Harvest Monday 9.19.11

It's Harvest Monday again. Autumn edition! Linking in once again to Daphne's Dandelions to join in the fun and see what people are harvesting all over the world.

This Monday we are featuring HOT PEPPERS galore.

Nearly a pound of these hot little beauties were harvested. They'll be chopped and frozen flat to be used in soups and stews and chilis and stir fries for the rest of the year. We should have enough pickled peppers to see us through until spring now and I certainly have enough dry cayenne.

I harvested another 2 cups of basil that I made pesto out of. This one was a pesto cheese sauce that was astronomically delish on pasta.

The beans finished off the majority of the harvest. The final Holstein beans were harvested. Any more that I might find would be seed only if they weren't molded. Most of what I harvested were mildewed or moldy. The rains finally stopped but it was too late. Most of my garden has succumbed to either mold, mildew or bugs now. 

 The itty bitty rice peas are still hanging on but they are looking a little rusty. The limas are too, but considering their age that is not one little bit surprising. The beans are still good and I got about another pound this week so they are not at risk of losing any territory yet. :-) A copper spray will hopefully help them hang on a while longer. It's one of the few sprays non organic that I seem to always turn to in times like this.

The garden is suffering. We've gone from massive monsoons straight into drought. Tides will change a few more times before the dry weather stays for the winter but right now the pepper plants are defoliating in answer so some of the hot peppers are getting sun scald and the leaves are getting spotty but I'm pretty sure the plants will be fine over all. The bells I'm not so sure of. It seems the fungal/spots have set into the stems and while the hot peppers are setting like crazy they are not even blooming. This is a major disappointment. I've saved 3 bell plants through our horrible summer and that is no easy task. I thought I made it but maybe not after all. It's a wait and see game for them now. 2 other bell plants I wasn't sure about have shown that they indeed have lost their battle. They are too diseased and stressed and need to come out before spreading their ickyness.

The corn is down to only 7 stalks. That is worrisome but there is nothing I can do at this point.

Oh I nearly forgot. I also harvest a pint of grapes. I FINALLY brought the grapes into the house. :-) Rather than eating them as they ripened I actually got enough at once to bring in. Of course that is the final grape count but I actually got a bowl of them!

The final tally to add is a half cup of mulberries. I have to constantly try to remember to get out there in the morning to get them. Otherwise they are gone before I get there. The trees all need pruned but the weather is so good I am afraid to prune what really needs to be done. If I do what is necessary I'm worried they will all start regrowth and then get burned in an early frost. It would hurt my heart to see such tender young growth get hurt so I'll try to hold off another month or two before I prune. It's so hard to wait when everything NEEDS pruning now! All the trees are in need, not just this one. *sigh*

'Till next time!

Barbie~

(Not Quite) Harvest Monday

Well Harvest Monday fell on Labor Day and I'll be darned if I didn't slack off on my day off!
We swam, and had a cook out. We relaxed and yes I did do some gardening too- but NOT MUCH!

 

I did harvest this week though. Broccoli as a matter of fact. 1.2 stinking ounces of wonderful yummy *tiny* goodness. 1 lb of limas, a couple limes, a lemon, a pound of dry beans,  a cup and a half of mulberries, 2 cups of basil which was about 3 ounces maybe.... and some hot peppers for our burgers, an onion... when you are cooking out sometimes things just jump out of the garden at you (like those limes, for the beers)
I also made the yummiest, moistest, most delicious cake with one of my packets of pumpkin. One of my neighbors who swore up and down that she didn't like squash or pumpkin was there to give it a try, boy did I show her.... She liked it! :-D Her kids all gobbled it up and they don't eat any veggies so we definitely have a winner! (We didn't tell the kids. teehee)
There will be no pictures of this cake because, well it was devoured while still warm. While it was cooking all of us were drooling over the smell of it. Once it came out it was game over!
See you next Monday!

'Till next time!

Barbie~

Harvest Monday 9/13/2010

Figured I had better start dating these. :-)

I'm joining in the fun over at Daphne's for Harvest Monday! Stop on by and see what others are harvesting, too.

I have the hardest time with the picture uploader the last 2 weeks - so here goes nothing. Since it is still summer heat here my harvests are still trying to change. I'm still gathering loads of okra every other day, plus the odd cucumber here or there. My girls each grabbed a cuke this week and were noshing with some ranch before I could snap a picture but the rest is here. 3 more trays worth (2 gallons) of okra in the freezer. I don't really need more than that to see me through spring. With the 3 trays already in I'm set until I can harvest next year. More never hurt though so I am collecting and freezing. I did find 2 persons who wanted some so 3 more gallons went that way as well.

The tabasco peppers are stillin full force as well. Now the Jalepenos, and serannos are getting ready to join the crowd it looks like their flowers will finally set fruit again this week. The bells are flowering again, but the blossoms drop by days end still so another 2-3 week for them.

This week my harvest wasn' t all in the garden. Some of the most important things were 'harvested' work done inside. We defrosted the freezer and got it ready to go for the green bean harvest which should ensue very soon, and we stacked our washer and dryer so that I can hang clothes easier as they are done - also allowing us more storage space on either side of the set now. YIPPPEEE - I'm ALL for space AND easier. :-)

This little munchkinite gets her very own cameo - she was mad that her sister stole the spotlight last week by squishing her cheeks. So here is my B girl looking bright-eyed and bushy tailed after getting caught with a stolen cuke!

Grr- yes the picture thing is giving me grief again. You know - I just got settled in on this blog I REALLY don't want to look for somewhere else with better photo stuff.... ugh.

Til next time~
Barbie