Harvest 2011 - Onions, Cucumbers

The vegetable harvest of 2011 is coming into full swing at Mountain Glen Farm.  The vegetables are maturing not every few days, not daily, but what seems like every hour - no exaggeration. Those of you who have vegetable gardens can relate - the kitchen counters fill with piles of peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, squash and the like; friends duck from view as they see you coming loaded down with heavy paper grocery sacks, knowing that the sacks contain vegetable surplus (they, too, have zucchini up the kazoo) and fruit flies have become the fly du jour not only in the kitchen, but throughout the house.  Yep, the produce is accumulating fast!

Like always, though; the harvest is unpredictable.  This year's harvest is, generally, on the light side due to the drought at the height of the growing period. 

The onions, three varieties - white, yellow, red;  are out of the ground and on a drying table.  Here, the onions will hang out until they are put to use or until the air temperatures drop below freezing.  This year's crop are a bit small, but will still serve our needs adequately.  My favorites are the reds because they add a dimension of color to any recipe.

Onions are a must in many of the dishes we prepare.  Glenn loves onions.  So, onions go into salads -  chef, macaroni, potato; stews; omelets; sauces; fried potatoes; pizza; and more.  He might even be thinking of using them as an ice cream topping one day....naw.  Well, maybe.

The cucumber vines have been producing well since early summer and are continuing to produce abundantly.

Last year, the cucumber vines died before any cukes developed - not a one.    This year, we are gathering cucumbers daily, our table is overflowing.  Two people can only eat a certain amount of fresh cucumbers.  This is one veggie that I do not put up.  We eat it fresh, and that's that.  The large ones that were initially overlooked when small, the huge green leaves are a fabulous cover for green fruit, are fed to the chickens - a real treat.  Nothing goes to waste on the farm. 

We eat the small to mid-sized fruits diced into salads or sliced, as a side, when combined with a sour cream dressing.  I have several Gladys Taber recipes for stuffed, baked cucumbers (even using those giant ones that have turned yellow - the ones that normally do go to the chickens) that I need to try.  This would be the year to experiment - maybe tonight.....

Personally, cucumbers do nothing for me as they taste rather bland, almost no taste at all.  Basically, with a cucumber, I am getting crunch.  Crunch is OK.

Then, there's the burp...