Though it wasn't quite up to the last Monday Harvest, this week at Daphne's Dandelions had a fairly heavy harvest and some nice firsts. The summer crops are starting to finally come in.
By far the best harvest was from the raspberries. I've been harvesting them every other day. Every morning I throw a large handful of berries on my cereal. The photo is a bit misleading since I took it at the beginning of the berry harvest when I wasn't getting a lot. This week was the peak of the summer harvest season (I'll have another peak in the fall when they crop again). I froze quite a bit and hope to make sorbet sometime soon. Last weekend while camping I shared a lot with friends.
The peas were the next largest harvest, but they are at their trail end. The snap peas have all been pulled and only the snow peas are left. They won't produce much anymore, but I'll still get some and since I ran out of Sugar Snax carrot seed, I figure I don't have much else to plant there right now anyway. I'll let them try to keep going for a bit longer.
I had several firsts this week. I had the first beans. There was just a tiny bit but I picked them to keep the vines producing. I'll continue to pick tiny bits over the summer. I don't have a lot of green beans planted. Most of my beans are dried beans, but there will be plenty for me to eat.
The first zucchini was picked yesterday as soon as I got home from my camping trip. It was still way too small when I left. Now it is a touch too big, but not too bad. No baseball bats yet in this garden. I've been picking the male blossoms for my salads and stir fries. I always use them to hand pollinate a female blossom if there is one. There aren't many females yet.
The first pineapple tomatillos came in. Woot! I really wanted to see what they tasted like. They do indeed taste a little like pineapple. They aren't nearly as sweet, but then I tasted the first small one. If they are like tomatoes they will develop a more balanced and stronger taste later on. It is so easy to pick these. They fall off the plant when ripe. I just bring them in. Supposedly they keep quite some time in their husks if they are just left on the counter. I'll wait to collect a bunch and make salsa out of them. I think they will be wonderful if I can ever get enough. They are such tiny little fruit.
The first of the potted tomatoes are starting to ripen. I have a bit of color on Aliana and Black Moor. I picked three Chocolate Cherries. I haven't tasted them yet. I want them in my salad later today. I of course also picked some Sungold F2s. Two of the plants put out reddish cherries and four put out the typical Sungold color. The color in the above photo is a bit off as most of them are golden. A taste test will come in a bit after they start ripening some more.
The serranos gave quite a few this week since I'm collecting seed and stripped one of the plants. I also harvested from a few of the other serrano plants. The harvest was frozen for future salsas. The jalapenos are almost there. Maybe next week. And the first cayenne is starting to turn red, but it isn't ready to harvest quite yet.
I wanted to harvest more herbs than the parsley, but didn't get a chance. The chamomile is way over due to be harvested. Also the first of the rosemary has to be dried. Hopefully this week I will have time.
So here are the tally totals:
- Beans 0.11 lbs
- Berries 3.52 lbs
- Cucurbits 0.61 lbs
- Greens 0.41 lbs
- Herbs 0.50 lbs
- Peas 1.13 lbs
- Peppers 0.59 lbs
- Tomatillo 0.03
- Tomatoes 0.77 lbs
Weekly total: 7.81 lbs
Weekly spent: $0
Yearly total: 48.88 lbs
Yearly earned: $87.27
If you would like to join Harvest Monday add your name to Mr. Linky so everyone can see your post. No huge harvests or tallying are requried. You can show us as much or as little as you want.
Ok, I did the Mr. Linky thing. I was going to put one in my post, but didn't have the vaguest idea what I was doing, so decided to pass on it. Sometimes you can teach an old blogger new tricks, but Linky has me stumped.
ReplyDeleteWow, that's quite some haul! I'm glad to see your tally column growing way beyond the negative range. :) Those raspberries had me drooling - I put in some this year and they were a total dud. Not sure yet what I did wrong or if it was just bad timing (too late in the spring, right as it decided to never rain again). Curious what the tomatillo salsa will be like if you make it - sounds yummy!
ReplyDeleteYour raspberries look so delicious! Our blackberries were several weeks late at least. How do you freeze your green chilies? I'm asking becuase last year we made green chili sauce. When it thawed and touched the open air, it seemed like all of the color drained out at once.
ReplyDeleteI've been doing a lot of reading about preserving, one thing was adding ascorbic acid to fruit packed only in granulated sugar, I've also read something about peppers not freezing well, the article seemed to suggest freezing them raw would be suitable, just wondering what your approach is.
I was also wondering is the ascorbic acid would be and effective preservative and color-preserving agent with cooked peppers.
Annie's Granny, you don't need to add one to your blog. Since you put your name in here, everyone can find your post now :> Time for me to head on over and read it.
ReplyDeleteKaren, the tally gets pretty high with raspberries. They are quite pricey things out here - at least the local ones Costco is so much cheaper. I still can't find organic ones to price out but the IPM ones are all over. I haven't a clue as to why you would spray raspberries here. I suppose it keeps the mildew down around here. I've found if I keep them well picked even the ones that are starting to rot that they stay pretty pristine and I get to eat over 95% of them. BTW raspberries are really picky about getting watered. Out here they are real weeds and hard to keep under control, but it rains a lot.
Lzyjo, I freeze them raw. I just chop them up and throw them in a plastic bag. I also keep them in my good chest freezer (very cold and not a defrosting type). I don't worry too much about color though. They will be cooked into salsa for canning (at least that is the hope, if we don't get any tomatoes in the North East due to late blight I might not be able to make much salsa).
ReplyDeleteI couldn't resist joining in with the things I picked on Saturday night. I'm still waiting for my first ripe tomato - so I'm jealous of yours!
ReplyDeleteEverything looks luscious. And tasty and yummy and wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait until we move to our farm who knows when, fresh veggies all summer....
Jen
Your raspberries are so beautiful. I'm trying to grow them but something keeps chewing on the plants. I can fence the deer out, but not the rodents *sigh*.
ReplyDeleteWhat fun to see the various harvests. I might have to keep track this week...
Amanda, yeah! I love your risotto too. Yum that looks just divine. Yes I have lots of tomatoes now. Just little ones for my salad or fresh salsa, but I'm happy. I'm still waiting for the big slicing tomato to be ripe. They usually start at the beginning of August. So maybe another week.
ReplyDeleteMuddy Boot Dreams, I've been so happy with my veggies this summer. I love just going out the back door and picking things. Now I've had a garden for ages, but the last couple of years I've put more effort into it. I'm using all the space better. I have so much more time now that my kids are off and in college.
Michelle, last year the chipmunks found the raspberries and carefully climbed the stalks to eat them. I'd find them there occasionally and they would look around and panic. They would think a bit before running down. It was obviously painful to run down the raspberry bushes quickly. Luckily this year I haven't had too many losses. I think a bird eats them occasionally but I don't lose much to them. Oh I hope you join next week. I so love to see all the harvest photos.
ReplyDeleteHi, Daphne,
ReplyDeleteI just linked up with a peek at my harvest. Left out the kale and peas and radishes and leeks for...the grand event of the week: first tomatoes!
Love your Monday Harvest. Love the inspiration of your GARDEN! You rock the garden world.
Happy Monday! Hope your camping trip was sunny and fun...
June, well I have to say kale and peas really can't stand up to the first tomatoes of the season. They are always the best. I would hate to have to share with four other people though. Usually it is just me and my daughter. Since she is away this summer I haven't had to share with anyone. As to camping. Well it rained on us Friday and Sunday, but at least Saturday as nice. We went on a nice hike in the morning and swam in the pond in the afternoon.
ReplyDeleteWow Daphne, even with all the rain and cool weather you've had... you're getting a wonderful harvest!
ReplyDeleteI harvested swish chard for the first time... I've never eaten it... don't have a clue what to do next... any tips?
Great idea for a meme! Looks like you are getting some nice produce from the garden. Those Chocolate Cherry tomatoes look yummy. Let us know how they taste too. I need to harvest a bunch of my jalapenos, do you cut & deseed yours before freezing them? Thanks for stopping by today. :)
ReplyDeleteToni, I'm really surprised the peppers and tomatoes are do as well as they are. I think they are just in the sunniest part of my garden this year. Last year they were in the shady part. It makes a big difference.
ReplyDeleteI put how I do chard on your blog. I do love it. I make it every week.
Daphne,
ReplyDeleteThanks for encouraging others to post about their harvests. Your raspberries look great. We don't have them in the yard so I've been picking at a local farm. I'm jealous of your peppers and cherry tomatoes. I'm still waiting on those (I'm also a victim of the northern New England weather.)
Thanks Daphne for stopping by my blog. I'm going to grab some of my garden garlic and give your instructions for swiss chard a try!
ReplyDeleteperennialgardener, I ate them for lunch so get to taste them. Not too surprisingly their taste reminds me of Black Cherry. All black tomatoes have a very different flavor from the others. They aren't as sweet as something like a Sungold, but they have a much more complex flavor that I love.
ReplyDeleteYes I cut and deseed all the peppers before freezing. It is easier to have them cut up. I don't even have to defrost that way. I can just throw them into whatever I'm cooking. I make sure they are in a thin layer when freezing so they aren't all in a clump. Then I can just take out what I need, be it a teaspoon or a half cup.
Emily, oh the weather has been so hard on us this year. I don't think I ever remember such a bad June for growing things. I suppose it could always have been worse. We didn't have any real floods this year where I am, just gloom and rain. I hope you get your tomatoes soon.
ReplyDeleteLooks so yummy. Sometimes I think I like growing much more than wondering what to do with it all, and some days I can't wait to eat.
ReplyDeleteStefaneener, lol yeah I know what you mean. When I have a ton of something come in all at once I never know what to do with it. I think this week it will be the Komasuna. I planted two sets of them a few weeks apart, but the younger ones caught up and they are all the same size now. Ack! Maybe I'll try to freeze it.
ReplyDeleteYou have a nice balance of things this Monday. I have been lucky to have 5 largish tomatoes harvested but that is the end of them. All I have now is green cherry tomatoes and small green heirlooms. Nice to see your beans and zuc. I have some dragon tongues just setting but my poles are just starting to climb, sulk!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your approach, I will give that a try!
ReplyDeleteJust popped over via June's blog to say hello! Your blog is lovely and so are those raspberries! We've been counting our summer haul too...
ReplyDelete: )
Dan, I'm just waiting for the large ones to get ripe. The cherries are coming in really well now. I now have yellow (Aliana), orange (Sungold F2), red (Sungold F2), and black (Chocolate Cherry). So I have very pretty salads with all the different colors. And never fear, if they are starting to climb it won't be long before they start to flower and give you lots of beans.
ReplyDeleteBeegirl, thanks. Your peach jam looks delicious. I've never tried peach jam but I can imagine it.
Nice harvest, I have lots of cherry tomatoes and raspberries, it's too much for us, so we have to give some to friends.
ReplyDelete