Dig In

Peak Flavor

By Patricia Bailey
Posted 11/5/17

Is summer really over? Can you recognize the signs of the season? Has the lighting changed? Have you heard the katydids sing? Have you seen the wild geese flying south? Are you finding the browning, …

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Dig In

Peak Flavor

Posted

Is summer really over? Can you recognize the signs of the season? Has the lighting changed? Have you heard the katydids sing? Have you seen the wild geese flying south? Are you finding the browning, shriveling and decay? Are you finding that it’s time to put your vegetable garden to bed?

Although many of your vegetable plants have given you all they have to give, there are many that not only want to keep going, but honestly haven’t even reached their full peak of flavor. Who are these edibles? Well, for starters, kale. Yes, it is bittersweet. Sure, it looks quite lovely and required very little attention this growing season, but its taste has been rather bitter. Don’t fret. This delicious brassica is waiting for your attention after the first frost. Yes, a little light dusting will sweeten their leaves and you will soon be grateful that it was so patient to wait for your attention. Think of soups and stews for the coming chilly months ahead; crispy kale chips, kale rice bowls, massaged kale salads and Caldo Verde, Portuguese kale soup.

Don’t forget parsley! It overwinters without a fuss. Over the years, I’ve used leaf parsley as a lovely border and edging in our vegetable garden at Green Animals Topiary Garden. This year I enjoyed the splendid display of bright green, tripinnate leaves growing from the variety ‘Triple Curl’. Its compact habit was perfectly suited for a walking path in addition to serving as a proper host to the many swallowtail butterfly larvae; their caterpillars blended nicely for their two-week stay.

Although parsley has been often used as a garnish or decoration for salad bars, its culinary use is worldwide. In Europe, parsley is an essential part of bouquet garni. French cuisine is fond of mixing parsley with chopped garlic, creating Persillade. Italians create Gremolata with garlic, parsley and lemon zest. What would the Middle Eastern dish tabbouleh be without parsley? And our South American cousins love to use parsley in Chimichurri. I’ve made Chimichurri throughout summer and used it as a marinade with grilled shrimp — Delicious! Don’t be afraid to get creative. Parsley also freezes well.

If you’ve cleared away other edible plants that have gone by and you are looking at a clean slate of earth, perhaps you could think of sowing seeds of fast growing cold crops. Look for seed packets with maturity dates under 40 days, such as lettuce ‘Tom Thumb’ ‘Loma’ or ‘Two Star’, spinach ‘Giant Winter’ or ‘Perpetual’, radish D’Avignon and ‘Pink Beauty’, carrots like ‘Thumbelina’ and ‘Little Finger’ and arugula would be nice.

You could consider sowing and covering with a cloche. No worries if you don’t have cloches, a glass container or repurposed sconce light cover works well. You could also consider a hoop frame with clear plastic sheeting.

Autumn is also a good time to for planting fruit trees. They will spend the winter months getting settled so that they can flourish by spring.

Enjoy this time of harvest, this time of preparation for winter and honoring the growing season of 2017. Mother earth has again given us so much to be thankful for.

Patricia Bailey is the Community Outreach Horticulturist at Green Animals Topiary Garden in Portsmouth, where she has managed the Vegetable Garden since 2013. Having a deep appreciation for the quality of life a good garden can bring to those in need, she spearheads school programs, mentors young people and provides local charities with fresh organic vegetables.

Patricia Bailey

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