This year I’m on a mission to grow 4,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables in my suburban backyard. In 2012 I was able to grow 2,028 pounds, and in 2013 I’m going double or nothing. I have absolutely no idea if I’ll be able to achieve my goal. But, as with any adventure, half the fun is getting there. ~Mavis
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Now we’re farming! Last week we were able to harvest a little over 45 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables from our backyard garden. Peas, cabbage, beets, and raspberries were the big winners and we were also able to harvest our first beans of the year too. Life is good!
I’m hoping we’ll be able to harvest our first zucchini this weekend {the slugs set us back a bit} and we are all looking forward to more fresh beans and tomatoes. The chickens are loving all the kale and Swiss chard, and actually, I think I may be giving them too much because egg production has slowed down a wee bit. Does anyone have any insight on that? This is my first year counting eggs so I’ve never really noticed before if that can play a role or not.
Here is what I have harvested so far this year:
Basil – 9 ounces
I LOVE making fresh pesto.
Beets – 7 pounds 15 ounces
We harvested a huge batch of beets {this is only a few of them} the other day and I can’t wait to cook them up today. We still have plenty to harvest in the garden box and have planted more seeds for a fall harvest.
Bok Choy – 4 oz
Check out this Asian Noodle Salad with Bok Choy I made. It’s pretty awesome.
Broccoli – 13 ounces
Is it normal for puppies to eat all their vegetables? Why can’t kids be this way?
Cabbage – 40 pounds 14 ounce
We are done harvesting cabbage until fall. There are more heads planted alongside the greenhouse and I started more cabbage seeds for a winter harvest so we should be cook for a while.Here is my recipe for homemade sauerkraut.
Carrots – 3 ounces
This is a picture of carrots we harvested last year. We had to plant our carrots 5 times this year due to slugs. We are just now starting to see a row of green tops. I share a picture soon.
Chives – 1 pound 1 ounce
We are picking about an ounce a week to use in recipes.
Egg Count – 1,608
The chickens are slacking off again. We only collected 62 eggs. I’m not sure if it’s the heat or if they are getting old. 😉
Garlic 9 pounds 2 ounces
If you have never harvested garlic before, be sure and read my How to Harvest Garlic post. It’s super simple.
Garlic Scapes 11 ounces
We used these to make Garlic Scape Pesto. Yumm!
Green Beans 10 ounces
I’ll be picking more today, this time I’ll be harvesting those skinny French beans {I forget the name}. If you have a favorite green bean recipe you think my family would like please leave the recipe or a link in the comment section below. I’m always up for trying new things.
Kale – 7 pounds 1 ounces
I’m just not feeling the kale love right now, I just keep picking it and feeding it to the chickens so it doesn’t go to waste.
Kohlrabi 5 pounds 10 ounces
All out spring kohlrabi has been harvested. Be on the lookout for a kohlrabi recipe soon!
Lettuce – 34 pounds11 ounces
I plan on planting lettuce seeds towards the middle of August when we get back from our trip to St. Jude. I think it’s a little too hot to grow it right now and I don’t want to chance it bolting so I’ll just wait a few more weeks.
Microgreens 5 ounces
My favorite way to eat microgreens is with egg salad sandwiches.
Mint 6 oz
I made some blueberry mint jam and also harvested some mint for tea.
Oregano – 7 ounces
Onion – 1 pound 7 ounces
We are using our onions as we need them. We harvested 2 more last week. 🙂
Peas – 42 pounds 9 ounces
We harvested the last of the peas last week and pea season is officially over. I’ll plant more pea seeds on August 1st for a fall harvest, but for now we are pealess in Seattle. 😉
Potatoes – 15 pounds 12 ounces
Would you believe we still have a few potatoes left from last week’s harvest? Crazy, I know.
Radish – 22 pounds 2 ounces
I just planted more of these!
Raspberries – 16 pounds 14 ounces
We can’t pick the raspberries fast enough! This is what a typical daily harvest looks like. The blueberries should be next.
Sage – 14 ounces
Spinach – 15 ounces
Sprouts –2 pounds 2 ounces
Here are instructions for growing your own sprouts.
Strawberries 9 pounds 6 ounce
The strawberries have slowed way down. I’m not worried though, production will pick up again in the fall. So far this summer we made strawberry kiwi jam, strawberry freezer jam, strawberry pie, and homemade strawberry shortcake.
Swiss Chard 8 pounds
Chickens love it! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Tomatoes 3 ounces
Sun Gold tomatoes are the best cherry tomato on the planet. Nuf’ said.
Wheatgrass – 7 ounces
Total Food Harvested in 2013: 244 pounds 10 ounces
Total Eggs Collected in 2013: 1,608
If you are new to gardening or just want to learn more on the topic of organic gardening, my #1 favorite book is The Gardener’s A-Z Guide to Growing Organic Food
Madam Chow says
Yes, my dogs love their veggies, especially the youngest. He runs to check my grocery bags when I get home, and once he made off with a massive leaf of swiss chard, with the other two dogs in hot pursuit!
A suggestion about the kale and Swiss chard: treat them like spinach. Obviously, the kale has to be cooked longer and deveined, but I throw them into soups that I make now and freeze for the winter. I also add chopped up chard to lasagne, mac and cheese, basically anything with pasta in it (I don’t use the stems if I don’t think the texture will work with the dish). While I cook, I will “accidentally” drop leaves on the kitchen floor, causing a mad scramble as all three dogs make off with their loot!
Kaia says
Wow–would love to have those berries! As for the kale.. you can put it in smoothies like you do with spinach and it doesn’t taste.. unless homegrown is a lot more flavorful than from the store.
Katie C. says
The photos you took of the Strawberry pie were so beautiful that I had to make one for my family. Holy cow, it was delicious! I’ve never had a pie like that before. It was so fresh. Perfect combo of sweet and a teensy tart. We loved it, so thank you for sharing the recipe. That one is a keeper!
Mavis Butterfield says
We loved it too! 🙂 So glad your family liked it. 🙂
Cecily says
I make this pie the same way except I use blueberries. It doesn’t last long around here!
shannon says
Green beans and bacon! I made some last night! There’s nothing like adding a bunch of fat to nice green vegetables. Boil green beans to your desired doneness, dice and saute some bacon till it is crisp and fat is rendered. Throw the green beans in to the bacon and bacon grease and toss. Add tons of freshly cracked black pepper!
Cecily says
The swiss chard is fine for your chickens. I usually experience a slight drop in production in mid-summer. Mine have been laying well for 5 months so this is when they start to slow down, albeit only slightly. Do you give them apples? Apple seeds contain arsenic and while it won’t hurt the chickens it can cause a drop in egg production.
Mavis Butterfield says
Thanks Cecily. 🙂
Erin says
You can dehydrate the kale (or any greens, for that matter!). Then put it in a blender to make a Green Power powder to add to smoothies, soups, sauces, etc. You’ll get the most of the nutrition from the greens without having to eat them until you puke! And zero waste! Keep the finished “powder” in a mason jar in the fridge for about 6 months, or seal it in a food saver bag to keep longer. I like to devein mine before dehydrating (just the main stalk). The leaves take up a lot of space in the dehydrator and produce just a little powder, but it’s one of the simplest dehydrating jobs ever, so I don’t mind repeating it every day or two to make sure those greens don’t go to waste.
Sara says
We LOVE kale at our house. I can’t grow it fast enough! Florida in the summer makes for some pitiful kale anyways. Kale chips are our favorite way to eat it. Bite sized pieces, sprinkle of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Cook about 30 minutes on 350 or until crispy with brown edges. It’s amazing! Better than potato chips 🙂
Felicia says
Okay. I have got to know, what are you feeding your beets? They are gorgeous! I just harvested my first planting, and with the tops on I only got 1 lb 11.5 oz! I was hoping for bigger beets but the biggest is about the size of a golf ball. Sigh.
Mavis Butterfield says
Chicken fertilizer and leaf litter. That’s it. 🙂
Wynne says
Totally agree on the Sun Gold tomatoes–wow! If you’re looking for kale recipes, two of my favorite ways to eat it are sauteed and added to cheddar mashed potatoes or in the guacamole salad recipe from the Green Lemonade blog.
Mavis Butterfield says
Thanks Wynne!
Bev says
I am so anxious to grow my own food, but for whatever reason I can never get anything past the seedling stage. Spent a bunch of money on a small greenhouse and growing lights. Green beans grow like crazy, I will put a small stake beside all the veggies that are getting tall so they do not snap in half. I have managed to grow a single tomato on one plant but nothing else. It is so completely frustrating because my dad was a spectacular gardener. I also had a dog that ate the bell peppers when I was a kid. Crazy dogs! Can anybody give me any tips on what I am doing wrong? I have not planted anything yet because of the crazy weather here but I am itching to go get seeds and plants so that I can try it again!