Friday, October 15, 2010

Uchiki Kuri

I don't know how I managed to let an entire month go by without one update from the garden, but frequent rains and cool days really did put things on hold. I can't do much clearing out of the spent plants when the ground is soaking wet - clay soil clumps up so much - and all I kept waiting on was for the tomatoes to ripen up. I picked most of the final crops last week, and am proud to say that 2010 yielded 50 kilos! It's fair to say that I am sick of tomatoes, and that next year I will be growing much, much less. I just hope I can use up all of what I've processed for future use.

The last homegrown vegetable to grace the blog will be this lone, single squash out of two vines that escaped the slug invasion in spring. It is so small compared to what I've seen in the markets (850 grams), but I'm expecting that it will taste just great in whatever I end up using it in. I haven't had much luck in winter squash production, but am thinking that it is worth another try since they are easy to grow.

11 comments:

K and S said...

looks beautiful. and wow! 50 kilos, that is a lot of tomatoes.

veggies here are expensive because of the sun and little rain, plus the japanese pride of only selling the perfect looking ones. :( can you believe they rather throw out the ugly looking ones than sell them??

Rowena said...

They throw them away?? Not even try selling them at a lower price? Our peaches were less than perfect (various sizes with the oddly-shaped one) but I had quite a job peeling, freezing, cooking and eating them. Next year I can only hope the weather will be nice enough to guarantee another good harvest.

Yvonne said...

Papaya - with fresh lime juice? What heaven that would be. My cabbage did look good but what I didn't show in the photo was the one next to it that had been pecked to shreds by the wood pidgeons ... It's a constant battle! Y

Jude said...

This looks amazing! I'm already kind of (ok, *really*) anticipating the culinary possibilities you'll come up with! :) And as a black thumb myself, I'm always impressed with your gardening.

P.S. Loved your Kauai-Oahu race comment, that must have been so thrilling and amazing to witness! (That sounds even crazier than a Molokai-Oahu race!)

K and S said...

the JA (which I think is a co-op) limits the amount a farmer can sell a day, if they produce more than the limit they either gotta give their veg/fruit away or dump um. such a waste! one year they had a surplus of chinese cabbage and grated them up with the tractor! makes me so mad to see them waste food like this then complain about shortages. the butter shortage was the same way. :(

~fer said...

Wow! 50 kilos, that is a lot
Your squash looks great, I am sure it will be delicious

I have too seen the Japanese pride to trow things away better, although also I have been seeing a lot of stores changing this attitude. This is good for me because I can get some cheap fruits.

Tall Clover said...

Rowena, I love a winter squash called "Sweet Meat" because it produces in even cool rainy climates. Let me know if you'd like some seeds. It's mine and a Northwest favorite.

Rowena said...

~fer - yes 50 kilos was a bit more than I needed, so perhaps next year I'll only grow 3 or 4 types instead of 8!

Tall Clover - you are so kind and as much as I'd love to take you up on the offer, italian customs have gotten much, much stricter and will not allow seeds into the country without some goofy certificate stating a bunch of mumbo jumbo about the seeds. But...let it be known that I am prone to changing my mind.

Julie said...

Well, i am late to the party, nothing new about that, but i just have to say that that picture, no make that portrait, of your squash is terrific. 'Autumn' it whispers, and i feel a chill breeze.
Let me know if you change your mind about the seeds, Rowena. I'm happy to send you a few wing bean seeds to plant this spring.

Candylei said...

How nice! I didn't know you had a gardening blog as well! Now I can check in and see how your garden grows.
Rowena, you are in Italy you need lots of tomatoes. :) I've got to go out with a flashlight and gather up my tomatoes before it freezes tonight. Accck! Are you carving out a pumpkin?
Candylei

Rowena said...

Julie - I am late to my own party, as it's been difficult to keep up with a garden blog when there hasn't been much action going on in the garden! I will rethink the seeds...after I figure out what I will grow next year. Definitely not as many tomatoes!

Candylei - I was under attack from tomatoes this year! All of the planets must have been aligned perfectly or something, but I can tell you that there will be NO MORE 50 kilos to deal with. Of course that all may change if I actually do go through all that I have stored in whatever shape or form in the freezer.