It’s weeks like this when I am very, very glad that Coburg has a Farmers Market. I’m smack bang in the middle of a ‘hungry gap’ with many of my winter crops finished or finishing and the summer ones a long way of producing.
As lovely as my green leaves (this week they were parsley, coriander, rocket, silver beet and watercress) and radishes are, its really only the broad beans which offer much in the way of substance.
Fortunately we have had a fair bit of rain of late and the forecast for much of this week is for relative warmth so hopefully other treats aren’t too, too far away.
In the meantime check out what is filling the harvest baskets in the northern hemisphere by heading over to Daphne’s for Harvest Mondays.
I’m always happy to have my farmers market too. Though I use it mostly to get eggs, meat, and honey. It does help fill in the things I don’t grow – or don’t grow enough of.
Yeah I use mine for meat and honey too and nuts and fruit more than veg but at the moment the veg is invaluable.
It’s frustrating when the weather’s warming up but there’s not much in the garden to harvest… but it won’t be too long before the hungry gap is just a memory for another year!
So true, and I guess the amount of things to harvest at the moment is as much a reflection of how much work I put into it over winter – ie not much.
Lovely broad beans. I’ve had all of one pod off my plants, but they were self seeded so I can’t complain. I’m only harvesting what isn’t going to seed, which isn’t much; some celery, perpetual spinach, peas galore (makes up for the lack of broad beans), leeks and lettuces. All my brassicas are done and the carrots and beet roots are trying to reproduce. Bring on the summer crops.
I wish I had leeks but I’ve had a lot of difficulties with alliums this year. They keep dying on me which is frustrating. It sounds like you are still getting some decent variety out of your garden which is nice.
I’m shaking my head in wonder at your broad beans. I think I planted mine a bit later than you, but not a lot. Mine are tiny and a looong way off maturing. Some plants blew over during the strong winds a few weeks back. Hopefully they won’t mind producing, lying on their backs. I tried to straighten them but the stalks are so brittle that they were snapping so I’m leaving well enough alone. I had enclosed them in stakes and ties initially but I didn’t have ties zig-zagging through the middle of the block, just around the outside (which worked last year).
I’m suffering a bit of a hungry gap, too. Though I’ve got lots of parsley, lettuce, spinach and herbs plus some celery and silverbeet. And, surprisingly, I still have chillis (from last season) ripening – they just haven’t stopped! It looks like the first planting of potatoes are coming on so they are the only substantial produce, at the moment.
My broad beans and similarly prostrate – a combination of chook attack and that wind. I too have left them to their own devices and they seem to respond OK. I think I planted my potatoes too early – I harvested a particularly meagre portion a couple of weeks ago. Next year I am just going to plant in August I think.
The joy of chook-keeping has lost a bit of its shine, I’ve gotta say. I’ve got more eggs than I know what to do with at the moment (even with one of the two being broody) and then there’s the VERY hungry gap over winter. And let’s not dwell on the devastation when they get into the veggie beds and the ugliness of all the preventative measures. If I had lots of space and a huge chook run it would be a different story but as I don’t, these two will live out their natural lives and I’ll give it a rest, for a while, I reckon!
I know what you mean – I do love my 3 hens but not the mess they make or indeed the ridiculous moveable fencing I have littering the garden….
I am so missing broadbeans at this time of year Liz, glad to see you are enjoying harvesting some at your place. And I too am looking forward to a break in the rain and some warm sunny days. Now I must get out and plant something in my new beds if I ever want to harvest something.
I so want to be up to picking my broad beans, they are several weeks off. I want to eat them steamed with parmesan, lemon, garlic and pepper as an entree, popping them from their little greyish cases.
I am a double peeler too – that combination sounds lovely – tomorrows lunch I’m thinking…..