Since I was traveling four days out of the week, my harvests are smaller this week. I still haven't gotten a chance to go out and pick since I've gotten back. I'll do that this morning as soon as I'm done writing this. But I still had harvests on Monday and Wednesday.
Monday's harvest was peas and chamomile. Expect to see this basket or something similar for the next few weeks. It is Pea Season (insert loud noises and confetti here). You have to love pea season. I'm finally getting snap peas. I love snap peas so much because I make refrigerator pickles out of them (if you follow the link, picked peas are done exactly the same way as pickled cukes). I anticipate these for weeks before the peas are ready. I've already eaten some in a tuna sandwich. Pickled peas are made for sandwiches and hamburgers. They are better I think than the pickled cukes for that. I tend to eat my pickled cukes on the side.
Wednesday I only picked things that I thought wouldn't make it well till Monday. The chamomile is going like gangbusters At my old house I used to have this self seed in my herb bed which had really crappy soil. They didn't flourish, but they grew and gave me good harvests. This year they are so happy with the rich soil. I'm going to have a lot of chamomile.
More peas. The ones on the left are Golden Sweet. In the middle is Cascadia. And on the right is Blizzard. I think next year I'll grow more snap peas and fewer snow peas. I want both, but I'm happier with the snaps.
The last little bits I harvested on Wednesday. Some broccoli, turnips, mizuna, and kohlrabi. The mizuna was bolting sadly.
Coming back after four days I feel so behind. I've currently got over 800 blog posts in my blog reader (like that will get done, I think a lot of quick scanning will have to happen to catch me up, but it can't happen until after I finish reading the Harvest Monday posts). And now I've really, really got to get out to the garden. It is calling me.
- Broccoli 0.48 lbs
- Greens 0.63 lbs
- Herbs 0.06 lbs
- Peas 2.64 lbs
- Turnips 0.31 lbs
- Weekly Total 4.11 lbs
- Yearly Total 68.48 lbs
- Weekly spent $0
- Still in the hole $-258.00
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.
Your harvest looks wonderful. My peas are JUST starting-I stand in the garden picking and munching-pure heaven!
ReplyDeleteOf the snow peas, which one did you like best?
Welcome back! I hope you had a great trip. I bet there was a lot of growth during the few days you were away.
ReplyDeleteMy snow peas have just begun to flower. I didn't grow many, but I am looking forward to them.
I never got around to planting spring turnips. Oh well, we have kohlrabi which is close.
ReplyDeleteThat is a lovely basket of peas!
I missed most of my peas' harvest since I was at Emily's in NH. There's always the fall and next year and daughters come first.
ReplyDeleteYou had a nice variety of harvests this week. I just love pea season!! You can never have too many peas!
ReplyDeleteI love the snap peas too. Peas are dripping from our garden as well and I love it. It's one of my favourite crops and I never manage to plant enough.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of pickling peas. Perhaps we'll try some next year since our pea season ended 2-3 weeks ago. Nice harvest of peas!
ReplyDeleteI don't know why I don't grow snap peas. Maybe I should consider them for next year.
ReplyDeleteSo strange that your chamomile is so far ahead than mine. Mine haven't even sent up branches yet. I never thinned mine either though. Hmmmm.
Welcome back. Hopefully the trip was relaxing?
Lovely pea harvest. Thanks for the link on how to pickle them. Welcome back.
ReplyDeleteYour harvests are amazing. I have never seen chamomile growing. Very pretty. We tried kohlrabi this year, but nothing came of it. Yours is beautiful. Your peas are pretty, too. I'm linking up for the first time. Thanks for hosting.
ReplyDeleteThose sugar snap peas look so delicious! My sugar snap peas are just getting ready to flower so I will just have to be patient. I definitely want to try your pickled peas recipe this year. You have turned the corner from mostly all greens harvests to a harvest of more varied items!
ReplyDeleteVery nice peas and the chamomile flowers look so pretty too!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to have to try that pickled pea recipe once my snap peas start producing. That's a great idea, thanks. We're just starting to see the beginnings of a harvest at our place: radishes and arugula!
ReplyDeleteYour peas look wonderful. I just picked a few shelling peas this week but the germination was so poor that we'll be lucky to get a mouthful once there shelled. I probably won't plant them next year.
ReplyDeleteYum! I never thought about doing fridge pickled peas!!
ReplyDeleteThose snap peas look great! I'll have to give those a shot next year if I can get my garden open early enough!
ReplyDeleteI pulled the last of the spring radish, a tiny handfull of garlic scapes, and even some kale this week!
I also love snap peas and snow peas. I wanted to grow lots of them this year, but I think planting three overlapping rows prevented the northmost row from getting enough sun, because I'm definitely seeing a difference in harvest productivity between these rows, even with the foliage blending in with each other.
ReplyDeleteDo you eat your turnip greens? Any favorite recipes? As mentioned in my post today, we gave thumbs down to the flavor of our turnip greens, but I'm willing to give it another chance, if for nothing else than because it seems to grow fairly well in the garden.
We're so jealous of your peas. We usually have a bumper crop of peas; but this year, between the rain, the terrible wind storm we had and a new spot for planting we didn't get much at all. Thanks for hosting Harvest Monday. We enjoy it very much.
ReplyDeletePeas look wonderful! What do you do with chamomile?
ReplyDeleteYour peas look absolutely DIVINE!!!
ReplyDeleteYour peas are beautiful...makes me so sad I lost mine! Don't you just love being able to grow your own chamomile? I have some in the herb beds...but truth be told it grows wild here! It is just everywhere!
ReplyDeleteSue, I ate a lot of peas while I was picking this morning. I couldn't pick peas and not pop some into my mouth. That is hard to say. I've tried Mammoth Melting in the past and didn't like it (not sweet enough). Both Blizzard and Golden Sweet are good. Sweet, delicious, prolific. I like Blizzard better for its size. It only gets to three feet so I can lean over and pick them. Since I run them across the back of the bed it is really hard to pick the Golden Sweet. I don't have three foot long arms. And I won't step in the bed. Golden Sweet gets 6' tall so it is annoying that way. It needs a tall support. It is easier to find. The yellow peas stand out from the plant better. They are running neck and neck for production. They are running neck and neck for taste. I think the Blizzard is a little better than Golden Sweet when young, but I think Golden Sweet is more tender when left on the vine longer. So they are a toss up. I think I'm going to grow blizzard next year though because the short is just too important. I'm going to have to hand water some places because the sprinkler is getting cut off by the tall peas, but not by the short ones.
ReplyDeleteGrafixMuse, thanks I had a fabulous trip. I got to see some friends in Toronto and you can't beat seeing your child graduate. Well actually I can. My daughter is autistic and she was being social with people, even strangers during the reception. That made me really happy. Academically I don't worry about her as much.
ReplyDeletevillager, this is my first year for kohlrabi and I really love it so much. Yum. Next year I might even plant more.
Marcia, yes daughters do. I was only at my daughters for 4 days so I didn't miss too much. Even the peas mostly hadn't gotten too old.
Robin, I thought that too. Then I picked the peas that had been there for five days. Oh my goodness. I picked a lot of pounds of peas. Luckily I share with tow other families or I would never be able to eat them all.
Ottawa Gardener, I think I planted enough this year. lol Oh my goodness the peas are prolific this year. Well they always are. I'll be eating peas out of hand every day. I might cook some, but I think just raw plain or with dips is the way to go.
Foodgardenkitchen, thanks. I so love pickled peas. I tried processing them one year and they were terrible. They just turn to mush in the pickling process. But uncooked as pickled peas they are fabulous.
Thomas, they do tend to be more prolific weight wise than snow peas. But I love them both and will plant both. I don't plant English peas though as I don't like them enough to shell them all the time. My chamomile is probably ahead since I started it inside. Next year it will just be self sown or over wintered plants. So mine are early because of that and yes they are all placed perfectly apart since I had them in soil blocks. And the trip was fantastic. I even got to meet the parents of my daughter's current roommates and of her future roommate.
Diana, thanks
HolleyGarden, Always nice to have more harvest posts. Though I think by the end of the summer it is going to take me all week to get through them all lol
Laura, usually you have peas before I do. It is so unusual for you to be after me. I hope you are getting better weather, though I guess I'll find out when I get a chance to read everyone's blogs.
Shawn Ann, thanks
Shanon, I miss my radishes. For me they are long since pulled. I have a few left in the fridge, but they too will be gone in not too long.
Emily, I don't grow shelling peas. I grew them one year and it was just too much work for a meal I'm not as in love with. I like the snap and snow peas better.
Allison, try them some time. They are delicious.
Fred, That is the one flaw with some community gardens. You can't get in early enough for some crops. I never really understood that. I've always thought they should open on April 1st at the latest for the spinach and the peas.
Thyme, I do eat turnip greens in soups and stirfries. I've never eaten just them, they just go into the mix of greens that gets tossed in. My last chicken soup had turnip greens, the green part of the bok choy (I was eating the stems grilled), the kohlrabi greens, and some mizzuna. Basically I'll toss in anything I have and shred it before putting it in
Jody, Oh that is so sad. Last year wasn't a good year for peas for me. I had germination issues. But this year I didn't even have to resow once.
RandomGardener, I drink it in tea. I love chamomile tea.
Barbie, thanks
Lynda, yes I love it. When I use it fresh it just tastes so good. I love to pick it too since that apple scent is so wonderful.
Congrats on making it to pea season. Mine should be ready thus week and they'll be lots of celebration here too. What do you do with all that camomile? Tea?
ReplyDeleteHi, I just started following your blog which is awesome. I wanted to know what you do with your chamomile?
ReplyDeleteI love the yellow snow peas! So pretty!!
ReplyDeleteYour peas look fabulous - I hope ours looks as good!
ReplyDeletePea season is one of the highlights of the garden year for me. It looks like you're off to a good start to your pea season - mine is just coming to an end, but it was a very good one. Plenty of pickled snap peas in the fridge :)
ReplyDeleteHolly and Sheila, I use it in tea. I've never done anything else with it ever. I bet it would make a nice jelly.
ReplyDeleteDeb thanks
zentmrs, thanks
michelle, I'm sure by the end of the pea season I'll have enough pickled snap peas for the rest of the summer and into fall.
The peas look good, now I want to grow them just to try them like refrigerator pickles and the chamomile looks pretty. How do you preserve your chamomile?
ReplyDeleteGlad you have a nice trip and get to spend some time with your daughter.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to try your pickled peas next year, the birds left me with 3 pea plants and there's not enough peas to do anything with :(
Not a bad harvest considering you were gone half the week! Hmm... chamomile, I can smell it now.
ReplyDeleteYour peas look great, mine are long gone in this Georgia heat. I think I am going to try sugar snaps next year as I hear the yields are much higher.
ReplyDeleteGreat looking peas! Mt pea season is over unfortunately, but I'm considering snap peas for next year. I've only grown kohlrabi once and couldn't figure out what to with it, I'llb epaying clode attention to how you use it.
ReplyDeleteThe peas look wonderful! This year I'm growing snow peas for the very first time and I'm enjoying pea season as well. I'll definitly grow them again.
ReplyDeleteThe chammomile looks so pretty!
ReplyDeletePickled snap peas sound good - never thought of that. I hope to pickle hot peppers this summer.
ReplyDeleteOh wow your harvest looks awesome!!
ReplyDeleteYour harvest is amazing! I'm growing chamomile for the first time this year! I can't wait to make tea out of it.
ReplyDeleteI agree that your harvest is amazing! You always have the nicest harvests.
ReplyDeleteThat is an impressive harvest. Our spring was so cool and wet. We are just now starting to set tomato fruit and the peas are clunking along.
ReplyDeleteIt's a while since I participated in Harvest Monday but it's lovely to be back. I've got a lot of your posts to go back and read to catch up, but I'm pleased for you that the soil is fantastic at your new house!
ReplyDeleteJeana, i dry it. I have a dehydrator that I'll pull out later in the year. I'll dry some of the chocolate mint to go with it too. I love chamomile and chocolate mint together.
ReplyDeleteMac, that is so sad. I was worried that my vicious birds would pull up some plants, but they only killed some of my zinnias. I kept a close eye on them. I saw a bit of damage and immediately covered them up with bird netting. I had to do the same for my lettuce. And it is still covered up.
Nartaya, I hate to pick chamomile because it is so boring, but love it because of the scent.
Kris, I've found for the most part they are. At least weight wise.
Ed, you can do just about anything with it. It is good both cooked and raw. You can slice it and just eat it row. I've stir fried it and grilled it and had it fresh in salads. I've yet to look up a recipe for it since it seems to go with lots of things.
balblo, some springs I get so sad when they don't germinate well. But this year I had excellent germination so it will be a good pea season.
Vanessa, thanks
Gardenvariety-hoosier, I love pickled peppers too
Alicia, thanks
Meemsnyc, I remember the first year I grew it I thought I might try it to see what it was like. I've grown it ever since.
Veggie PAK, thanks
GoneferalinID, you must have had the same weather all those in OR, WA and northern CA had. I always hate years like that. This year has been much drier than usual for us.
growinginmygarden, thanks and welcome back.
Love chamomile! I am growing it for the first time this year. Hope it looks as great as yours does!
ReplyDeleteDaphne, I just wanted to let you know that I linked this page to my blog. You helped inspire me to plant chamomile. :) http://craftycristy.blogspot.com/2012/01/first-planting-of-2012-chamomile-from.html
ReplyDelete