Has it really been four days since I last blogged? It's been a busy week for me. Mr. H and I "ran away" for a day on Tuesday. Sometimes we just have to get away from real life and have a day of fun (and overeating), so we drove to Oregon for the day, and had a nice dinner before returning home. On Wednesday we celebrated granddaughter Alicia's 15th birthday, and she and I spent the day shopping....and eating, then her whole family joined us and we went out for a buffet dinner. Alicia spent the night, and yesterday we made
Pioneer Woman's Individual Raspberry Cobblers. We only made half the recipe, but it didn't take long for them to disappear, along with a lot of vanilla ice cream. I wonder why I can't fasten my jeans today????
Today was busy too, but it was spent in the garden. Would you believe I harvested 34 pounds of food this morning Yes, I did!
Of course, it helped that 14-1/2 pounds of that total was the pumpkin, and nearly 10 pounds were potatoes.
It's supposed to hit 104F this week, and I'll be making pumpkin pies. I think I planted the pumpkin seeds a bit too early!
Wow. Baking pumpkin pie in this heat? Not fun. Maybe a bit early...
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, those Individual Raspberry Cobblers look truly yummy. I might try some of them, 104 degrees or not...
Good for you, Granny! That pumpkin looks beautiful....I hope mine turn out that well. You've got your work cut out for you preparing all of that...
ReplyDeleteOh my!!! What a wonderful harvest! Look at those red yummy tomatoes... and that gorgeous pumpkin... and are those strawberries? You're still harvesting strawberries? Wow!
ReplyDeleteGlad you got a chance to play tourist! I hope to get over to Oregon sometime. I'd love to see the coast. I miss the ocean sometimes...
SB, I have to cook the entire pumpkin AND make at least one pie. It's OK, I have air conditioning.
ReplyDeleteThe cobblers were pretty good, but the directions say to bake 45 minutes. I did mine 35 minutes, and I think 30 might have been better...so keep your eye on them. They don't just fall out of the muffin tins, either. It helps to go around each of them with a knife, let them sit a few minutes, then lift them out with a fork.
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EG, I already did three quarts of refrigerator pickles, and cleaned and hulled the strawberries for tonight's shortcakes. We'll have some potatoes, squash and green beans for dinner (with a roast chicken I cooked yesterday), and probably some sliced tomatoes and cucumbers. I'll wait until evening, when it cools down a bit, to cook the pumpkin, and probably make a couple of pies tomorrow and freeze te rest of it.
I have four more pumpkins ripening, and one looks like it will be even larger than this one! Quite a few butternut squash, too...one absolutely huge one.
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Toni, the strawberries are a day neutral variety. You don't get one huge picking from them like with June bearing, but they bear constantly up until frost. I've been so happy with them, not enough for jam this year, but plenty for fresh eating nearly every day. Next year we should get plenty for jam, too.
Oh my goodness, everywhere I look I'm seeing strawberries (my craving-5 months preg)! I just planted a few strawberry plants in my garden, 5 different varieties, one fruits all year round! Can't wait until the little fuits on there ripen up!!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you have had a fun few days. Your vegatables are absolutely beautiful. I want to grow pumpkins next year. I dont know about cooking them, I just want them for fall decoration.
ReplyDeleteMarrissa, I remember craving strawberries with my first two pregnancies. One of them was through the winter months (a June baby), so I kept the freezer full of those little boxes of frozen berries fro the grocery store. zI don't think I could ever tire of strawberries.
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MissyM, I planted my pumpkins way too early. I was thinking the grandkids would enjoy them in October, and here I'll be harvesting them in July and August!
that pumpkin's perfect! wow, what a harvest!
ReplyDeleteNothing better then hitting the road in the summer! Your harvest is amazing. If you are looking for a different pumpkin pie recipe this particular one is very tasty:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.gourmet.com/recipes/2000s/2006/11/caramel-pumpkin-pie
and here is the link to when I made it:
http://veggiegardenblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/harvest-recipe-post.html
Kelli, my biggest harvest of the season!
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Dan, I saved that recipe when you posted it, it sounded so good! Unfortunately, I do not have the proper pan for it, so I'll be making my same old pumpkin pie (which is also very good). I am, however, going to cook my pumpkin in the microwave, as you did. I think it preserves the color and flavor much better than boiling, and keeps it more moist than baking.
What a haul AG! The pumpkin is picture perfect. Everything else is colorful and really appealing to look at too.
ReplyDeleteThe little get away and family time sounds like it was quite pleasant.
Yes, KitsapFG, as much as I love my garden, it's nice to step away from it once in a while.
ReplyDeleteSo you've been playing hooky too? Well, you wouldn't know it by that great harvest. I love the pumpkin! Sorry about your heat-ugh!! Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteI see the lemon cucumbers started producing. I started watering mine more and I've picked about six within the last few days. I think you're going to be the potato queen this year. You've gotten so many already.
ReplyDeleteSue, the heat is bearable, they keep predicting 104F, but it has stayed in the 90s the last few days. Now they say 104 on Monday (it was first predicted for today).
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Cheryl, I still have to dig the Yukon Golds! I'm very happy with my potato harvest of 27 lb. 10 oz. so far, from just 12 square feet. And no "potato towers".
The lemon cukes are really producing now, and just covered with blossoms. All the cuke lovers in the family (not me) just love them, so they will be grown again next year. I'm not sure how mature I should let them get for seed saving.
Wow.. Granny, you've harvested 27 pounds of potatoes from 12 square feet?
ReplyDeleteHow deep did you build your potato bed?
I don't know what I did wrong with my 4'x4' SFG for potatoes.... Would love any tips you can share.
Next year... I hope to do better.
Toni, it should be much more then 27 pounds for 12 sf by the time I dig my Yukon Golds. I guess I've dug about 8-9 sf so far. I didn't do anything special, the 3' x 4' bed was only 6" deep (actually about 4" of soil), but it sat on native sandy loam. I used certified seed potato, planted 15 small whole potatoes (9 red skin, 6 Yukon Gold)which cost me a bit over $2. I added another 6" board to the top of the first ones and just covered the potatoes as they grew, until they were under about 8" of soil total. That's all.
ReplyDeleteJust beautiful, Granny!!!
ReplyDeleteRibbit, are you back? You survived the flight with the children?
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