In My San Diego Garden and Kitchen
Kumquats ripen on my patio tree. In recent weeks I’ve searched for the ones most orange for a jump on the season. The fruit, about an inch long, grows in clusters and I lightened the load on a few branches for this small harvest.
Differing from citrus, the entire fruit is edible. The sweet citrus aroma and flavor is in the skin and the flesh adds a juicy, tart contrast. These are nagami kumquats and until 1915 kumquats were considered a citrus. They have their own genus now—Fortunella.
I’ll be eating kumquats as I pass by the little tree, making jam again this year and definitely adding to winter salads. I’ve written about kumquats frequently and will link to some of the posts as the season progresses; or you can use the search feature in the upper right on any page to find other posts.
The cool nights causes the navel oranges to sweeten and color up. We’re picking them as needed and over the weekend squeezed orange juice for breakfast.
The cauliflower harvest is over and the snow peas are now setting seed for next year’s crop. Oranges begin and tangerines are a memory until next November.
Every year I begin and end tangerine season savoring a tangerine sitting on the steps to the garden, next to the tangerine tree. Here’s the last tangerine of the season. It was a good run with close to 200 tangerines on a tree about five feet high and wide.
The robust broccoli plants now produce good-sized side shoots and likely will for another four to six weeks or as long as I’m willing to harvest tiny ones.
I made a little plate of veggies from the garden for four little boys who live nearby.
The last of the eight Romanescos was the largest, weighing four pounds after the stem was removed. I gifted four Romanescos to foodie friends. Thankfully, they keep well in the fridge.
Every winter garden salad is a little different. This one includes romaine lettuce, baby leaf kale, purple cauliflower, Romanesco, celery and radishes.
Leucojum—snowflake blooming now in my garden. It reminds me of the welcomed snowdrops in my Massachusetts garden and the snow that blankets the country. Happy to just learn my son arrived in Montana as the snow flies.
You may enjoy seeing what other garden bloggers harvested last week at Harvest Monday hosted by Dave at Our Happy Acres.
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