This summer we planted our first vegetable garden, after moving to Davis, CA last summer. We created 3 connected raised beds, two 4x8 and one 8x12 and are doing most of our veggie gardening in these, due to really poor soil. Results were mixed, though not quite a $64 tomato (unless you count the boxes and dirt, in which case more!). Two kinds of cherry tomatoes were great, but larger heirloom varieties kind of disappointing (my cousin in town grows MONSTER Brandyweins). One patty pan squash failed almost completely, and another squash variety was only so-so. Eggplant somewhat better, but peppers also disappointing. Best crop of all probably 5 varieties of basil. Lemon cucumber--pretty good, at least enough for our family of 2. Biggest disappointment: green be ens--a total failure! Here's what the boxes looked like with our winter crop last fall. Note also the very small trees in background--next post will show them today!
But the sad thing is that most of the stuff in the garden is beginning to peter out. Last night I made a great pasta (taken from one of my favorite websites--http://thelittlehouseinthecity.blogspot.com/) with one squash (not quite the last) plus two kinds of tomatoes, three kinds of basil, parsley, and anise hyssop, all from the garden. Along with some leftover chicken, a good bit of olive oil, and a lot of Parmesan, it was great. I should have cherry tomatoes for quite a while, but maybe only a couple more squash and eggplant.
So maybe this weekend it's time to start the fall garden, for vegetables this winter. I bought some broccoli rape in Sebastapol last week, and I'll also plant chard, sugar snap peas, regular broccoli, arugula, lettuce, radicchio and more. The great thing about living in Davis (as opposed to CT, where I spent the previous 23 years) is that you can grow stuff all year. So maybe goodbye to summer food (though a lot more tomato-based pastas and salads lie ahead), sometime soon.
As for the politics of food, I couldn't agree more with Michael Pollen in the NT Times today: our health care woes are largely the result of our food policies. Take a look: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/10/opinion/10pollan.html?emc=eta1
My mouth is watering: "Last night I made a great pasta (taken from one of my favorite websites--http://thelittlehouseinthecity.blogspot.com/) with one squash (not quite the last) plus two kinds of tomatoes, three kinds of basil, parsley, and anise hyssop, all from the garden. Along with some leftover chicken, a good bit of olive oil, and a lot of Parmesan, it was great."
ReplyDeleteI know it was.