Monday, July 23, 2012

Harvest Monday, July 23, 2012

I needed onions early in the week to make pickles. So I took a few that were drying.

Yesterday they seemed dry enough and I braided them and weighed them. Once they are in a braid they really can't be weighed on the scale anymore. they are too big. So I used my bathroom scale with me holding them. These are my Ailsa Craig onions. They are sweet and won't store well, but supposedly are better storage onions than other sweet onions.

The most exciting for me is my gooseberry harvest. It is the first year they have cropped. Most are from my Hinnonmaki Red, though Invicta gave me a couple of green ones. My Trixia gave me absolutely zero berries this year. My biggest issues was trying to figure out when to pick them. I picked them ripe - well I think. When is a gooseberry ripe? Either way they are delicious. And if you have never had a gooseberry pie, you are really missing something. Gooseberry pie is why I planted them in my garden. It is my all time favorite.

I picked all of the carrots. They were a disappointment this year. Last year the yields were about three times for the space. The nematodes are bad since I planted them after the solanum crops. The fall carrots I'm going to plant after the brassicas and maybe stick some in after the mustards. No nematodes can live with mustards. They do a better job of control than my Ground Control Marigolds.

I also picked the last of the spring beets. I immediately brought them over to my townhouse mates. They can eat them.

It has been a good broccoli week too. The side shoots are coming in. The Fiesta side shoots are fairly large. I keep a good amount of stem on since I like to peel and eat them. But I need to cut them about and inch shorter as the bottom most part is too woody for that.

Then there are the typical harvest baskets for the week. Cucumbers, beans, and broccoli. Basically that is what I've been eating for my meals. I have some cucumber salad for lunch and any leftover veggies cold and dipped into a yogurt dip. For dinner it is beans and broccoli. I really like having so much broccoli. It is the first good year for it. In a year where so many things aren't doing well, the broccoli is doing just great.
  • Alliums 15.88 lbs
  • Beans 3.01 lbs
  • Broccoli 2.43 lbs
  • Carrot 7.46
  • Cucurbit 12.10 lbs
  • Herbs 0.18 lbs
  • Beets 1.12 lbs
  • Weekly total 42.76 lbs
  • Yearly total 270.82 lbs
  • Tally $272.35
  • Fruit:
  • Gooseberries 2.6lbs
  • Yearly total 25.86 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.

49 comments:

  1. Your onions look good. Mine are really really small this year. Hopefully your late carrots will do better. They look good though.

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  2. The braided onions look to pretty. The beets are beautiful as well. We don't like beets either, but I like to grow them every now and then. I do like the greens. It looks like you will be making a lot of pickles with your cucumber harvest.

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  3. Wow! Granny is up early this morning!

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    1. No she is asleep. She complained last week so I thought I'd surprise her by giving her number one.

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    2. LOL! So thoughtful of you!

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  4. You make such beautiful braids. I tried (followed your braiding garlic instructions from previous post) but lack the skills.

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  5. Gooseberry pie sounds marvelous, and have just added gooseberries to our to-plant list!

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  6. I love the braided onions (never seen them like that before, only garlic.) What a wonderful harvest. My aunty grows a lot of gooseberries and they taste delicious (particularly in Gooseberry Fool.)

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  7. Wow you have a big load this week! Lots of onions, carrots, beans and cucumbers! How nice! Don't think I have ever had a gooseberry. Hope you got them all at the right time!

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  8. I really, really want to try a gooseberry pie. I also really, really want some of your cucumbers, they look great.

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  9. I need help identifying what is putting holes in my tomatoes. Any ideas?

    I harvested the first Market miracle from the seeds that came from you. I haven't tasted it yet but its one that has a hole in the side.

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  10. Your onions and beets are gorgeous! I didn't plant any onions this year, but I think I'll have to give them a try again...I've found myself incredibly jealous of everyone's homegrown onions! Hope those carrots are as delicious as they look!

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  11. I've never tried a gooseberry. They look prolific!

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  12. Great Harvest. Having your own broccoli is great isn't it. Ours finally started producing side shoot this week as well so we are excited for more broccoli for the next few weeks.

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  13. I love the variety in your harvests! Your gooseberry pie sounds good. My mother makes a gooseberry tart that's delicious; the berries are in a single layer on a base of shortbread and they are glazed with sugar. Serve with whipped cream and it is heavenly!

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  14. I'm planning on planting some gooseberries next year. I do love gooseberry pie! I had some bushes at my old place.

    I'm glad somebody had a good broccoli year. Our spring crop was small, to say the least. Maybe the fall planting will be better.

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  15. Sorry to hear that your carrots were a disappointment. Everything in this week's harvest looks delicious!

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  16. Yhat really looks good, I think! And Gooseberry pie sounds very delicious! Must try that when mine are ripe! Have a nice week! :) Mia

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  17. Your broccoli is producing really beautiful side shoots. I typically get a much smaller floret from the side shoots (which I still love) but you are getting a much more substantial floret and stem. Sorry the carrot harvest was a dissappointment. Had the same experience myself last year with a bad carrot fly infestation.

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  18. Isn't it interesting how crops preform from year to year, great to hear your broccoli is doing so well, mine are only just started developing their heads so a few weeks off yet.

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  19. Beautiful harvest and I love gooseberries!

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  20. What a beautiful harvest. I am jealous of your onions. Mine were so puny this year. Wow on your gooseberries. I have never had them. You are making me want to grow some. Awesome harvest! I love Harvest Monday's!!!!!

    http://www.growitathome.wordpress.com
    Joelle

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  21. Lovely onions; I've never tasted a gooseberry. Not sure they would grow around here, a lot of the berries that grow like crazy back East won't make it here in the desert, as much the soil as the weather. My cukes and early plant beans were done in by the toads. They burrowed into the ground right next to the seedlings and killed them. Next year I think I will try laying a board or some flat rocks right next to the seedlings and see if that will help keep them off the plants.

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  22. I've never had a gooseberry, either. Beautiful harvest this week =)

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  23. Nice harvest. Lots of cucumbers, I wish I had more. The gooseberries look nice but they are illegal to grow here because they are host plants for white pine rust. Since my house is in a stand of climax white pine, I would be a fool to try, so I'll just admire your berries.

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    1. Luckily they aren't in Arlington. I do have white pines nearby, but they were brought in certified disease free. I've got neighbors that grow currents too, even black currents which are even more highly regulated.

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  24. The gooseberries are so pretty. I may have to look into those, see if they will grow in my climate. You've harvested over 270 pounds of produce this year, I'm amazed! I have a long way to go to catch up...

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  25. Oh to have some of those green beans. Mine haven't even blossomed yet but then I planted them late.

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  26. Gooseberries are tasting so fantastic at the moment!

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  27. Awww, that was nice of you to make me #1!

    If you're disappointed in your carrots, think of my carrot harvest. Last year 33 pounds, this year 4 pounds. At least the last few I've pulled are long and straight, with just one stubby one in the bunch. My fingers are crossed for a good fall carrot harvest.

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  28. too bad that you gave those beets away, I have a good recipe ;)

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  29. Your onions look awesome, as do your gooseberries. We like pie in any form here, but have never had a gooseberry pie, I think we will need to seek that out!

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  30. Your harvests so beautiful! I wonder how much time and energy you dedicate to growing....

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  31. What a wonderful harvest you always have! Sounds like you eat very healthy. I have never eaten a gooseberry! Nancy

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  32. I don't think I ever had gooseberries before this year, even though we had some in the garden when I was a kid. Either they never produced, or I'd put it in my mind I didn't like gooseberries without ever having tried them (I wasn't a picky eater, but I still did that occasionally.)
    This year, I finally bought a few to see what they taste like, but berries are too expensive to buy often, so I'll stick to foraged blackberries.

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  33. Gooseberries make the world's best pie. I haven't had gooseberry pie in years. I have to settle for my second favorite pie - rhubarb.

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  34. Looks Great! I didn't grow onions this year ... now I'm wishing that I had ...

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  35. Yum, I love gooseberries! On picking them ripe, I know a lady who grew those spiny green ones, which ripen to a sweeter yellow. If they ever got past the mouth-puckering sour green stage she'd let us come pick them, since she didn't like them anymore. Guess it's just a matter of taste! (BTW, if you ever have WAY too many, they're great bottled. Yum!)

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  36. I can't believe you're still harvesting broccoli! That's great. Side shoots were a bust for us. Maybe we should let ours stay in the ground longer next year. We're very jealous of your cucumbers. It's not been a good year for us there. Thanks for hosting!

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  37. I love freshly picked cucumbers! I can't wait for my plant to grow so i can harvest some myself. You have such great variety in your garden!

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  38. Great harvests!!! I don't think I have ever seen goodberries before

    Just realized I forgot to link up...LOL

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  39. Great looking harvest! I'm intrigued by your goose berries. I'll have to do some research on them. A goose berry pie would be just the right thing for this time of year.

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  40. Nice harvests.. especially all those onions. My onion harvest is disappearing way too quickly- must plant more next year. I've never tried or seen a gooseberry, but I bet a gooseberry pie is delicious!

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  41. Lots of lovely veggies, and gooseberries too. I love gooseberries, my Nana used to have them in her garden, and when I was a wee tot, I would go out and pick and eat them right there in the garden.

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  42. My original comment must not have gone through... whoops. Your onions are lovely. It's amazing that the cold weather crops are still producing (or just finishing) in all the heat we've been experiencing. We're lucky to have gotten what we harvested with the warm spring. Nice job!

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  43. Hi, just found you through Random Gardener. I just happened to post my harvest this week, and on Monday too! :-)

    Amy

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  44. Well, I can realize your hard work from your harvest. So far I did not harvest gooseberry because i don't know that goose berry plant will support this land?. Keep it up.

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