week 3

Now begins the epic battle to keep the bugs off the cucurbits; the cucumbers, squash, melons, and zucchini.  

We have squash bugs. We have squash vine borers. Then we have the cucumber beetles that my sister calls Steeler’s beetles for their nice black and white stripes. The cucumber beetles spread cucumber mosaic virus, which of course kills the plant. Or if it’s hot and dry, they get powdery mildew. Or the deer hop the garden fence and eat the whole plant…

We keep one step ahead of the pests with rotational planting. I used to try spraying organic controls, but it’s of no use. These little guys are really tough, so we hand pick in the early morning and hope we get a decent harvest before the plants succumb to the pressure.

We’ve got cucumbers coming on – pickling cukes are the earliest. Then we’ve got some burpless and some straight 8s that take a bit longer. The squash are blossoming and I haven’t looked at the back garden in a few days, but we might have a couple summer squash already. So prepare thy zucchini recipes. They’re coming.

Berry picking has to be one of the most time consuming harvests of the season. Beans are a close second, but that’s offset a bit by the fact that raspberries have massive thorns and I always say I’m going to clean up the patch and make rows…. But I still haven’t gotten around to it yet. Which means long pants wearing as I dive into the thorns to find the berries as they’re turning the perfect colors. I pick a few and then eat one to remind myself why I’m getting my tshirt ripped up like I’m a cat’s scratching post. I almost stepped on a turkey setting a nest while in the red raspberries. Amazingly enough she wasn’t eating the delicious red berries that were framing her nest.

That also reminds me, wash your berries before you eat them.

There’s only a cup or so per basket, not enough to make a pie, but sure enough for fresh eating in season. I’m just happy to see my patches starting to produce that I’ve put in the past few years. I get to compare varieties for flavor and watch things grow, which is one of my favorite pastimes.

Anyway, I’m sneaking beets in your baskets. I love beets. I like to roast them in the oven to soften them and then throw them in whatever sautéed onion dish I’m cooking.

I’m also slowly harvesting our radish patch. I’m not too fond of radishes. I found that if I slice them up in half inch slices and wrap them in tin foil with a pad of butter and some salt and throw them in the oven for about 10 minutes, it takes their bite away and they’re not bad. If you like the bite of radishes, do not put them in the oven. My grandma just eats them with bread and butter, which I never really understood.

So for the beet newbies, make some beet chips if you’d like. We’re also pulling up new potatoes soon as they’re just starting to flower now. This recipe works for both. I’m going to try it with turnips too and see how it goes. I’m sure it will work for kohlrabi, which should be ready in the next few weeks too.

Oven Roasted Veggie Chips

1      Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2       Using the slicing blade of your food processor if you have one. If not, take a sharp knife and cut a slice out of the end of a beet to make a flat surface on one side. Then put the beet flat side down and slice as thin as you can.

3       Spread evenly on a cookie sheet, spray with nonstick spray and season with salt.

4       Roast 45 minutes to 1 hour, turning halfway through, until crisp. Check often to make sure they don't burn. You may need to roast for a shorter or longer period of time depending on your oven and how crisp you want them - so keep an eye on them.

Another option that a lot of people like for beets is to use brown sugar along with the salt to sweeten them up a bit. Keep this recipe for sweet potato chips, turnips, kale greens, apples, maybe zucchini? The possibilities are endless.

Herb people, don’t forget to take herbs. Take as many as you can use each week. ~janeé