August 31, 2012
I have never had more tomatoes than this summer in my garden. It’s been incredible, but now I’m at the point where I don’t want to see another red juicy one until next summer (I know, I’ll regret those words come February). That’s why I love having a garden: just as I’ve made my 100th batch of tomato sauce, it’s time to clear some room to plant for fall.
Everything that looked ripe and lush two weeks ago is now toasted and leggy. The tomatoes are thinning (halleluiah!), the corn is droopy and brown, and the same goes for the sunflowers.
Drying the sunflower heads
I decided to lop off the sunflower heads á la the Godfather style because I’m going to try drying them for seeds. I laid these big daddies on a huge platter and placed them on our outdoor dining table for the sunshine to work its magic. It also makes for pretty impressive table decor. This worked for drying peppers a few years ago, so we’ll see if it does for sunflowers too.
Padron peppers
My chilies (shishitos, Thai, jalapeños, Hungarian Wax, and Padrons) continue to flower and grow like crazy. I’ve been mixing the shishitos and Pardons, blistering them for appetizers or stuffing them with cheese and fried up. Since they are still beautiful and producing, I’ll keep them around into fall.
After clearing out the old, I’m now planting Nero Toscana kale, garlic, parsnips, carrots, leeks, radishes, sugar snap peas, beets, and maybe even a tomato or two.
What are you planting in your fall garden?
Yes, and lots of pesto too!
