October salad bar

Lettuce patch, Oct 2018

I have a few last lettuces growing in planters (after harvesting all the carrots).  They're only putting out new growth slowly, but we're still having a salad once a week.  Part of that is adding other salad greens to the mix;  most of my winter salad is self-sown:  bonus!

I've got a resident crop of lambs and miners lettuces which self seed every year;  they only germinate around now, as the temperatures drop, and they are mostly confined to my containers and cold frame.  I wouldn't mind if they spread themselves around the garden too, as not a lot is happening out there now.

Also in the mix are young chard and sorrel leaves, still putting out a little bit of growth.  The chard will stand over winter, though the sorrel dies back once too cold--it's quick to grow back in early spring, though--when most things are finished.  I've got young chard plants only just coming up now, plus some older ones started in spring;  all will produce a little over winter, plus a good amount of growth in the spring before going to seed.

There are a couple arugula volunteers popping up now;  the husband and I like these, along with the mizuna, but the son finds them a little too spicy.  Same with the nasturtium flowers and leaves;  I use the leaves as a pungent flavoring more for stew than salad, as cooking mellows the spiciness.

Besides greens, I still have a few spring onions and achocha, and just a couple of tomatoes left.  I also have some fermented salsa fresca in the fridge for a nice salad garnish (no chilis added, so it's a bit more like gazpacho).  I anticipate we'll be able to eat fresh salad up to the end of my No-Buy Veg challenge--27 Nov--and beyond.