Harvest time! Getting reflective (sniff)

I had a pretty successful year in the vegetable garden this year. Looking back at my first blog entry, where I listed the veggies that I would be growing, I find it interesting to remember the journey that we have all made together (me and the vegetables of course):

yellow pear tomatoes- delicious, prolific, we're still eating them.
Roma tomatoes- these didn't work out so well. Lack of water cracked the few that I had.
little wee eggplants and one 'Dusky' eggplant- a total flop.
Royal Burgundy beans- these were great until we went on our honeymoon, when they all dried up and went bad on the vines.
red peppers- these were ok. Not as many earwigs as in previous years, but they were small.
cayenne peppers- as usual, I have so many that I don't know what to do with them.
pumpkins- not the one I actually planted, but my accidental pumpkins are gorgeous!
zucchini- oh man, do I have zucchini. Off of 3 plants I have managed to eat more zucchini than I ever wanted. Thank god Martha Stewart published a great zucchini-mint soup recipe.
ground cherries- These are so fabulous! I don't know what to do with them except eat them right off of the plant, but they're so delicious. They'd make good jam, they taste like butter.
cucumbers- I have become the brunt of many jokes from bringing cucumbers to work all the time.
okra - I think I got one good pod off of my okra. I kind of forgot there were there.
spinach- we had some good salads early in the season.
bunching onions- these come back year after year.
chives- I transplanted them into a pot, and will try to take them in for the winter.
artichokes (these are in the perennial garden)- they seem happy.
scarlett runner beans (against the deck)- I have about 8 lbs of beans in my fridge.
lemongrass- I started this inside from lemongrass stubs, and it is now about 4 feet tall and quite dramatic looking. It's back inside now.
italian basil- so much basil it's crazy.
thai basil- ha ha, I thought these were ground cherries, and I have so much of it.
globe basil- didn't work out.
lemon basil- worked, but I don't know what to do with it, and it went to seed.
parsley- this didn't work very well.
tarragon- transplanted it with the chives.
dill- turns out I never had dill.
fennel- this got huge - but what to do with it? it didn't produce a bulb.
thyme- it's always there, and it's doing fine.
radishes- nothing. I don't like them anyway.
carrots- nothing.
rhubarb- I got a few stalks.
and the ubiquitous mint- for zucchini-mint soup, and mojitos!
Sunflowers - not really a veggie but ended up in the veggie garden. They got about 10 feet tall.
Sweet peas - I grew these for decorative effect and it worked.
Acorn Squash - I got about 7 little squash off of them, and they're delicious!
Cantaloupe - surprise! I found this little guy the other day, hiding under the acorn squash. He's only about 5 inches, but I'll see how big he can get before eating him.

In addition to all of this bounty, I up-rooted the banana plant once again (the fall ritual) and he was not happy. But I left him on the deck so as not to shock him too badly, and we'll see. I don't think I have a perfect spot for a plant like that - 5 feet tall with a 5-foot canopy. Hm. I have to give it some thought. Maybe I'll have to break out the grow-lights in the basement.