The big spinach harvest was early last week (above is only half). Four pounds of winter spinach was picked, washed, blanched, and frozen. I still have the spring spinach to go. I'm contemplating giving lots of it away.
I filled my harvest basket with greens for salads. I had the first radishes of the season. I also picked some kale blossoms. Kale blossoms have been a mainstay vegetable this last week. I seem not to be able to keep up with them. But their season is really short.
I picked the first of the bok choy. I found the purple kind (on the left) not quite as good as the green kind. It is just slightly more bitter and also a bit tougher. Not much. They are pretty close. But enough so that I probably won't grow it again as it also grows more slowly.
I forgot to take photos of the kale harvest. But I chopped the last of the kale down to make way for beans. I blanched and froze all two pounds of it. I actually find frozen kale as good as fresh. I never eat it raw so having it precooked saves time.
I was going to a evening around the firepit with some friends. I gave our hostess some freshly picked spring spinach. So the giving away of the spinach has started. Last year I just preserved all the spring spinach too. And then I didn't need to preserve any chard. But I figure this year I ought to mix it up and freeze both. I have a whole bed of spinach. I'll work on eating it this week, but it won't last long as the weather warms up and there is just so much of it.
A nice big basket of oregano. I put some in a quart jar to make flavored vinegar, but still got a cup of dried oregano from the rest.
- Alliums 0.13lbs
- Greens 7.73 lbs
- Greens Asian 2.69 lbs
- Herbs 0.44 lbs
- Radish 0.37 lbs
- Weekly Tally 11.37 lbs
- Yearly Tally 18.15 lbs, -$317.43
You have such great harvests! I wish I could grow my greens as perfect as those in your basket. Slugs and birds usually harvest before I do. But, I do have lots of herbs to share. I find them easier to grow.
ReplyDeleteHooray! I'm first in with my Harvest Monday post today. Your post coincides happily with my lunch-break.
ReplyDeleteI had bok choi this week, too. I have 2 more plants in the hoophouse but am hoping they will keep this week with cool rainy weather in the forecast. Your harvests look great as always.
ReplyDeleteYou've probably mentioned this before, but how do you dry your herbs? Do you use a dehydrator? I need to dry some chive and am looking for suggestions.
Yes I have a dehydrator. It is a very old crappy one. It has no fan and no temperature regulation. It was bought about 20 years ago. But for everything except basil (which needs lower heat) it works well enough. I keep thinking of one of the really nice ones, but haven't done it yet.
DeleteSince you freeze your kale, why not the blossoms as well?
ReplyDeleteBecause they are what I'm eating now. I haven't been eating the kale leaves at all during dinner, but I've had lots of blossoms.
Deletewhat a sensational harvest! I am green with envy ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed you have choi already. Mine was growing nicely until it was damaged by a freeze and the flea beetles attacked.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful greens! My spinach never gets this large so might need to find new varieties. Oregano and bokchoy are very nice too!
ReplyDeleteSuch beautiful greens! What I wouldn't do for 4 pounds of spinach, right now...
ReplyDeleteI love how you seem to go from almost no harvests to plentiful food in a couple of weeks. Those radishes look fabulous and the spinach just perfect.
ReplyDeleteYour greens are beautiful - I think I have the wrong variety of spinach. They just don't get that big. I've never seen purple bok choy before - too bad they don't taste as nice. I like the idea of oregano infused vinegar. That sounds really good.
ReplyDeleteYour garden is ramping back up to full production mode. Such a large harvest this week and with some good diversity to it too. The bok choy in particular is really beautiful. I have pac choi growing in the greenhouse and if I can keep the slugs off of them for a while longer I may yet get a harvest from them. My spring planted spinach is a bust this year. I hope I can get a decent fall/winter crop in later.
ReplyDeleteThis spring has been kind to your garden, wonderful bounty of fresh and delicious things! We're all in-between, not much here but spring alliums, are are grateful for even those...
ReplyDeleteSuch beautiful greens! How much square footage produces that yield or oregano? Nice to have your own dried for the winter.
ReplyDeleteWell it is one section in my herb circle. I ought to measure its diameter. But it is probably 4' in diameter and there are 7 plants in it. So about 2sqft. I might be able to get another big harvest too.
DeleteUGH - What I wouldn't do for a big bunch of fresh spinach.... *sigh* Lovely harvest this week Daphne!
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting how purple vegetables seem to grow more slowly than their green counterparts, must be something to do with clorophyll production. I don't envy you having to wash 4 pounds of spinach!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful bok choy and spinach, it's lots of work to wash and preserve.
ReplyDeleteThat is a nice haul of greens. I've had the same experience with purple bok choi, it's not as vigorous or as good as the other varieties. However purple kohlrabi is the best variety of kohlrabi that I've grown.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful harvest this week. I am glad to know about the purple boc choy not tasting great. I would have tried, my daughter likes anything purple but the bitterness would not go over well!
ReplyDeleteJealous, jealous, jealous of your spinach :)
ReplyDeleteYou have a wonderful large harvest of things. I can see where you would have to start giving some of it away. It is wonderful to be able to do that. I still haven't gone out and picked oregano to dry so once again you have reminded me! Thanks for posting Harvest Monday for all of us! Nancy
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful harvest you have so early in the year. I am just celebrating my first one day. Thanks for letting me be a part of your wonderful blog. Happy Spring!
ReplyDeletegreat harvests!
ReplyDelete