I feel like I haven’t been in the Napa Valley for ages, as we’ve had commitments elsewhere preventing us from being here. How I miss my garden when I’m away! The first place I checked out this morning was my vegetable garden and WOW has it gone crazy. My tomato and bean plants are 8′ tall and most of my veggie plants are producing.
The highlights from today’s harvest are nearly all of my beets – Detroit Dark Red and Golden beets. I planted them on April 1 along with all of my other veggies, so it took about 2.5 months to get there. They always mature at slightly different rates; I’ve already eaten some, and others are yet to mature. That’s good news for a beet lover like me – longer to enjoy them!
I have an entire box full of padrons – 8 plants to be exact – and all 8 plants had several peppers ready for picking this morning. One of my favorite summer appetizers is blistered padrons and tonight will be our first night of the summer to enjoy these yummy peppers.
The highlight of the morning was the discovery of hundreds of green beans – my favorite veggie in the garden. The most productive plants by far are my three Ideal Market climbing beans, which I began from Seed Saver seeds earlier in the year. Guaranteed: I will be planting this bean again next year!
Is there anything more satisfying that harvesting vegetables that you have cultivated from seed? Perhaps sharing your harvest with friends over a delicious meal…