The Best Laid Plans

We had a scare last Thursday, as forecast rain and temperatures in the high thirties turned into snow and temperatures in the low thirties. I rushed home and picked every eggplant, chili and sweet pepper I could see as it was almost dark. Some of them felt frozen, but it seems they were all okay. I already cooked the eggplant and pickled the chilies. Miraculously, the plants all survived, and if the long range forecast holds, this could be the first time ever that I kept things going into November. Cross your fingers.

Not So Frost Warningz`

We had a frost alert for Sunday evening, so on Sunday afternoon I dug up the sweet potatoes and harvested the butternut squash. As you can see, the butternut "harvest" was pathetic. Just thirteen, smallish fruits. Most weren't really ready, and to top it all off, no frost. To put it in perspective, last year, I filled three grape cases with full-sized butternuts that needed the separators I macguyvered to keep them from touching. The largest of this year's crop barely peeks over the side of the grape case.
The sweet potatoes were also a joke, as I anticipated. However, some were large enough to give me hope that with enough soil preparation and without the biblical flooding we got this year, they will do pretty well. These are Georgia Jets. We also still have eggplants, chili peppers, sweet peppers and herbs producing. Looks like if we can get past Wednesday night, we will be OK well into next week.

On the plus side, I roasted my first, ripe delicata (on the grill, wrapped in foil) and it was phenomenal. I seasoned it with a bit of butter and some salt, but it could have been eaten without any help at all. Sweet, great texture and great natural flavor. I will definitely plant more next year.

Finding The Cure

Well, I picked the delicata squash about a week ago and let them cure in the kitchen. A few might have benefited from another week or two on the vine, but the plants themselves were virtually dessicated, and I was afraid the remaining squash bugs would try to take refuge in the squash themselves. I'll have to burn the little buggers up after the first hard frost kills everything. I got sixteen total from eight plants - there should have been more. There are fifteen pictured here (I had to eat one earlier), along with some volunteer potatoes. The two with blue twine wrapped around the stems are the ones I hand-pollinated to save for seed.
That butternut in the shot is actually from last year's crop. I got it to last eleven months in the basement, and decided to crack it open to see how it tasted. As you can see, it looked pretty good. A little dry around the seed sack, and not as tasty as its brethren that I ate over the winter, but definitely still edible. I was surprised how long it lasted. I wonder what the record is?