Gardening: Enjoying the autumn harvest

Even though butternut, pumpkins and other summer veggies are available in supermarkets all year round, it is still enormously satisfying to “set aside” the produce from one’s own garden, even if it is just dried herbs, strings of chillies or freezing pulped tomatoes. It all helps to keep us connected to nature’s seasonal rhythm.

These days, preserving the harvest is much easy and simpler. In many cases, freezing can replace older, time consuming methods of bottling or pickling.

Harvesting

Much attention is paid to germinating and growing crops, but the correct harvesting techniques are just as important for a successful crop.

As a general rule, pulling or twisting beans, tomatoes or other fruit off a bush can damage the plant: rather use kitchen scissors, or a sharp knife in the case of cutting spinach or lettuce.

For butternut, pumpkins, Hubbard, and gem squash to store well, don’t pick the fruit until the foliage has begun to die off. Also make sure that the stem has dried off completely and leave a bit of stem on the fruit when you pick it. If the stem is broken off completely, bacteria can enter and start the rotting process.

Potatoes must be allowed to die down completely. In areas that don’t get winter rain they can be safely left in the ground and harvested as necessary. Otherwise, lift them and dry completely before storing in a cool, dark place.

If tomatoes still have green fruit and you need the space for winter crops, pull the plant out roots and all and hang it upside down with the roots in a sheltered spot. The fruit will ripen on the vine.

Start harvesting and preserving annual herbs like basil, that won’t be available in winter or perennials that die down.

Preserving

Veggies like beans, carrots, peas, and spinach can be blanched and frozen. Chop up the veggies, bring a pot of water to the boil, add the veggies and bring the pot back to the boil for one or two minutes. Take out the veggies and cool them rapidly in iced water then drain off as much of the water as possible. Put in a container, date and label it.

An easy way to preserve tomatoes is to boil them down and freeze in blocks. , Alternatively make delicious sauces with end of season chillies or green peppers, tomatoes and onions and freeze.

The best herbs to freeze are those that tend to be tasteless when dried. These are basil, coriander, parsley, and mint. Lovage and tarragon freeze or dry equally well.

Pick and rinse fresh herbs, chop finely and spoon them into ice-tray cavities, making sure to tightly pack in the herb.

Pour water in slowly and gently to prevent the herbs splashing out.

Return to the freezer and allow to freeze solid. Empty the herb ice cubes out and store in a labelled and dated plastic bag in the freezer. To use, drop the frozen herb into the soup, stew or sauce during cooking.

Gratitude for the harvest

So much can go wrong during a season; an influx of worms, too much or too little rain, fungus diseases and so on.

Despite all that, the garden yields its bounty and at the end of the season it is fitting to pause and reflect with gratitude on what the earth has given and what we have learnt as gardeners. As Socrates said, “the unexamined life is not worth living”. It is also good advice for the home food gardener.