Monday, October 24, 2011

Harvest Monday - October 24, 2011

The cold weather really has moved in. We haven't had a frost yet, but as I write this our temperature is at 37F. So I was out removing things from the garden. My townhouse mates were too. They removed the eggplants, picking as they went. And they removed all the pepper plants and harvested a huge amount of them. They were going to make some hot pepper sauce with the spicy ones. None of these were weighed, but they picked a couple of huge bags of peppers and quite a few eggplants.

I was out picking the last of the celery. This doesn't look very big, but trust me it is. I had to cut them in thirds just to fit them in my fridge. There are six pounds of celery in that pile. What I kept I'll clean and chop up and freeze. I'll keep a little fresh as it is truly soup season now. I made two different soups last week.

I picked the last of the leeks. If you see the one on the bottom is is perfect. I don't think I've ever grown one that has been as huge as the ones you find in the supermarkets. Mine tend to be an inch wide or less. Also in there is probably the last zucchini. I never pulled them even though they stopped producing and lo and behold, the strongest of them put one more out. A tiny one, but still a zucchini toward the end of October here is really unusual. I picked more carrots. These were smaller than last weeks. I picked them over in the shadier part of the garden. Some have sized up OK, but not great. I figure I'll pick all the ones big enough at all over there first. When it gets colder the carrots outside my kitchen door will be easier to get to and have a tendency to freeze less as they are surrounded by bricks and not wood.

Every week I pick Asian Greens. I thin out the largest of the baby boc choy (both white and green stemmed) and the tatsoi. Every week they fill in the gaps and get bigger. I tipped one up in the corner so you can see how big they are getting. The biggest are just under half a pound which is huge for a baby choy. Every week before harvesting they look so beautiful in their beds (I really need to take a photo) and every week they look so sad after harvesting. But the holes left in the bed give me a chance to put down some sluggo. There are slugs in this bed and I pull some off the greens every week, but with the sluggo the leaves aren't shredded at least.

The slugs like the Fun Jen the best. I think it is because it is such a mild Asian green, but they are still doing well. Only some heads have tattered tops. I think this plant really acts as a trap crop for the rest of the bed. Most are looking pretty good though. So I'm pretty happy with them. I pick the largest of these each week too. Almost everyone thinks these are lettuce when they see them, and in fact that is how I use them. They make very good salads.

  • Alliums 1.49 lbs
  • Carrots 1.23 lbs
  • Cucurbits 0.21 lbs
  • Eggplant unknown
  • Greens 11.39 lbs
  • Herbs 0.18
  • Pepper unknown
  • Raspberries unknown
  • Weekly Total 20.50 lbs
  • Weekly Spent $0
  • Yearly Total 535.17 lbs
  • Veggie Garden was worth $1164.01
  • Fruit 1.87 lbs

Harvest Monday is a day to show off your harvests, how you are saving your harvest, or how you are using your harvest. If you have a harvest you want to show off, add your name and link to Mr Linky below.

30 comments:

  1. Lovely greens! It's always strange when you are clearng your summer crops and we are just planting ours...

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  2. Such beautiful greens. And the leek-gorgeous. I'm so anxious to try them next year. Is soup on the lunch menu today?
    :)

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  3. ahhhh, the perfect leek - I picked leeks today too but none so fine as yours.

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  4. Looking at your harvest makes me crave some warm soup. Your Asian greens look wonderful. Glad your townhouse mates helped with the cleanup and were rewarded with bags of peppers and some eggplants.

    No Harvest Monday for me this week. The only things left in the garden are green onions, leeks, and some broccoli that is just beginning to form heads.

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  5. Lovely greens as usual, Daphne. Never thought of freezing celery, do you blanch before freezing?

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  6. Been a great season for greens! We've been freezing the cutting celery as is, much like parsley.

    Anyone know if carrot tops are edible? I read conflicting things...

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  7. That does look like some large celery! I've never grown it and I need to give it a try. Your Fun Jen looks great. I'm still getting some Tokyo Bekana which is very similar. I usually mix it with lettuce in salads.

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  8. Forgot to ask, what kind of cutting celery is it and where did you get the seeds?

    Thanks!

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  9. Sue, yes soup is on the menu. I've been eating soup all week. I think the next soup will have to be an Asian Green soup though.

    Norma, no I don't blanch. I just chop and freeze them.

    Ieduesorelle, I have no clue if carrot tops are edible or not. I've heard of people eating them. I've also heard you shouldn't. And the celery is Redventure from Fedco.

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  10. Beautiful late October harvest Daphne! Your greens are particularly nice looking. I have not been using sluggo and the slugs are out in force at the moment, so I am having to do alot of trimming on my cabbages etc. My leeks are always skinny too. They taste perfectly good but never look like the store versions. I suspicion it has to do with fertilization regimins.

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  11. Those greens do look yummy! I just harvested some too, with more in the hoophouses. I know what you mean about peas, had I known the fall was going to be so mild I would have planted some too. Next year!

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  12. Another amazing harvest! So many greens! I have aspirations of harvesting 20+ pounds of veggies this late in October...some year ;-) Thanks for all the inspiration you offer!!!

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  13. Seriously nice greens there! :) What sort of leek did you plant that was so good? I really should plant some Asian greens next Year, But probably not Fun Jen, if the slugs like it so much, but they sure look great! Have a nice day/evening! :) Mia

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  14. That's such a big harvest for this time of year. We've really got to try for more variety like you have. Everything looks so good.

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  15. Wow - I'm 'GREEN' with envy! It will be weeks before I see any greens around here. Yours look amazing.

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  16. My leeks have never been as big as the stores either, but they definitely taste as good! Your greens are beautiful!

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  17. Looks like you are still doing well with the greens. Can they withstand some frost?

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  18. Greens look so good. Its feels so good to get something from the garden even in October.

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  19. I love the look of Asian greens and the taste. They are so lush looking. We haven't had frost either which is unusual so I was still picking beans yesterday!

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  20. That are beautiful greens. I would like to try growing Fun Jen if I can find the seeds.

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  21. I'm having a terrible problem with slugs and snails in my Asian greens this year as well. We have had a really wet year that has made for the perfect conditions. Your harvest looks great this week keep up the good work!!

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  22. Mias, King Sieg. It seems to do OK here. Most of my leeks were the usual size, but that one was fabulous.

    wilderness, my Asian greens can stand quite a bit of frost. I'll cover them with plastic before the ground starts to freeze. Right now they have a light row cover for the insects. Last year I harvested them in January while the ground was frozen. Their quality isn't as good as before the ground totally freezes, but they still are fine. As most veggies do they get sweeter as the air gets colder. They would be good season extenders for you.

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  23. Great harvest Daphne! My leaks are never as fat as those in the supermarket either. But the ones in my garden this year did average an inch and a half thick.

    I continue to do battle with slugs. I like your trick of applying sluggo to the gaps after you thin your bed. I made the mistake of sprinkling it over the plants last year and a lot of it got stuck in between the stems.

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  24. My leeks are never very large either - they taste great, but wonder how the supermarket ones get so big?! This week I was given someone else's harvest of hops...so I make a Halloween wreath with them! It smells really great too. Who knew?

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  25. Thanks, Daphne, I will really try find seeds for King Sieg, then! :) Mia

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  26. Wow those leeks are GORGEOUS!!! mmm mmm!
    I had my final harvest of the year this week, and it eeked us past last years total by just under 12 ounces.
    Now I have to find the time to finish cleaning up and putting things to bed for the season.

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  27. Those greens look so yummy! I once again didn't plant any, but I doubt they'd have turned out well anyway since I'm lazy about feeding/replacing the soil in my containers, as proved by my "bonsai" lettuces this week.

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  28. Those really do look great. I need to plant more!

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  29. Awesome harvest! I never knew you could freeze celery either. Great time of year and great veggies for some yummy soup.

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  30. oh all those lovely greens at this time of the year!! I am very jealous!

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