Taste of summer in the middle of fall

We went out to the garden yesterday afternoon to pick peppers and dig sweet potatoes in advance of last night's frosty weather, and we discovered a last lonely watermelon hiding amongst the sweet potato vines. It was small but sturdy and ripe and delicious, so we enjoyed a taste of summer in the midst of autumn chill.

This has been without a doubt the most productive garden we've ever grown. The remaining plants look pretty droopy right now, but the peppers are still flowering and would continue to produce if the weather would let them, and we still have plenty of beets and other root crops in the ground. They don't mind a little frost, but we'll need to pull them before the first hard freeze. The okra and tomato plants have withered and the zucchini onslaught is, thankfully, thoroughly done, but we still have some cabbages and brussels sprouts out there, although the sprouts seem a bit puny.

Today I'll roast some sweet potatoes alongside a pork loin and serve it with watermelon on the side. It's an unconventional menu, but the watermelon will allow us to carry a bit of summer's sunshine into the autumn chill.