I had a little taste of summer this week as I harvested a few of the cucumbers. Admittedly I harvested them very small, more to promote the growth of the plant as to eat really, but they still tasted good in Tzatziki.
I sometimes make my tzatziki with mint but on this occasion I made it with dill – the first dill I have harvested this year. Here it is along with some spring onions and herbs I used for corn fritters.
The final home grown ingredient in my tzatziki was garlic. I pulled quite a bit of my garlic crop this week – all of my hardneck ones were sagging and the stems looked like rotting so I yanked them. Disappointingly none of them had flowered so I still haven’t tried garlic scape pesto but despite that I did get a few decent sized heads (and a few not so big ones….).
Here is another batch:
My softneck garlic is still growing (reasonably happily) – I will be very interested to compare the head sizes etc. I am trying to use my newly harvested small heads up quickly before the skin around the cloves dries and they become more fiddly to peel. To this end we are having garlic in everything. My favourite dish of the week was with some broad beans, mint and feta. There are more broad beans in the bottom of the basket than is apparent here. As you may have guessed I also made salad.
Speaking of salad my wild rocket is doing particularly well at the moment. This lot went on top of a simple tomato and salami pizza along with some shavings of Parmesan. Appropriately the thyme pictured is called ‘pizza thyme’.
I have so many lettuces in the garden that I am pulling the occasional head rather than treating them all as cut and come again. This ‘Freckles’ lettuce I took out to give my zucchini more room to grow into.
I find that when my silver beet bolts I can still harvest from the plants but in much reduced quantities. I cobbled together this lot from all the flowering plants around the garden. I haven’t pulled the plants as this variety has done really well in some pretty shady places so I am keen to save its seed. An added bonus is still getting the occasional bunch to make gnocchi with.
As always I advise you to head over to Daphne’s Dandelions and check out who else is harvesting what. Its always fun!
I can’t believe you have cucumbers already, they look great!
I seem to be having the same issue with my garlic as you’ve mentioned. Many of them have suddenly keeled over and look like they are going rotten at the base. I tried pulling a few out, but they are really not ready yet, and a few of them broke off, so I had to dig around for the bulbs. I wonder why it’s happening? Do you think it’s a seasonal thing because it’s been so wet? On a positive note, it’s great to see that your broad beans have arrived, such deliciousness in each mouthful!
I too am glad about the broad beans. As for the garlic many people seem to be saying the same thing. I was wondering if it was just something hard neck varieties do sometimes as i usually grow soft neck varieties and those are still fine. Perhaps you are right about the wet although its been really dry here this Spring. Maybe they are just maturing earlier for some reason.
Wonderful harvests. And I so love tzatziki. I’ve never made it with mint though. Always with dill. In the winter it has to be dried dill, but I’m OK with that.
I think they use dill in Greece and mint in Turkey, or perhaps the other way round, or perhaps its Cyprus, or Lebanon. Anyway the dill is traditional in some places, the mint in others – I imagine it depends on what grows best locally.
Yum! So much green! So much goodness! We are havE pizza thyme growing too, I love it’s fragrance. I smell a bit before dinner to whet the appetite! I made your gnocchi recipe a few weeks ago to much acclaim! My 40 years head Home Ec. Teacher aunt declared them delicious and has taken the recipe back with her to the UK for her communal dinners. Thanks so much.
Really glad you enjoyed it and I love that you let me know – thankyou! I went out and smelled the thyme before dinner and I absolutely agree with you about whetting the appetite.
Hello Liz, I missed you while I was away from blogging. I am happy to be back and see your garden thriving. After we moved, I have no garden: we live in an apartment on a second floor with a tiny balcony. So no gardening for me for a while… But I can enjoy your garden and all harvests you have. Good luck with the season! 🙂
Thanks Marina, A tiny herb box for your tiny balcony perhaps?
I’ve never put garlic in tzatziki – will have to try it as we have plenty! I too use mint.
Its good, damn good!
My cucumber plants are sulking and not putting on growth let alone flowers and fruit. I’ve planted a couple in a pot with a wire support and hope they will grow up, eventually. Growing at all will be a bonus!
I planted out heaps and heaps of garlic and mine aren’t doing well either, though the ones in the small raised bed with good drainage are doing better than those in the ground so I think it might have been too wet for them. I must remember to plant later next time and see if that will help miss some of the rain. Worth a try.
Mine aren’t growing either – just flowering, I’m hoping its not a last ditch effort on their part before they give up. good idea on the garlic. i spoke with a guy at the Farmers Market on Saturday and he reckoned lots of people are complaining about small garlic this year.
Gosh – cucumber already! Love my tzatziki with dill and lime juice – it’s my favourite.
I am also liking the idea of the broad bean, mint and feta dish. Isn’t Freckles the prettiest lettuce?
It does seem early for the cucumber doesn’t it – I think I will hold off a bit next year as I planted a bit early. I would highly recomment the broad bean dish – particulary delish on some olive bread.
Your cucumbers look great. I’d like to try growing some on my balcony. Wish me luck!
I think they would do well on a balcony – my dad has had success growing them in pots before.
Such a bountiful harvest. Will be a long, long time before I can have a taste of home grown cucumber.
Winter went really quickly for me this year, perhaps it will for you too and then it will be me looking enviously at your pics.
Oh cucumbers already !!! I only finished planting out my seedlings this morning now the threat of frost is over ……… lovely harvest with all your lettuce and herbs so many choices to use in cooking. I too started pulling my garlic as the necks looked a little sus and I diddn’t want them too rot, great to be able to enjoy fresh garlic again !!!
The fresh garlic is just so nice isn’t it – I still have a bit left from last year but I think that will end up on the compost in favour of the fresh stuff.
Oh you have some lovely treats in your harvest basket this week! The cucumbers in particular are calling my name. Missing ours already.
What a wonderful harvest week! Your garlic looks absolutely beautiful!
I just pulled my cucumber plants to make way for the garlic, I’m missing them already. I’m hoping that my garlic doesn’t become a breeding ground for rust again, I haven’t had a chance to try garlic scape pesto yet either! It’s always a bit bittersweet seeing your harvests, it makes me wish for what I can’t have yet. Mmm, fresh garlic, just 6 months away…
I will have to look into garlic rust – perhaps that is what was affecting mine too.
Lovely, all of those tender, spring greens! Very much miss our cucumbers, they were called “Persian melons” in Puglia.