Shallots and Scapes

Young shallots drying in the sun.

These were planted in very early spring and would have grown to double this size by August but they were blocking sunlight to a tomato plant and were harvested early. They need to cure in a dry place for about a week before storage.

This season I made the pledge that I would not let a single vegetable go to waste, so the early storage situation is stressing me a bit. Timing! It's exhausting trying to get early canning and preservation done when you're so busy prepping a show. Plus I have to travel again this week. But Mother Nature doesn't wait for showbiz. No sir!

There's a whole mess of garlic scapes that will have to become pesto or tapenade tonight. Whew! And I still haven't processed the green onions that came in like gangbusters this week. Those are still in the sink waiting to be cleaned, chopped and frozen. Waste not, want not. Honor your pledges.

Truly Madly Spring

Let the games begin! What a beautiful day. It was just too gorgeous to be inside so I took a break from the keyboard and attacked the garden in an attempt to get the onions in. The Field Supervisor was on the job taking stock of my spacing. I think it's time to build a dibbler. It would really ease the process.

As it was I only managed to plant the shallots and red onions before total exhaustion took over. I've had some medical challenges this year and I'm not quite up to snuff in the stamina department. I've yet to get the Spanish onions and scallions in the ground. But in the process I dug up these two quite robust shallots (in foreground) which gave off a very oniony aroma. I suppose you could say it's the first harvest of the season.

Along with these two little carrots and a scallion that were hiding in the soil too.

Crop rotation is on the agenda this season in order to get the most bang for my soil buck. Carleen Madigan suggests planting onions after tomatoes and that's exactly what I am doing.