Winding Down

School has started, days are shorter, the end of the season is near.  Mr. E helped me dig out the remaining potatoes in the bags, about 3 lbs. worth.  We used the majority of them in a cod and potato soup that we like.  I cleared out my 2nd bed of carrots and beets this past weekend to make room for a fall planting of carrots, lettuce, kale and spinach.

Harvesting a steady stream of tomatoes from the front and back beds: brandywine, thessaloniki, plum, great white, a load of sun golds, cherries, and a monster wapsipinicon peach.  Like last year, the tomatoes took a while to get up to speed, but are now yielding better than last year.  This is due to me applying extra compost, soil and calcium-heavy tomato food to the beds once every 3-4 weeks.  Only experienced a bit of blossom-end rot on 4-5 fruits, which is the least since I’ve been in NJ.

Still getting string and pole beans, jalapeños, bell peppers, cucumbers and kale.  BTW, if you’re ever wondering what to do with kale, you could do a lot worse than this awesome salad and this dish with fried eggs and mushrooms.  Either will convert anyone who is kale-resistant.