Harvest Season 2015

Harvest Time and everything is coming up RED. It's tomato time in the office garden. And other things.

Last year, the zucchini plants were home to a toad. This year, I found that the garden was home to ... older things.

Little did I realize when I went to harvest the tomatoes that I was actually a fossil hunter as well.

I give myself about 20-30 minutes every other morning or so, OR as fast as I can fill up a bucket or two.

This is what the crop looked like this morning spread out to air ripen and for people to take home. (Some of the larger tomatoes were from yesterday's bucket. And can you spot the dino?)

Yesterday it was: 1 person, 1 pail, 2 spiders, 2 crates, 30 minutes in the office garden for a tableful abudanza of veggies. 1 zucchini=5lbs

 Zucchinis to scale*

 Cucumbers to scale

* I made a LOT of zucchini baked treats for the Box Office kids this summer.
They never did believe me that there was zucchini in the chocolate cakes.

Earlier this summer, we had kale and lettuce, not to mention herbs,

 which we used for garnishes, kale chips, salads, etc.

We've also had beans, peppers, egg plants, and squash.

I would have picked more that day, but I was in a dress, it was hotter than blazes, and those beans STICK to you if you aren't watching. (Harvesting in a Festival dress = not a good idea.)

 There are also pots of things scattered around offices and porches.

FORESTS of Fennel

Plus the wild stuff.

What do you do when someone hands you a cup full of wild backyard raspberries? You make mini lemon raspberry muffins to share.

Pardon me -- it's time for dinner: A BLT with an office grown tomato OR (call me Mistress of the Obvious, why didn't I think of this earlier this summer?) an adult sized, dinner sized Cucumber Sandwich.

Note: Too bad there were no pumpkins planted this year.These were spotted back in 2013.

 

 Outside the HR office. No word on whether there was a Carve your Complaint into this Pumpkin contest.

~photos by iTouch

Photos of the Day: Cool Beans

New York Botanical Garden

Sunday, September 29, 2013

 

 This odd red bean "may" have "accidentally" come home with me. 

And been shucked so the seeds can dry out.

Retroblogging: Some Like it Hot

Sometimes life is sweet,

Sometimes life is spicy,

 

but sometimes

Union Square Farmers Market

October 2012

Darn it. Now I just want salsa and/or pico de gallo.

Recipes from Ollie J -- Zucchini Bread

I didn't include this recipe last year ... because I automatically skipped it due to the main ingredient -- the loathesome squash ... the evil Zucchini. I strongly strongly dislike zucchini. On the I HATE 'EM scale of skip-'em 'srooms to the loathe-and-gag bananas, the green squash close to the banana end of things.

However, it is one of the recipes in Grandma's box that I hadn't tried and that actually had all the ingredients and instructions. Distributed to the right office and hungry colleagues? I think they'll be appreciated.


Zucchini Bread

3 eggs beaten
2 cups sugar (1 cup brown and 1 cup white)
2 cups peeled & grated fine, zucchini squash
¾ cup oil (used olive and canola)
3 tsp. vanilla

Beat Well.

3 cups shifted flour
½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. soda (baking)
1 tsp. salt
3 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1 cup raisins

Mix into zucchini mixture.
Bake in 2 well greased loaf pans at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes.

Photos of the Day: Summer's Bounty

Who doesn't love a Farmer's Market? We stumbled across this one last August in Logan Utah, in the park just meters away from my Utah childhood home.

Talk about grown locally. Some of the produce was from backyard gardens. Doesn't that "beet" all?

Of course, this being Utah, the land of industry and of Molly Mormon crafters, there were booths galore with quilted and stitched delights of all kinds. Many many an etsy.com shop were there in physical form.

Random Comments - Whiteboard Witticisms

~ courtesy of anonymous orchestra kids in CT