Harvest Monday: November 24, 2014 - Update on Brussels Sprouts

Note to Self:  When friends say that hanging brussels sprouts upside down in your basement will keep them growing after they have been harvested ... don't believe them. They just shrivel up and look even smaller than they were to begin with.

Baby Savoy Cabbage Salad with Pomegranate and Feta

This was supposed to be a salad with shaved brussels sprouts.  But I need to give those another week or two before using (hoping they'll continue to grow on the stalk).  So I decided to try the cabbage I had recently harvested.  The technique of tossing it with the dressing and keeping overnight is something I've seen (but not used before) with kale in order to soften the texture.  It worked well with the cabbage here, although the cabbage was more tender due to its size than had it been fully grown.

The bitterness is offset by the sweetness of the pomegranate and tangy feta cheese.  I also tossed on some roasted pistachio nuts.  Delicious!!
 
For the dressing, put the following into a small mason jar and shake it up: 1 1/2 Tbsp grapeseed oil, 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar, 3/4 tsp grainy mustard, 2 cloves garlic minced, pinch of salt (or you can pretty much use any vinaigrette).

Slice the cabbage.   Place in a seal-able container and pour some of the dressing over top.  Give it a massage with your fingers to ensure it is well coated - add more dressing if needed (I used about 3/4's of it).  Pop the lid on and leave in the fridge overnight or at least a few hours.

Rather than the pomegranate-feta-pistachio combo, it would also go well with dried cranberries, pecans and some shaved parmesan cheese.

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.