The Patchwork Kitchen Garden: The Fifteenth Week
This week has been an absolute whirlwind of gardening adventures, filled with bountiful harvests and unexpected surprises.
More than 20 jalapenos were harvested from my two Jalapeno plants, very impressive indeed. Now to figure out what to do with these and the many more to come. Do I make candied or pickled jalapenos? Or how about some jalapeno cornbread? Oh the decisions I have to make! Maybe I should just make it all, yes that sounds good, make it all.
But don’t worry, the excitement doesn’t end at the jalapenos. During the week I’ve had three hearty harvests of my oyster mushrooms. The humid weather seems to be agreeing with them and they just seem to explode in growth. It’s been simply delightful to make all these delicious mushrooms for rice bowls and even some mushroom toast, simply delicious.
However, not all my harvesting was that easy. Did you know cucumbers like to play hide and seek? Well I found out by finding a massive cucumber on my trellis camouflaged by the leaves and vines. It’s such a beautiful and one of the most perfect cucumbers to come off the trellis thus far. I can’t wait to make a jar of pickles out of this one.
My Di Cicco Broccoli, finally was able to be picked and I harvested the two most adorable little stalks. I know two tiny stalks doesn’t seem like a lot but they are my two tiny stalks and I couldn’t be prouder. But since I harvested the main stalk more stalks started appearing so I’m hopeful that I will have even more broccoli to enjoy. It’s a good thing too because those first two stalks were so delicious.
To tell you the truth, most of my gardening time hasn’t been occurring during the day, yes I’ve been night gardening again. This week we had a scorching heat wave, making it unbearable to work in the garden during the day. But of course I refused to let that stop me. Armed with my watering can and trusty pruners, I ventured into the garden under the soft glow of my solar lights. The night air was filled with the enchanting chirps of bats, and the ever-changing sunset hues reminding me of the fleeting summer days, inching closer to the embrace of autumn. It is the best time to be in the garden.
Usually after I’m done gardening for the night, I pick some fresh peppermint and try to wind down with a delightful mug of peppermint tea. I know it’s been hot but regardless of the weather a warm drink always helps me settle in for the night. The real problem of this story is that every night I clip a few stalks of peppermint and then every morning I swear twice as much grows in it’s place. I’m literally swimming in peppermint and peppermint tea. It’s really a good problem to have but it’s still getting to be a bit overwhelming. So I decided to dry a few bunches of peppermint to make my very own peppermint extract for the upcoming holiday season. My real hope is to make some peppermint candies or cookies for Christmas but we will have to wait to see what I come up with. I don’t want to give away my full plans for the peppermint, don’t you want to be surprised?
Speaking of surprises, here's a delightful surprise—my peas, which I thought were done producing for the season, decided to prove me wrong. I spotted a few more pods and flowers, and I can't help but think it's thanks to the generous rain we had at the start of the week. Mother Nature always knows how to surprise us, doesn’t she?
At least my sweet corn isn’t full of surprises. Its growth is right on target and its tassels have started emerging from the stalks. However, it's entering a crucial stage. I'm eagerly watching for those corn silks to appear. Corn silks equal corn cobs and corn cobs equal corn, so of course I’m excited. Alas, more pesky aphids have been found of course in my corn tassels. But that's when my trusty vinegar spray comes to the rescue. It might make my garden smell a bit like pickles, but hey, it's a small price to pay for keeping my veggies free from harmful chemicals. Don’t worry if my organic method of pest control is off putting to you, there are tons of different methods that you could choose from. You can check out many different organic alternatives by clicking on this link. You never know when you’ll find your new favorite method.
My methods of pest control have certainly worked for my pepper plants. There’s so many peppers. Every single one of my pepper plants are bursting with them, and I can't wait for them to ripen. Hopefully by September I’ll be up to my eyeballs in pepper jelly as well.
But my jack ‘o’ lantern pumpkin plants have been playing games with me, unfortunately. I've got loads of male pumpkin flowers, but where are the female ones? I had a single female flower that got my hopes up, but alas, it withered away before getting pollinated. However, I'm staying optimistic. Every morning, I watch the honey bees buzzing around the pumpkin plants, hoping they'll work their magic and grant me a pumpkin surprise, just like that sneaky cucumber I found.
Well, that’s all for this week. I’m pretty sure I covered almost everything that happened. From jalapenos to broccoli and everything in between, my beautiful green space has become a sanctuary of growth and joy for me. Night gardening has its own charm, and the surprises nature throws my way keep me on my toes.
To see the complete garden gallery, please check out all the pictures below. Until next week, Happy Gardening!
