The weather has taken a turn for the autumnal this week which frankly I could do without – especially as some days have been quite chilly. Still it is due to warm up again later in the week and the plants don’t seem to mind so I shouldn’t complain.
In fact the eggplants have been really quite prolific of late. Some of these went into an eggplant pickle I made yesterday. The green chillies were used in it as well.
The recipe also called for ginger and I had exhausted my supply in the fridge so I ventured outside to harvest the first of this years crop.
I harvested this from the plants in the ground which are a lot smaller than my potted ones, even so this was enough for my eggplant with some left over for a curry later this week.
With the pickle safely maturing in the fridge I turned my attention to dinner and decided to make fish pie. This called for: some silver beet, parsley, celery, lettuce for a side salad and whilst I was in the harvesting mood a few more chillies.
This wasn’t my only celery harvest, I think I harvested a bit every day this week. The stalks are nice and thick at the moment and the plants are growing well, so it seems a good time to be eating it.
I am still getting a few tomatoes and one cucumber this week. I also harvested a new pot of Kipfler potatoes but was really disappointed with the amount. These were summer grown – put back into the pot after I harvested in December, so either it was simply too hot for them to set tubers or they ran out of food. I did put some more slow release fertiliser into the pot before replanting them but perhaps not enough…
Otherwise my harvest was mostly about more chillies and herbs. I have been so happy with the chillies this year and my long cayenne has flowers all over it at the moment so hopefully it is contemplating a second crop.
My final harvest of the week is cheating somewhat as it didn’t come from my trees but as I spent quite a while scrambling about under the trees at mum & dads amidst the rodent droppings (there were quite large piles of empty shells about the place) I thought I could claim it as my own. I certainly will be eating it.
For other harvests from around the globe head on over to Daphne’s – she’s ever so hospitable.
Great pick ( and gather)!. I am mostly picking lettuce, herbs and chillies at the moment, so your pick is looking really diverse. I am definately going to try ginger – you’ve inspired me. Your eggplants are looking beatutiful and so is your celery. My long cayene is still flowering too!
Loving the long cayennes – great plants. I hope you do try ginger – although I have to admit I don’t yet know if I’ll end up harvesting more than I planted -value wise anyway as the seed ginger was reasonably expensive….
Nuts-what a wonderful harvest!!
Really also impressed with the celery and the ginger-two things I have never tried to grow-I wonder if I could try ginger in a pot in the greenhouse?? You may be having cooler weather Liz but here in Wales, and for other part of the UK, we have warm sunshine and set to stay for the week-whoopee!!
I think it would work well in a green house. It seems to enjoy humidity, lots of food and water all of which I’m sure a greenhouse could provide. Enjoy the warm!
Oh, you and your chillies! They look fantastic 🙂 Are the green ones jalapenos? I have one very sad jalapeno plant that I desperately wanted to succeed, but alas.
I’ve heard about these terribly American things called Jalapeno poppers, and I want to make some 🙂
Now those hazelnuts look amazing. I’m a bit uneducated when it comes to hazelnuts though – please tell me you can do something with them other than make nutella 🙂
I’m not sure what the chillies are to be honest – stupidly I bought something called hot mix and so have no idea what the individual varieties are which I now find super annoying. I do quite like the idea of making nutella…..my kids would be very happy. I have used them ground in cakes and biscuits before. I eat them as is and use them in salads etc. I’ve just found a chicken recipe that uses them so I know what we’ve having for dinner later in the week. My 5 year old saw them and said, does this mean you’re making dessert mum? So I may have oblige – not sure with what though…
Liz I am so glad your garden is producing for you. Comparative times for my fall my would probably be completely gone by now. Sorry about your potatoes. I have collected 30 pails to plant mine in this spring. Am hopping it works out.
30 pails of potatoes – fabulous – I really hope they do well. Mine are generally really good – they just struggle with the heat of our summers. But hopefully it was just this one tub.
Love the harvest of nuts – yum! The basket of harvest items (chard, lettuce, celery, parsley, and peppers) is really beautiful – such a nice mix of textures, gorgeous healthy greens, and a hint of color with the red peppers.
That’s quite a hazelnut harvest. Lots of shelling to do, have an easy method? Your celery stalks look so tender, beautiful.
I wish I did have an easy method. Bang them with a hammer pretty much covers my approach.
I am impressed with all of your harvest, but I simply *love* that you harvested celery and ginger. I tried celery in the winter here, but it got too soggy and died. I may try it again this fall.
I think it would be worth a go in the fall. The plants that I am harvesting from now I sowed as seed in spring, they grew during the summer but weren’t particualrly happy and they are now coming into their own. Having been to Mobile (that is where you are isn’t it?) in the summer I would have thought ginger would really like your climate? The celery less so….
I’m guessing those are hazelnuts? I’m not sure they would grow here in the desert: I’ve got to do some research for nut trees that will, seems most like rich, neutral pH and lots of water. All exactly opposite of what I’ve got! Great looking harvests!
Yes hazelnuts. Hazelnuts might be worth a look. My parents get about 800mm average rainfall. Their trees did stop fruiting (or should that be nutting) during the drought though, so they do seem to need the full 800mm. Australian soils tend towards acidity so not sure if pH is a big issue for hazelnuts.
ah the squirells were dropping of the tree!? O.O
I hadnt heared of Kipfler potatoes before, they look adorable. =)
They are great – fabulous boiled with butter and herbs or as a salad potato.
What a delicious array of ingredients, I can see how this informs your cooking. Or is it the other way around?
A bit of both I think. Some things I grow, despite them not really being that suited to the climate, because I enjoy eating them – ginger for instance. Other things do well here so I base what I cook around them – eggplants for instance.
If you have enough Hazelnuts maybe you could consider making them into oil? Nut is absolutely wonderful as a salad-dressing ingredient, or in mayonnaise.
I did wonder about that – I figured I’d need some kind of press but that’s as far as the thought process got.
Wow look at all those hazelnuts. I would love a nut tree, but the only one I know that grows well here is walnuts. And they are a pain and prevent other things from growing under them. Way too big for my yard.
Yeah too big for mine too. Mum and dad have acres so the space is not an issue for them.
What a great harvest this week Liz! Ginger, Celery and eggplant relish, do you serve that with curry? Last night i made lots of chicken stock and brought a few stalks of celery for $6.99 a kilo!!! Yep you have indeed inspired me to try growing some.
The eggplant pickle was an Indian recipe and yes I woudl definitely serve it with curry – I sneaked a little early taste of it today and its mellowing very nicely.
Fantastic. I must try ginger.
I still not sure its worth it financially but its definitely fun.
Eggplants, chilies, hazelnuts, and ginger… oh my! I love your harvest. I’ve got to remember to try ginger this year. I don’t know if hazelnuts grow around here, but they sure look delicious. If they grow here then I need to make friends with someone with a tree in their yard.
The trees are pretty big so they would need a big yard. I would have thought they’d grow where you are – you’re climate seems quite similar to ours.
beautiful beautiful beautiful! The celery is amazing, along with your eggplants and all the wonderful peppers!
Mmm, how did you grow the ginger?
I bought rhizomes from green harvest planted them in September – they took ages to appear but they have been growing steadily since – the one in this post is actually left over from last year – ie I planted it in 2010 and left it in the ground since – it died down over winter and then reappeared again in summer.
Great harvest and great pics! Your celery looks perfect!
What a diverse harvest for the week…and gathering absolutely counts! I’m in awe of your ginger! Fantastic!
The potatoes may be small, but I bet they are delicious!
Great harvest!
Lynn