My garden has suffered from neglect and drought this year, but I did harvest a very pretty bowlful of things today!
Elderberries are almost done. My cherry tomatoes went through a lull but are now producing again. Peppers are just getting started, but most of my plants didn’t set much fruit - except the Sonechkos. They are going crazy!
Sweet and tangy! Sort of like a sweet pickle but the ginger is strong in them.
Pretty! I had a variegated elderberry that was cut down this spring but it’s baack! It never set fruit, but it had flowers
What is the herb?
You need two varieties of elderberry to cross-polinate. I have Johns and Adams - one tends to grow smaller and have larger, later-ripening berries than the other, but I can never remember which! Even ornamentals like black lace will work as pollinators, though.
As for the herb, it’s pineapple mint - I planted a baby and it turned into a monster in the space of one season. It must like its pot - I have tried growing it in ground before with no luck.
Ahhh! I was growing it as an ornamental, but who doesn’t need a few more jars of stuff?
ooooooooooooo so interested!
Who has a watermelon gazpacho recipe they like?
Can you access Epicurious? I used a recipe from Michael Dietsch’s book “Shrubs”, but the recipe also is featured on Epi:
excellent, thanks.
i’m gearing up for some SERIOUS shrubbing to take care of some of my rhubarb, so I’m trolling for ideas. might do rhubarb+lemon verbena…
I am going to try the one from Plenty More this weekend. First time making it but will let you know.
Today’s pick. Temps are cooling off to the mid-fifties at night, and things are starting to slow down. We stopped watering the shelling beans today in anticipation of harvest. Fall is definitely kicking in.
Still picking summer veg, although in smaller quantities. The shell is something I picked up recently on one of our walks.
Shrub of the Day: windfall apples, brown sugar, cider-vinegar, cinnamon.
The color does not have much “wow” to it, but the shrub is tart-sweet and refreshing.
More garden gazpacho: here mostly Mr Stripey tomatoes, homegrown orange bell peppers, some white peaches, garlic, EVOO and Oloroso sherry.
Wish I could ‘like’ that 10 times!
unfortunately it needed cucumber, which i only located in the Vegetable Drawers of Late-Season Chaos after i’d blended and strained it.
oh well, the tragedies of too much veg!
Either it tasted great without the cucumber, or cucumbers can be retrofitted?
I think cucumber is under-rated in gazpacho. I really enjoy what it brings to the dish.
Amazing! You are so self sufficient, and what a green thumb. Do you put new dirt in your containers each year, or just amend what you’ve got with some fresh compost?
