Tuesday, August 25, 2009

i put my root down

Took a second pass at the roots this weekend, pulling up turnips, carrots, beets, rutabagas and radishes... All in all, the take was over 35 pounds--12 lbs carrots, 8 lbs radishes, 8 lbs turnips, 5 lbs rutabagas, 5 lbs beets--not bad, considering these were just the ones we're getting rid of, to clear ground so that the rest can mature for winter storage. The extraordinary poundage on the Misato Rose radishes was mainly due to their size, up to 4-5 inches in diameter, and because of that I was expecting them to be far past edible. It turned out that they were not only sweet, tasty and crisp (not woody) but also strikingly beautiful, with satiny skins ranging from green to white to deep pink and flesh of similar hues in patterns varying from fuzzy-eye to starburst. The peels on the larger ones, maybe 1/8 inch thick, pull free easily by hand. A nice bite when small, sweet and mellow as monsters...quite a happy discovery, these radishes, yet another fine offering from Fedco Seeds. In other radish news, in a half-hearted (and subsequently abandoned) effort to do some cleanup in the melon patch--which is now waist deep (on me) in peas, oats and vetch, among the ground cherries (hundreds of them this year, all over the place) and volunteer sunflowers (also, everywhere)--I pulled from the Earth this rat-tailed radish, self-seeded from last season:

radish vs. coffee mug. who wins?

While trying to find a suitable spot for a photo in the afternoon sun, I dragged this beast back and forth around the yard a few times, feeling like a hunter bringing home the kill, the proud cat carrying its prey... it was That Big... reminded me of the Radish Spirit in the bathhouse...

from left to right, radishes, rutabagas, turnips, and check out that Daikon...


you are what you eat. go ahead and try not to get excited when you think about how this color will look on you.


some of those sensuous Misato Rose radishes, + one Plum Purple & one Cherry Belle

Beyond the roots, CM and I came home with enough zucchini, patty pans, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, beans, lettuces and cucumbers to fill up every square inch of the fridge not already occupied by condiments, fermentables, cheese and beer... Didn't even bother with the kale, chard or herbs this time. Tomatoes are ripening, corn tassles are now well out of reach, hop vines are heavy with blossoms, potatoes are for the digging, onions and squashes are getting fat and there are apples aplenty... When the harvest comes, it doesn't hold back. Now, what to do with all of it?

1 comment:

JB aka JayBee said...

Throw a great feast and invite all your friends and family... perhaps?