This was the foreboding forecast on October 2nd, signaling the beginning of the end of my veggies...
...so the rush was on to bring in
anything edible! There were a bunch of green tomatoes....
...along with a nice assortment of peppers, eggplants, teeny zucchini, red asparagus beans (the long ones), broccoli bits, and even a squash blossom. I collected every speck of edible anything!
Then came an unexpected turn of events: my garden recieved some SPR ("Summer Progress Resuscitation"). Like a phoenix from the ashes, this tomato bloom rises from dead, curled foliage...
...and beans are forming once again on my 'Royalty Purple Pod' plants.
The "moon garden" of night-blooming plants has been largely un-phased by the cold all along, aside from the fact that my moonflower vine died back immediately, and this datura hasn't developed a flowerbud (yet).
These 'Caraflex' cabbages were sown August 19th as a fall crop, and they're cruising right along as expected (I have covered the wire with "row cover-type" material on the coldest nights, just to be safe.)
This 'Cocozelle' summer squash has been an
amazing producer all season, and now even with damaged leaves I see that blooms are
still forming! (Male-only thus far, so I can enjoy sauteed squash blossoms but likely no more fruit.)
This cute little 'Gold Rush Currant' tomato has fruit still ripening! It's growing against a fence on the west side of the property, but there's no radiant heat from a building or anything...amazing.
Check out the fruit and blooms on this 'Fairytale' eggplant! It's in a semi-protected spot between the house and garage, but there's no roof or trees overhead.
Look at my 'Red Deer Tongue' lettuce-the leaves are finally
really red (earlier in the season they were mostly green with some specks of red, appearing sunburnt or dirty). All this late season activity is sooo exciting, I wonder if there's enough warm weather left for another modest harvest?
Apparently not according to
this guy! He makes this declaration for my area on October 4th, but everything is hanging tough so far.
Good thing my plants don't watch TV!
7 comments:
No kidding. We even had frost warnings then. No frost. Followed by temps since in the mid 80's. Unfortunately I bought into it as well as you did (although UP is farther north. and rushed everything inside. Bummer!
I'm always glad my plants don't read, either. Aren't eggplant blooms the coolest?! Also, now playing in my brain: "itsy beeny yellow polka dot zucchini!"
Troutbirder-The upshot of bringing plants in early is avoiding "house frogs" that come out of the soil in the warm house after the temps were cold outside.
Monica-LOL! New hit single! ;-)
All in all, it looks like Millertime has had a successful growing season!
What did you do with all those green maters? :)
v.
I fried some, and put some in a box with an apple to ripen (it worked, too!). The rest I'd planned to try this cake recipe I found online, but never got around to it. So they're worm food :)
A cake? Oooh, do tell!
v.
Here's the recipe:
Green Tomato Cake
This spiced green tomato cake is surprisingly delicious,
and it's a great way to use green tomatoes before the frost gets them.
Ingredients:
•2 1/4 cups sugar
•1 cup vegetable oil or melted shortening
•3 eggs
•2 teaspoons vanilla
•3 cups flour
•1 teaspoon salt
•1 teaspoon baking powder
•1 teaspoon cinnamon
•1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
•1 cup pecans or walnuts
•1 cup raisins
•2 1/2 cups diced green tomatoes
•coconut (optional)
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350°. In mixing bowl, beat sugar, vegetable oil or shortening,
eggs and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder,
cinnamon and nutmeg; slowly beat into egg mixture. Blend well. Stir in pecans, raisins and tomatoes.
Pour into greased 9x13-inch pan. Top with coconut if desired. Bake for one hour,
or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. .
Serves 12.
Wish I'd tried it, I'm sorting through the greenies today and if I have enough good ones I'll still do it. (I kept them in a "forever green" bag, so some may still be ok but it's been about 3 weeks.)
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