July 1, 2013 - Harvest Monday

The garden has fed us very well this week.  Hopefully it will survive this heat wave we're having and continue to produce well.  It did hit 100F this afternoon, but 110 is now predicted for tomorrow.  Most of the plants were drooping badly this afternoon, but once the sun began to set, they perked back up.  I didn't spend much time in the garden, but I did start pruning out the raspberry canes, cut back the Johnny Jump Ups that were looking rather scraggly, and tied up my poor, pretty cosmos that blew down in the hot wind today.  I fear they will also have to be cut back, as they aren't looking so pretty now.  We just can't seem to get a break from the wind this year.

 6/24 - The first zucchini (but certainly not the last)!  This one was sliced, dipped in egg and saltine cracker crumbs, fried in butter and fed to Mr. Granny.

 6/25 - Raspberries, strawberries, Yukon Gold potatoes, cabbage and a few bites of broccoli.  Of course, I ate the broccoli, which made Mr. Granny happy.

 6/26 - Red Norland potatoes and more raspberries.

 6/27 - A big bowl of Red Sails lettuce, rhubarb that went directly into a pie, strawberries that were frozen for smoothies, Yukon Gold potatoes, beets and 3 more zucchini. With more zucchini than I really could use, I did a little experiment.  I made coleslaw with my garden cabbage, and I grated one of the small zucchini into it.  It was delicious!  I think it made the slaw just a bit milder, without really changing the flavor.  I'll be using it that way again, for sure.

 6/27 - More raspberries, a few Sungold tomatoes (there were more that didn't make it in the house) and the fresh rhubarb pie.  We ate that entire pie in three days  :-(

6/27 - Onions and garlic were weighed today.

 6/28 - YAY! Finally enough carrots for a meal!  Nearly two pounds of green beans, and more raspberries and strawberries.

 6/28 - A nice sweet pepper, the first yellow crookneck squash and another bite or two of broccoli.

 6/29 - Red Norland potatoes, yellow crookneck squash and zucchini.

 6/29 - The 3-headed cabbage turned out to be a 4-headed cabbage!  These were all on one plant.  The second picking of bush beans, which were made into a 3-bean salad, and more strawberries and  raspberries.

 6/30 - The first three Spacemaster cucumbers.  Mr. Granny likes them soaked in vinegar and sugar, with a bit of crushed ice to make them cold and crisp.  I don't like cucumbers, so I'll make some into refrigerator pickles for me.

6/30 - The summer squash glut begins.  I'll take these over to my son tomorrow.  The raspberries are just about finished now, and the strawberries are slowing down but the plants are loaded with green fruit and blossoms.  I think this will end up being my best year ever for strawberries, and the raspberry harvest has been my second best, losing out to 2011 by about five pounds.

This Week's Harvest

Beans (bush): 35.7 ounces

Beets: 6.8 ounces

Broccoli: 2.3 ounces

Cabbage: 51.3 ounces (3.2 pounds)

Carrots: 8.6 ounces

Cucumbers: 19.4 ounces (1.2 pound)

Garlic: 17.4 ounces (1.08 pound)

Lettuce: 12.2 ounces

Onions: 178.8 ounces (11.17 pounds)

Peppers (sweet): 4.4 ounces

Potatoes: 105.2 ounces (6.57 pounds)

Raspberries: 49.9 ounces (3.11 pounds)

Rhubarb: 25.6 ounces (1.6 pound)

Squash (summer): 74.7 ounces (4.67 pounds)

Strawberries: 68.6 ounces (4.29 pounds)

Tomatoes: 1.8 ounces (several more eaten and not weighed)

Total for week: 662.7 ounces (41.4 pounds)

Total to date: 125 pounds

Be sure to check out Daphne's Dandelions to see what others have harvested this week!