Monday 26 September 2011

Autumn Veggie Round Up

It wont be long now before all the courgettes and squashes are harvested - the foliage is dying back or getting mildewed - whilst we were away we visited the local allotments to have a nosey. (Talk about coals to Newcastle)  I love allotment sites don't you?  There were even sheep kept on one allotment!  Anyway, one plot had all the pumpkins lying on bare soil with no greenery left whatsoever, I presume the allotment holder had done that so as to ripen them - I think they were still attached to the root.  So I have started to cut away all the surplus foliage - I am surprised at how many weeds were lurking beneath
There are still plenty of Gold Rush Courgettes to harvest on three plants -

And the Patty Pan Squash are still producing (sorry about the blurred photo but I didn't have my reading glasses with me, so I can't judge the distance very well - blind old bat).

The early morning sun was lovely and shone on the Purple Sprouting Broccoli, highlighting is beautifully

The Savoy Cabbage is beginning to heart up blurrily

And the January King Cabbage even more blurrily - oh dear - note to self - take your glasses with you next time!
This is a bit clearer picture of the Red Cabbage which has been given a good seeing-to by caterpillars, but the heart is okay and slowly getting bigger - I'm sure it should have been ready by now, but the weather has held it back - I found a good recipe for Braised Red Cabbage on another website but can't remember which - so I am looking forward to eating it - eventually.
The Curly Kale has been left alone by the caterpillars -

as has the Scarlet Kale (looks more like purple to me - oh well)

and finally, we have Leeks - I have been pulling them small, but there are plenty left to see me through the winter.  All in all, I am reasonably chuffed with the progress of everything, and as long as there are no major disasters, we should have cabbage coming out of our ears!

10 comments:

  1. I sympathise on the eyesight thing. I'm like that too.
    What type is your Red Cabbage? Mine has grown VERY slowly this year, just like you describe. We like Red Cabbage braised with apples and raisins, and a splash of vinegar to stop it going grey.

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  2. Looks like you are well sorted for Winter produce. Well done!

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  3. Lots of beautiful vegetables at your place. I am growing only tomatoes and peppers right now but hope to get back to a bigger vegetable garden.

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  4. Great pictures! My golden rush courgettes are out of control as well...they just don't understand that summer is over (and we're tired of eating them) ;)

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  5. You'll be eating well through winter. My leeks are still very small, though there's plenty of them so they should last ok. Curly kale always seems to do well, there doesn't seem to be many pests which like it.

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  6. Love it all! Here we add curly kale to mashed potatoes and onions to make colcannon. It's a special Halloween dish. I never get tired of greens!

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  7. Foxglove Lane - good idea for the kale - it probably helps to take the strong taste away a bit.

    Jo - I can understand why the pests stay away - the leaves can be quite tough.

    Tanya - I actually prefer the green courgettes myself - don't know why I grow so many yellow ones really - I get carried away I suppose.

    Carolyn - I have plenty of space at the moment to grow greens but they can cause problems with cabbage root fly etc. so I try and move them around every year just in case. I would hate to be without them though.

    Bridget - I don't have enough ground to be self-sufficient in winter produce unfortunately, but grow as much as I can squeeze in.

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  8. A delightful harvest! Absolutely love the tones of your first image. Gorgeous!

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  9. I can't believe you still have courgettes!! Mine are all done and dusted so I feel I must have done something wrong. (Probably leaving them to their own devices rather than watering every evening!) I like the sound of colcannon, I do mash with onions and broccoli, but colcannon reminds me of bubble and squeak, a childhood favourite!

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  10. Hi Elaine, I just found your vege blog. Your plot looks in really good heart. I only have one cabbage left to pick, and I keep putting it off...

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