October’s beautiful sunrises have come and gone, as we rapidly approach the season with less than 10 hours of daylight. The summer crops have all be harvested. The garden goes quiet, and the morning fog settles in. Yes, plants are still growing, but at a much slower rate. The temperatures have been relatively mild with no frost yet, which means some plants can continue to thrive, almost like the weeds that tend to flourish in lower light.
Squash season has come to an end.
The butternut and delicata squashes have all been harvested. Typically, butternut squashes have a better flavor if you wait about 30 days before using it, unlike the delicata squash, which will be delicious at any time.
For now, the squashes are in the greenhouse with purple sweet potatoes and smaller pumpkins, all of which can be used for soup. We deliver them to the kitchen on an as-needed basis. Ask and you shall receive!
As for herbs, purple basil, dill, tarragon, and thyme began to slow down this month, as sage and mint have also finished regrowing for the season.
On the other hand, parsley is thriving and we are harvesting it by the bushel load! It’ll continue to grow abundantly until we have our first freeze.
radicchio loves cool temperatures and shorter days.
This year, we planted eight different varieties of radicchio. Each variety will reach maturity at different times, ranging from 60 to 130 days. The earliest varieties are currently being harvested, and we should have a steady flow of fresh radicchio through the fall and winter.
Celeriac and sunchokes grown in the Chef’s Garden can be found in Executive Chef Jack Strong’s Salmon dish on the dinner menu at JORY, along with red inca quinoa, cranberry and salmon skin chicharrón. He has created four dishes, one for each course on the tasting menu, to honor indigenous ingredients and native traditions. There is a steady supply of both crops at this time of year, and we will continue to harvest them as needed.
maturing cauliflower brings bright pops of color.
At the beginning of November, the first of the seven varieties of cauliflower planted, started to form heads. Clementine and Purple Moon, the orange and purple varieties, have been steadily harvested throughout the month.
Maintaining and harvesting the micro-greens is a balancing act, as we try to have just a little more than the kitchen needs. They are looking great this fall, and we are right on track.
Lots of lettuce!
We will probably harvest most of the lettuce planted outside by the end of the month. There will still be a steady supply of lettuce, since its planted in two places—outside in the garden and inside the greenhouse!
The cats are very pleased that the propagation heat mats are on again. As you can see, they are living a hard life. They are resting after a night of keeping the mice at bay.
Come on out to see what else we have planted in the garden. -Anna
