An Autumn Harvest
Fall is such a wonderful season for entertaining.
I love hosting gatherings at my Bedford, New York farm. And whenever I plan a party I always think about what I have growing in the garden. Yesterday, I asked my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, to harvest a selection of vegetables for a special dinner. The garden continues to thrive with an abundance of root vegetables, such as carrots, parsnips and one of my favorites, radishes.
Enjoy these photos.
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- This week has been cold and rainy, but the root crops are doing wonderfully in my vegetable garden. This turnip bed looks so lush.
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- Besides the turnip, other root vegetables include radishes, beets, parsnips, potatoes, carrots, onions, yucca, rutabaga, and jicama. The turnip is commonly grown in temperate climates worldwide for its white, fleshy taproot. There are many turnips to pick.
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- It’s a good idea to harvest turnips before heavy freezes or the root may crack and rot in the soil.
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- Ryan gently removes the surrounding earth first to see if the vegetables are big enough. If not, he pushes the soil back into place.
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- Ryan also harvests several leeks. The edible part of the plant is a bundle of leaf sheaths that is sometimes called a stem or stalk.
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- Leeks can be picked any time after the stalks are about an inch across.
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- The leek is a part of the allium species of the Lilaceae family. This is the same family of plants that includes onions, garlic, and chives.
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- Once harvested, Ryan removes the tough, darker green leaves and trims them down to where they turn a paler green.
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- He also trims the root end with his pruners.
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- Next, the radishes. It is so much fun harvesting root vegetables – it’s a surprise to pull every one of them up through the soil.
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- These radishes are so bright and red. The radish is an edible root vegetable of the Brassicaceae family that was domesticated in Europe in pre-Roman times. Radishes are mostly eaten raw as a crunchy salad vegetable.
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- Here are the carrots. While carrots are a common vegetable throughout the world, the first cultivated carrot in recorded history is thought to have come from the area around Afghanistan around 900 AD.
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- Be gentle when picking carrots. It helps to loosen the soil first with a garden fork before pulling them up.
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- Before leaving the vegetable garden, Ryan harvests a big bunch of parsley by cutting the stems off at the bottom of the plant.
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- After the vegetables are picked from the garden, they are brought into my Flower Room, where they are washed and stored in the refrigerator.
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- The carrots are a good size – these will be so delicious. Enma washes each one, scrubbing them lightly with a brush specifically made for vegetables.
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- Then she cuts off the green tops a quarter to a half-inch from the top of the carrot. All the cuttings go to the chickens for snacking.
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- Here are just some of the brightly colored carrots that were picked.
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- Leeks are sturdy, versatile, and flavorful vegetables. A traditional ingredient in French cuisine, the leek adds not only onion flavor to food but also a hint of garlic. Leeks are low in calories and full of nutrients – great for soups, stews, grain dishes, and even omelets.
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- The parsley is washed in cold water. Enma discards any old or wilted leaves.
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- After the vegetables are washed, they are placed on towels to dry before storing in plastic bags in the refrigerator.
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- And look at these turnips – so white and perfect. Turnips are a great source of minerals, antioxidants and dietary fiber. It is also a low-calorie vegetable — only 28 calories a serving.
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- And don’t throw away the turnip tops. Turnip greens, as well as radish greens, are also very nutritious and flavorful.
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- Sanu washes our bounty of bright red radishes. Radishes are chock full of vitamins A, C, E, B6, and potassium.
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- These will be perfect for my dinner – my guests will love these fresh vegetables, all organically grown right here at my farm.
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- Nearby, Creme Brulee, Bete Noire and my dear Chow Chows, Emperor Han and Empress Qin are resting comfortably through all the party preparations. I will share more from my party in my next blog – stay tuned.
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