Crop Report

Hey everyone, I thought it was high time I wrote an update on all the various things we have growing.  First off, the potatoes!  I thought I was going to harvest them today, but it turns out, on further research, they need to be left a while longer in the ground.  I did hike up a few  for dinner though, and here they are:



Looking good!  But apparently I have to wait until the vines have completely wilted away, which is normally around the time of the first frost.  The reason for this is because right now, although the potatoes are fine to eat, their skins are still too thin to be effectively stored.  So I have to have patience and wait for their skins to thicken up.



This is how the potato patch looks right now.  I have to sit on my garden fork for a few more weeks!

Luckily, there's a lot more to be harvested at the moment, more than enough to keep me busy.  I've already made blackcurrant jam, blackberry jelly, and redcurrant and blueberry jam.  There are still tons of blackberries ripening, so today I bought some more mason jars.

The other crop that is definitely ready to harvest are the apples.  I'm starting with the wild apples because they're already falling off the tree.



Plenty more where these came from!  Once I have a couple of boxes full, I'll make apple jelly and apple butter.

In the meantime, our other trees are loaded with eating apples, which will be ready to pick very soon.  I have to beat the moose to them this year!



The other thing I have to beat the moose to is the grapes.  I checked out the vine today and noticed that something has already started to nibble a few bunches.  I think I'm going to have a few dozen jars of grape jelly for the Farmer's Market ...



I'm no grape expert, but I'm wondering if these are Concord grapes?  They're green, quite small, round and firm.  They taste a little tart, but good.  I'm open to advice, as well as recipes!  We don't have our winemaking equipment here yet, but next year ... !

As you may remember, I'm trying to grow tomatoes in a pot, as well as herbs from seed in the garden.  I've had some success with the herbs, and the tomato plant is growing slowly.



Note: I've never done this before.  Does it show?



A nice crop of parsley.



Sage is doing well.



Thyme seems to need little attention to grow profusely.

My rosemary didn't germinate, but no matter - I discovered that rosemary is already growing in another part of the garden, along with oregano, golden oregano, and chives!



Flowering oregano, covered in ecstatic bees.



Golden oregano. According to my son (who is a culinary arts student) this is a euphemism among his classmates for another kind of - ahem - "herb" entirely ...



Chives.

Now, I need your help with this one.  Anyone have any idea what this plant is?  It's growing in the herb garden, and smells like onions.



Mystery Plant ... ??

Last but not least, our pumpkins are doing great!  We planted them from seed, straight into the garden, and very late.  Behold:



We have seven plants, each of which has three or four pumpkins growing.



A bee on a pumpkin flower.  It's very important to have a healthy bee population in your garden, as they are the little workers that pollinate your crops.   No bees, no crops!



I don't know how long pumpkins take to grow, but I'm hoping by Halloween these guys will be a decent size!

Now if you'll excuse me, I have some freshly-dug potatoes to cook!