Harvest Monday: November 30, 2015

Maybe I won't give up on growing Brussels sprouts just yet!  Okay, well these are probably half the size (or smaller) of what I would expect to get if I were buying them.  But growing my own vegetables means I have much lower expectations.   :)

Seriously though, I'm happy enough with these and growing sprouts really isn't much work plus they take up very little space in the garden (the plants can get large but they are mostly vertical).  I haven't harvested the sprouts from these plants yet but I figured the plants were about as far along as they were going to get and pulled them from the garden.  It won't be a huge harvest but enough that I'm satisfied with the results (i.e. yield versus effort).

I am definitely NOT satisfied with this next harvest although there wasn't much effort involved here either.  The picture shows 3 entire plants of Vates Blue Curled Kale.  Pathetic.  Really, really pathetic.  But it was the poor location more than anything else.  These were direct sowed back in late April!!  And this is as large as they got.  This is one of the plants ...

The area has less light than I had originally thought when digging up a garden plus it is right beside a pine tree.  I tested the pH levels early in the season and they were average, but it's not an ideal spot to be sure.  I can't imagine what I'll do with the space - probably just put grass seed down again ...

I admit it is a bit weird harvesting greens while they are completely covered in frost.  This is the first time I've grown kale this late in the season (also have radishes in the ground still but the soil was frozen so I left them alone).  And the leaves at the bottom are the last bit of Ruby Red chard from a container in the greenhouse.

And to follow up on last week's harvest, I did indeed use my micro beetroot harvest to make a pasta (I didn't have regular goat cheese so topped it with a chunk of goat's milk feta).  Very tasty!

I look forward to seeing what other folks around the globe are harvesting this week on Our Happy Acres Harvest Monday collection.

Harvest Saturday!

I'm heading out to Vancouver for a few days and didn't want to miss posting what I've harvested this week so posting it today.  I'll still try to link up with Our Happy Acres Harvest Monday collection to see what other gardeners are doing this week.

My single harvest is the last item from the greenhouse.  I had planted beet seeds quite a while back (wish I could remember when, but thinking at least 6-7 weeks ago) and not much was happening.  It's an unheated greenhouse and even though beets are okay with cooler temperatures, there just hasn't been enough sunshine or warmth for them to grow.

So I've harvested the greens!  I left on what little bit of beetroot there was so I'll probably cook them when I get back from the short trip ... maybe with some pasta and goat cheese (yes, definitely that's what I'll do)!

And just before signing off, I wanted to share a picture of a pie I made with leftover bits of roasted squash (butternut, acorn and sweet dumpling - it was tasty so I'll share the recipe at some point).

Sliced Cabbage Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing and Bacon

This is a great winter salad and makes enough for two large servings.  My version here is very simple, but you could also add julienned carrots or red peppers if you have them on hand to add colour and a different texture.  The dressing makes just enough for a light dressing on the cabbage but with plenty of flavour.

Ingredients:
2 slices bacon
1 Tbsp minced shallot
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 ounce Danish blue cheese
4 cups shredded or thinly sliced cabbage

Place the sliced cabbage in a large bowl.  Crumble the blue cheese into a lidded container (to shake up your dressing) and season lightly with salt and pepper.

Cook bacon in a small saute pan.  Remove bacon when crisp and set aside on a paper towel to drain.

With the pan on a low-medium heat, add the shallots and saute 1-2 minutes until they soften and begin to colour.  Rmove from heat, quickly add the vinegar and scrape up any bits on the bottom of the pan.  Pour the mixture into the container with the blue cheese.  Pop on the lid and shake to combine ingredients.

Toss the cabbage with the dressing while it is still a bit warm and serve with the bacon crumbled on top.