Harvesting a Bounty of Cucumbers, Peppers, Eggplants, and Beans

August 26, 2023

Harvesting a Bounty of Cucumbers, Peppers, Eggplants, and Beans

Here at my Bedford, New York farm, there are still so many fresh, organic vegetables to pick and enjoy.

Many of you often ask what I do with all the many vegetables I grow. Most of them are shared with my daughter, Alexis, and her children, Jude and Truman – they love all vegetables. I also use them for my parties and share them with friends. Some are used for various media shoots or when we test recipes here at the farm. This week's harvest was shared with my hardworking crew. Nothing is ever wasted – whatever isn’t used goes to my beloved chickens, geese, and peafowl.

Enjoy these photos.

: Despite an unusually wet summer, this has been one of our most productive growing seasons here at the farm. My new vegetable garden continues to provide bounties of fresh, nutritious vegetables.

: And, since we practice succession gardening, we are always able to pick something. Right now, we have an abundance of cucumbers, eggplants, and peppers. And while I am away traveling, I instructed my gardeners to harvest and share with all the staff.

: Brian picked the eggplants. We have one large bed of eggplants and there are so many ready to pick.

: It is good to pick eggplants when they are young and tender. Try to pick a little early, which will encourage the plant to grow more, and will help to extend the growing season.

: Elvira picked bush beans. Bush beans are second only to tomatoes as the most popular vegetables in home gardens. Bush beans are eaten when the seeds are small. They are also called string beans because of a fibrous string running the length of the pod. She started with the green string beans, but they also come in yellow and purple.

: My crew loves hot peppers, and I grow many of them to share.

: Be careful when picking peppers – always keep the hot ones separated from the sweet ones, so there is no surprise in the kitchen.

: Ripe squash will be firm, fairly heavy for its size, and vibrantly colored. We also picked quite a few. Some are already too big, but still delicious. And don’t get confused… all zucchini are squash, but not all squash are zucchini. The term “squash” refers to the plant species within the gourd family, which is divided into winter squash and summer squash.

: These round squash are called pattypans. Pattypan squash is a varietal group of summer squash notable for its round and shallow shape, and scalloped edges, somewhat resembling a flying saucer.

: This is our best year for cucumbers. We’ve harvested buckets of cucumbers. Cucumbers require a long growing season, and most are ready for harvest in 50 to 70 days from planting. The fruits ripen at different times on the vine, but it is important to pick them when they are ready. If they are left on the vine too long, they tend to taste bitter.

: Elvira picks cucumbers from both inside and outside the trellis. Those cucumbers which are too large are given to my chickens, geese, and peafowl – they love to pick at the seeds.

: Also growing well are the herbs. This is sage. Sage is commonly used to season poultry or sausage, infuse butter, or to add flavor to root vegetables like sweet potatoes or parsnips.

: And our curly parsley is still going strong. Curley parsley is milder than the flat, but it is great to use as a decorative garnish, giving dishes pops of color.

: Look at our onions! These are giant. These will be picked later and then cured in a warm, dry, well-ventilated location for two to three weeks until the onion tops and necks are thoroughly dry and the outer bulb scales begin to rustle.

: The edamame is also growing abundantly. If you’re not familiar, edamame is the same soybean that makes tofu. Eaten as beans, they taste a bit like peas and are buttery with a hint of sweetness and nuttiness.

: We also planted some nasturtium in our asparagus bed. Do you know… the leaves, stems, flowers, and young seed pods of nasturtium are all edible? All of these parts have a distinct peppery flavor similar to radishes. That kick is strongest in the seeds and lightest in the flowers.

: And remember our sunflowers? They’re growing so beautifully in the center of the garden. Typically, sunflowers stay in bloom for about three weeks, but one may get a full month if lucky.

: In just a short time, there was enough for my crew to share – and all picked before the pending showers. Here’s our overflowing bucket of eggplants.

: And here are the beans – all three colors, and all so fresh and delicious. Yellow beans lack chlorophyll and will keep their color when cooked. Purple beans contain anthocyanins, the purple pigment, that disappear a bit when beans are cooked.