The last Harvest of Tomatoes before the first Frost.

Autumn for many does signify the time to Harvest everything before it is cold and we do have Frosty days upon us. Of course we want to gather every bit of the last warm sunshine in order to mature everything in the Garden but the First Frost and the Last Frost tend to signify a stand still on the growing months for Vegetables, Fruits and Flowers. Most of the Trees become dormant and a blanket of Leaves covers their Roots.

 Autumn is when we slowly turn to comfort Food and prepare for the cold days.

In my Garden I pick up all the last Fruits and Vegetables mature or not between mid October and the very last days of October. It is as per say the very last Harvest. However it does mean a lot but also a lot of work. First if we have a bounty the first thing is to enjoy everything which is ripe straight away with nice Meals. We do love for example to have a Roast with Squash in this House.

Roast Chicken with Butternut Squash and Brown Onions.

Of course it does help to grow your own to enjoy your own Harvest however big or small it is. Because at the end of the day it does mark the fruit of your labour and efforts during the year. A Harvest is a joyful time to be had. For us mainly it is to gather Chillies and the rest of the Tomatoes. Second it is to think about preserving what we can in a manner or another.

One of our last Chillies and Tomatoes Harvests one October.

As for preserving the Harvest it is a little pleasure to have for you do get the sensation of achievement in a form that you will benefit from in the coming months. To know what to do with a Harvest is the time to plan projects which can be very interesting and also amusing. For the last of my Tomatoes I like to turn them into a Chutney, especially the green ones therefore there is no loss.

Green Tomato Chutney Ingredients.

With the Chillies and the Sweet Peppers I do like preserving them either by freezing them or putting them into Jars to keep them for longer. I also dry Tomatoes, Chillies and Sweet Peppers or make Chilli Oil or Chilli Flakes. 

Preserved Home Made Dried Sweet Red Pepper (from the Garden) in a Rosemary and Garlic infused Oil. Those are great for Pasta and Pizza but also as an Antipasto with Smoked /Cured Ham like Proscuitto or Serrano Ham.