Potatoes, Peas and Pomegranates

Today we did some fun gardening.  First, one of the potato plants was looking about done so we went digging for treasure.  I'd planted purple, red and yellow potatoes in the spring.  Many had been dug up by the squirrel, so I kept replanting.  Because of this, I really didn't know what I had where.  Never having grown potatoes before, I was thrilled to find beautiful purple potatoes under the plant.  While digging, I seemed to get into the space of a nearby red potato, 'cause I got some of those too.  Once washed, they looked like jewels with their vibrant colors.  I took a picture of them on the dish towel.  I chopped them up, microwaved them with a little water and we ate them for lunch.  These were the freshest potatoes I've ever eaten in my life.  They were so creamy tasting.  Yum.

Next we tore out some old yellow crookneck squash plants.  In that space we dug in some compost from the mushroom farm and some worm compost from our bin and some from the store.  We planted an entire envelope (minus a couple I'd planted in the spring) of Sugar Snap Peas that say "Sell by 12/08."  Too old?  Well, I had more space, so I used up a packet of Oregon Sugar Pod II Peas (snow peas) from 2003.  For the record, NONE of the wildflower seeds from 1999-2006 that I planted last month sprouted.  I wonder if any of the snow peas will sprout.  We added small soaker hose from our drip system for this area.

We've been eating our beautiful pomegranates for about a month now.  This week there were some very bold birds out there feasting on them as well, so we tried to accelerate our eating this weekend.  They are so delicious though I want them to last!  All of us love them, including 12 month old DD.  Here is a picture of the modest pomegranate tree still holding onto some fruit for us, plus one picked fruit awaiting lunch.

In the area of the garden that I planted with carrots, turnips, shallots, and beets about a month ago, the plants aren't looking so good.  This is the same area that the amaranth is in, but it looks pretty stunted.  I've added more worm compost which hasn't seemed to help very much.  As I've watched the area more, I realize that the sun isn't hitting it directly for many hours now.  I wonder if all those little root vegetable seedlings will amount to anything.  Live and learn.

We do have some very happy butternut squash still producing for us.  One is so enormous that I must take a picture when I harvest it.  The vine had been confined to a wood trellis leaning against the fence, but of late it has escaped.  The huge squash flourished unseen behind the barbecue, half on the patio and half up a step onto the cooldeck.  Because of its odd locale, it is developing while standing on its head.  This seems to have turned it into a crooknecked butternut.

We continue to eat a variety of things from the garden.  Today's garden food included: pomegranates, potatoes, chard, basil, parsley, cowpea green beans, one white and bitter carrot, one itty bitty eggplant, and about 7 cherry tomatoes.  Not bad for suburbia!