Harvest Recap for the Week of September 9 - September 15
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This was definitely the week of the butternuts. I added 15 squash to the stash last night, which gives me 36 curing on the shelves, plus the one we ate and the two I gave to John, for a total of 39 butternuts harvested this year. They weighed a total of 136 pounds (an average of nearly 3-1/2 pounds each), which is less than the 192 pounds I harvested last year, but still more than enough for us and everyone else. There were six more butternuts that were not totally ripe. Three might be far enough along to ripen off the vine (they have not been photographed, weighed or added to the total), but the other three went to the compost. The vines have all been pulled, the squash patch is all cleaned up.
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One of the sweet peppers harvested this week weighed in at nearly 13 ounces. It was way bigger than my open hand! The pepper harvest was really good all week, and I put another 1-1/2 gallons of diced peppers in the freezer, ate all that we could eat fresh, and have several still chilling in the refrigerator. A big bag of them was also sent home with daughter Amy.
I was surprised to find my "fall" cucumbers bearing better than the ones I grew all summer. I picked the first ripe one on Tuesday, and have harvested nearly 5 pounds of them all together this week.
A big disappointment is the fall corn. I wish I had grown a different variety, as the Early Sunglow is not only not very sweet, the ears are so tiny they are not worth the space it takes to grow them.
The weather has been hot, hot, hot. Mid to high 90s. Tomorrow it's supposed to plunge down to the low 70s, which will be a blessed relief. Night temps will go from the 60s down to the 40s. The only drawback I can see is that my tomato plants are loaded with big green tomatoes, and they might never ripen.
My final trip to the garden on Sunday was completed just in time. Strong winds, thunder and lightening hit while I was cooking dinner. It began raining hard, and the temperature dropped 21 degrees in the matter of an hour. Of course, the pine trees made another big mess for me to clean up. You'd think they would eventually run out of pine cones. And small branches.
My final trip to the garden on Sunday was completed just in time. Strong winds, thunder and lightening hit while I was cooking dinner. It began raining hard, and the temperature dropped 21 degrees in the matter of an hour. Of course, the pine trees made another big mess for me to clean up. You'd think they would eventually run out of pine cones. And small branches.
Harvest Totals
Total for week: 117 pounds
Total year to date: 865 pounds
Daphne's Dandelions is the host for Harvest Monday.
A great harvest week!! I'm with you on the early Sunglow the ears are so small that I don't think it's worth it. Plus it really isn't very tasty. It was nice that we were able to plant in late June and still have corn but I would never use it as a main crop, I doubt it will ever be planted again in our garden!
ReplyDeleteStoney, I fixed four ears for dinner last night, straight from garden to pot, and it was absolutely flavorless. I ate all four myself, as they were only 2" long after trimming off what the ear worms had eaten! I swear, those worms were bigger than the ears of corn, LOL! I think fall corn is not in my future plans. I also think I might as well just pull the remaining stalks and call it a year for the corn.
DeleteVery impressive harvest! I'm sure you will enjoy the cooler weather. We had a few days of cooler, then back to the 80's and 90's.
ReplyDeleteRay, it looks like we'll get about two days back up in the 80s this week, then 70s for the next week. I'll be happy with that, but I wish the nights wouldn't get down in the 40s.
DeleteAll you need is 135 more pounds.
ReplyDeleteWow look at all those butternuts. My butternuts are still all in the garden ripening up. I think both beds will fully ripen though. I'm hoping. The Walthams are huge, but the Early Butternuts I had to plant are so small. I like the big ones with the long necks as they are easier to clean up.
While I was gone our temps were all over the place. We had 90s 80s 70s and 60s. This coming Tuesday night is supposed to be in the 30s. Ack. I'm sure there will be frost warnings all over. I won't get that low, but I'm sure some places will. I guess there is an advantage to living in the city and being surrounded by pavement. It really does stay warm longer in the fall here.
I don't know if I can harvest another 135 pounds, Daphne. No more heavy squash, but there are leeks, parsnips and a melon, probably quite a few more beans and, with luck, maybe more carrots and some snap peas. Peas are iffy, the first blossom just appeared yesterday. Of course, I might have 135 pounds of sweet peppers out there yet, LOL! Last night's windstorm did snap off a couple of plants though.
DeleteI want your peppers and squashes! You can keep the green beans, lol! Another great harvest! you have 30 more butternuts than I do, but I'm not complaining because 9 is the most I've ever grown so I'm headed in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteI have plenty to share, Nutmeg! I just sent a huge bag home with Son Scott....all of the green beans (1 1/2 gallons), 4 huge peppers (Kris, the better half, wants to make stuffed peppers), and 2 butternut squash. He said it's too bad they aren't vegetarians, they'd have a $0 grocery bill!
DeleteThat sure is a fine array of Butternuts! I don't think I would have space to store that many, let alone grow them, but it's a nice thought. I did try growing them a couple of times, but they don't seem to do very well here - mine produced just the odd one or two rather anaemic fruits.
ReplyDeleteMark, last year I stored mine in our unheated garage, on an inside wall where they wouldn't freeze. When I harvested my first 2013 one in August, I still had two left from last year, and they were in quite good condition. I always cure mine outside in the warm weather, on the shady patio, for at least two weeks. I then give them a dip in a weak chlorine bleach/water solution and let them air dry. I've never had one rot doing that, whereas I always lost a few before I began using the chlorine dip.
DeleteImpressive.
ReplyDeleteLove all those butternuts, even though I don't eat them--I use them for trade. I had a skimpy FIVE this year...but the way things started out, I'll take it!
We had our first frost, so I've been busy cleaning out beds and hauling "doo".
I love the cooler temps--so much more enjoyable. Our high today---56. Love it!
Oh, Sue, I love, love, love butternuts! I think I could easily eat one a week.
DeleteFrost already? I'd be moving ;-) Hopefully we'll hold off for another month. Then, if all goes as usual, we'll have a killing frost followed by another month or so of gorgeous weather. I'm not ready for 50s or even 60s yet, but I'm sure looking forward to 70s!
Those peppers look great. Do you have any luck growing actually sweet bell peppers, like the ones from a greenhouse? I have yet to grow a sweet bell pepper in the garden, they are always grassy and bitter tasting.
ReplyDeleteOh, yes! Horizon Orange was absolutely sugar sweet. Dave, from Our Happy Acres, sent some saved seeds for Happy Yummy Sweet that can either turn out hot or sweet, the sweet being really sweet but small. Quadrato Rosso D'Asti (large red bell) is also a great tasting one that I grow each year, but I think I got some infected seeds last year. Two years in a row I've had problems, all with seeds from that same packet. Quadrato Giallo D'Asti is the huge yellow bell, many weigh close to a pound. It's not quite as sweet as the red or orange, but still has a nice flavor. I don't often eat any of them in the green stage, preferring the ripe ones. I grew a purple and a nearly white one this year that tasted awful, so I pulled them out.
DeleteVery impressive butternut harvest! You all must really like your butternut squash! You are getting some pretty nice yellow peppers too!
ReplyDeleteLuckily the entire family likes butternut squash! I gave away two more today, to the youngest son. Those yellow peppers are all huge! I wish I liked them as much as I like the red ones.
DeleteYou are harvesting so much more than me! But then I think you plant more too! I am going to sneak over some night and swipe a couple of your butternut squash! LOL Nancy
ReplyDeleteLOL, Nancy....you don't have to swipe them, I'd gladly give you one. Or five.
DeleteAnd you are the butternut squash queen! Can't believe how many you've harvested. How many plants do you have? I have a couple of squash ripening right now (Black Futsu) from 3 plants! Lots of leaves and flowers, not a lot of fruits. Good tip on the chlorine solution, I'll give it a try. Although with just 2 squash, I don't think they'll keep for long.
ReplyDeleteMrs. R., I had three hills of squash, each had three plants. There would have been 45 ripe squash if I hadn't accidentally pulled off those other six, so I would have averaged 5 ripe squash per plant. Maybe more if I hadn't removed so many of the small ones early on to make sure the larger ones would ripen. I think I might cut that back to two hills next year :-)
DeleteI use the chlorine dip for my tomatoes, too, just a glug or two in a gallon bucket of water. A couple of years ago I put green tomatoes in two boxes and stored them side by side. The box with the chlorine dipped tomatoes ripened every one, with no rot. In the box with just washed, no chlorine rinse on the tomatoes, over half of them rotted before ripening. Some worry about using chlorine on their foods, but it dissipates while air drying, so none is ingested. Even if it didn't, most water systems would give you a higher dose of chlorine in your drinking water every single day.
Good point on the chlorine in water and thanks for the tip on tomatoes, too. Remember my lone Brandywine stolen by the groundhog? Well, it's now growing sisters, two of them, getting big but still green. Also several big Opalkas. I'm anxious for them to ripen but the weather is getting cooler, so they may not. I'll use the dip and ripen them indoors if I have to. That's such a good tip!!
DeleteI love all those butternuts! I just planted three hills of two seeds of early butternuts a few weeks ago and they are already over a foot tall and getting the first flowers. I'm in Florida so all the things you are harvesting are just getting planted here. Last year, my winter squash were all eaten by something. This is only my second attempt growing them but I plan to be much more vigilant this year. If I get to harvest any, I will try your bleach trick. Storage is tough here with the heat and humidity and no basements so any tricks to keep things fresher longer are worth a try.
ReplyDeleteI'm envious of all the talk of cooler temps. At 6pm, my car said it was still 91 and upper 70's are as low as we've gotten at night. Hoping for a cool (and hurricane free) fall. It can't come fast enough.
I've never commented before, but I've read your blog for over a year and look forward to your posts. You are such an inspiration!
Sanctuary, it's nice to "meet" you! Thank you for your kind words, and don't be shy about commenting in the future....you must know how much I enjoy corresponding with my readers!
DeleteGood luck with your butternuts! I feel so lucky that they grow well here, and the Walthams don't seem to be bothered by any pests or mildew (knock on wood).
I am so envious of that butternut stash! I am eager for next year when I can attemp to even come close to growing half of what you have harvested-shoot I'd be happy with a dozen-lol :-)
ReplyDeleteLOL, Robbie. If I weren't sharing with three other families, I'd be happy with a dozen! But we'll probably consume about 2 a month for our own meals and "pumpkin" pies.
DeleteHow do you know that the other butternuts won't have time to ripen? I'm just wondering. I've never grown them and leave things until things freeze and I realize growing time is up. :)
ReplyDeleteBecause they were too green when i accidentally uprooted their vine. I tried to be careful and just remove the empty vines, but once the big squash got pulled out I said "to heck with it" and cleaned up the entire patch. There were only 3 small, really green ones that probably wouldn't have ripened even if they were left intact. I would never leave them until they freeze, although I don't know that it would hurt them. I judge their ripeness by the color.
DeleteWow! How long will those butternut squash last? Unusually we are having a bit of a butternut squash glut here and I am now thinking that I may have to assemble some kind of squash rack like yours. I'm glad you were safe indoors when the storm hit.
ReplyDeleteGardening Shoe, as I commented to Mark (above):
Delete"Mark, last year I stored mine in our unheated garage, on an inside wall where they wouldn't freeze. When I harvested my first 2013 one in August, I still had two left from last year, and they were in quite good condition. I always cure mine outside in the warm weather, on the shady patio, for at least two weeks. I then give them a dip in a weak chlorine bleach/water solution and let them air dry. I've never had one rot doing that, whereas I always lost a few before I began using the chlorine dip."
I'm just curing the squash on that rack, I won't be storing them there. I'll wash the dirt off of them and give them them the chlorine rinse, and once they are dry they will be moved to the garage. I have a wire bin on the counter that I keep them in. If I could find room in the garage for that rack (it's my seed starting rack) it would be an excellent storage solution. I just might have to figure that on out!