Growing the food turned out to be the easier part. A conversation with Susan Gouveia — private chef, culinary educator, and founder of the Society of Garden Goddesses in Grass Valley — on what to do with the harvest once it's in your hands.

Most people think the season is over in September. In Nevada County it's just shifted. Here's what to harvest before it's past peak — and what to plant right now for a fall table full of food you grew yourself.

The morning came in cool and cloudy — the kind of July morning that tricks you into thinking summer temps might be reasonable after all. I took my coffee outside and sat for a while, noticing things. The garlic bed was empty. Time to think about fall.