Winter Greens
October 29, 2009Our Kale has been producing for about 3 months so we’re eating well. We have so much Kale that we will be picking extra to freeze. We have very little space in our large chest freezer now, so we are using our 2 freezer compartments in our refrigerators to hold these frozen packs until we can eat them later in winter.
Our Swiss Chard is still producing abundantly for us. The Chard was planted in late spring and is now under cover. We plan to continue harvesting our Chard through December, at a minimum. Hopefully, it will last through the entire winter, but that depends upon how cold our weather will be.
This year, we are also growing salad greens for our fall and winter use. I planted two double rows of greens which included Komatsuna, Mizuna, Cavallo, Bulls Blood Beet, Valmaine Lettuce, Golden Streaked and Red Mustard, and Skyrocket.
The salad greens are under insulated cloth already because of a cold snap a week ago. We have had some warmer weather and rain so the cover cloths have been pulled back for the greens for optimum growth.
I think it’s just about time for a salad!
Wow that is a lot of kale. We love kale and eat it 2-3 times a week when it is in season. Swiss Chard even more.
Your greens are looking great Lynn, much better then some of ours. The hot summer was a bit much but everything is recovering nicely now. The nutritional profile of your three pictures is immense. Toss any of those greens with an egg or some lentils on a daily basis and you have a meal that could keep you healthy at 100.
Swiss chard is so very beautiful this time of year. I wonder how many other people know that the gardening season simply begins anew in the fall.:) Isn’t it great?
I planted kale in early spring and we’ve been eating it since May. It is still going strong too!
Randy, after a few days of rain, I’ve got to take a laundry tub to the garden this morning and pick more. I think there’s about a bushel of kale leaves and about a half-bushel of chard right now…..time to blanche and freeze more! My morning is planned.
Mike, you have mentioned your hot summer several times. How hot was it — or are you referring to hotter-than-normal for your region?
I’m with you on the nutrition in those veggies, but I’m still having a tough time convincing my Mister that he can survive a meal without meat. Arrrrgh!!!!
Chard really does produce best in the fall. In fact, sometimes I find myself picking it much like a flower bouquet — with so much color in the veining and stalks, it’s hard not to admire chard for all of its color and texture.
Sylvana — Excellent! A beautiful garden crop AND a veggie that is very nutritious! A double win for you!!
Saw your latest blog entry and I think I’m going to reference your post and write my own…..long overdue topic, imo!!
Our summer was a little hotter than normal, lots of 90°days, many of our plants were even a bit burned…first time that has ever happened. Great summer for tomatoes and peppers, not so much for brassicas. Our broccoli did terrible, but on a good note I was able to get two types saved over from the previous year to go to seed at different times and save seed off both without worrying about them crossing…that is a first for me. Umpqua and Purple Peacock. Must be global warming.:)