September 12, 2011 - Harvest Monday












For some reason, I got my harvest pictures out of sequence this week so I won't title them. The last picture speaks for itself, I forgot to take the photo before I ate the tomato.

The last of the butternut squash were picked on Friday, just two small ones, and the squash patch has been cleaned up and readied for next spring.

The Brandywines were finally removed, and the "tomato fortress" is ready to be dismantled. No more tomatoes will be grown in that bed, due to the diseased tomatoes this year.

Pole beans are all but finished. I still have one small planting that gives me a handful every couple of days. I'm very close to exceeding last year's pole bean harvest, so I will continue weighing these small amounts until I reach that goal, then I'll just toss them in with the bush beans after that. The bush beans are coming in strong again, and in dire need of picking. With the temperature being over 90F in the shade today, I'm in no hurry to get anything done outside! It's supposed to start cooling off by Thursday.

The peppers are looking gorgeous now, tall and green and bushy, and loaded with fruits.....finally!

I'm getting a few summer squash and zucchini, but nothing to write home about yet. I have been eating green beans cooked with yellow crooknecks almost every day, and never tiring of them.

The late carrots are beautiful and sweet.


I have two small (and lots of teeny-tiny) cantaloupe growing from the seeds I tossed out there a while back. I doubt they will have time to ripen, but the vines are loaded with blossoms and fruits. Next year I may have to give them another try. This plant was from the seeds of a store bought melon.

I'm still picking strawberries every few days. Not many, but enough to occasionally give us some smoothies, sundaes and/or shortcakes.


Harvest Totals September 5 - September 11

Beans, bush - 2.13 pounds
Beans, pole - 11 ounces
Beets - 6 ounces
Carrots - 1.81 pounds
Cucumbers - 1.25 pounds
Lettuce - 1 pound
Onions - 9 ounces
Peppers, hot - 5 ounces
Peppers, sweet - 1.63 pounds
Strawberries - 1.06 ounces
Squash, summer - 2 pounds
Squash, winter - 2.81 pounds
Tomatoes - 23.88 pounds


Total harvest for the week: - 39.5 pounds
Total harvest for the year to date: - 431.75 pounds

Please join in the Harvest Monday at Daphne's Dandelions!

23 comments:

  1. Wow!! I love seeing how you guys are harvesting tons while I'm completely done. Very awesome and colorful harvest.

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  2. Seems the last harvest are coming in good healthy droves :o)...all of it's good..:o)

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  3. Gorgeous harvests, your tomatoes are beautiful. I'm envious of your peppers, I did a poor job of planning and my peppers have sulked with too much shade as a result.

    Love those zinnias, too! There are some great choices for short season melons, I just had delicious Sarah's Choice cantalopue from the Farmer's Market I'm hoping to try next time.

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  4. why does it have to take so long for a melon to ripen? You would be set! I haven't gotten a butternut this year and I guess I am outa time! There is one vine out there but just won't give me anything!
    You are still bringing in quite a haul!

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  5. Looking at your harvest pictures always makes me hungry. Not only are you good at gardening, you're good at photography, too!

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  6. Looks like everything is still doing well for you...can't belive you are still getting lettuce...lol

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  7. Ribbit, if I had a full time job and two kids, my garden probably would be finished too. Your work is much more important than my puttering. .

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    Ginny, I think I'm finally getting my September harvests in October!

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    Thank you, Ali. I had just about given up on my peppers this year, so I'm happy they are finally coming around. we should have another month of warm weather, so I may get a decent harvest from them yet.

    I have a very long growing season here, about 160 days I think. I just put those seeds in July 2, and I don't know why. Mainly just to see how a store bought melon would produce, as purchased seeds did nothing a couple years ago. Well, these are going crazy!

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    Shawn Ann, the melon should have 100 days (from seeding) of good weather to mature, so there's a chance...if the hot weather stays with us.

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    Thank you, Dianefaith! I wish I were as good at story telling as you.

    I don't know how that last sentence sounded, but it was meant as a compliment. :-)

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    Mrs. Pickles, that's just the beginning of the fall lettuce. There's more to come!

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  8. Nice harvest, Granny! I'm eyeing your butternut squash:) I guess, I better pick mine off the vine, before frost comes!

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  9. Random, I worried a bit that these last two weren't quite ripe, but I fixed the small one for Mr. granny last night and it was fine. I'll be going back to the Waltham next year, this year's harvest (Butterbush) was so pitifully small compared to last year.

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  10. It's nice to see your fall lettuce coming in. Beautiful stuff! And I'm pretty sure there's a bunny there that's happy too!

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  11. That is some heat you are having out there huh?

    The picture of your tomatoes about halfway down look a lot like apples....as the fruit on the right side of the box were loading I was thinking' when did Granny get apple trees?' - Lol. Those tomatoes sure have an apples' bush!! :)

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  12. I'm with Ginny, for such a "slow start" your harvesta just keep coming.! I'm hoping my few butternuts can ripen.

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  13. You have amazing harvest everytime I check your blog! Beautiful food!
    I'm starting my fall crops and we are getting cooler weather so all my lettuce, kale , broccoli , beets, carrots, radish,brussle sprouts and other cole crops are taking off after dealing with our midwest heat in september...don't know if some of my tomato plants will produce any more red ones, do you have any ideas for green ones? :-)
    p.s. I found an interesting seed company that had some italian seeds that grow well in late fall, I'm trying them out this fall...I have this winter cabbage Tete Noire ( french one) that they say can handle a bit of snow! I did start some snow peas earlier( month ago) and they are taking off and getting tall...this year I'm eager to eat more in the cooler weather...but will miss the warm crops!

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  14. Everything still looks so good, you are getting a lot of harvest still! I'm glad to see your Butternut look like mine, it's my first year and I know what they look like, but it's nice to have a visual confirmation from you that I did okay LOL!

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  15. I am envious of the butternut squash. Mine are just now setting fruit (not kidding). While you were in the 90's we just barely got up to 80 and felt like we were in a tropical heat wave given how cold our summer has been. Helped to kick some tomatoes into ripening but honestly this really just did not feel like summer this year and the lack of winter squash and dribble of tomatoes speaks to that in volumes.

    I am always so impressed with the steady and varied production your garden produces all year. It really is a food oasis in your back yard.

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  16. Sue, he's very happy! He has always liked the red leaf lettuce more than green.

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    LOL, Kelly, those are my Cherokee Purple tomatoes! I photograph them upside down, 'cause the green tops aren't very pretty.

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    David, the butternuts ripen quickly once they start turning color. I actually wasn't expecting mine to ripen as early as they did, and even the last two, which weren't perfectly ripe, had a fine flavor.

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    ?, you have the shortest name ever! It's Robbie, isn't it? :-)

    Lucky you to have such a bounty of winter crops growing. I only planted spinach (FAIL!)and lettuce. We leave for Arizona in a month, so I have to hurry and harvest all my summer crops. I doubt I'd plant a winter garden even if I stayed here. I'm about worn out and ready for a rest by the time the cold weather hits!

    I am not fond of many of the green tomato recipes I've tried, with the exception of green tomato mincemeat. I used to make and can a lot of that for pies and cookies. I used the recipe in my Farm Journal cookbook, let me know if you need it. Green tomato pickle and relishes are also popular.

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    Erin, you'll soon notice the tannish color the ripe one take on, and those fine green stripes on the neck disappear. It's the color that makes them easy to spot though.

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    Kitsap, it could make one cry to compare this year with last. I had one hill (3 plants) of Waltham butternuts last year and harvested over 79 pounds of squash. I had two hills (6 plants) of bush butternut this year and got just 17 pounds. That sure won't last us through the winter. I'll be growing the Waltham again next year.

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  17. I just stumbled on your blog and absolutely love it! Your harvest is just beautiful! This year did not work out so well for us in northeast but hopefully next one is going to be better.

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  18. Oh my goodness, you are right! ? I don't know what I was doing, must of been late at night.
    I 'm a bit more lazy than you, I don't grow the amount you do as well as all the canning etc. You are the expert, I just like to eat fresh. I grow microgreens in the winter under my lights, I'm lazy!
    I do freeze pesto( I like that in the winter) and once my berry bushes take off, I will start making jam.
    My name is Roberta, but everyone calls me Robbie..named after a great , great-grat-grandfather---!

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  19. Hi Granny..beautiful harvest, as usual..:) love those good looking tomatoes..i bet they taste good as well..:)

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  20. Jenny, welcome to my blog! So many of us have had a worse than usual gardening year. I'm with you in hoping next year is better.

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    Robbie, I had to click on that question mark to find out who wrote the comment! I was wondering if you forgot who you were, LOL!

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    Charmcity, I wish I could send you some! I have too many for fresh eating, but not enough to can.

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    Hangkebon, where have you been? I haven't seen you here for a while. Are you moving to a place where you can grow a big garden?

    I'm almost getting tired of eating tomatoes....almost!

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  21. Oh Wow! Your harvest is OUTSTANDING. I love the butternut squash you grew! I should grow that one year.

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  22. Meems, if you have the room, grow Waltham butternut. These were a bush variety, and didn't produce nearly as many squash per plant.

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