Monday 13 January 2014

Harvest Monday - 13th January 2014

At this time of the year I consider myself lucky if I have harvested anything at all. This week though I have harvested three types of vegetable - endive, parsnip and broccoli.

This is the endive, a curly one for sure, though I can't remember which variety it is:


Although you can hasten the blanching process by covering the endive with something to exclude the light (a dinner-plate works quite well), they are always to a certain extent self-blanching, like this one, which I have not covered at all.


My next harvest was another batch of parsnips (mine are "Gladiator F1"):


One of the best features of the parsnip is that it keeps very well even when mature. you don't have to harvest it, you can just leave it in the ground for months on end and harvest it when you need it. The foliage dies down almost completely, so it is a good idea to put in some sticks or something to remind you where the row is - especially if it is in danger of being covered with snow.

This time I harvested just enough for a two-person serving:


These ones are destined to be roasted and served alongside a roast Goose-breast in a couple of days' time. Incidentally, if you don't use your parsnips straight away they keep very well for at least a week in the fridge, especially if you use one of those "Stayfresh" bags. After a while they will go a bit limp, even though they will still be useable for perhaps 3 or 4 weeks.

My third harvest this past week is one that you have seen already - that single head of "Matsuri" miniature broccoli:


If you want to see more about what we eat, you can see lots of posts on the subject on Jane's blog Onions and Paper, for instance this one which shows you what happened to the Cavolo Nero I harvested last week.  "Onions and Paper" is named after the primary ingredients of Jane's two chief areas of expertise (after comping, that is!) - cookery and crafting.

That's it from me this week folks, but why not head over to"Harvest Monday" on Daphne's Dandelions to see what others have harvested...

6 comments:

  1. Well done. Have you ever harvested root veggies after ground freezes solid? If so were they still viable?

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    1. David; Yes, I have harvested Parsnips after a big freeze, and they were OK. The tops (nearest the surface) were a bit squishy, but the rest was fine. Certainly edible! It would have to be VERY cold for the freeze to penetrate more than a few inches (Oh, sorry, I forgot you live in Chicago, the coldest place on Earth last week!)

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  2. Well done. Have you ever harvested root veggies after ground freezes solid? If so were they still viable?

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  3. That is a pretty nice harvest for this time of the year.

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  4. We grow gladiator too! More broccoli envy coming your way.

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