Right on schedule, the shallots were ready to harvest. The tops were beginning to dry and had fallen over at the neck. A light tug on one resulted in an easy release from the soil, because the roots had begun to shrink as well. With rain in the forecast, it was time to bring them in. Harvesting shallots has to be one of the easiest and most satisfying of tasks. Four baskets were soon overflowing.
Big shallots are sometimes nice to cook with, but they are not good for planting since they are usually made up of segments and not one solid bulb. In my experience, they don’t store nearly as well either, so they are eaten or pickled within a few weeks. Right now, all the shallots are in single layers on trays in the Lady Cottage.
I’ll give them a few days to lose some moisture in the leaves, and then they will be braided and hung in the Lady Cottage.
Meanwhile, the beans that were planted along the edge of the shallots are breathing a sigh of relief. They’d begun emerging, but only those that weren’t shaded by the shallots began growing well. Now the others can grow as well!
All of the rest of the shallot space was replanted within minutes of the harvest. Rows of carrots, beets, parsnips and beans will soon be emerging. That’s one of the keys to an abundant harvest in small spaces. Plus, I wanted to get the seeds in the ground before the rain came, and thankfully, it did come along with some cooler temperatures.
The cool, damp, overcast day must have inspired this bouquet, which “feels” like fall with it’s rust-colored quilled rudbeckia “Chim Chimnee,” a few lavender sprigs, and some small white feverfew. I’m going to enjoy a day indoors shelling peas, pickling cucumbers, and watching the Tour de France! How are you spending your Friday?
herbalblessingsblog 
Good rain so I have been pulling ore weeds from a new bed
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Weeding after a rain is always so much easier. We got 1/2″ so late yesterday afternoon I tackled the Lavender Slope path, which was entirely green. But, with the rain they all pulled easily and it looks SO much better now.
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Fridays are quiet days for me, days for prayer and contemplation, reading and resting. Tonight, fresh shrimp for supper! Then in early evening cool, I plan to pull out “dead stuff” from the Heat Dome and cut back fleeceflowers and cat mint. Still having to go easy on myself since the January mini-stroke, but getting there!
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So glad you are recovering, and DO take it easy during the process. Maybe more things in your garden will recover than you think. My bay tree looked dead for weeks, and I nearly gave up hope and tossed it, but now it is leafing out! Just like you, things may need a slow, easy recovery period. Blessings!
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Sounds like a great Friday! I harvested garlic yesterday 🙂
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Good work! My garlic is in as well. So far, so good!
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I have harvested garlic and am itching to get the onions out and some other small plants in but they are not ready yet. I must find better places to dry things like onions and seed heads for saving. I am realising that having the right infrastructure makes a huge difference and mine needs some tweaking!
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