Harvest Challenge

The weather this fall has made it very challenging to harvest crops and clear fields. Not only the farmers are struggling with this but also the backyard gardeners. I have yet to get my garden cleared off even though the plants died weeks ago.

Just before our first big frost I was in the garden picking anything I could salvage. As I moved around my cucumber vines I noticed a large root plant growing. I immediately identified it as a leftover radish since that is where the row had been earlier in the summer. Obviously I missed one radish when pulling out the row.

That radish continued to grow and it now resembled more of a beet or turnip. My husband caught sight of it one day and decided to pull it out and weigh it. We were surprised that the radish was quite solid and weighed in at three and three quarter pounds.

The extra large radish was just one more oversized produce from my garden this summer. My cabbage grew to be monsters, the tomato and pepper plants were massive and I had an excellent bean crop. I guess the extra fertilizer my husband put on last spring really helped. The cool and fairly damp weather also contributed to the bounty.

My cupboards are now full of fruit jars containing fruits, vegetables and even some meat. These will fill our plates and bodies during the winter months ahead. I am not sure how just two people will manage to eat all the produce I put up but we will probably be sharing with our family and guests as much as possible. It will be fun trying to empty out all those jars I carefully filled and sealed.

Very soon the garden will be bare and hopefully tilled and readied for next spring planting. As we clear away the evidence of the season I want to share with you a picture my husband snapped of our grandson holding the radish he plucked from the garden. We can now only dream of the days when we will once again be enjoying this produce fresh from the garden.