The harvests were a bit smaller this week. I still have tons to eat in the fridge as I haven't been eating my cabbage yet (I need to at least finish the Chinese cabbage off). I'm eating carrots most days. So the spring crops might have been pulled, but they will feed me for a while. Above are the experimental summer turnips. The spring ones are better, but I am getting some.
The beans have just started. I never get much in a picking, but they get picked every couple of days. After two pickings I have a serving size portion.
The zucchini have started, but most of the female fruits are rotting before they even open. They don't like being under the row cover (to avoid the squash vine borers). But I don't think they will be safe until August. I might have to open them up earlier as they are outgrowing the cover. I've mostly kept up with the chard harvests. And I'm picking onions. They aren't ready quite ready to store yet. Some have fallen over, but most are still standing tall.
I picked a huge batch of parsley. Last year I almost ran out and had to conserve. I want to dry enough so that I can use as much as I want in my soups over the winter. I've also frozen more basil. And did you notice? My first broccoli side shoots and my first cucumber. I need a few more side shoots to make a meal, so I'm saving those for the next harvest, but the cucumber was celebrated with a salad.
With your garden do you ever feel like you are in an episode of Chopped? I had leftover quinoa seasoned with cumin in the fridge. I had a bit of left over cooked chard. They both needed to be eaten soon. Then I had the aforementioned cucumber. What do you make with all those ingredients? Well a salad of course. I unfroze one of the last packets of sweet corn from last year's harvest. I used some of the bunching onions I pulled last week. I like fruit in my salads for the sweetness and choose an orange (from the store). I dressed it with lime and a bit of olive oil and salt. It turned out pretty well. I tend to like the salads with grains. I'll have to make more as the season goes on.
Yesterday morning I made some whole wheat bread. We had turkey and stuffing for dinner and I needed the bread to make the stuffing. I used onions and herbs from the garden. I had a little celery left that was bought from the store, but it wasn't enough.
So I went out and picked the first few stalk to finish the dish off. The stalks are still fairly small, but big enough for what I needed.
Alliums: 2.09 lbs
Beans: 0.41 lbs
Broccoli: 0.14 lbs
Cucumbers 0.16 lbs
Greens: 1.11 lbs
Herbs: 0.39 lbs
Roots: 1.21 lbs
Squash, Summer: 1.16 lbs
Weekly Total: 6.68 lbs
Yearly Total: 167.51 lbs
Yearly Tally: $26.11
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.
Quite a bit of variety this week....a little of this and a little of that. I am always trying to make something creative out of leftovers in the fridge. Some turn out ok, some not so much :) Your salad looks like a winner. The stuffing - are you able to eat gluten?
Amazingly enough yes I can have gluten. You would think with all the food issues that I have and a father with celiacs that I wouldn't be able to, but I can.
Do you find that dried Parsley retains its flavour OK? I think a lot of herbs lose most of their flavour and aroma when preserved, so I'm interested to know whether this applies to Parsley. When I have a glut of it (not very often!) I freeze some, but it is always disappointing.
It really depends upon how long it is stored and how well it is dried. It has to be dead dry, but you don't want it on the heat too long. And it is nothing like fresh parsley to be sure. That is something you just can't replicate (kind of like fresh basil), but it is still good. For me it is worth it.
It is great to have celery in the garden when you just need a little bit for something! I sometimes make a batch of quinoa and keep it in the frig for salads and other dishes. I think its mostly neutral flavor works with a lot of things.
My garden is in the same place, waiting for the summer vegetables to start delivering. As far as leftovers, I'm always willing to throw things together like that, and you are soon going to need the space in the fridge for all those summer veggies.
That salad looks delicious. And speaking of "Chopped", you'll have to see our post, I said the exact same thing, LOL! Your harvest is great, and as someone else said, as always!
Yes I did. I'd had the same one for eight years. I thought it needed a change. And I loved Thomas's header so did something different but in the same vein. I could never have made it when I first started my blog as I didn't have all those photos to use.
I haven't seen Chopped, but I'm guessing it's one of those shows where you're given a disparate bunch of ingredients and have to produce something yummy. I face that all the time. Looks like your quinoa salad was a good use for a bunch of odds and ends.
Beautiful harvest! I'm always making strange meals with random combinations of vegetables and items in my fridge, before they go bad. It usually works out but sometimes does not.
Hello Daphne, I have the same problem with my female zucchini - some of them rot before they mature. So I just have a couple of zucchini so far (zone 6a). Do you know the reasons that they rot? Is there something that I can do to protect them from rotting? Thank you.
I hate wasting food, especially anything I’ve grown myself, so I often make meals out of whatever I have on hand. With simple fresh ingredients, it’s hard to make anything terrible though.
I've always said zucchini is great to give confidence to beginner gardeners as they are so easy to grow ... but I am really struggling this year. Not so much what you have (rotting) but the plants are very tiny so I need to spend some time on them this week. Great variety, love the turnips!
I love small harvest of various veggies and herbs. To clean up the fridge I make kitchen sink soups or stews. I've tried farrow in my salad every now and then, your quinoa salad looks good, I might give it a go someday.
Congrats on your first cucumber! I also make a lot of random salads or egg scrambles with whatever veggies happen to be available. Your quinoa salad looks delicious. I've never tried to freeze basil. Do you freeze it in oil or plain? I've only frozen basil in a pesto form.
Quinoa can go with any vegetable, as far as I'm concerned. That will probably end up being my dinner tomorrow night ... with zucchini, carrots, beans, chard, and fennel.
Daphne what was your seed source for the Costata Romanesco zucchini ? I purchased some from Baker's Creek and they are not producing zucchini the way your zucchini looks.
Your quinoa salad sound delicious.
ReplyDeleteQuite a bit of variety this week....a little of this and a little of that. I am always trying to make something creative out of leftovers in the fridge. Some turn out ok, some not so much :) Your salad looks like a winner. The stuffing - are you able to eat gluten?
ReplyDeleteAmazingly enough yes I can have gluten. You would think with all the food issues that I have and a father with celiacs that I wouldn't be able to, but I can.
DeleteGreat looking harvest, as usual!
ReplyDeleteDo you find that dried Parsley retains its flavour OK? I think a lot of herbs lose most of their flavour and aroma when preserved, so I'm interested to know whether this applies to Parsley. When I have a glut of it (not very often!) I freeze some, but it is always disappointing.
ReplyDeleteIt really depends upon how long it is stored and how well it is dried. It has to be dead dry, but you don't want it on the heat too long. And it is nothing like fresh parsley to be sure. That is something you just can't replicate (kind of like fresh basil), but it is still good. For me it is worth it.
DeleteIt is great to have celery in the garden when you just need a little bit for something! I sometimes make a batch of quinoa and keep it in the frig for salads and other dishes. I think its mostly neutral flavor works with a lot of things.
ReplyDeleteMy garden is in the same place, waiting for the summer vegetables to start delivering. As far as leftovers, I'm always willing to throw things together like that, and you are soon going to need the space in the fridge for all those summer veggies.
ReplyDeleteThat salad looks delicious. And speaking of "Chopped", you'll have to see our post, I said the exact same thing, LOL! Your harvest is great, and as someone else said, as always!
ReplyDeleteGreat harvest! I'm thinking that next week I'll have some tomatoes to show.
ReplyDeleteInteresting salad. That looks like something I would love. My favorite 'dressing' is lemon, oil and salt. Doesn't get any better/fresher than that!
ReplyDeleteEverything looks so tasty! Did you re-design the header for your blog?
ReplyDeleteYes I did. I'd had the same one for eight years. I thought it needed a change. And I loved Thomas's header so did something different but in the same vein. I could never have made it when I first started my blog as I didn't have all those photos to use.
DeleteOur beans haven't started yet but I could send you some courgettes/zucchini
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen Chopped, but I'm guessing it's one of those shows where you're given a disparate bunch of ingredients and have to produce something yummy. I face that all the time. Looks like your quinoa salad was a good use for a bunch of odds and ends.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful harvest! I'm always making strange meals with random combinations of vegetables and items in my fridge, before they go bad. It usually works out but sometimes does not.
ReplyDeleteHello Daphne, I have the same problem with my female zucchini - some of them rot before they mature. So I just have a couple of zucchini so far (zone 6a). Do you know the reasons that they rot? Is there something that I can do to protect them from rotting? Thank you.
ReplyDeleteIf I knew I'd fix the problem. But I haven't even looked up the problem online yet.
DeleteI hate wasting food, especially anything I’ve grown myself, so I often make meals out of whatever I have on hand. With simple fresh ingredients, it’s hard to make anything terrible though.
ReplyDeleteThe turnips look great. That's one I haven't grown yet and need to get in my garden rotation. Maybe for the fall??
ReplyDeleteI've always said zucchini is great to give confidence to beginner gardeners as they are so easy to grow ... but I am really struggling this year. Not so much what you have (rotting) but the plants are very tiny so I need to spend some time on them this week. Great variety, love the turnips!
ReplyDeleteI love small harvest of various veggies and herbs.
ReplyDeleteTo clean up the fridge I make kitchen sink soups or stews. I've tried farrow in my salad every now and then, your quinoa salad looks good, I might give it a go someday.
Such a lovely variety of veggies. And that quinoa salad looks so good - I haven't had quinoa in a while. I think it will be on the menu for dinner.
ReplyDeleteThe first cucumber is always so exciting! Soon will be the first tomato!
ReplyDeleteI too have had a rotting-zucchini problem, with the small round ones; however, the problem seems to be correcting itself as the season progresses.
Congrats on your first cucumber! I also make a lot of random salads or egg scrambles with whatever veggies happen to be available. Your quinoa salad looks delicious. I've never tried to freeze basil. Do you freeze it in oil or plain? I've only frozen basil in a pesto form.
ReplyDeleteI freeze it plain and often with oil too. It never hurts to do it more than one way.
DeleteQuinoa can go with any vegetable, as far as I'm concerned. That will probably end up being my dinner tomorrow night ... with zucchini, carrots, beans, chard, and fennel.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great impromptu meal. I find myself throwing things together all the time. Have fresh veggies from the garden definitely makes it easier.
ReplyDeleteDaphne what was your seed source for the Costata Romanesco zucchini ? I purchased some from Baker's Creek and they are not producing zucchini the way your zucchini looks.
ReplyDeleteFedco
DeleteThanks!
Delete