Monday 4 August 2014

Harvest Monday: August 4, 2014


Now that the greens have mostly been pulled (harvested or gone to seed), things are a bit slower.  Especially since my zucchini plants have yet to produce a single zucchini!  Strange for sure, but they look healthy and flower now and then so I still have hopes for the coming months.

Meanwhile ... lots of delicious meals coming from the garden these days.  Carrots, beets and potatoes are pulled whenever I feel like having some.  None are fully grown but they are best when not too mature. 




These potatoes and beets were roasted with olive oil and herbs.  Carrots were julienned and tossed with miso paste and parsley.



I made a quick pickle of green beans with some dill and a chili pepper that were eaten up pretty quickly when a friend stopped by for a visit.




Some tomatoes are still sitting on the counter waiting to be used up ... I have had plenty of tomato sandwiches lately and will most probably make some bruschetta soon.










These garlic had been planted in a rubbermaid container.  It turns out they were the healthiest (though certainly the smallest) of my garlic harvest this year.





Most of the 11 pounds of Salad Bush cukes have been pickled with my usual dill pickle recipe (other than a few used elsewhere).  I haven't been much in the mood for experimenting but lots of time and lots more cukes to come if I want to try another recipe this season.


 And a big basket of basil and parsley, plus my first harvest of scallions ... 



Daphne's Dandelions hosts Harvest Monday every week so pop on over to see what is happening in other people's backyards.

14 comments:

  1. Such beautiful harvests - love the colour of the beets. I wish I liked beets, simply because they look so lovely, but unfortunately, they are the one veg that I simply cannot wrap my taste buds around.

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    1. Growing up, my mom always ate buttered beets. I remember thinking they were awful (you know how kids can be). I only started eating beets about 6-7 years ago when I first tasted a "roasted" beet. Now they are one of my favourites.

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  2. Lovely harvests. I'm with Margaret that I hate beets. I do grow them though because they are so pretty and my townhouse mates like them. I wish I loved them. I've tried a lot of things that I hated from my childhood and like them now, but not that one. And you look to be awash in cucumbers too. I just don't need to make any more pickles this year so I have a huge batch away last night.

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    1. I was thinking the same thing when I saw your turnip. I have not eaten a turnip since I was a kid. Thinking maybe I should give them a go,

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  3. Even without zucchini, looks like you are getting a good harvest from the garden. Wish I had those cucumbers for pickles, mine are not looking real happy.

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  4. Mmm beets, we like them around here. I just don't understand a zucchini plant that doesn't produce. I only ever had that happen once, but that was because I was gardening in raised beds with new imported soil that seemed to be devoid of nutrients, nothing would grow in it. After I dug on lots of compost and natural fertilizers everything grew just fine.

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    1. Yes i think that's it with the zucchini - I planted them in straw bales. Last year's hay bales were incredible - one zucchini plant was 8 feet in diameter. But straw tends to be devoid of nutrients. I've fertilized and added compost, but they are still only a foot or so tall. But flowering regularly.

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    2. Susie, Do you have ample amount of bee's where you are this summer? I can't grow zucchini or squash here on Oahu. The bee population where I live is not big enough. To grow cucumbers I have to plant self pollinating hybrids that I get online. They sure are tasty but don't pickle well. I do miss my pickles. I tell myself it's ok to buy pickles now as long as I use a coupon..lol

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    3. I do usually have plenty of bees, and although the populations seem to be dwindling, there still seem to be enough to have pollinated my winter squash nearby. Interesting idea though, thanks! Sorry to hear about pickles - hey, I like a good Bick now and then myself ...

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  5. You have a lovely variety of veggies there despite the shy zucchini! Interesting treatment of the carrots with miso. I'm always looking for new ideas with veggies. I tossed some grated carrots with a lemon vinaigrette yesterday. Add me to the 'not a fan of beets' club. My mom loved them just cooked and buttered, or pickled. I've tried them every which way, and I can eat them, but not really enjoy it. Too bad, because they are beautiful and not too hard to grow!

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    1. I honestly had no idea so many people disliked beets - even when I didn't like them, I assumed everyone else did for some reason. Well, I'm glad my own taste adapted although there are plenty of other things I still won't eat (like turnip).

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  6. I never liked beets until I grew them. I realized that growing up we always had canned beets and that I'd never eaten a fresh beet.

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    1. yes, I wonder if that was what my mom was eating - canned beets!

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  7. What a lovely assortment of veggies in your harvests! I love beets. They are so nutritious and I love their earthy flavor.

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