Freshly harvested artichokes
This week, I will attempt to describe the unbelievable bounty at NikianGardens. Aside from unusual-for-this-area crops, like artichokes and cardoons, which have been exceedingly prolific, there are tomatoes by the hundreds; beets which are the size of large turnips [and are perfectly tender]; swiss chard that is as over 3.5 feet/1 metre tall]; watermelon bursting off the vines; onions harvested, of which the shallots are the size of large onions;
Trays of cherry tomatoes ready for the dehydrator
This is perhaps a fifth of the shallots being dried
Paste Tomatoes
Some of the potatoes have been harvested; the peaches have been turned into delicious pie; salsa; preserves. Seed collecting for next season is still ongoing; grapes are getting ready for harvest, as is the rice. Keeping up is almost impossible, but so worth it.
Table Grapes
Vietnamese Hot Peppers that begin purple, turn a pinky-brown and are ripe when firey red.
The lucky chickens will get the seed from these and other sunflowers
As there is so much food being produced here, we have trialed a 'food club' or group of interested persons who get sent a list of our extra produce weekly, they in turn email us an order, and it is ready for their picking up by week's end. This has been successful and other groups may email us if they are interested.
Schizandra chinensis berries ripening on the vine
Five flavours berries [Schizandra chinensis] are grown primarily in south-east Asia, not only for their interesting flavours of: sour, salty, bitter, pungent and sweet but also as an adaptogen medicinal. I very much like the flavours and am going to research recipes. Will stop for this week, leaving you with a picture of artichoke flowers.
