Not much harvest as the garden is slowing down but still enough for the weekly needs plus extras to share with friends.
Harvest my first leek and parsnip.
Was curious to see how the leek and parsnip are doing underground so pulled one of each. Both growing well. Leek should be getting fatter and parsnips will be sweeter after frost. So will the carrots.
Top to bottom: leek, beets, parsnip, carrot, okra, Ping Tung eggplant, strawberry, broccoli & carrot
Leek and parsnip need to grow some more
Most likely the last of the Ping Tung eggplant and okra
Every other day I get one (1) strawberry
Head of broccoli is small, but getting many side shoots also
Click here for an okra recipe and here for an eggplant recipe.
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Still getting quite a few tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes, figs and slicing tomatoes
Last of the figs
Cherry tomatoes continue to produce well, slicing tomatoes on the other hand are coming to an end.
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Both callaloo (green amaranth) and red amaranth are still doing surprisingly well.
Left: Callaloo (green amaranth)
Right: Red Amaranth
The above are all cuttings from side shoots
Did a simple stir-fry with the red amaranth, adding garlic, ginger, salt and pepper to taste. The callaloo is in the fridge, may make a soup.
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Saving seeds of both the callaloo and the red amaranth.
Callaloo (amaranth) flowers
Red amaranth flowers
Will cut the seed heads when they start to look dry (but before they become brittle), put them in a paper bag and leave the bag in the shed to finish drying. Once dried, I will rub the seed heads to separate the seeds from the chaff. Discard the chaff. Store the seeds in a ziploc bag, date and label.
I am sure some of the seeds will fall to the ground and sprout as volunteers in the spring.
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Remember the Hydrangea paniculata ‘Tardiva’ I posted on 9/2/13? Click here and scroll down. It was white in that photo but is turning a pretty delicate pink now.
Hydrangea paniculata ‘Tardiva’
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Copyright © by Norma Chang. All Rights Reserved. Do not use/repost any photos and/or articles without permission.
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Garden to Wok 
Your first picture looks like the veg we brought home from Whole Foods market this week. The heat did our garden in and now it’s time to get the winter greens and beets and such in before it’s too late!
Thanks for the eggplant recipe!
Hello Pooks,
Hope you got your winter greens and beets in the ground and they are doing well. Hope you like my eggplant recipe.
Do you eat your amaranth as a grain when you collect the seed? Or is it just for resowing next year? I always wonder how much seed you get per square foot.
Hello Daphne,
I have only 1 plant of each variety for seed saving. The seeds are for resowing next year.
Norma I’ve never heard of Amaranth before! I’m off to research a bit more 🙂
Hello Lisa,
Amaranth has been around for a long time. Both the leaves and seeds are used for food but I only use the leaves.
The beetroot looks great! Your amaranth plants are doing so well.
Hello Angie,
I am pretty surprised and happy at how well the amaranth plants are doing this year.
I’m off with Lisa. That looks really pretty but I don’t know what to do with it. 🙂
Hello Maureen,
I stir-fry amaranth like I would spinach. It is also good in soup. Amaranth is supposed to be the new super food but it has been used in Asian cuisine for a very long time.
I had no idea that carrots and parsnips got sweeter after the frost. I always figured they were harvested mid-summer. I actually ate my first parsnip a few weeks ago. Not bad at all! 🙂
Hello Kristy,
Frost causes carrots and parsnips to convert part of their carbohydrates into sugar thus making them sweeter.
Nothing taste as good to me as a roasted beet straight from the garden! I never ate beets until I volunteered with you Norma :0).
I had your delicious chicken and snow peas recipe from your cookbook ” Wokking Your Way to Low Fat Cooking”, DH and I both enjoyed it.
Happy Autumn
Hello Kim,
So glad to hear that DH enjoyed the chicken and snow peas recipe from my cookbook. So you got him into healthy eating now, good for you.
Are you getting a community garden in your area? You could plant beets and snow peas.
your veggies look great! I’ve planted leeks for the first time this year and they are looking good too. I’m bummed my parsnips never ‘took’…looking forward to seeing yours!
Hello Jennifer,
Glad to hear your leeks are doing well, hopefully your parsnips will do well next year when you try again.
Those vegetables look terrific! Beets! I have never successfully grown any for the fall and I really miss them! Your amaranth looks great too. I tried to grow it this year, only two plants grew and they were ravaged by insects from the get-go. Maybe next year.
Hello Patsy,
Thanks. Have you tried lutz beets? I plant them in the early spring and also late spring, can be harvested at any stage, they will grow into the fall without getting woody.
Waw, Norma! Your garden is still doing really well! Good for you!
Just look at all of that different produce! 🙂 My cherry tomato plants are doing well too! My figs stopped growing. I only have had 45 this year,;;;deep sigh,;;;:(
Hello Sophie,
45 figs, that’s not too bad, bet they were sweet and juicy. Glad your cherry tomato plants are doing well, they are so much hardier than the slicing tomatoes.
Never saving the amarath seed before, it’s actually regenerise naturally in my garden…LoL
Hello Dedy,
The growing conditions in the Hudson Valley, NY is quite different from where you are. Seeds fallen to the ground may or may not germinate and grow, all depends on the winter weather, so to be on the safe side I save my seeds.
I couldn’t take my eyes off your delicious bright cherry tomatoes 😀
Cheers
CCU
Hello CCU,
They were sweet and delicious.
That is awesome you are still getting tomatoes!
Hello Alyssa,
The slicing tomatoes are coming to an end, the cherries may continue to produce for a while if there is no frost.
That is quite a ‘still life’ of root vegetables at the beginning of your post. Since I have to grow my vegetables in pots, I have tried but few of them because of the need of space. Have eaten amaranth on quite a few occasions: perhaps should try growing that . . . thank you for the visit and those late tomatoes do look great!
Hello Eha,
Both beets and carrots will do well in pots, I have purple sweet potato growing in a large pot (hope there are tubers), will post photo when I harvest. Planning to grow fingerling potatoes in pots next year.
Sugar, Norma, thank you for the sweet potato tip: can see that one working! And I could eat them every day!!
Enough for the weekly needs plus extras to share with friends sounds absolutely amazing. Everything looks wonderful 🙂
Hello Melissa,
Thanks. I am happiest when I can also share my garden bounty with friends. They come to the garden when I am working and take what is available that’s why I do not have the weights of my crops.
The tomatoes and amaranth look so good, I don’t have good tomatoes this year, I threw away more buggy maters then harvest, bummer!
Hello Mac,
Thanks. Sorry to hear about your tomatoes, next year will be a good year.
hehe I have totally turned up a day early to help you out.
Hello Machisan,
Thanks.
I’m a wee bit jealous of anyone who can grow leeks. We manage onions, garlic and shallots, but can’t seem to grow anything but the saddest spindliest leeks.
Hello Lisa and Robb,
If you can grow onions, garlic and shallots you can grow leeks, do try again next year. Leeks require a longer growing season so you need to start your plants indoors for transplanting.
Hello Lisa and Robb,
Leeks require a much longer growing period than onions, garlic and shallots. Start your seeds indoor for transplanting and you will do just fine.
Wow, so many tomatoes…I love your harvest Norma.
Have a wonderful week 😀
Hello Juliana,
Thanks, if we do not get frost the cherries will continue to produce well. A wonderful week to you too.
That’s a very unusual but pretty hydrangea. I love parsnips and leeks – wonderful Fall vegetables. Your tomatoes look lovely too xx
Hello Charlie,
Yes, it is an amazing hydrangea, turns to brown later, will post a follow-up photo.
I so enjoy leeks! Glad to hear they’re doing well. I was curious about our potatoes and nope! Not ready yet, lol!
Hello Angela,
We are having great weather, no frost in the forecast for the next 10 day, leeks should continue to grow big.
Nice harvest. A friend of mine leaves her parsnips in the ground until spring and says they are incredibly sweet.
Hello Karen,
Thanks. I leave some parsnips in the garden to overwinter, need to mulch heavily with leaves, yes they are wonderful harvested early spring.
Wow, love that tomato harvest Norma and the leek looks great! If it’s doing this good now, it’ll be even better later and fatter –yay! Love leeks!
Hello Anne,
Nice weather for the next 10 days, according to forecast, so leeks should have a chance to fatten up.
Amaranth stir-fries are one of my favourite Chinese vegetable dishes. I never knew the flowers were so beautiful.
Hello Irina,
Many gardeners grow red amaranth as an ornamental, it is very striking in a flower bed.