been rainy and wet here, but I did manage to get some work done in the garden last week. I hope to give another garden update soon. Meanwhile, lettuce and salads are still on our menu here often as the spring greens keep on producing. I cut the lettuce on an as-needed basis, and last week it was a big head of Teagan leaf lettuce. I used some of it to make a fish taco salad bowl we had for dinner one night. It featured crispy baked fish sticks, mango, avocado and cheese on a bed of lettuce, and topped with a cilantro crema sauce. Teagan lettuce fish taco bowl And I made a cutting of arugula last week to go on a pizza. This is Speedy, and it is beginning to bolt to flower so this will likely be the last cutting until I replant in fall. Speedy arugula Of course the asparagus is still coming on strong, and we’ve harvested over 11 pounds of it so far this season...

It’s time for Harvest Monday, where gardeners from all over celebrate all things harvest related. The asparagus slowed down a bit last week, but we’re still getting plenty of it to keep us supplied. We’ve harvested nine pounds of it so far, about on par with last year’s haul. The spears are trending smaller too but still quite tender and tasty. daily asparagus harvest Needless to say, asparagus is on the menu often! Asparagus Mimosa is one of our favorite treatments, and makes for a light but filling lunch when served with some of my focaccia bread. We also roast it for a side dish quite often, tossed with olive oil and topped with a bit of grated Parmesan cheese. Asparagus Mimosa roasted asparagus The lettuce is hanging in there too, and I cut a big head of Grazion last week for our salads. I am surprised how mild tasting the leaves are, given the sometimes hot temps in the greenhouse this time of year. Grazion lettuce I also cut baby greens from our container plants of...

It’s time for another update on the garden here at Happy Acres. We had record and historic levels of rainfall here this spring, and I dumped over 11 inches of rain from our rain gauge. That has made it difficult to get much done outside in the garden. I have planted a few things though, and they have been loving all that rain. In early April I planted one of the cold frame beds behind the greenhouse with curly kale, and it has really taken off. I tucked a few lettuce plants in there too between the kale plants. curly kale plants About two weeks ago, I got another cold frame bed planted in kohlrabi, and that is also doing great. I set out 24 plants in this 4 foot by 8 foot bed, then mulched with shredded paper and cardboard. kohlrabi plants In mid-April I potted up the eggplants I am growing in containers. These varieties (Fairy Tale, Gretel and Icicle) all do very well grown that way, and give us an abundance of early eggplant. All are AAS Winners, and very prolific for me here...

It’s time for Harvest Monday, where gardeners from all over celebrate all things harvest related. The asparagus is coming on hot and heavy here now. We’ve harvested right at seven pounds so far in the first three weeks. We generally harvest for about eight weeks each year, before letting the ferns grow out to replenish the roots for next year’s crop. daily asparagus harvest I sautéed some one night for a side dish. Cooked briefly in a little olive oil, it was tasty and made good use of the smaller sized spears. sautéed asparagus To season the asparagus for the stir fry, I harvested some garlic chives for the occasion. I don’t usually get pics of them, but this time I did since I went to the trouble of digging up the bottom part instead of just clipping off the tops like I usually do. garlic chives We’re still getting a steady supply of lettuce here too. I cut another giant head of Starfighter that weighed over 1.5 pounds. This is one of my favorites of the green leaf lettuc...