No harvests this week, but I still have plenty of stores to eat from. I did clean out the excess of frozen goods. I figured by the end of April I'd have plenty of greens to pick. Or at least too much spinach to eat. So I handed a plastic grocery bag containing some spinach, kale, bok choy and some carrots to my townhouse mates. I probably still have too many carrots, but I haven't even planted any yet. Harvest of carrots is a long way away. I way over did the carrots, but I had so many sweet potatoes and squash that I haven't really eaten the carrots all that much. Sure I've used them in soups and whatnot, but I've had few real meals with them.
Instead the pile of squash and sweet potatoes were staring at me. Those I could see everyday. So those got eaten more. I still have six squash left. And a whole pile of sweet potatoes. Luckly the sweet potatoes will last a little longer. If I had a good storage space they would last 12 months. But I don't. My basement will get too hot in the summer and they will sprout. I wonder how many will have to get tossed. Maybe I should go through them soon and give some away. Not to my townhouse mates though. They know they have permission to come take some anytime they want. They have been enjoying them all winter long. I'm only planting half the amount this year.
I've been eating my stores at lunches and dinners. This is one of my lunches last week. The mayo is from the store, but the mustard was grown by me last year. And I used up the mache from last week's harvest. Sadly the eggs are no longer farm eggs. I'm stuck with store bought eggs until June.
Dinner is my typical. A green from the freezer and an orange veggie from my basement. I find it interesting that all the green things need to be frozen, but the orange things are storage vegetables. Yes I did freeze some of my carrots, but they do store for quite a while too. I think next year I'll do more freshly stored carrots as I used those up very quickly and didn't use up my frozen stash as fast.
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.
It sounds like you have a good assortment of stores to choose from. I think it is always a balancing act, trying to decide how much to grow, how much to preserve. I froze too many greens last year, and I still have chard and spinach left. No carrots though. I am hoping this year I will have enough to freeze.
ReplyDeleteI am happy to know that your sweet potatoes grew well and also stored successfully through the winter. With all the variety you grow, do you find yourself still missing the nightshades?
ReplyDeleteI so want more green AND orange in storage this year. I really need to focus on my fall planting.
I grew lots of varieties, but the most successful were Purple (my favorite for taste), Garnet, and Beauregard.
DeleteAnd yes I miss the nightshades so much. Especially when I read blog posts about them. I want to be growing them.
I still have 2 butternut squashes, trying to see how long they will keep.
ReplyDeleteI've been sitting here trying to think of an orange that you freeze or a green that doesn't need it but I can't which either means there aren't any or that its late and I should really be in bed.
ReplyDeleteI am working hard to make a dent in my freezer and storage supplies too. The potatoes have finally started to sprout so they are not much longer for the dinner table. I have lots still in the pantry and freezer though to use up. So much so, that I am having a hard time making myself go harvest the fresh items I do have in the garden. Your meals always look fresh and delicious.
ReplyDeleteYou keep showing food, and I'm going to have to go eat something! ;-)
ReplyDeleteFor us in Florida awe have to store sweet potatoes long term in the freezer after cooking. It stinks, too humid here. Otherwise they just don't last long.
Good to know.. I grew sweet potatoes for the first time last year and tried storing them in the shed. They all rotted in less than a month! I wondered what I did wrong.
DeleteOops! I went to the trouble of freezing chard last summer and it's still in my freezer as I eat fresh. I remember all the yellow/orange vegetables they "stored" at Sturbridge Village in MA.
ReplyDeleteThis is the hardest time of year, especially as fresh things to eat start arriving in gardens in warmer parts of the country! Very glad you were able to conquer the gremlins plaguing your blog...
ReplyDeleteYour meals looks so good and healthy! Nice to be using stored food this long!
ReplyDeleteI ran out of sweet potatoes about two months ago so I am planting more this year. Your dinner always looks so healthy.
ReplyDeletethank you so much for hosting!
ReplyDeletewe're running an Indiegogo campaign to help make our community a good food haven. We need all of your help to make that happen - to build a greenhouse for organic food; a demonstration garden to teach interns how to grow that food; and a pop up shop to make urban farming accessible in a city setting.
We've linked up to a post to promote that - i hope that's okay. We really just want to make a difference in our food system - I'm sure you do too!!
thank you again!!
Looks like you've still got plenty to eat while you wait for spring harvests to arrive. I love carrots and can't imagine having too many, although I'm sure it is possible! I really need to go through my freezer and use up what's left from the summer.
ReplyDeleteSweet potatoes are really picky in the temperature they like. They really like to be between 55-60F. If they get over 60F they can start sprouting. If they get under 50-55F (I've heard different numbers and haven't done the experiments myself) they will rot. So I'm guessing your shed got too cold. I kept a remote thermometer in my sweet potato bin. My basement floor got too cold so I started moving the box up the stairs over time. They finally reach just a couple stairs from the top. Then it got to warm there so they are back on the basement floor again and at 57F. So far so good. I'm wondering if I should can them before summer hits.
DeleteI used the last of my 2012 carrots last week. They had held up beautifully in the refrigerator all winter. I still have quite a few squash. We ate a lot of them, but this past month we've just grown tired of eating winter squash. They are still good, but the flavor seems to be getting stronger, and the texture a bit more fibrous with age. I think I'll plant about half the amount this year.
ReplyDeleteWe've been cleaning out our freezer too.....Had to make room for the coming harvests.
ReplyDeleteSame here :) Cleaning out freezer and using up last of the peas, berries and others.
ReplyDeleteI love this new blog format as well, font is better legible. Your area is getting pretty warm over next 2 weeks I heard, good luck with all gardening projects planned !!
I harvested my little haul at the weekend so hope you don't mind me including it.
ReplyDeleteOh, I don't even want to think about all the stuff that is still in the freezer. Actually, I think I'm doing a pretty good job of using it up this year. I've really worked at not growing excess vegetables that I feel compelled to freeze so I think that I don't have too much more to get through.
ReplyDeleteI'm always awed by the quantity of food you've stored in addition to what you've eaten and shared with others. I wonder if I'll ever get to that point. This year my goal is to have enough squash and tomatoes that I can share it with family and still have enough to freeze. I wonder if I'll come anywhere near close!
ReplyDeletehttp://planetpooks.com/harvest-monday-4-8-2013/
Thanks for hosting and thanks for the seeds you sent me last year. Your blog has been quite a source of informations for me. I first found you when I was trying to look up an eggplant variety, "Slim Jim." I learned quite a bit from you.
ReplyDeleteI bake, mash and freeze a lot of my pumpkins and winter squash. They are good for soups and pies. It is impressive how long you are able to store things in your basement.
ReplyDeleteI'm in the in between stage as well. I haven't harvested much after I prepared the beds for my winter crop. I am also still trying to use up what I have harvested from summer and trying to pass things along to friends and family.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had space to freeze things, when we buy the 'dream' property I think we will invest in a large chest freezer. Also the sweet potatoes or Kumara where I'm from are great! wish I had the garden space :)
ReplyDeleteI love to see how you use your things and the meals that you prepare and how you share your excess. I don't have hardly anything left in the freezer from the garden. At least the weather seems to be getting a bit nicer! Thanks for hosting Harvest Monday! Nancy
ReplyDeleteI do have some frozen greens in the freezer, but I tend not to use them, I should try to grow more carrots this year.
ReplyDeleteLooks YUMMY! TFS & Hosting!
ReplyDeleteLucky townhouse friends, your stored veggies sound great! I'm now in the hungry gap time, not much left and as I've been late planting, there'll be a gap until there's much produce. Nettle soup beckons!
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