Harvest time–September means pumpkins and doves

Thursday, September 2nd, 2010

The harvest from the author's summer garden has peaked, but the game harvest is just starting with a North Dakota dove hunt this Friday.

September marks the beginning of the end for the summer garden. It also marks the beginning of the game harvest, starting with dove season, which opened around the country September 1st.

This morning before work, I harvested some pumpkins and squash from the backyard garden. Yesterday morning, I was out there and popped a dozen or more cherry tomatoes into my mouth for breakfast. Sweetened by the soil and warmed by the sun, their flavor was incredible. For lunch, my wife and I ate a medley of garden produce that included eggplant, summer squash, hot peppers, onions and potatoes shredded and sautéed in butter then topped with a honey mustard dressing. Hungry yet?

I’ll sure miss these garden lunches come the first killing frost, which in mid-Minnesota can come anytime now that it’s September. But for now, there’s more garden produce to come, especially since the 2.3 inches rain that fell the last two nights got things growing again after a two week dry spell.

Yet, while the garden harvest wanes, the game harvest is just waxing, beginning with a dove hunt in North Dakota starting Friday. I’ll also set up a new duck camp there for when we return October 14th.  After doves, I have a metro Twin Cities bow deer hunt to get ready for and then rifle antelope in Wyoming.  In late September, I’ll join some U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service woodcock experts for a timberdoodle hunt and habitat tour near Minnesota’s famed Mille Lacs walleye lake north of the Pheasants Forever offices about 90 minutes. Woodcock is declining because of its aging forest habitat. Some of our pheasant habitat efforts happen to be helping this bird.  Pheasants Forever members will read about this hunt sometime next year in the Pheasants Forever Journal.

And of course, I’m also looking forward to my pheasant and quail hunts. Shoot me some news from your garden and what hunts you are looking forward to in the comments section below. Thanks.