My garden has been fair to middling. I dedicated WAY too much space to this Romanesco cauliflower that not only has been heavily attacked by cabbage aphids (these things are FUCKS, worst pest EVER. If I had to rely on this solely for my winter foods, I'd be well and truly fucked), but I actually don't care for the flavor of. I'd rather have 'regular' broccoli or cauliflower.
This year was slightly better for tomatoes, but not by much. Seems to be looking to be fantastic for all the different winter squashes I planted. We're having a BUMPER CROP of eggplant this year and have been trying to figure out how to preserve it. I'm thinking an antipasto, but apparently most recipes aren't acidic enough.
IF I can get the remaining cauliflowers sufficiently aphid-free, I'd like to pickle those, too, or freeze perhaps (not the Romanesco, it needs help in the flavor department). I've been soaking in salt-vinegar water, but it's not killing them all. Anyone have suggestions for cleaning the produce?
Oh, this year was also my first time growing potatoes. I didn't know when I'm supposed to harvest, so some of the tops went dry so I dug them all up. Some had been attacked by ants or something, pockmarked with little holes that have allowed molding. I'll cut out the bad bits and cook the rest.