Harvest time is an exciting time. There is an abundance of vegetables to be picked at the garden - pepper plants teeming with little hot gems, artichokes rising up in the center of their pointy leaves, large zucchinis hiding below their big green umbrellas. Unfortunately some of our potatoes and tomatoes have blight, so we're trying to keep on those plants to make sure it doesn't spread too much. Blight is a disease that causes leaf and stem lesions and fruit rot on potatoes and tomatoes. If you notice discolouration and lesions on the stems or leaves of your plants pull off the leaves or pull the whole plant up and dispose of them ASAP in a plastic bag in the garbage or burn them. The spores will spread if put in the compost or left out at the garden. The potatoes should still be okay to eat, unless you cut them open and they are visibly diseased.
It's also that time of year that we can start planting cold tolerant crops. Fall vegetables actually require less care because of the favorable autumn growing conditions. Weeds and destructive pests don't create as much of a problem in the fall either due to the cooling temperatures. Some crops suitable for fall planting include spinach, kale, turnip, broccoli, mustard greens and arugula. So, if you have extra space in your plot and you want to have fresh produce into the fall, come on out to the garden and get planting!
For those of you who are interested in preserving your harvest, here are a couple tried and true recipes:
Zucchini Relish
Makes about 6-7 500ml jars
12 cups shredded, unpeeled zucchini
4 cups chopped onion
5 tbsp salt
1 red bell pepper, chopped (hot peppers work well too)
4 cups white sugar (or less)
2 cups white vinegar
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Place zucchini and onion in a large bowl and sprinkle with salt. Mix, cover and refrigerate overnight.
Next day, rinse and drain zucchini in a colander, squeezing out all excess water.
Add all other ingredients in a pot. Mix, then add zucchini and onion. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes.
Sterilize jars and lids to hold relish. Pack relish into sterilized jars, leaving no air bubbles in the relish.
Immerse jars in boiling water for 30 minutes. Remove, let cool and check to make sure the jars are sealed.
Dill Beans
Makes 6 pint jars
3 pounds fresh snap beans
4 springs of fresh dill per jar, or 2.5 Tbs dill seeds per jar
1 clove peeled garlic per jar
1 tsp red pepper flakes per jar
Top and trim the beans to 4″. Put dill, garlic and pepper into hot sterile jars. Tightly pack the beans upright into the jars. While doing so, bring to a boil in a saucepan:
3 cups white vinegar (I prefer apple cider vinegar)
3 cups water
6 Tbs pickling salt
Pour the hot vinegar into the jars, leaving 1/2″ of headspace. Process in a hot water bath canner for 5 minutes.
