Yesterday as I walked by the raised bed I have them planted in, I noticed one of the heads had burst out of the leaves I've been keeping tied up over them for blanching (to keep them white).
Stopped to check all the heads and . . . Whoa, Nellie! We had cauliflower ready for harvest! (Last year, I harvested cauliflower on July 14th. Yep, we are behind this year!)
I planted nine plants and all but one of the heads turned out good. Seems I usually end up with at least one head that goes wonky on me and refuses to form a normal looking, rounded mound but rather has strange, off-colored antennae sticking out all over.
Can't complain about the crop this year even though it really was bit late. Although it sure wasn't on my schedule for the day, I made time to prep the cauliflower, soak it in warm salted water for a couple of hours and then process it for the freezer for our winter's use.
I also harvested our first shell peas yesterday, with companionship and help from our daughter, and got those tender, tasty, little green gems in the freezer. Although it was a bit of a struggle between scattered rain drops and one heavy deluge, I got a dehydrator full of prepped peppermint done, too.
Harvest time is in full swing and so often there are surprises in the garden so best to keep out a keen eye!
13 comments:
The cauliflower looks great! What a wonderful harvest! I want to try growing some when I have the forever garden.
Rain - I'm sure you'll be very successful with it when you try it. Other than tying up the leaves over the developing head, it's not a lot of work. I've tried growing the "self-blanching" variety where the leaves grow up and over the heads but at least for me, they have never done a good job of protecting the head from turning color.
They are beauties.... What's the old saying... "So round, so firm, so fully packed." ,-)
I know, that was a very old cigarette commercial but.....
Hey, does anyone remember Cigarette Commercials???? -gasp-
Keep your eyes open, Hon!!!!!
Absolutely beautiful cauliflower!! -Jenn
wisps of words - . . . and lumpy!! Hahaha. Can't bring any of the cigarette commercials to mind at the moment but I do remember them being prolific on TV. Also there was a time that feminine hygiene products (!) were advertised on TV and I remember one specific instance watching TV with a high school boyfriend when one of them came on. Oh, the utter humiliation of it! Times have changed, eh?
Jenn - Thank you! The nice thing about growing cauliflower is that the heads all mature at once so you pick them, process them and you're done for the year. Not like peas or beans or . . .
You have me on a roll now... Cig. adds... "So round, so firm, so fully packed, so free and easy, on the draw."
"You've got your own cigarette now Baby, you've come a long, long way."
How times change!!!!!
Oh and remember, how tv adds, could not show a model IN a BRA! Now, they show models, in nearly nothing!
OK, I'll go away now. -smirk-
The cauliflower does look so white and good. That's the trouble with the garden, everything comes at once. So you run around like a chicken with It's head cut off to get everything done. Well worth it tho'. There are great reward!!!
wisps of words - You've got a good memory! Just think of the models parading around now . . . think "Victoria Secrets!"
Lynne - Some of the heads weren't as snowy white as you would see in the store, but they'll still taste fine. And you've got that right when you say it seems everything in the garden wants to be harvested and preserved at once! Made our second picking of shell peas this morning and got them in the freezer right away. Tomorrow? Need to replenish our lettuce supply inside here, but that's an easy one. Oh, and probably pick more edible podded peas. Anything else? (Probably!) Hope your harvesting is going super-doo!
Mom, you should repost that cauliflower pic with a measuring stick next to it cuz that bowl they're in is HUGE! :)
Dear Anonymous who called me "Mom." Please identify yourself. ;o)
Yepper, I should have put something next to the heads (I did put the largest ones on top, of course) to give an idea of their size. The bowl is my largest stainless steel one that is too big to fit on a kitchen cabinet shelf; I have to store it in the pantry on an open shelf where it can "hang over."
Those cauliflower heads are gorgeous and ginormous! Wowza! How big are those babies? I don't know what you feed them, but holey smoke. Our harvesting is still limping along. It's very frustrating, but you can't hurry nature. How nice to have company for shelling peas.
Susan - Ya know, I never thought to either measure or weigh the cauliflower heads. I hadn't intended on harvesting or processing them that day so was in a bit of a hurry scurry rush. (I am absolutely fanatic about getting produce from harvest to processed in as short a time as possible. Saves so many nutrients from being lost that way.)
My daughter LOVES to shell peas (strange child) and will drop everything, if she can, to help do so. Am I lucky, or what?
Beautiful heads of cauliflower! One of my favorite vegetables! I've never grown it but I did have a great dish of "cauliflower steaks" that my daughter made while I was there. Basically sliced and roasted with an herb mixtures tosses in....delish! Enjoy!
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