I haven’t been down to the plot for a few days so there was a good quantity of produce waiting for my arrival:
Doesn’t that look delicious? In addition I filled a canvas sack with more beans and a stack of chard but it didn’t look quite so photogenic.
I’m going to make herbed summer squash and potato torte, a recipe that came from SmittenKitten, the best food blog I have come across so far. Honestly, you should take a look, it’s left me excited about cooking. I’ve made the irresistible lime meltaways already (see todays lunch) and will be trying out the chocolate hazelnut biscotti just as soon as my new food mixer arrives.
But I’m digressing, here are the questions:
Is this ready to pick?
It’s an aubergine obviously, and I’m sure you’ll want to know the variety but I forgot to look at the seed pack, in fact I’m not sure the seed pack still exists. Shakti insists it’s one of those especially special thin and delicious aubergines that I have never heard of, but I suspect she just wants me to start picking them so she can have one. I was expecting them to swell to mammoth proportions at some point. Anybody got any views on aubergines?
Final question is, what is this?
This is a massive plant that has self-seeded in the entrance to my green house and is doing a fine job of blocking my access. I let it grow out of curiosity and now it has turned into my most productive squash. Trouble is, I don’t know what it is. I’m wondering if it might be butternut squash as I had plenty of seeds kicking around and it is shaped correctly even if it is the wrong colour.
Anyone know if butternuts start off green, or is it a summer squash that needs to be devoured right now?
12 responses so far ↓
1 Jane Marie // Aug 7, 2008 at 12:16 am
That’s quite a harvest! Looks like good eating!
2 Ewa // Aug 7, 2008 at 3:30 am
Hello, what a nice produce you have
aubergine looks very interesting. If it is ready? I am not sure - looks fine to me 
but no produce yet.
I also grow one this year
3 Amy // Aug 7, 2008 at 6:09 am
Love your photos!
The aubergine looks like a Japanese variety. If it is, it’s ready to pick at that size and will probably be quite tasty. The one that looks like a butternut squash might be a butternut squash, or it might be a decorative gourd.
4 earthwoman // Aug 7, 2008 at 7:46 am
I was hoping that nobody would mention ornamental gourds - what happens to you if you accidentally eat one?
Sounds a bit more promising on the aubergine front. Perhaps I should risk one.
5 Karen - An Artists Garden // Aug 7, 2008 at 8:36 am
Lovely veg. Still waiting for my tomatoes to turn red.
Sorry cannot help on the other 2 questions.
Karen
PS How do you cook your chard?
6 Brigid // Aug 7, 2008 at 10:12 am
I believe squashes interbreed prolifically, so you could have a completely new variety. I think the ornamental gourds are edible but just not very nice.
7 Dave // Aug 7, 2008 at 11:46 am
That’s definitely a Butternut you have growing. Take a look at my latest blog entry and you’ll see a near identical photo of how my Butternuts currently look. They start green, almost stripey, and gradually change to that familiar beige colour when they are ripe.
8 Soilman // Aug 7, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Super carrots. Totally impressed. Mine never grow as straight or as big as that!
9 Bilbo // Aug 7, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Wow, that all looks fantastic. If I keep reading your blog, and Mrs Flummery’s and others I will end up with a section of Bag End growing vegetables, and that was never part of the grand plan!
10 green blog // Aug 8, 2008 at 4:43 pm
I do envy looking at that healthy green produce. I wish mine could be the same. They sure look like all these were made out of hard work and pure devotion. Sometimes it just makes you wonder, wouldn’t it be a waste to just eat them?
11 earthwoman // Aug 9, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Thanks for the comments folks.
Karen - I do a number of things with the chard, my fall back is always potato and chard curry but today I have just baked paper-wrapped chard and chorizo mini quiches.
My friend likes to take the chard and sweat it off with onions then serve drizzled with lemon and garlic.
The colourful stems are stir fried.
12 Karen - An Artists Garden // Aug 12, 2008 at 11:45 am
mmm. thanks for that - this is the first year I have grown it (chard bright lights)
Regards
Karen
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