Harvest Monday: November 17, 2014

By the time Friday evening arrived, I decided to pull up what I had left in the garden.  The brussels sprouts, etc. had already gone through a few nights of -5C, but I thought -8C might be too much (but not really sure how cold they can take it?).

So out I went with the very dim flashlight in the dark to gather what I could.

I pulled the two largest of the brussels sprouts, root ball and all.  I bagged up the bottom to keep the dirt from getting everywhere and they are now hanging in the basement in the hopes of getting a bit more size out of them.

Plus a smaller plant which yielded all of 1/2 a cup of these teeny marbles.

And I grabbed the 2 largest savoy cabbage heads ... as you can see, they didn't get too big.

I nibbled on one of the broccoli side shoots left but it was a bit mealy so chucked the rest in the compost.  And the cauliflower never really did anything anyway so I've just left it there for now.

Other than herbs, I have nothing left.  I had some beets and carrots planted but they aren't big enough to harvest.  The 5 cm of snow on Sunday hasn't helped ...

 But I'll definitely be checking in regularly at Daphne's Dandelions Harvest Monday collection to see what other gardeners (in warmer climes than mine) have going on.

Baked Persimmon with Candied Ginger and Honey

 

It's persimmon season again!  They don't come around often in these parts so I grab a bagful when I can.  I usually only see Fuyu which are the firmer variety.  Hachiya is the other most common variety that might be found here in Eastern Canada (imported from the U.S.).  Hachiya is very soft and custardy when ripe.

These are Fuyu - even after baking, they retain their shape.  Wonderful served with custard for a simple dessert.  I really like the bite that candied ginger gives to the dish. 



Ingredients:
4 persimmon, halved horizontally
1 cinnamon stick
2-3 pieces candied ginger
3 Tbsp honey
1 lemon, zest and juice
1/3 cup boiling water









Place persimmons in a 9x9 pan. Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl (boiling water poured in last) and let sit several minutes.  Pour over persimmons.  Cover the dish with tinfoil.

Bake @ 375 degrees F for about 45 minutes.  Halfway through, remove the pan from the oven. Tilt slightly to get at the liquid from the bottom of the pan and spoon it over the persimmons.

After an hour, remove from oven and spoon any remaining liquid over top.  Remove the cinnamon stick (or it will burn) and keep the tinfoil off. Put under the broiler for 5-10 minutes until the tops have caramelized.  Serve with ice cream, custard or yogurt. Served below with a Tbsp of mascarpone cheese.

Current State of the Brassicas

 

I am anxiously watching the weather forecast these days.  Yesterday was fabulous ... a high of 17 degrees C!  But we have already had several nights below zero in the past few weeks and similar lows expected in just a few days.

But I wait patiently for the brussels sprouts and cabbage to get a bit bigger before I harvest them.  I intentionally started them later than the previous year to avoid having them bolt in the summer heat - naturally it turned out to be a cool summer.  :)

The sprouts should be okay (I only have 4 plants) ... another week in the garden then they'll still get a bit bigger if I hang them for another week or so.  I don't imagine the savoy cabbage will get much bigger but the 4 plants I have should provide enough for a meal or two.
 

After Margaret showed her broccoli side shoots a couple of days ago, I thought I should take a look myself as I had not expected to have the time for any to grow this season.   Wouldn't you know it, there are side shoots on most of the plants!

And it looks like I should still get a broccoli (or four), small as they may be - this one is only an inch or so across.









As for the cauliflower, not so much.  Second year in a row with no real heads to harvest (except for this teeny little purple one pulled a week ago).

Last year, the entire plants were duds.  This year, I have large plants (pic below) with plenty of leaf but no head (or maybe a little head wrapped in those inner little leaves).  I'll see if I can work out that problem before next year.  I know I had peas growing in that bed just before I put in the brussels sprouts and cauliflower and the brussels sprouts seem fine. I assume I have too much or too little of something ...