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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The lilies are blooming!
Since we were out of town this past week on our epic road trip to St. Jude, so we didn’t get to harvest too much from the backyard garden. We did manage to pick over 46 pounds of pears last night though. We also picked a few strawberries, beans and some tomatoes as well so luckily there are a few things to tally up.
I suspect next week is going to be a good one harvest wise because I know we’ve got potatoes to harvest and when I left, there were several zucchinis that were ready to be picked as well. Granted, the zucchinis are probably this size of baseball bats right now, but they’ll still need to be harvested. 😉
How is your garden growing these days?
~Mavis
Here is what I have harvested so far this year:
Basil – 11 ounces
I LOVE making fresh pesto.
Beets –12 pounds 1 ounces
It seems like we’ve been harvesting beets left and right lately. I like to toss a little olive oil, and salt and pepper on them and roast them for dinner.
Bok Choy – 4 oz
Check out this Asian Noodle Salad with Bok Choy I made. It’s pretty awesome.
Broccoli – 13 ounces
We didn’t get much broccoli this sprint but I did plant more in my fall garden. If you haven’t tried it yet, this recipe for Broccoli Cranberry and Almond Salad with Feta is delicious.
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
With a little bit of luck we should have fresh carrots to harvest this December.
Chives – 1 pound 4 ounces
We are picking about an ounce a week to use in recipes.
Cucumbers 2 ounces
I noticed a few more yellow cucumbers growing last night while I was watering, I’ll have to go out a little later and see if they are ready to harvest yet.
Egg Count – 1,717
I have no idea how many eggs the chickens laid last week because my neighbor Hulda and her daughter were taking care of the chickens and garden while I was away. I should have asked her to keep track but oh well. 😉
Garlic 9 pounds 2 ounces
Our garlic has been harvested for this year. If you’ve yet to harvest yours, I have a quick post on How to Harvest Garlic.
Garlic Scapes 11 ounces
We used these to make Garlic Scape Pesto. Yumm!
Green Beans 8 pounds 6 ounces
I’m not sure what else we are having for dinner tonight but green beans are on the menu, that’s for sure!
Kale – 13 pounds 8 ounces
We decided to put Lucy the puggle dog in charge of inspecting the kale. 😉
Kohlrabi 5 pounds 10 ounces
Lettuce – 35 pounds 3 ounces
I filled 2 pallets with lettuce seeds last week and just noticed them starting to pop through the soil. I’ll have to try and get some pictures a little later.
Microgreens 5 ounces
My favorite way to eat microgreens is with egg salad sandwiches.
Mint 10 oz
I made some blueberry mint jam and also harvested some mint for tea.
Oregano – 13 ounces
Onion – 6 pounds 8 ounces
We’ve been pulling up fresh onions from the garden as we need them. Note to self: Plant about 10 times more next year.
Pears 46 pounds 3 ounces
Yesterday we picked our first ever bumper crop of pears and they are HUGE! I think it’s pretty amazing that you can dig a hole and plant a twig sized tree and a few years later it will be loaded with fruit.
Peas – 42 pounds 9 ounces
We planted bush peas the other day and I’ll probably plant the sugar snap peas {pole} in another week or two for a late fall harvest.
Potatoes – 23 pounds 0 ounces
Radish – 22 pounds 2 ounces
Raspberries – 21 pounds 7 ounces
Raspberry season is officially over in our backyard. 🙁
Rhubarb – 31 pounds 7 ounces
So far this year we’ve made rhubarb vanilla jam, rhubarb walnut muffins, and strawberry rhubarb pies.
Sage – 14 ounces
Spinach – 15 ounces
Sprouts –2 pounds 6 ounces
Here are instructions for growing your own sprouts.
Strawberries 14 pounds 12 ounce
The strawberries are producing again. We have them growing in the pallet garden, in the greenhouse and alongside the house. So far we have made strawberry kiwi jam, strawberry freezer jam, strawberry pie, and homemade strawberry shortcake.
Swiss Chard 15 pounds 5 ounces
Chickens love it! 🙂 🙂
Tomatoes 17 pounds 9 ounces
I picked all these tomatoes this morning! Now I just have to figure out what to do with all of them.
Wheatgrass – 7 ounces
Zucchini – 5 pounds 3 ounces
We’ve got zucchini! The plants are not as big as the ones last year around this time {we had to plant several times because of slugs} but we’ll take what we can get.
Total Food Harvested in 2013: 416 pounds 0 ounces
Total Eggs Collected in 2013: 1,717
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
This recipe is fantastic and a great way to use up fresh tomatoes:
Panzanella
Adapted from Fine Cooking Magazine, September 2006
Makes about 6 cups, and serves 4 to 6.
(4) 1/2-inch-thick slices from the center of a round sourdough loaf (or any good bread that may be laying around. If the bread is stale, that’s even better)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt or fleur de sel
freshly ground black pepper
1 small shallot, sliced into thin rings
3-4 tablespoons red wine vinegar (I like things vinegary, so I use 4)
1 small clove garlic, chopped coarsely
3-4 cups (about 1 1/2 pounds) tomatoes, chopped in a quarter-inch dice
1-1/2 cups small English cucumber, chopped in a quarter-inch dice (any cucumber will do)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
Heat a grill pan (I just use a cast iron skillet). Using 1/4-cup of olive oil, brush both sides of the bread slices, and season with salt and pepper. Grill both sides of the bread, checking often, until lightly browned. When cool, slice the bread into 1/2-inch cubes and set aside.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, soak the shallot rings in the vinegar for approximately ten minutes. Using a slotted spoon, move the shallots to a large mixing bowl, and reserve the vinegar.
Sprinkle the chopped garlic with 1/4-teaspoon of salt. Using the side of a chef’s knife, mash the garlic into a paste. Add garlic, 1/4-teaspoon salt, and 1/8-teaspoon pepper to the reserved vinegar. Whisk in 1/4-cup of olive oil to the vinegar mixture.
Gently toss the dressing, vegetables, basil, and bread together. Add more salt and pepper to taste, if needed.
Kaitlin - Handmade Freedom says
I can’t even handle this!! What a fantastic harvest so far! That’s really amazing. I dream of someday being able to do that too.
What an accomplishment – congratulations!
Debbie says
Hi Mavis
I am looking for ways to use our abundant tomato crop of yellow grape tomatoes.
We have been enjoying what I am calling tomato salad.
Combine equal parts of cubed cucumber, zucchini, sliced carrots, sliced celery, halved grape tomatoes.
Mix with your favorite salad dressing.
Holly says
Those tomatoes look amazing. I like making a simple pasta sauce – saute some shallots or onions in a little olive oil with garlic. Once the onions soften, add in halved or quartered grape/cherry tomatoes. As the juices flow, increase the heat to boil off the extra liquid, and add a bit of white wine if you like. Awesome with spaghetti or as an addition to any pasta or pasta salad. Can be served hot or cold, with or without cheese.
Susie in DeLand says
I’ll be watching to see what you do with all those pears! I’d really love to see your pear tree ~ could you please post a pic sometime?
Susie in DeLand says
Oh crap. I scrolled down after posting about a pic and voila! (Or as Mavis says, “viola!”) There is the pear tree. 🙂