Harvest Season means it's time for Hearty Recipes
Harvest Season means it's time for Hearty Recipes
BY DAVID OTTERSTROMAutumn is David’s favorite time of year in the garden. There is so much to harvest after months of plant growth. From cooking with carrot or turnip tops to saving seeds, here are a few of his tips to get the most out of your harvest.
Autumn is my favorite time of year in the garden. There is so much to harvest after months of plant growth. Here are a few tips on how to get the most out of your harvest.
Enjoy those carrot, beets, and turnip tops. We can forget how delicious it is to cook with the greens of the root vegetables we grow. Add these greens to your soups, salads or stir-fry. Carrot greens taste great added in pesto or lightly roasted. Other root vegetables like radishes and kohlrabi also have delicious leaves which are often discarded rather than consumed.
Allow some of your radishes to grow longer so that you can harvest their green seed pods. They are crunchy and tender with a delicious mild pepper flavor. Don’t worry if you don’t harvest the pods in time. Let them dry out and save the seeds to plant for next year. Do this with other vegetable flowers that go to seed, and don’t forget to save some of the squash and pumpkin seeds from the ones you harvest!
Pumpkins and many squashes including Blue Hubbard and Butternut are best picked when they are hard and can not be scratched with your fingernail. Harvest them before a hard freeze. They can be stored for a while by placing them for two weeks in a warm and dry place, such as a sunny window. This will harden them more and make them shelf stable for longer.
It can be easy to miss picking some of the bean and pea pods that have now dried out. But don’t throw them out. Save those dried peas and beans to grow new ones for next year.
Harvest your vegetables as early in the morning as possible. Your vegetables, especially your leafy greens contain the most moisture in the morning. They are also sweeter because your leafy greens convert their starches into sugars overnight. Store them in the fridge right after picking to keep their crisp and juicy properties lasting longer.
Use those cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and brussels sprout leaves. We can be quick to toss out the leaves on these plants, but they are edible and fun to cook with. Cabbage rolls made with the outer cabbage leaves of the stalk instead of the leaves of the cabbage head is a favorite of mine.
Enjoy cooking for your family and friends this autumn season, whether it is making carrot top pesto, pumpkin waffles or cooking a hearty broccoli leaf cheddar soup. Happy Harvesting!
For more tips to get the most of your fall harvest, follow us on instagram @edibleinlandnw as we share more from David’s garden.