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!

24 comments:

  1. What a terrific harvest. I think your garden is thriving despite those GAWD-awful temps. But ugh-I feel so bad for you guys. Hope you get a break soon. If I could box up our 70's temps and mail em to you, I would!
    Hang tough, AG!

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    1. I'm hangin', Sue! I did wait until today, the hottest day in years, to get all my shopping done for our July 4th. family get together. I'll make Mr. G. take me to lunch, then I'll not have to cook tonight :-) I see a couple of tomato plants wilting this morning, so I'll have to drag out the hose. It was already 82 when I got up this morning.

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  2. What a great variety you are harvesting right now! My raspberries will be starting soon and soon we will have the great onion harvest!

    Take it easy in the heat!

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    1. Robin, I think Mr. Granny will miss his daily raspberry breakfast. I might get a few very small pickings yet, but they are on their last legs. My onion harvest was disappointing.

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  3. Hi Granny ~ I enjoy following your blog. I have a bed of strawberries that went crazy this year (their 2nd year in the ground), and have now quit producing for the season. Do the plants get cut back, or require any other maintenance until next spring?

    Thanks!

    Karen

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    1. Karen, I don't do anything at all to mine other than cut off a few runners once in awhile, then clean up the plants a bit in the spring...cut off dead leaves and give them a good layer of composted cow poo. I think the proper thing to do is to cut them down a bit in the fall and mulch them, but I don't bother with that.

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  4. This is such a great variety of harvest you are getting! Many of the veggies you have picked are nowhere near ready out here. It'll be awhile before I see any beans or carrots. My first zucchini should be ready tomorrow. I love seeing your great harvest!

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    1. Thanks, Nutmeg. It has been a good week, but I'm looking forward to tomatoes!

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  5. Wow, Granny! A little of everything! Even carrots :) You are certainly eating well. I hope the heat breaks soon.

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    1. Rachel, there weren't many carrots, not like previous years, but thankfully we at least finally got a meal of them! I hope the later carrots are more successful. I've planted them in every bare spot in the garden!

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  6. What kind of cabbage has four heads?

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    1. Weird cabbages, Elizabeth! It was a regular cabbage seedling, either a Golden Acre or Gonzales. I've never had one grow like that before, with more than one head. I have cut off mature cabbages, leaving the root and lower leaves, and had them grow multiple small heads, but never had one develop like that from a seedling.

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  7. We are not quite into the summer squash glut yet - but it will not be too much longer now. Like you, we have been warm and should be warmer today - but we are always about 15 to 20 degrees cooler than you in the summer season (and about 10 to 20 degrees warmer through the winter months!).

    Amazing harvests as always AG!

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    1. Kitsap, brace yourself for this week's heat wave! I think you're supposed to get in the 90s. TWC has us at 109 now (it changes daily, at one time it said 113), but local news says 105. Makes no difference, anything 100 and above is HOT!

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  8. That's cool, 4 headed cabbage, not a bad return of investment. I want 4 headed everything!

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    1. One of the heads was just slightly smaller than a regular Gonzales cabbage, but the other three were very small, from softball size to tennis ball size. It was a very odd cabbage!

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  9. Holy smokes that's a lot of harvest! So beautiful & bountiful!

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  10. Impressive harvest once again! That pie must have been yummy, it didn't last long! Everything looks yummy!

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    1. Shawn Ann, neither of us *needed* all that pie, but it sure did taste good! Luckily I only grow enough rhubarb to make three or four pies a year!

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  11. Look at all those berries! So amazing! The sweet pepper looks huge and I love that you are getting such a good variety from your garden.

    Be careful out in the heat. We've had a weird cool down and lots of rain with more rain predicted for the next 10 days. Strange weather.

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    1. Phuong, I picked the last few raspberries today. There are still going to be plenty of strawberries though :-)

      Maybe I'll turn the hose on to mist and garden with it spraying on me! They are predicting more triple digit temperatures with thunderstorms now.

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