This week I finally picked some of the kale. It is a PITA to process because there are some aphids in there and the frilly leaves are hard to go through. But I take the bag and clean them up in front of the TV to keep my sanity. There actually aren't a lot of patches of aphids, but the patches that exist have a huge population. I was spraying with soap every couple of weeks. But if I missed a small section of leaf it gave the population a chance to grow.
I blanched and froze the batch except for one serving for dinner. I ended up thawing some out later in the week. I'm starting to eat my preserved food as the garden was frozen last week. Yesterday was very warm and today will be too, so hopefully I'll get out into the garden and harvest the last of the produce there before the freeze becomes permanent for the year.
I still have some bunching onions in the garden, but I'm going to pick them all this week. I've been enjoying them.
Technically this isn't Harvest Monday fare as it was bought from the supermarket. But I did my yearly canning of the cranberries. I have two more jars not canned in the fridge they will be used up over Thanksgiving. I hope it lasts all year as cranberries are had to come by at anytime but now. I love cranberries with chicken. We will see if they last. If not next year I'll make more.
Alliums: 0.43 lbs
Greens: 2.44 lbs
Weekly Total: 2.87 lbs
Yearly Total: 729.98 lbs
Yearly Tally: $1361.87
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.
Getting aphids off greens is no fun, for sure. I do like flatter leaf kales for that reason, though they usually aren't that hardy. Fortunately aphids haven't been bad here this year, though I need to check my kale under row covers, because they seem to thrive under cover.
Love the bunching onions. Are they annuals, or can you winter them over? Better get out there soon and finish your harvest--looks like snow is headed our way!
They will survive over the winter, but they aren't better for it. They get kind of slimy in the spring. Though they will survive and bloom and set seed that way. I've found that starting the seed indoors is so easy and more reliable so I don't count on that. Though a couple go to seed every year.
Your kale & green onions sure do look nice! I did the final "putting to bed" of my garden yesterday & topped my overwintering beds with straw - it was so nice outside. Hopefully the 100km/hour wind gusts today don't blow all my straw away!
Aphids are the primary reason I don't grow curly kales anymore. Winter seems to be when the aphids are at the worst here, I guess because there aren't as many beneficial insects in the garden to munch on them. Fortunately the Lacinato kale is hardy here, it gets plenty of aphids but is fairly easy to spray and clean. Unfortunately it is the first green to bolt in late winter.
"De-bugging" the kale sounds really laborious. Do the bugs not just wash off, perhaps after soaking in salty water? Like you, we seldom seem to be able to get Cranberries except in the run-up to Christmas, so we tend to buy more than we need and freeze them.
Your kale looks great. Larger than mine that I am harvesting. I planted a little winter kale. It is small but I am using it! Love the looks of your canned cranberry sauce. Tempting me to try to can some! Nancy
Hmm don't think I get aphids on mine but get whitefly and snails instead! I haven't picked any for a while so will have a closer look. You still had a good harvest though for this time of year :)
Is that curly kale (I assume so by the looks of it)? I was wondering what variety you grow. Just picked up some curly seeds for next season. Ooh ... the season here in Ontario just barely finished and I'm already planning next year!
PITA - i'll have to remember that :-) my mum swears by salty water - i see above it hasn't worked for you - and i pour boiling water over the leaves first and leave them to swish a bit. but if there is too much of an infestation, i'm afraid i get squeamish and just throw the leaves in the green waste bin. i think though i will have a break from kale, and just grow silverbeet; i actually enjoy it more. your preserved cranberries are a beautiful colour.
Getting aphids off greens is no fun, for sure. I do like flatter leaf kales for that reason, though they usually aren't that hardy. Fortunately aphids haven't been bad here this year, though I need to check my kale under row covers, because they seem to thrive under cover.
ReplyDeleteLove the bunching onions. Are they annuals, or can you winter them over? Better get out there soon and finish your harvest--looks like snow is headed our way!
ReplyDeleteThey will survive over the winter, but they aren't better for it. They get kind of slimy in the spring. Though they will survive and bloom and set seed that way. I've found that starting the seed indoors is so easy and more reliable so I don't count on that. Though a couple go to seed every year.
DeleteYour kale & green onions sure do look nice! I did the final "putting to bed" of my garden yesterday & topped my overwintering beds with straw - it was so nice outside. Hopefully the 100km/hour wind gusts today don't blow all my straw away!
ReplyDeleteThe Aphids were so bad on our kale this year that they weren't worth saving. They were just covered!!! The cranberries sound delicious!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice way to extend the cranberry season by canning them. Even with the extreme weather you've had your sturdiest veggies look good.
ReplyDeleteAphids are the primary reason I don't grow curly kales anymore. Winter seems to be when the aphids are at the worst here, I guess because there aren't as many beneficial insects in the garden to munch on them. Fortunately the Lacinato kale is hardy here, it gets plenty of aphids but is fairly easy to spray and clean. Unfortunately it is the first green to bolt in late winter.
ReplyDeleteGosh, I'm realizing that I don't have kale-eating aphids as badly as everyone else.
ReplyDeleteOf course, the snails more than make up for that.
Oh dear there are just too many pests thwarting our efforts
ReplyDeleteI have never noticed bug problems on my kale, but maybe I'm not looking closely enough! Ah! In this instance, ignorance is bliss for this vegetarian.
ReplyDelete"De-bugging" the kale sounds really laborious. Do the bugs not just wash off, perhaps after soaking in salty water? Like you, we seldom seem to be able to get Cranberries except in the run-up to Christmas, so we tend to buy more than we need and freeze them.
ReplyDeleteI've tried salt water in the past. But it doesn't really work. What I do works fine and I don't mind it as long as I'm watching something good on TV.
DeleteYour kale looks great. Larger than mine that I am harvesting. I planted a little winter kale. It is small but I am using it! Love the looks of your canned cranberry sauce. Tempting me to try to can some! Nancy
ReplyDeleteHmm don't think I get aphids on mine but get whitefly and snails instead! I haven't picked any for a while so will have a closer look.
ReplyDeleteYou still had a good harvest though for this time of year :)
Is that curly kale (I assume so by the looks of it)? I was wondering what variety you grow. Just picked up some curly seeds for next season. Ooh ... the season here in Ontario just barely finished and I'm already planning next year!
ReplyDeleteYes it is. It is a mix between Winterbor and dwarf curly kale.
ReplyDeletePITA - i'll have to remember that :-) my mum swears by salty water - i see above it hasn't worked for you - and i pour boiling water over the leaves first and leave them to swish a bit. but if there is too much of an infestation, i'm afraid i get squeamish and just throw the leaves in the green waste bin.
ReplyDeletei think though i will have a break from kale, and just grow silverbeet; i actually enjoy it more.
your preserved cranberries are a beautiful colour.