Temp Gmurm: Harvest

Today was the day. I harvested everything that was left in the garden. We've been teetering on freezing for the past week or so, although Mother Nature teases us with some nights only dropping to 50 degrees. Woke this morning to quite a few ice crystals, so I went ahead and pulled everything that was close to ready. As my mom always tells me, "Never risk more than you are willing to lose." And I decided I'm not willing to lose these lovely veggies I've nurtured over the past several months.

I'm not as good at taking photos of my garden as I am of Gulliver. But I did capture a few points in time...

June 22: Wow -- we have a LONG way to go!

August 3: The only thing we've harvested at this point is lettuce, strawberries, and a few radishes. It's starting to look more promising, but will there really be enough time???

Then things really came together in August… We got quite a few radishes, spaced out at different times. I clipped parsley and cilantro anytime I needed some. Had lots of fresh, mixed green salads. Experimented with some basil which grew better than expected (everyone told me not to even bother because it is so sensitive). We enjoyed 4 beautiful heads of broccoli. Cauliflower and peppers failed miserably. Gulliver enjoyed a strawberry or two every two or three days. I picked two small heads of cabbage and made some delicious stuffed cabbage rolls.

September 10: This is what I salvaged today…. carrots, beets, radishes, onions, and the last of the broccoli.

It's not a ton of produce. But it's quality -- not quantity -- that counts. And I have to say, this food is delicious! I steamed some carrots for Gulliver and he gobbled them right up. He also loves the different soups I have made this summer experimenting with cabbage and cauliflower leaves. He wasn't crazy about my cream of broccoli soup, though, so that just leaves more for me. The carrot greens looked so fresh and delicious, I just didn't want to throw them out. So I headed to Google and found out carrot greens are somewhat controversial, as some claim they are toxic. But after finding enough reliable resources that say they are nutritious and good to eat (along with the knowledge that my carrots were grown with zero pesticides or fertilizer), I went ahead and made a pesto out of them which is delicious.

Mark grilled up some fresh carrots, beets, and onions (along with mushrooms that are not from our garden) this evening and we both really enjoyed them. Tasty and oh, so healthy.

My first Colorado garden. It's not easy growing things at 8,000 feet above sea level -- options are limited. But we gave it a try and had some good results. This season has definitely been a learning experience, and I will make some adjustments for next year in hopes of finding a mix that works for our family.

And now I'll close with some photos of my favorite little monkey...

Storing trains in his new backpack; watching "Maisy" after bathtime