I planted later-maturing roma tomatoes this year so this is the first week that I’ve been able to taste the bounty. What a treat!!! Combined with basil, a bit of garlic, and some olive oil, this has been the mainstay of my meals lately. Eating seasonally is so rewarding. I love waiting until the tomatoes are ripe in order to indulge.
But we all know that the tomatoes won’t be around forever so now’s the time to pull out the canning jars and freezer bags and put food aside for the winter. Even the zucchini, which I don’t really want to see much more of right now, will be much welcomed in December.
The squash is way earlier this year and we’ve already been able to harvest the Red Kuri. Not sure if I’m quite ready to begin indulging in stews and soups but that’s the wonderful thing about winter squash – their storage power. Once the stems are nice and brown, they can be harvested and cured to last for months. I usually leave mine in a warm greenhouse until the skins are nice and hard.
While the soil was still moist from last weeks’ rains, I transplanted kale, cabbage and collard greens. This week I get to put in sprouting and Romanesco broccoli. In the seeding area, it’s time to start (re) sow all the lovely salad ingredients that we had early in the spring: lettuce, spinach, mizuna, arugula, & radishes.
Yes, it’s a lot of work to be on top of both harvesting and planting at this time of the year. But boy is it worth it! When the heat of the day gets too much to be outside, that’s when I do my seeding in a shady spot. August will be busy but fresh salad in November will be much welcomed.
PS. Hope you all got your Walla Walla onions planted. If not, there’s still time this week!
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