A last trip to the garden before I left produced a few goodies which went in to the refrigerator. I got my first Dunja zucchini and the first Sunburst squash. A lot of the Hungarian Paprika peppers ripened enough to harvest, since I didn't want to trust leaving them on the plants for a week. I also got a first batch of the Amarylla yellow tomatillos and a few Jalapenos.
I checked out the garden on Sunday and found a few things. The Super Shepherd peppers had a few ripe ones that were suffering from sunscald, so I harvested them. The Helda pole beans yielded a few beans, which might be most of my bean crop for the year. The cucumbers are diseased yet again, despite being planted in a new spot, but we got a couple stunted ones. It is not bacterial wilt that is causing the problem and I have not yet seen a cucumber beetle this season. I also got another ripe Hungarian Paprika pepper so it is time to fire up the dehydrator this week.
That's what happened in my garden the past two weeks. To see what other gardeners around the world are doing, visit Dave at OurHappyAcres, our host for Harvest Monday.
Since you were away, I guess it's a good a time as any for a small harvest. Too bad about your cukes ... I've had another issue. I planted cukes in the greenhouse for the first time but haven't had any polliation. I finally started leaving the door open to get bugs in, and finally have a single apple cucumber on its way.
ReplyDeleteI bought myself a deydrator last week so will be ready for my own paprika peppers when they start to ripen!
Congrats on the dehydrator. It took me awhile to make the splurge but it is worth it.
DeleteHmm, well I went for a cheapo one just to make sure it's something I'd use (like the high-end blender collecting dust on the counter).
DeleteI remember waiting for those summer harvests in August when it seems like fall is on the doorstep.
ReplyDeleteI remember waiting for those summer harvests in August when it seems like fall is on the doorstep.
ReplyDeleteHope you had a great time on your sail. The Gulf of Maine really is beautiful. You got some nice stuff from your garden. So that's what sunscald looks like? I always thought it was just some kind of rot on my peppers.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Peppers exposed to the sun get burned by the sun and the burn spots become infected and rot. Can happen to tomatoes as well.
DeleteI've never seen yellow tomatillos before, how cool! I wonder if the flavor is different, I've read that purple ones are sweeter than green ones. Hope your trip was fun and relaxing.
ReplyDeleteThe Amarylla fruit are indeed sweeter and fruitier than the green ones. We have been eating them as a snack but will maybe try making salsa.
DeleteMy cucumbers haven't fared well this year either, but I've got cucumber beetles everywhere so I'm blaming them and bacterial wilt they carry. I've never seen yellow tomatillos either and I've never actually eaten a tomatillo- looks intriguing. Have a great time in Maine!
ReplyDeleteYou've got drought, we have too much rain! It's safe to say gardeners and farmers are keenly aware how dependent we are on the weather. I hope you enjoy your time in Maine!
ReplyDeleteWell at least you got something out of the garden. Hope you had a good sail. I went on a Windjammer cruise about 15 years ago. Beautiful area, and the many islands block the rollers from the ocean, making for smooth sailing.
ReplyDeleteLike you we are still waiting for some ripe tomatoes.
ReplyDeleteYour harvests may not be huge, but they sure are colourful & full of variety. Hope you are having a wonderful time in Maine and the zucchini holds off on setting fruit just enough so that they are the perfect size on your return :)
ReplyDeleteSummer harvests always start out that way, luring you into a sense of security before they hit. Those are the prettiest tomatillos and your peppers are ripening at the same time as ours.
ReplyDeleteI might try growing tomatillos if they're sweeter and can be eaten out of hand. I've also been looking into ground cherries and cape gooseberries.
I think it has been a bad year for cucumbers. A couple of mine just spontaneously died, and I have heard other people say the same. Sunscald is not something I have any experience of - we seldom get weather that would cause it! Hope you had a nice cruise. We have had loads of unseasonably strong wind over here, so a windjammer would go like a rocket!
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