This year my goal is to grow 2,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables. I think I can do it. With 16 raised garden beds, a greenhouse, a raspberry patch and a few more planting beds sprinkled throughout our property, I believe growing 2,000 pounds of food is an attainable goal. Even if I do live right in the middle of high maintenance suburbia, and my neighbors think I’m nuts. ~Mavis
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We arrived home last night we were too tired to look in on the vegetable garden, so this morning I headed out and was shocked to find zucchini the size of baseball bats.
Before we left for our trip I made sure I had someone lined up to water the garden while we were away, but I totally forgot to ask them to pick the vegetables.
Holy Crap Batman! 72 pounds 9 oz of zucchini. No freakin’ way.
I think I may have enough to feed a village.
We’ve only had time to pick zucchini and tomatoes this morning, but I’m excited to get back out there to see what else needs to be harvested.
It’s good to be back!
Here is what I have harvested so far this year:
Basil 1 lb 1 oz {how to make pesto}
Beets 46 lb 90z {how to can beets}
Blueberries 11 oz {mixed berry pie recipe}
Broccoli 4lb 14 oz {pasta salad with broccoli, carrots, and sun dried tomatoes}
Broccoli Rabb 1lb 6 oz {chickpeas with broccoli raab and bacon}
Cabbage 25lb 7 oz {how to make sauerkraut}
Carrots 98 lbs 0 oz {carrot cake recipe}
Cauliflower 2lbs 3 oz {cauliflower hummus rocks!}
Chives 1lb {chalkboard painted herb pots}
Kale 1 lb 4 oz {how to make kale chips}
Lettuce 14 lb 6 oz {bbq chicken salad}
Mint 4 lbs 12 oz {Fresh Pea Salad with Spinach, Feta and Mint}
Onions 5 lbs 9 oz {Kentucky Fried Chicken Cole Slaw}
Oregano 4 lbs 15 oz
Mushrooms 9.25 oz {read more about how I grew mushrooms}
Peas 38 lb13 oz {fresh peas and bacon recipe}
Peppers 7 oz
Potatoes 37lb 0 oz {potato soup recipe}
Radish 15lb 12 oz {how I bartered radishes for avocados}
Raspberries 1 lb 15 oz {how to make a raspberry buckle}
Spinach 2lb 5 oz {garlic spinach dip recipe}
Sprouts 10 oz {how to grow sprouts}
Strawberries 6lb 6 oz {dehydrated strawberries are awesome}
Swiss Chard 24 lb 5 oz {rainbow Swiss chard recipe}
Tomatoes 9 oz {roasted corn salad with tomatoes and feta}
Zucchini 77 lb 2 oz {how to make zucchini relish}
Miscellaneous 8lb 2 oz {This means we let someone come and pick vegetables, or did not get a chance to weigh them individually, and this was the total weight of all the vegetables combined}
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So that’s what I’ve grown so far this year… How about YOU?
How is YOUR garden doing?
Total Food Harvested in 2012: 439 lbs 3.25 oz
I have spent a total of $496.58 on seeds, soil, plants and supplies for this year.
Progressive International Folding Mandoline Slicer
I’m thinking a mandoline slicer is going to come in handy today!
Andrea says
Before I lost my zucchini plants to powdery mildew (lesson learned) I found a really yummy chocolate, chocolate chip zucchini bread recipe. I’ve made a half dozen loaves already with our frozen zucchini stash, it is that good: http://www.sliceoffeist.com/2010/08/very-grateful/
Mavis says
Thanks Andrea, I’ll check it out.
Jennifer Jo says
Hmmm, that’s slightly illegal, don’t you think? Letting your vegetables swell beyond their ideal harvestable size and then counting them in as extra ounces? Though it is true that they’re still edible…
I think the BIG challenge would be to see if you could EAT all that you GROW. That’s the hard part, me thinks.
Welcome home!
Sarah says
Our zucchini’s get that big and they still taste great! You can get tons of canning, freezing, and baking done with those! 🙂
You Can Call Me Jane says
I agree, just slice out those seeds and eat up. Don’t be scared. Welcome home!!
Saralie says
Yes,remove the seeds and stuffed with a can of salmon mayo(or sour cream) with dill. Yummy! Glad you are back.
Robbie says
And serve it every night to your family without them revolting :). My chaps are d.o.n.e with cucumbers!
Mavis says
Are you on crack? You want us to eat 2,000 pounds of vegetables. That’s 500 pounds a piece. You are a nut! I do have a figure to maintain you know.
Desi says
I wouldn’t worry about your figure they’re vegies after all, but I would worry about you being sick…
Patsy says
On MSN they said that today,August 8, is National Zucchini Day. Perfect timing!
Mavis says
Ha! I just read your comment. Thanks Patsy. 🙂 What a nice surprise!
alliegator says
Zucchini can be shredded and frozen for use in baked goods over the winter. You can slice it and dehydrate it with some seasoning on it to make zucchini chips (it takes a lot of seasoning though). You can puree it and add it to pretty much anything as incognito vegetable.
The big ones work to scoop out the seeds and fill them with a rice/meat mixture.
I’d trade some for meat if I lived closer. I somehow managed to not plant a zucchini plant this year.
Mavis says
I would trade you zucchinis for meat any day of the week!
Heidi says
Way to go Mavis! I’m so impressed with your gardening skills.
It’s wonderful that you feed your family as well as many others with what you grow. I love the fact you attach a link to the recipes of what you’ve made beside every veggie. Do you have multiple freezers to hold your bounty?
I’ve got a couple apple trees exploding with apples right now. I’m going to try canning apple sauce today. My first actual hot water bath canning experience. I’m a bit nervous.
Also, one of my four children is asking me to buy a dehydrator to make apple chips. I’m not sure if it’s worth the investment. Still debating it….
Mavis says
We have 2 freezers. 🙂 As for the dehydrator… Buy one! We love ours.
Andrea says
Wow that is amazing! I have just had zucchini for the first time this year. That would be more than we could handle I think.
Rain says
There’s always the zucchini races!
PS- so glad to find your blog and your amazing gardening goals!
Robbie says
Fantastic! You are almost at $1.00 a pound for home grown vegetables. Even if you don’t get to 2000 lbs and had to stop right now, that would be awesome.
Mavis says
Thanks Robin, I’m having fun with it. 🙂
Elizabeth says
I actually did look out my kitchen window one summer when the children were younger and saw them trying to play baseball with the humongous zucchinis that they found. Pretty funny.
The nice thing about the big ones is that they keep for awhile so you don’t need to get to them right away. Gives you time to distribute them to other zucchini wanting people also.
Mavis says
Hilarious. 🙂
Christina says
Do you have problems with squash bugs? Every single one of our squash plants got a vine borer. (The icky white wormmy things) I am about to give up. The butternut squash got it too. We started all organic and then we tired Sevin dust- not even that worked to keep them away.