Better late than never

Sometimes I wonder when I get the garden up and running late in the season as I did this summer in Canada whether it is worth the effort of getting organised, getting the seedlings started and pampered and in the ground knowing that there is a likelihood of not getting any results in the short season we have here.
But the joy of eating home grown, non sprayed veges just minutes after harvesting makes it seem all worth while even if the harvest isn't huge.
This summer I started harvesting from the vege garden just about as soon as I arrived. There were the self sown peas and lettuces and the perennial herbs-chive, oregano, parsley and thyme.
I also managed to scoop up a few tomato plants cheaply from the local nursery, that were ready to harvest almost from the time I bought them, and have continued to produce all summer.

This tomato bush has been producing for the last 2 months, but has finally just given up. Though there are still a lot left to harvest. Fortunately I still have more tomato plants just starting to ripen their fruit. They are in pots, so when the weather cools down I'll at least be able to move them to a sheltered area.

The jalapeno peppers and the cayenne peppers are starting to ripen in their pots. When we leave in a few weeks, I'll do my usual trick of putting them inside, in front of a bright window, and let them ripen some more, then dry down over the winter. They will then be ready to crush and store on our return next spring.

The beans and peas finally produced a largish harvest a few days ago and lots more on the way. I only need a few more weeks of frost free weather before we go to make those worth their while starting.

Even the zucchinis are starting to produce. The lettuce are continueing to produce. I did have a big failure with the pak choi when the slugs devoured the complete row early on in their life.
The root bound cucumber seedlings I picked up from the nursery on our arrival made a strong come back, and have been supplying our salads for the last few weeks.

This harvest made it all worth the effort. It made a healthy contribution to a dinner party we had a few nights ago.

Chillies

Yesterday and today we are getting a lovely rain. Desperately needed, but for my vege garden a little late.
Though the chillies are ripening up a treat.
The Serrano chillies are not so hot, but they sure look great on the bush, and with their thin skins are easy to dry.

 

 These yellow ones I don't know what their name is. We call them the perennial chillies because they survive from year to year in this climate, which the others, while technically perennial in their native environment, aren't here.
I started 3 plants of the yellow chillies last summer, and this summer they are laden with these golf ball size chillies. There are probably over a hundred all together, and the bushes are producing more flowers.
The flesh provides a bit of bite, but the real heat is in the seeds.
Because they are thick skinned, I find throwing them whole into the freezer is the best way of storing them. To use, I chop the whole fruit up while it is frozen and toss them into the dish I am preparing.

 

I also have some habanero chillies on the go, but they have shown no signs of changing colour yet. they are grown in a pot, so when we leave here in a few weeks, I'll put them, pot and all, into the house, and hope they ripen and dry on the plant.

Spring in New Zealand

Due to a family tragedy, I find myself suddenly in New Zealand.
I am not here often this early in the spring, so I am finding it really interesting to see what is happening in the garden.
The first thing I do is check out the food situation.
There are amazingly enough, a few things available to harvest. Even without being here to plant, the garden still provides.

 

The bright orange fruit on the citrus trees got my attention. The mandarins are small and sweet. The oranges are ripening up, and there are a few grapefruit. The lemon trees are laden also, though presently not on my menu.

There are a couple of cabbages that I must have left in the garden last autumn because they weren't doing much. They are not exactly prime examples, but the leaves are certainly tasty enough.

 

I haven't worked out where this broccoli came from. Maybe it is one that self seeded. The florets may be small, but a hand full in a stir fry works.

So far I've managed to harvest only a few of the first asparagus. But there should be lots more on the way. Usually I miss the asparagus season, so this is a real treat.

Last autumn I did my usual trick of putting the chili peppers in their pots inside the house in a sunny window. I came back to plants covered with ripe, dried chillies. These two varieties are Serrano which are not so hot and Habanero which are very hot.

They have been harvested, and put through the blender, and stored in a jar for future meals.

 

This red mustard plant is beautiful, though the leaves are very hot when the plants are this big.

 

 

The herbs are in fine form. The chives are blooming, as is the rosemary. Lots of mint and lemon balm creeping around. The oregano is starting to put on some spring growth also.

The garlic is looking very healthy, though it won't be ready to harvest til December. The spring onions also seem to be enjoying their new spot.

As well there are lots of spring flowers blooming. Next post I'll give you a glimpse of them.