Harvest Recap for the Week of September 16 - September 22
Cool weather set in quickly this past week, and the harvest has slowed considerably. I've taken advantage of the lull to begin preparing the garden for winter. I'm looking forward to a long rest.
The beans are still producing well. I finally picked the last of the bush beans and pulled the plants. Pole beans are continuing to give me some big harvests, and many were given away. I did, however, put yet another gallon bag in the freezer. The corn is finished, the leeks have all been pulled. The cantaloupe that was accidentally snipped from its vine actually did get ripe! I cut into it today, and ate some for my breakfast. More tomato juice was made, with some saved for fresh drinking and 5-1/2 quarts canned.
Most of the peppers were given away this week, but some went into delicious fajitas. The cool weather has certainly slowed their ripening, and in about two or three weeks I'll probably have to harvest all the remaining ones in their green stage. I already have two gallons of diced and 3 gallons of sliced sweet peppers in the freezer. Cucumbers are producing as quickly as Mr. Granny and youngest daughter can eat them.
Harvest Totals
Total for week: 43 pounds
Total year to date: 908 pounds
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That is so awesome!!
ReplyDeleteNot as awesome as your little house! Yours is ever changing and improving, mine is the same-old-same-old and dwindling. I look forward to seeing your progress, I find mine is getting to the point of being boring. I think I'm ready for winter to come.
DeleteOh, this makes me so hungry. I'm stuck in a hotel, waiting for hubby to wake up---and I'm starving! Well, not really--I've got enough "pudge" to keep me going for WEEKS--LOL! But, that all looks delicious. I'd particularly LOVE a big honkin' slice of that melon---YUM!
ReplyDeleteSue, I expect to enjoy every last bite of that melon, even though it isn't quite as sweet as earlier ones. Just wait until next year, when I'll be back to growing Dan's melons...sweet little morsels that they are!
DeleteSuch colorful harvests. My harvests are back to green, green, and green. Well except for the dried beans. At some point I'll get to pick my carrots. I'll really appreciate the orange after so much green.
ReplyDeleteDaphne, I'd welcome a few greens (in the form of spinach). I think I have three spindly plants from all I sowed. I should have done some follow up lettuce planting, too.
DeleteI'm glad the Canteloupe made it to maturity! Like you I have lots of chillis and a few Sweet Peppers that are a fair way from being ripe. I wonder if they will ripen indoors, as tomatoes would, if I cut them?
ReplyDeleteMark, I knew the cantaloupe was going to make it when I began to smell it. I brought it inside and left it for two days, and decided it was time to either eat it or compost it. Luckily, I get to eat it!
DeleteI've had a few peppers ripen indoors, but mostly they get soft and shrivel up. I had several break off during last week's windstorm, and by the time I saw them the next day, they had already begun to shrivel. I'll just dice mine up, freeze them, and use them for cooking. If I can find some more freezer space. It's getting quite scarce! I should buy a food dehydrator.
Um, I think you were a day early ;) Lovely harvest! Glad your melon was ripe and you got to enjoy it! And wow you are getting a lot of beans! Nice!
ReplyDeleteShawn Ann, I wondered what you were talking about, as I often publish my Monday Harvest blog on Sunday right, just before I go to bed. Then I opened my blog and saw yesterday's date......good catch!
DeleteThink how many beans I would have if I hadn't torn out that 12' row last week! I moved the small chest freezer from the garage to the laundry room yesterday, so I gave it a good cleaning before I put the food back in. I had 9 gallons of green beans in it! I have no idea how many I might have in the larger freezer, but I think probably enough to feed us for the next year....with leftovers.
You sure have made the most of it! What on earth will you do all winter?
ReplyDeleteRay, I have a bathroom and bedroom that can use some updating and a paintbrush! I think I'll manage to keep busy :-)
DeleteGreat harvest, especially that beautiful melon! What do you do with all the leeks? Do you use them right away or store them? I have bunches, but unless I have a plan to make potato leek soup, they stay in the ground.
ReplyDeleteNutmeg, this is the first time I've ever grown leeks! So far I've used them in cream of broccoli soup and corn chowder. Both were delicious. I'm going to slice and freeze the rest of mine for future batches of soup. I pulled all of mine because so many were going to seed. I found those that had gone to seed were hard as rocks and unusable, so I didn't want to take a chance on the few remaining ones. I don't know why mine went to seed. I thought they only did that in their second year.
DeleteWhat phenomenal totals you have! How wonderful now to get a bit of rest after such a productive season :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Bee Girl. So far I have my third best harvest year. I don't know if the weather will hold out long enough to get me to that 1000 pound mark, but it will be close (79 pounds to go)!
DeleteLooks great. Do you have any way of preserving cucumbers without pickling them? I too have too many to eat fresh.
ReplyDeleteBacon, I really don't. We're not big pickle eaters here, not even the refrigerator pickles. The only way I really like cucumbers is in sweet relish, but I made so much of that a couple of years ago that I think I have a lifetime supply, LOL! Mr. Granny loves fresh cucumbers, and I send quite a few over to our daughter, too.
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