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Monday, October 18, 2010

10/18/10 Harvest Still Trickling In

We're only a couple of days away from the average first frost date in Indianapolis, but it looks like we may be lucky enough get through the rest of October without seeing any frost.  This would make for a very warm October for our area.  The weather was really beautiful this weekend with the daytime highs in the 70s.  Keith and I took advantage of this by taking a Saturday evening walk to the neighborhood liquor store (0.6 miles from the house) to buy some beer (the cashier looked at us a little funny when Keith put the beers in his backpack) and then enjoying a Sunday morning stroll before breakfast to admire various elaborate Halloween decorations around the neighborhood.

In the garden, the warm weather has allowed another handful of Jelly Bean tomatoes to ripen on the vine.  The plants themselves are looking pretty sorry and bare, but as long as the tomatoes stay edible, I won't complain.


In addition to the Jelly Bean tomatoes, this week's harvest included several more ripe cayenne peppers, a few sugar snap peas, one small radish and some green beans (both green and golden).  The green beans were our first harvest from the bush beans currently growing in the indoor grow box, so we were pretty excited to add green beans to the list of our grow box vegetables.


I also harvested two salads' worth of baby lettuce.  I don't know why they look so pale in this picture, but they looked normal in person.

Oh, I also harvested another serving's worth of asian greens.  I might have had two servings' worth, but the cabbage worms took their share before I got there.  I know, because I picked 15 fat and happy cabbage worms off of my greens.  Well, they were probably happy before I picked them off and drowned them in a container of water.


Bok Choy: If this is not rude, I don't know what is.

I also tackled the mass of basil growing in the garden.  Basil is probably the number one thing that grew like weed in the garden this year.  Next year, I will grow fewer plants.


Here's about one pound of basil.  I made a triple batch of pesto, and am currently in the process of air-drying the rest of the basil leaves for future consumption.

20 comments:

  1. Wow! That is a nice fall harvest. I know what you mean about asian greens. We grew chinese mustard greens and we didn't even eat them because they were swiss cheese!!

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  2. Our asian greens is also under severe attack by pests. You can still make salsa before the frost come with those wonderful harvest:)

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  3. The nerve of some worms. At least they could limit the damage to a localized area. No shame, I tell you. No shame.

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  4. Looks great! That is some BIG basil!

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  5. Cabbage worms are rude, no doubt about it. Our tomato plants aren't much to look at either this time of year. It's been warm down here to the south as well. I'd say your gardens are doing great!

    I had to laugh about your Sat. walk. Lends new meaning to the term "beer run"!

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  6. Beautiful harvest, it looks really nice. I have someone eating of my cabbage too, slugs or Cabbage worms I presume./ Tyra

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  7. Oh, how I envy your climate!! It looks like summer att yours. Here in Sweden we have had very low temperatures and most of the harvest is done for this year...

    Lovely pictures and crops you show:)
    Charlotta
    Cesar's Garden

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  8. I've been picking a couple of worms off my my Asian greens too. And I have them under a row cover. I think my row cover has seen its last year as it is starting to get holes. And obviously the moths find their way in.

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  9. meemsnyc - thank you! I'm determined to eat every last leaf that grows in my garden, swiss cheese or not. :)

    * * * * *
    Malay-Kadazan girl - I'm afraid the amount of tomatoes I harvested is nowhere near enough to make a batch of salsa!

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    Ribbit - that would be so nice if they could keep their damage to a limited area!

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    Erin - thanks! Sometimes I wonder if the basil is sucking out all soil nutrients and leaving none for the other garden vegetables.

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    village - oh, there was no running involved during our beer walk. :) We couldn't even walk very fast on our way back, lest the beer bottles get all sloshed around in the backpack!

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    Tyra - thank you! A lot of people thought that some of the damages to my cabbages were from slugs, but I've only seen cabbage worms so far and no slugs in my garden. Either way, they are all bad!

    * * * * *
    Madame C - thank you! It actually did almost feel summery this weekend - "nice" summer with cool nights, not hot and muggy like it actually was all summer long. Normally, we would be getting into freezing weather right about now, but this year has been very peculiar weather-wise.

    * * * * *
    Daphne - those moths really are persistent!


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  10. Well that would be a nice leaf and I'm sure the caterpillars thought so. There was one year where my basil-eyes were bigger than my basil-stomach but normally, I'm always craving more.

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  11. Yep that is a nice big pile of Basil!
    Isn't it nice to get a few more warm days to get those tomatoes and peppers ripe!

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  12. oh, your cayennes are beautiful and I love those yellow beans. Lovely harvest!

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  13. Ottawa Gardener - I looked at my basil harvest and wished that I could trade it in for a pound of pristine asian greens.

    * * * * *
    Shawn Ann - yes, I will take all the warm (but not hot) days I can get!

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    Carol - thank you! This is my first time growing yellow green beans. I want to try all the different colors. Purples are up next year!

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  14. Lucky you to have a summer that made the basil grow like a weed! My poor basil plants sulked and turned black from the damp cold summer we had. Really was quite pathetic and sad actually.

    I continue to be just amazed at what your grow box is producing for you.

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  15. Yay for delayed first frost date! Those tomatoes and peppers are a great bonus this time of year in your area.

    You are putting your grow box to good use, congrats!

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  16. Haha, you crack me up! Living in California I feel guilty for not bringing my own bag and cashiers routinely ask if you even want a bag for 1 or 2 items these days. No one would look askance at a backpack here, as a matter of fact in college town Arcata it is normal behavior!

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  17. Look at all the basil. I think it was too hot here for my basil to thrive. It is so neat that you are harvesting from your grow box!!

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  18. I wish my basil had grown like a weed- instead I had to mooch basil off my mom to get a good supply of freezer pesto!

    I'd love to see your indoor grow box- sounds very promising...

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