Monday, August 13, 2012

Harvest Monday, August 13th, 2012

Corn was still queen of the garden last week. I picked ten ears one day as the last of the corn in one of my beds ripened up. I'm getting better at picking them at the correct ripeness, but I'm still not perfect. There is a huge difference it taste between perfection and a couple of days over or under ripe. I was going to be mean and never give my townhouse mates any as before that last day I was picking in twos and threes. But with 10 ears in one day they got a couple and I even got to freeze some. My husband who doesn't appreciate much of the rest of the food that comes out of the garden was joking with me about being mad when I gave "his" corn away.

Almost all of the rest of the bush dried beans were picked before the last bit of rain. And Kentucky Wonder is putting out another wave of beans. You can't see them in the last photo because they are buried under the dried beans. I still haven't weighed any of the dried beans. I'll get to them once they are picked and the plants torn out.

My onions were dry and were braided and weighed. These are the Varsity and Redwing onions. I haven't gotten to the Copra onions, so you will see those next week. Last year I planted a bit less and got 17 lbs total. This year it will be about twice that poundage with only a third more space. So it was a good onion year. I was afraid of where I planted them. It is in the shadiest portion of the garden. I hate planting anything there, but they still performed. Well all except the Varsity onions. Half of them were tiny and some never grew at all. Both varieties of onion were given the same amount of growing space and you can see the difference in yield. I won't be growing those again next year.

I picked some rhubarb to freeze for the winter. One plant got pulled out as I decided that I hated it. The other is a nice rhubarb and only got lightly harvested. Even with that I got more from the rhubarb that I left. Most of the other was full of rotting and hollow stems.

It was a good week for brococli. Many of the side huge side shoots were ready. The plants are very stressed now and getting diseased. I had to cut the centers out of some of the heads before weighing. Some were black. Some brown. Earlier in the week I had taken down the Windsor plants that gave me ounces to try to save the Fiesta that were giving me pounds. They need more air in there as mildew sets in. I also took off all the diseased foliage of the Fiesta. It may or may not save them. If they don't survive, well, they have been great producers so far. I can't complain at 1.5 lbs/sqft they have been stunning. My others only gave about 0.5 lbs/sqft. Usually broccoli doesn't pull its weight in terms of production but this did.

I warn you if you want to try it though. It is not a wussy broccoli. It has a lot of flavor. I went out to eat the other day and my side dish was steamed broccoli. After eating Fiesta I found your typical steamed broccoli to be tasteless. It is kind of like eating free range chicken versus regular chicken. The taste difference is striking, but some prefer the milder taste. Not me, but some do.

I totally forgot to take photos of my tomatoes. It shows you how much I care about them anymore. But they were nice if ugly Cherokee Purple tomatoes. A bit cracked from the changeable dry to wetter weather. I gave four to my townhouse mates that weren't going to be around for the weekend anyway. And seven to another neighbor that lives right next to the garden fence.

I was a bit worried about not having my main bed of tomatoes in the garden. Typically they are such good producers. They produce over 2lbs/sqft of space for me. But at this point I'm only 20lbs behind last year's totals and by this time the bulk of the tomatoes had been picked already. So I'm doing fine. I think the huge greens harvests this spring really made up for it. Plus the tomatoes were replaced with sweet potatoes. Those haven't been harvested yet. I'm not sure what I'll get as I've never grown them, but I'm hoping.

  • Alliums 26.80 lbs
  • Beans 1.16 lbs
  • Broccoli 3.49 lbs
  • Corn 8.09
  • Cucurbit 16.26 lbs
  • Tomato 6.52 lbs
  • Weekly total 49.58 lbs
  • Yearly total 369.45 lbs
  • Tally $574.13
  • Fruit:
  • Raspberries 0.14 lbs
  • Rhubarb 3.39 lbs
  • Yearly total 29.47 lbs
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.

41 comments:

  1. What beautiful corn! I picked the last of mine yesterday; I just didn't get around to doing any late plantings so that's it for this year. love your pretty onion braids!

    ReplyDelete
  2. It looks like my pole borlotti beans are going to be a bust this year. I got maybe 1/4 cup so far, not exactly much for soup! But I hope to have more room in the garden next year and I can try some bush types for drying.

    My onions did not do well either. Redwing usually does well for me but not this year. And Walla Walla was a total bust. I need to keep on trying different varieties. Your Redwings look great!

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's easy to be greedy when it comes to home-grown corn! I regret not having frozen rhubarb earlier, our plants have all succumbed to the heat and drought; we may have to wait until next season to see if they survive. Your green variety is lovely.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very nice dried beans! I grew some last year. They were a bit of a pain to shell. Is there an easy way?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mine were easily shelled this year. I did it in front of the Olympics. I've been told it you get a lot you can put them in a pillow case and stomp on them like I did for my mustard. But I've always been afraid of cracking them. And then I'd have to winnow them. I find just shelling them in front of the TV easier. Last year when I didn't have the Olympics I kept them in paper grocery bags until I had time.

      Delete
  5. Fantastic corn harvest and each ear is so perfect! My onions did not do well either this year, but I think it is due to the location, will be giving them a different location next year.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great harvest! I love Redwing onions and they are great keepers. I still have a couple from last year! Your huge broccoli shoots and your corn are gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
  7. That's the most beautiful corn ever, especially after seeing all those sad pictures of drought ridden corn.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know isn't it sad? Here we are in an abnormally dry time, but we were only in drought conditions for a short time this year. Though the western part of the state I think is still in drought conditions.

      Delete
  8. I am very heartened by your onion harvest - I have quite a lot in fairly shady places this yuear too and they are growing ridiculously slowly but hopefully there is still hope.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Very impressive onion harvest! Mine are growing slowly, and I haven't had broccoli since early spring. Looking forward to cooler temps so I can harvest my own broccoli. Thanks for hosting!

    ReplyDelete
  10. What a great summer harvest, still laughing about "his" corn,
    my husband has requested 2 types of veggies and can I please grow them all year round, lettuce and cabbage.
    Your onion ropes look great,I find red onions great keepers too, and find they grow well for me in poorer but well dug soil.

    ReplyDelete
  11. The corn looks beautiful. It must taste really good for your husband to joke about giving away his corn. LOL! The onion braids are very pretty. My onions are just beginning to fall over. They don't look very large so we will see.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I would be pleased with that corn too, and I am with your husband... are you nuts giving it away?! LOL!

    That broccoli is beautiful. My plants produce much smaller side shoots. Having such large side shoots would be heavenly.

    ReplyDelete
  13. That corn looks so yummy! and way to go on onions!

    ReplyDelete
  14. My Cherokee purple (seeds from you - thanks) crack too. I thought that was just their nature. I saved one from using in the sauce last night to use on a BLT at lunch today for my daughter who just returned from a 4 week business trip to Shanghai. She was gone for most of the heavy tomato production.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I am really very impressed with your onions. They look plump and lovely - super impressive in a shady spot. I'm growing my onions in mostly shade this year and I'd be happy with even half your success!

    ReplyDelete
  16. That Fiesta broccoli sounds like something I'll have to look into. I'm awed by your onion harvests!!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Love the red onions! And I agree learning when to pick corn so its at just the right time is tricky business.

    ReplyDelete
  18. That corn... OH I'm drooling! MMMmmmm Oh man. I grew 2 stands of corn and NOTHING> 3 ears that's it but WAY too much rain this year. Funny how that works feast or famine.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Yeah...I'm with your husband...I get very protective over my corn, too ;-) It looks absolutely delicious! I am anxiously awaiting the full ripening of ours!

    ReplyDelete
  20. what a great harvest you have this week. I did not plant onions and I should have! I hope my next round of corn looks that good.

    ReplyDelete
  21. What a lovely crop there! I will also pull out some of my rhubarbs now, I decided they take to much space were they are at the moment! My onions has almost not grown at all this rainy Year, so I will have to buy, not funny! Well, at least it´s growing like it should in the greenhouse! Have a nice week! :) Mia

    ReplyDelete
  22. My cherokee tomatoes also are always cracked. Delicious but ugly. Your corn is so beautiful! Looks plump, sweet and delicious. I didn't know corn was so sensitive to when it is harvested. That's good to know.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Everything looks great this week. I've wanted to try dried beans for a while now. You've got me inspired I think I will give them a try next year!!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Your corn is perfect! I'm growing it for the first time and the tassels have just appeared. I'll have to check further in your blog about fertilization. Any tips? Nice to hear about the flavor of Fiesta. I might try that some year. Susan

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In the early morning go out and shake the stalks. The pollen falls straight down and will pollinate it. Do it until the silks start turning brown.

      Delete
  25. I am so envious of your corn. I bought some at a nearby farm stand last week and was so disappointed. Not sure if it is the weather or what but it wasn't sweet at all and you are so right about picking at just the right time.

    ReplyDelete
  26. The corn looks perfect, better than what I have found at the farm stands. And you do such a nice job with the braided onions. I tend to just throw them in a mesh bag.

    ReplyDelete
  27. The corn looks so good! I'm with your husband, I would be very selfish and keep it all to myself and just have a feast. The Fiesta broccoli sounds like a winner, productive and flavorful, I might have to give it a try.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Oh my! The corn would be gone in a single meal for us:) Nice harvests of onions too! Is that all for the year or did you have more onions? They do look a lot less than you had last year!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have the Copra that haven't been braided yet so they haven't been weighed. And the Ailsa Craig (sweet onions) came out earlier.

      Delete
  29. You are such an inspiration. (And I really would like to chat with you sometime about the nightshade thing. I'm struggling with something that's presumably similar.)

    ReplyDelete
  30. Lovely! Your corn looks delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  31. I am such a sucker for those onion braids! Beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  32. The corn looks so yummy!

    ReplyDelete
  33. what lovely harvests!! thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Oh my! That corn sure looks beautiful. Makes me want an ear slathered in butter! Lucky you! Nancy

    ReplyDelete
  35. Beautiful corn and onions! I like the onion braids.

    ReplyDelete
  36. That corn looks heavenly. Last year mine was a complete failure. This year I got kernels on about half of each ear. Maybe next year I will get 100% kernel coverage....

    ReplyDelete