Here we are on the other side of the middle of October, and I can say that the last of my veggie planting is done for winter. My seed garlic is all tucked into deep, black (heat absorbing) planter tubs. The last of my chard starts replaced fading summer annuals in a bed that gets winter sun. And, that’s about it.
Fava starts have several sets of true leaves and are working away to rejuvenate tired beds, including the parking strip where we grew corn this summer. The corn stalks have been cleared out. Spent Anemone flower stalks are cut down, and a few weedy beds have been cleared and mulched. Tiny hardy cyclamen are beginning to peek out from under a Japanese Laceleaf Maple starting to lose its leaves. The delicate plants were protected by it during the heat of summer and are now revealed in their fall wonder.
Of course, this isn’t the last of the fall work around here. There’s plenty more clean up to do, but nothing is urgent. Trees are still bright with fall color, so their leafy messes will be tasks in a couple of weeks. For now, the rain is gently watering the newest starts in the garden.
I’m enjoying harvesting from my fall/winter veggie container. Last night the container yielded enough chard to feed two adults a wonderful sauted side dish, with a little leftover for today. And the other great thing? the container is designed in a way that we must be harvesting regularly or the chard will shade out other smaller plants and destroy the rhythm of the tiny garden-in-a-pot. For the first time since early summer, I did not purchase lettuce at the farmer’s market. Mine, in the pot and in the garden beds, is about ready for the salad bowl. And, like with the chard, I must start taking it out of the container or risk losing other plants to overcrowding. What a shame, right? 
Wondering how to quickly make a great chard side dish? Try this super fast method:
Ingredients:
- Big Bunch of chard
- 1 sliced red or white sweet onion
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2-3 late season tomatoes, cut into wedges
- salt
- dash of balsamic vinegar
- olive oil
Remove chard mid rib and stem. Chop into ~1″ pieces. Tear up remaining leaves into 2-3″ pieces.
Heat olive oil in wok or large saute pan. Add sliced onion and saute until onion becomes limp or golden. Add red pepper flakes and chopped chard stems and continue to saute until they soften. Add fistfulls of chard leaves and toss with warm onion. As the fistfulls begin to wilt, add more until all is incorporated and nearly limp. Toss in tomatoes and saute lightly for a minute or two. Hit the pan with a dash of balsamic, toss. Serve.
In our house this recipe is a favorite side to go with a savory meat and potatoes meal. Or, add a bit of chopped sausage to the saute and call it a meal in itself!
