My Fall Garden by Lori Shapiro

The days may be shorter and colder, but my Watertown garden is still bursting with colorful, flavorful and healthful food. The leafy canopy of summer’s showstopping tomatoes, eggplants, squash and peppers have succumbed to the seasonal chill and been cleared away. From beneath their former shadow, the many edible plants that thrive in fall can emerge.

Steps from my kitchen are patches of native red veined sorrel, spicy mustard greens with varied leaf shapes and colors, scallions, dill seedlings and parsley. The kale and collards are sweet and crisp. Beets (and their greens) are waiting patiently for harvest. Together, these hardy greens and herbs make a delicious and diverse assemblage for cold seasonal salads or warm soups and stews. Many of these plants self-seed and are now naturalized in my garden, so germinate and flourish on their own with no additional work from me. They are gifts that will regenerate indefinitely.

Fresh rosemary, sage and thyme are still thriving in our fading light and warmth. I use these leaves to elevate all my fall cooking. Sage and thyme are perennial hardy herbs that will happily overwinter outside, but rosemary is a touch more tender and needs to be potted and brought inside through our coldest months. Rosemary is a wonderful winter companion, and its presence on the kitchen counter means that I remember to add its aromatic leaves to sweet and savory dishes alike throughout the coldest months.

We aren’t done with flowers, either. Alyssum, pansies and calendula are still producing edible flowers that add a splash of color to garnish any meal.

Our fall crops may not be as juicy and dramatic as summer’s peak harvest, but they are still full of charm and delight. It is a joy to still be able to gather daily greens for salads bursting with flavor and herbs to enhance warming fall dishes, even if I have to do so in the dark with a light. As I gather fresh leaves, roots and blossoms in the evening chill, I also begin to mentally plan for the inevitable return of lengthening days and the abundance that will return in next year’s garden.

About the author:

Lori Shapiro is a Watertown resident who lives at 34 Edward Road. She converted her small front yard into an urban flower and food garden to support humans and wildlife, without the use of synthetic agro-chemicals. She is an advocate for sustainable, local, healthful and accessible food systems.