Thanksgiving is all about the food--well maybe not all about food, but it's definitely a big part of the holiday. If you're like me and you feel like Thanksgiving doesn't have the same anticipation as Halloween or Christmas, here's a solution--plan a Thanksgiving garden! The plants in your holiday garden (you can carry them over for Christmas and New Years, too) can be set aside for the biggest meals of the year.
Thanksgiving falls on a challenging date for gardeners in the Midlands area because the first frost of the season typically kills the summer garden in early or mid-November and the winter hardy greens and vegetables aren't always fully established by late November.
Leafy greens like lettuce should be planted in the garden in late August and Kale can be started a few weeks earlier. Don't get started too early on lettuce because they're prone to heat stress and might fizzle out before Thanksgiving. Do not plant them any earlier than late August. Cabbage, onions, and parsley seedlings can be planted out in late August, but start those seeds by mid-summer if you want to pick a November crop.
Gardeners across the Midlands shared a few photos of what they're growing for their holiday dinners on our Facebook group WLTX Gandy's Gardeners. You can join too! Just make sure you answer all the security questions so we know you're a real person!
WLTX Gandy's Gardeners
This thanksgiving, I'm cooking with plants left over from the summertime, because temperatures this fall been very mild. October was the 7th warmest on record in Columbia and November featured a string of days in the 80s with one day failing to drop below 71F, the warmest low temperature on record for November.
The pepper plants have been very prolific and rosemary and thyme are always in abundance because they're evergreen. Potatoes, pepper, and onion is a great flavor combination that'll be a perfect addition to the slew of sides on the Thanksgiving table, or a nice way compliment to turkey and ham leftovers for lunch the day after Thanksgiving.
Although potatoes are a summer plant, when they're stored properly, they can be kept all winter long. The same is true for winter squash (like butternut or spaghetti squash), which develop a hard shell that keeps their tender flesh inside fresh for months unlike summer squash (like zucchini) that need to be refrigerated and consumed a few days after picking).
The potatoes in this recipe didn't come from Gandy's Garden at WLTX, but I did have a lot of success with sweet potatoes this season. The sweet potatoes were planted as seedlings in May and grew throughout the summer. The vines began to die back in September and that's when they were ready for picking. When stored properly, potatoes can be kept all winter long.
To make this recipe, cut your potatoes first and put them in a lightly greased skillet on a medium or high heat until the potatoes brown. Then add diced pepper and onion with some thyme and rosemary and cover. The potatoes are ready when a fork easily slides through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Parsley makes a fantastic garnish and will survive temperatures down to 20 degrees making it a reliable choice for the fall and winter garden.