Tuesday Harvest 15 lbs of goodness

I suppose it is the IT  manager in me that wants to measure, to compare, to categorize. Maybe some day I  will be able to be a bit more mellow about it and roll smoothly with good and bad instead of hyper-analyzing what is happening. But as it is only the second year, I think it'll have to wait.

Tonight was a good harvest. The tomatoes are coming in fast. Sadly the Dark Prince seem prone to splitting, while the Celebrity are not so much. There has been some BER in the Romas but it has not been terrible. The romas are clearly determinate, they are coming all at once. Sauce or salsa is in the immediate future.

By the way tonight had 5# 11.4 oz of tomatoes from the SFG, and 5#6oz from the Growboxes. They continue neck and neck.

Anyway, here is the bounty.

Until next time, Keep Digging & Eat Well!

The Gastronomic Gardener
Garden blog http://amidwestgarden.blogspot.com/
Cooking blog http://ihopeyouarehungry.blogspot.com/
Twitter - www.twitter.com/DavidPOffutt
http://www.facebook.com/TheGastronomicGardener
email: thegastronomicgardener at gmail dot com

2010 Vegetable Garden Recap Video

Here's a little video I put together recapping the 2010 Vegetable Garden. Enjoy!




Until Next Time, Keep Digging & Eat Well!


The Gastronomic Gardener
Garden blog http://amidwestgarden.blogspot.com/
Cooking blog http://ihopeyouarehungry.blogspot.com/
Twitter - www.twitter.com/DavidPOffutt
http://www.facebook.com/TheGastronomicGardener

Late Summer Harvest

It's two days before the first day of autumn. The vegetable garden is winding down but still is producing.
A bite in the air tells me cold weather is coming, and it was quite cool over at the veggie plot.

Nevertheless, no matter how ratty the garden looks, there is fruit to be had, and the fall crops of radishes and beets look promising.

Here is what we came up with today.

Not bad for September 19th!  Now off to cook something up!

Until next time, Keep Digging & Eat Well!

The Gastronomic Gardener
Garden blog http://amidwestgarden.blogspot.com/
Cooking blog http://ihopeyouarehungry.blogspot.com/
Twitter - www.twitter.com/DavidPOffutt
http://www.facebook.com/TheGastronomicGardener

Tomatoes Keep producing

As the days get shorter and there is more to do, it it becoming more difficult to get over to the vegetable garden. That said, it has been a week since my last visit, temperatures are definitely autumnal and the daylight is diminishing.

The garden as a whole looks pretty shaggy.

I think the eggplant and the peppers still look the healthiest.

The acorn squash has done OK.

The fall planting of radish, and beets hopefully will produce viable fruit.

There are still many green tomatoes on the vine so we should get at least a couple more hauls before anticipated first frost. (Oct 15) The trick will be to get out to the plot and harvest all the greenones before they are frost damaged.

Overall yesterday was a good harvest! I'll be busy today putting up more tomato sauce. Those feet belong to some helpers!

Until next time Keep Digging & Eat Well!


The Gastronomic Gardener
Garden blog http://amidwestgarden.blogspot.com/
Cooking blog http://ihopeyouarehungry.blogspot.com/
Twitter - www.twitter.com/DavidPOffutt
http://www.facebook.com/TheGastronomicGardener

Sunday Morning Bounty

I've not been out to the vegetable plot in a bit so  I needed to go see what was happening, harvest anything ripe, thin the radishes and beets that I've put in for a fall crop. I also had the usual bucket of kitchen scraps for the compost heap as well as the milled skins and seeds from the tomato sauce I made yesterday. That was intended for the chickens.

I like the idea of growing the tomatoes, giving seeds and skins to the chickens, who then make eggs, and contribute to compost heap when their coop is cleaned. Closing the loop and not a garbage can in sight!

I haven't shown you the garden recently but this time I remembered the camera. As I got ready to pull out of the drive, I saw some sunflowers, volunteers from the bird seed no doubt, but they were looking cheerfully jaunty, so I snapped a picture.

After arriving on site and dumping the bucket into the compost pile, I treated the chickens aka "the girls" to the skins and seeds of yesterdays tomatoes.  They are quite funny as they will run up to you and beg, and are generally pretty vocal. This quieted them as they feasted.

Here is the whole garden, it is very shaggy and overgrown but is producing  (a little garden humor for you!) quite well.

The eggplants are happy - the Japanese eggplants keep producing and the globe eggplants are getting there too. Despite the leaf damage the fruits are lovely.

The cherry tomatoes keep going - the homeowner claims these as they are his favorite.

The golden Romas were so vigorous they pulled down their support!

The acorn squash are enjoying themselves - we'll have plenty I think. And I  like that they will keep for months!

After all the photography it was time to do some harvesting. I was surprised at the amount of green beans, the plants look a bit ragged but they keep going strong. Also picked tomatoes, peppers, green beans, Indian cucumbers, and a few eggplant. Another good haul. I'm looking forward to making some golden salsa!

After picking I went over to the big box store, picked up some more canning supplies (on sale) - a little lunch and I'm going to tackle the out of control perennial garden!

Until next time, Keep digging & eat well!



The Gastronomic Gardener
My garden blog http://amidwestgarden.blogspot.com/
My cooking blog http://ihopeyouarehungry.blogspot.com/
Twitter - www.twitter.com/DavidPOffutt
http://www.facebook.com/TheGastronomicGardener

Saturday harvest

The wife and a girlfriend were getting their hair done, so  I popped over to the veggie plot. The tomatoes are doing well, the cherry peppers.. oh heck  a  picture is worth a thousand words.

Clock wise from top, Okra (from the homeowner), Butternut Squash, farm fresh eggs (also from the homeowner), tomatoes  gold romas, cherry peppers and romas. Total tomato weight 12 lbs 5 oz.  More salsa and maybe some sauce.

Keep digging and eat well!

The Gastronomic Gardener
My garden blog http://amidwestgarden.blogspot.com/
My cooking blog http://ihopeyouarehungry.blogspot.com/
Twitter - www.twitter.com/DavidPOffutt
http://www.facebook.com/TheGastronomicGardener

Friday the 13th! Golden plums, clematis, and hops - Oh My!

After a long day in the office (contract reviews and negotiations are draining) I came home, made a beverage and took a quick walk around.

Golden romas hiding among the fading foliage. No blossom end rot here!

A few of the 4th of July - they are not 4" nor 4oz as advertised, but they are sweet and delicious. The large amount of rain caused some to split.

A stroll to the back garden reveals a late blooming clematis. What a treat! Some insect damage but not bad.

The hops on the pergola. Besides beer anyone have any cooking ideas? They smell delicious.

So there we have it, the tomatoes will be plucked in the morning.

The Gastronomic Gardener is off to the Carniceria to see if he can pick up some backfat for bratwurst. The butcher shoppe failed me.

Keep digging and eat well!


My garden blog http://amidwestgarden.blogspot.com/
My cooking blog http://ihopeyouarehungry.blogspot.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheGastronomicGardener