Monday, July 15, 2013

Harvest Monday 7.15.13

Hey, Lookie there! It's Monday again! Harvest report time. I'm linking in like usual to Daphne's Dandelions. Thanks Daphne, once again for being such a great hostess. Make sure you stop by her place to see what is being harvested all over the world!
 
Here at my place it's avocado time! Of course, that doesn't man much. I only had about 6-8 set on the tree and then the dab-blasted squirrels got all but one before I managed to cage the thing. BUT, Oh but a harvest is sweet indeed when it is the first of it's kind. After all this tree is one of 5 avocado trees on my property. One of them was killed back this year and it looks like it will not be making a come back. It's no longer healthy so it's compost bin bound. The tree this fruit came from is Mexicola. It also got frozen not this past year, but the year before. It's only about 4 foot tall. All the other trees make fun of it. The most promising tree towers more than 20 foot taller than it. Yet, it was the first to bear. Go figure.
What? You wanted to see this luscious fruit? OK!
OOOO... It looks so large. It's only 4" long. LOL. But as they say a harvest is a harvest! It's going into guac. a small serving of guac but darn it guac non-the-less! We really lucked out because it started to ripen on the tree while we were away in Alabama and this is what it looked like the day we came home. If we had been gone another 2-3 days it wouldn't have been any good and I would have cried!
 
Also on our harvest menu this week, and only this week the Concord grapes. Of course I didn't bother to tell the husband and kids not to eat them and when I came back from harvesting the peppers for the guacamole - well it was down to this...
From 3 bunches of grapes to a few measly nibbles left for the Mom. They left me what had fallen off the bunches. Lovely. I hate to tell them but it still tasted just fine. The fruit only split because of how much rain we've had lately. But I did learn a hard lesson. I didn't trim the vines back last year in hopes they would take over the play house this year. They didn't. Not only did they not grow as much, they didn't produce as nearly much. MUST. CUT. BACK. the grape vines. :-(
 
Last but not least on my harvest list for this week are some more sweet potatoes. I saw a few mounded up and really was craving some so I felt around the base of a few plants and grabbed these out from under them.

YUM!
 
Not on my harvest list, but harvest here in Florida by my parents in Jacksonville and gifted to me while I was visiting this weekend:

 
 

A big bunch of yummy tomatoes and one of my favorite things, EVER... Canned tomatoes.
I have serious issues with canning. I just can't get post doing it all by myself the first time. I know once I do it I'll be fine, but until then I am over joyed by receiving gifts like these!
I should say I also received some beans, but there is no proof! They are all gone! :-D
Just like the first jar of tomatoes. ;-) YUMMO! Thanks again, Nancy!
 
Guess it's time to get back to work for me. Tonight I have plenty to do. I have to separate one of my flock who is picking on another member. I'm hoping to curb the behavior even though I don't think it will work. I'm going to start with a week of isolation. Wish me luck!
 
See you soon!
Barbie~

15 comments:

  1. I wish I could grow avocados, but not up here. I'm with you on canning. Hard to drag out the the big pot and water bath canner and fire them up when it's 85° inside the house and no air conditioning. I would have to be in swim suit and flip flops with a case of beer iced up, but where's the pool?

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    1. The ppol? It's at my place. Hop on in! (Sorry, but true.) Problem is I don't have the experience with the canner.

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  2. Oh that avocado looks so delicious! I wish I could grow them here. One time I spent hours searching online for a variety that could survive in my area. I was unsuccessful and ended up looking at greenhouse designs and fell in love with a gorgeous greenhouse that would probably cost $30K, all to grow avocados. I finally woke up to the fact that I should just buy avocados!

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    1. I'm investing in a greenhouse for Alabama. No way I can leave my avacados all behind. I MUST have them. I'll jsut have to keep them bush style.

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  3. You can grow so many fun things in your area!! Our winters are so cold that we are stuck with just the boring old trees. Nothing as fun as avocados!!

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    1. AH, but I bet apples and other fruit abound that dont grow well here! Every area has it's perks. I love our warm weather and wouldn't change it, but would love some of the Northern foods, too.

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  4. Avocados and sweet potatoes! I'd love to be able to grow those! I'm still waiting for tomatoes too, so really enjoying seeing your beautiful harvest. You'll do fine canning when you finally try it!

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    1. Try sweets in pots. You'll be surprised at what you can grow by starting them in your house - and how decorative they are!

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  5. Mmmm, what a yummy harvest!I would love, love, love to grow avocado! So yummy!

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    1. :-) Indeed. Hopefully next year I'll be asking for ideas of how to preserve them!

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  6. Oh man...I'd cage that rascal if he were eating my avocados, too!!! I have fantasies of growing avocados but am not sure about carrying them inside every year when the temperature drops...though we do it with our tiny lemon tree in the hopes that it'll eventually produce something more than pretty green leaves... ;-)

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    1. HAHA, I have a mango I tote in and out because the ones we plant freeze. It's worth it for the stuff you are truly addicted to!

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  7. Squirrels live well in the yard of a gardener :)

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    1. That they do, but I think in some yards they die well, too. We are thinking about buying a humane trap and re-homing them to a park. FAR far away!

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  8. Congratulations on your avocado - very exciting indeed. They are marginal in my climate so I toy with the idea of planting one but they are just too big a tree to justify the space if in all likelihood we would hardly ever get fruit.

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