I harvested the last of my cauliflower this week. The ones I planted later definitely did better than those planted earlier in Autumn, whether this is a coincidence or related to the time of planting is difficult to know. I probably didn’t grow enough of them to form any real conclusions. Regardless though I was very happy with the soup I made from this one.
The broccoli continues on although it too is showing some signs of slowing. Fortunately the rest of my family don’t eat a great deal of it, so the amount I’m getting is still easily meeting my personal needs.
My radishes are recognising its Spring and starting to bolt so I harvested a few Easter Egg radishes – this is the only one that made it in front of the camera though.
Speaking of bolting my Cavolo Nero (Tuscan Kale) is sending up flowering shoots which I have been happily eating, along with their leaves, in frittatas and soups. I’m not sure whether it was Diary of a Tomato or From Seed to Table that first recommended eating the flowering heads but thanks to both as I’ve been really enjoying them.
I have been making a fair bit of stock this week – I ran out, mostly due to making soup quite frequently and I thought I’d better replenish the freezer. Here are some aromatics I put in one of the batches: parsley, thyme and a very well hidden bay leaf. The lettuce went into a sandwich.
Despite the fact that my parsley is bolting I am still happily harvesting from it. Miss 6 decided that parsley can double as a baby. Here is some being tucked into bed. Why parsley makes a good baby is not clear…
For more harvests, but almost certainly none containing photo’s of slightly mad 6 year olds mothering herbs head on over to Daphne’s Dandelions.
I wish I had parsley this year, but for the first time in decades I had none at all. Your harvests look wonderful.
Beautiful cauliflower! I missed out on starting fall cauliflower even with the best of intentions. Your herbs look great too; now I’d better go check out my parsley, which is so completely hidden by basil plants that I forgot I’d planted it!
I am going to attempt to grow parsley indoors this fall and winter (somehow I managed to forget about it wonderfulness and potential in the garden until recently)! I’ve also just recently planted easter egg radishes for the first time…I hope they do well as I’ve been smiling at yours for months now!
The radishes are pretty earen’t they – unfortunately I’ve run out of seed and am tossing up whether to let the last couple go to seed or buy some more (I suspect the latter as I want to eat them….)
I still haven’t mastered the art of timing when it comes to planting seeds, but I do know that if I don’t start the tomatoes by March, then off to the nursery for seedlings in June. I started cavolo nero seedlings recently so that they could overwinter and I’d have an early spring harvest, but sadly the germination rate was 2 seeds out of 12! I think I’ll just throw the rest of the packet in a starting tray and hope for the best.
That isn’t a great germination rate I have to say. We sow Cavolo Nero seeds in late Spring/Summer so perhaps it was a little late but even so you should have got a better germination rate than that.
Very good looking cauliflower, much better than your early ones. The head is tighter so maybe cooler weather made the difference.
You could well be right – we tend top have quite warm Autumns so that would definitely make sense.
Beautiful cauliflower. I love cauliflower soup… do you share your recipes?
I do post recipes quite often but I haven’t posted cauliflower soup. This one was onions & carrot sauteed with garlic, add chicken stock, a potato and a cauliflower. Cook until the potato is cooked and whizz with a stick blender. I have done it with leeks in before too, and celery, with or without the carrot. In fact the only standard things I always use are the onions, cauli and stock (sometimes chicken, sometimes veg).
Very nice looking harvest, especially that cauliflower. LoL about the baby parsley! Aren’t kids imaginations wonderful?!
That cauliflower certainly did come out beautiful! And parsley, I need to get mine sown also. Why is it so easy to overlook?
Hey, I thought I will say to ship that last cauliflower to me but you already made the soup.
That is so funny about your daughter! Mine use to carry a butternut squash around the back yard and put it on the swing and everything like it was her very own baby! Those girls can have quite the imagination can’t they? 😉 Lovely harvest. I am jealous you are just coming into spring and we are just coming into fall!
Butternut squashes are a great baby shape and size – I can see where she was coming from with that.