It’s been dry today, although the sun hasn’t shown up. The autumn feel is settling in so well, and I’ve been pottering in the garden, collecting what was left to harvest before the frost arrives. Otherwise, the plants and their fruits may suffer, so it’s best to pick what I can now. I could do with cooking some of it rather than letting it go to waste.
The tomatoes are already starting to show signs of cold damage.
The chillies are all red and ready to be picked, although some have started to wrinkle.
Some of the plants have only just started flowering and forming fruit. I’ll need to bring a few of them indoors so they can hopefully continue flowering and fruiting for a little longer.
A surprise pumpkin from the garden! 🎃
I picked this unusual-looking pumpkin from the ground after the plant climbed up a tree and eventually produced this curious-looking fruit!
I never planted it from seed. It was actually a little seedling I found growing alongside my tomatoes.
I happened to replant it, and to my surprise, it grew into this rather unusual-looking fruit!
It looks more like an ornamental gourd to me, and it would make a lovely natural decoration for Halloween! I’m not sure exactly what it is, so I’ll leave it as a decoration rather than risk eating something I can’t identify.
Some lovely cherry tomatoes, and these are so sweet!
I also have these mature beans.
Their seeds can be used in all sorts of dishes. Just look at how beautiful their colours are!
I’ve also collected a few herb seeds, including basil seeds.
And lovage seeds, too!
It’s always satisfying to collect seeds from the garden. Not only can I grow more plants next year, but I can also share some seeds with others.
And here is everything I gathered together from the garden.
Harvesting and preserving chillies 🌶️
I really like the size of these chillies. They’re not particularly hot, but they have a beautiful fragrant aroma.
I’ve collected the seeds to grow more chillies next year and to give some away, too.
I also immediately set some of the chillies to ferment in a 2% salt brine. After about 10 days, I’ll blend them into what should be a tasty homemade chilli sauce!
Making fresh guacamole with garden tomatoes 🥑
I decided to quickly whip up some guacamole, of course using one of my homegrown tomatoes!
I love these tomatoes! Although they’re not as vibrant as last year’s fruits, I’m not quite sure why, they taste just as good.
I also collected some of those seeds.
Then I chopped them up!
Making guacamole is so simple. Just chop everything up: red onion, chillies, fresh coriander and tomatoes. Then mix them into mashed avocado, adding a little salt and a squeeze of lime or lemon juice.
And there you have it! A creamy, fresh guacamole that goes well with all sorts of things. It’s creamy, zesty and refreshing.
It is so satisfying to harvest what you’ve grown and then turn it into something delicious, especially when the ingredients come straight from your own garden.
It was such a productive little potter around the garden. What I love most is that I’ve gathered the last of the harvest, made something tasty, and saved seeds ready for next year!
And now I have something nice to look forward to next year, when those little seeds begin to grow again. 🌱
Have a good day!
Mariah 🍂
