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?
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
That’s quite a harvest! Looks like good eating!
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
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
Super carrots. Totally impressed. Mine never grow as straight or as big as that!
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!
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?
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.
mmm. thanks for that – this is the first year I have grown it (chard bright lights)
Regards
Karen
I hope I will have the chance to fulfill my dreams by growing my own produce someday. Those green veges really look delicious and I’m sure it must be real fun walking up to your plot of farm everyday and deciding which one to pick.
Wow, that looks really great. Those veggies look extremely fresh and delicious. I have a really small garden right now and would like to expand it much larger next year. Hopefully I can produce veggies as nice as yours
I just came across your blog today great stuff. I’m guessing you have harvested you aubergine by now but just for future aubergines tend to be ready to harvest once they have a shine to them, they start to loose their shine as they tip past the point of perfectness , no problem still good eating but they are busy putting energy into their seeds and if you leave it too long they can be bitter and seedy.