Sunday, October 14, 2012

We'll Be Done Soon, Right?

Like so many of you, my kitchen counters are still decorated with garden produce waiting to be processed.  Considering the wonky start most of our gardens got this year and the difficult growing conditions, we should be glad we've got produce to harvest and put by.  It seems strange to still be preserving because in most years, my harvesting and preserving would be done long ago.

It was just this past week that we had two killing frosts.  'Twas very late into the fall season for us up here in northern Minnesota.  But now even with the cold frames protecting peppers and tomatoes, we haven't been getting enough sunlight to warm up the crops sufficiently to keep the plants alive and maturing.  That's okay by me.  We've got more good food squirreled away than the two of us will need for the coming year.  It's a good feeling and, believe you me, for that I'm very grateful, thankful and appreciative!




These are just cherry tomatoes (not full-sized ones).  We're not too fond of anything made with green tomatoes so I'll see if I can coax these guys into ripening on the counter.




Those are all sweet peppers in the back colander and the last of my first attempt at growing hot (mild for us, thank you) peppers in the foreground.  They'll most likely all get either dehydrated or frozen for later use.


What's still in the garden?  Beets, potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes and Brussels sprouts.  More on them later.


Have a great Sunday, Everyone!  We're off to Chicken Mama's to give a little assistance with the moving.  

20 comments:

Tombstone Livestock said...

Have a good weekend.

Carolyn said...

So. I suppose you wouldn't be wanting like fifteen pints of green tomato pickles from me then for Christmas then, hugh?

Oh, and not to bring up a "oh-crap" moment from the past, but didn't a certain someone from your loins make a mistake and tear up your Jerusalem artichokes? Does this mean that they survived or were there others?

Sue said...

Cherry tomatoes are about the only kind that ripen up well after picking. You should have lots more good eating from those.
I don't know when we got our killing frost here. I came home to some strange things---stuff that should have died (zinnias, Dahlias) didn't.....and stuff that should have liked the frosts (Brussels Sprouts!) up and turned black on me. So I guess I STILL haven't raised Brussels sprouts. Rats.
Next year.
Yup.

Mama Pea said...

Tombstone Livestock - I think we've just about exhausted the weekend. Hope you had a good one!

Mama Pea said...

CR - Umm, uh, no, thank you. You might want to just keep those lovely green tomato pickles. ;o} (I once made fried green tomatoes and I must have picked a really bum recipe 'cause they were AWFUL!)

My goodness, you have a good memory! After the massacre of the unripe Jerusalem artichokes last year, I dug some just to see if they were worth bothering with. They were small but edible and I knew I left enough tubers in the ground so more might grow this year. Did they ever!! I think I left too many in the ground because in their 4 x 8' bed there must be 2,897 stalks. (We'll overlook the fact that each stalk is only 1/2" thick.) So what will we find when I harvest there? I don't know but the stalks are definitely dying now so I probably should harvest what is there soon.

Mama Pea said...

Sue - You realize that your garden is just so darn mad at you for leaving it unattended so much this year that it's acting like a spoiled brat and doing all kinds of crazy things. Yepper, next year it will be back to its usual unsurpassed loveliness, I promise you.

P.S. I haven't harvested my Brussels sprouts yet but if they are good, I'll send you one. Be on the lookout for a greenish, squishy envelope.)

Erin said...

Look at those peppers! I don't ever want to hear you wishing you could grow big peppers again, those look fantastic! It certainly does look strange, you having even green tomatoes on the counter in mid October so far north, you had a great season!

Mama Pea said...

Erin - Hee-hee-hee! I did feel a little like I was posting a mini-imitation of your always fantastic pepper hauls!

Anonymous said...

That all looks yummy! I know you must be tired of it all, but like you said, grateful.
Keeping Chicken Mama in lots of prayers for the move to the new place. She SO deserves good things to come down the pike for her :)

Kelly said...

Ha! I can't believe you said "wonky"! Your the second person this week to use that word on a post. I drive my husband nuts saying it! He thinks it's a weird word! Anyway your veggies look great andI hope your tomatoes ripen up for you. Have a great week ☺

Jane @ Hard Work Homestead said...

This was a weird year. We had a late frost then and early freeze so it was one of the shortest growing seasons here in a while. And I am kinda glad. Each garden I get ripped out and ready for winter is a big sigh of relief. I just want to sit back and eat the food for a while instead of always fooling with it. Hope you had a good weekend :)

judy said...

I will be glad to get my computer back,I'm using Richards old laptop,I have trouble on my own ,much less with someone Else's--lol nice tomatoes

Susan said...

After all the kevetching (on my part) that nothing would grow, I couldn't get the tomatoes to stop! I was so relieved when we finally had a killing frost. Hope that doesn't come back to bite me. I'm late catching up with my blogging buddies, but I hope the move went smoothly.

Leigh said...

Well, Blogger ate my first comment. I must say though, that your end of year harvest is lovely. Even got some red on those tomatoes!

Mama Pea said...

Stephanie - As has been said before, in the spring and early summer we angst over thinking we will never get our gardens to mature and won't have enough for putting by. Then by the end of harvest we're wondering why the heck we planted so much!

Thanks for the kind thoughts/prayers for CM's move. It's a monumental undertaking and I know she will be so relieved when it is DONE!

Mama Pea said...

Kelly - What? Tell your hubby "wonky" is just the perfect word to describe something that is totally . . . well, wonky!

The spread of cherry tomatoes are STILL on my counter and it looks like every last one is going to ripen!

Mama Pea said...

Jane - I know it's just plain weird and I don't mean to sound ungrateful for whatever bounty we have, but sometimes after growing the food, harvesting it, and processing it, I really don't want to even look at it for a while let alone eat it! (Strange predicament, isn't it?)

Mama Pea said...

judy - Hope you're back set up with your own computer by now. Like you, I have enough trouble using my own. Put me in front of someone else's and it's like I have to learn everything all over again!

Mama Pea said...

Susan - About the only thing we were able to move from CM's was her couch because it filled the whole of the back of the Suburban. But we now have our old (previously smooshed by the big tree) handy-dandy, high-sided trailer reconstructed so we can start with big loads whenever she gives us the word.

Mama Pea said...

Leigh - Yes, I have been very pleased with the end of the harvesting from the garden. I think all of the cherry tomatoes are going to turn red. Gotta love 'em!