June 30, 2012

June Harvest 2012

I didn't get much early planting done this year, so there aren't many summer veggies to show. Just these...

Cucumbers! 

These are on the to-do list today to become relish.

Most of June's harvest has been things planted last fall or before, and fruit (no complaints about that). I've already told you about the peaches, also my garlic harvest and first half of the potatoes. My second potato bed produced a slightly better yield. In addition, I've harvested:

Onions

Of onions I've harvested two types: regular yellow from sets I planted March of 2011,

Finally harvesting onions from sets planted March 2011

and multiplier onions I planted last fall.

Multiplier onions planted last fall

They practically harvested themselves actually; they were just laying there on top of the ground. I'll save the largest ones to replant this fall.

Strawberries

I had no hopes of many strawberries because I had to move my bed again this year. While I was weeding the asparagus, I found these....

Strawberry harvest? This is it.

I reckon the only reason the birds didn't get them is because they were hidden under the weeds! Not enough for jam or strawberry shortcake, but I loved them on my morning cereal.

Blueberries  

First blueberries of the year, early!

Blueberries are early and thanks to all the rain, they are bountiful, plump, and sweet.

I've been freezing some of these and the other day canned seven quarts of pie filling. I had canned some two years ago, using the recipe from PickYourOwn.org. The pie filling was okay, the pies tasted just like a restaurant pie, i.e. lots of sauce and less fruit. This year I used the blueberry pie filling recipe from Putting Foods By. The recipe was much easier and used almost double the blueberries, so I'm curious as to how well we'll like it.

Rugosa Rose Hips

Rugosa rose hips

I've read that rose hips aren't ready to harvest until after a frost. Makes 'em sweeter they say. As you can see, quite a few of mine were drying on the bush, so I picked them. I'll dehydrate them to use at a later date.

Grapes

A handful of grapes

The grape vine was here when we got here. I found it hidden in the brush. The past two years the birds got most of them. This year I got them. They are sour and seedy, I assume wine grapes or for jelly. These are all I got, so I'll freeze them along with a few other things and make a mixed jelly later.

Nothing else to show, but I've got green tomatoes growing, borage blooming, cantaloupe vines blooming, a scattering of volunteer potatoes, and soup beans drying on the vine. I still have more to plant too. So tell me, how is your harvest coming along?

21 comments:

jean said...

Our harvest is coming along. I posted a harvest of carrots this morning. We have romaine lettuce and butternut, watermelon and pineapples. My grapevines and strawberries have a way to go. Hope to be harvesting more veggies next month. Please do have a great day, Leigh, and may more harvests be in your near future!

Tami said...

Your blueberries are so plump and jucy...I'm so jealous!

Stay cool Sista!

Nina said...

I've gotten a fair bit of lettuce.. two blueberries- there are about 4 more on the bushes, almost ripe and some onions, oregano and rosemary. I've harvested peas to add for dinners and enough to make for very good snacking :). Nothing else is ready quite yet here. In a couple of weeks though, there will beans galore, hopefully tomatoes, peppers and raspberries too.

Farmer Barb said...

Many farmers have to face trials. I had plenty of blueberries set, however, I also had plenty of the Striped Marauders to pluck them off before I got up. The Chippies got every jostaberry, blackcurrant, gooseberry, and strawberry. How did you protect your blueberries?

By, the way, my chickens went bonkers over cucumber yesterday. The trimmings made a cool treat.

Theresa said...

What harvest?? None here but yours is making my mouth water. Of course I do have the farmer's market
and Rainer Cherries are coming in season. I'm in cherry heaven.

Mama Pea said...

Your harvest may seem on the smallish side but it's way ahead of ours! I'd love to take a big bite out of one of those cucs.

So far (and we are very much behind this year) we've got a little lettuce, the last of the radishes (too hot now), loads of scallions and the strawberries are really coming in now.

I'll trade you a quart of strawberries for one of those cucs . . .

Amy Dingmann said...

Looks great! Your blueberries look amazing. The only thing we harvested this year so far are raspberries in a surprise patch we didn't realize was so big when we moved to the farm. I'm making jam today! :) Like Mama Pea, we're really far behind here. It's fun to see your pictures. Makes me hungry!

Woolly Bits said...

fruit - hm, the red currants are ripening and I have to net them, if I want any of them:) same for strawbs... gooseberries on the other hand I could open a shop with! the first blueberries are ripening, but not enough for more than a taster - yet. the bushes are full! lettuce, garlic, lots of herbs, the first mangetout, some pak choi, but the best of all:lots of kale nero di toscana! yum, fried with a bit of bacon and eaten with mash - perfect:)) so far it's not looking too bad, though apples, pears, plums etc. are dysmal as usual....

Renee Nefe said...

all I've been able to harvest so far has been onions that I used for veggie broth (bought the rest of the veggies and they shorted me on the turnips with extra potatoes :P )

Most of my plants have finally got flowers on them again and my lettuce is almost ready to pick.

Leigh said...

Jean, that's so amazing that you can have all that at the same time. Lettuce is pretty much a winter crop here. Would love to have it with some summer veggies for salads.

Tami, stay cool! LOL. That is the challenge. :)

Nina, our peas are long gone. And I forgot about mentioning herbs. Thanks for the reminder. :)

Barb, that's a fact! The only pest problems I've had with my blueberries has been the goats. :) That is until Dan put a fence around the bush. The songbirds usually get the ones on top, but I can't really reach those anyway. :)

Theresa, there's almost nothing better than a good farmer's market, except homegrown of course. :) I envy those cherries!

Mama Pea, I am so pleased with the cucumbers. I fear this heat wave though, will do them in. That's why I had to make the relish a priority.

Mama Tea, I'd love to trade you blueberries for raspberries! I love raspberry anything but mine are pretty small yet.

Bettina, mmm gooseberries and currants. Two things I can't grow. The kale dish sounds fantastic! I'll have to try that next time I grow kale.

Renee, I'm so glad to hear your garden is doing well after that hail storm. You've had your challenges over the years, so success is sweet!

Unknown said...

I wish I could grow blueberries here, but I'd need pots. The soil's too alkaline... but I buy frozen and make a great cobbler!

Anonymous said...

Good morning Leigh, So far we have havested lettuce, tomatoes, radishes, potatoes, beets & tons of different herbs. The herbs like the hot humid weather here is SE Pa. something is eating my green beans and cucumbers? Since I don't use any spray I guess we will just have fat bugs.. Out of 30 strawberries that we planted only 3 came up. My grandaughter was really sad about that. stay cool. Elizabeth

Crustyrusty said...

We won't have to use the dehydrator on our vegetables this year it seems...

Michelle said...

I planted a micro-garden. 12 tomatoes, 12 peppers, perennial onions, lettuces, mints, basil, cilantro, and eggplant. We are eating it as fast as it ripens. :-) I guess it's a true kitchen garden.

Julene said...

Looks good! Gardening is learned by reading but mostly by trial and error. And..the region we all live in changes the expectation. We don't begin to get a harvest until late July and August. Corn come in the first of September. It's a long wait!
I made soup today with carrot and beet tops. We needed to thin the rows and I thought there must something to do with the tender tops. Take a look: http://belocaliciousutah.blogspot.com/2011/05/carrot-top-and-red-lentil-soup.html

Frenchie said...

So far I have harvested a really small bowl of blueberries and 3 zucchini. I planted my garden really late this year, first week of June. I have some blossoms on my tomatoes, some peppers, and watermelon, but I don't expect to get any fruit for at least a month. My blueberries are planted in pots because are soil is so alkaline. This year we finally had more than just a few berries per bush. Then the birds started sneaking a few so I put bird netting over them. Then the squirrels!! The bird netting didn't stop them, they just climbed underneath it and broke several branches while eating the berries!

Sue said...

Oh how I wish I was harvesting anything! Potatoes haven't even sprouted yet, rhubarb is looking punk. Weather has been too cool to plant out tomatoes or other tender veggies. Strawberry plants I put in last year all died off. Thank goodness for the farmer's markets!

Leigh said...

Nancy, that would be sad. :( I imagine though, that you can grow some things that our acid soils can't.

Elizabeth, that's disappointing about the strawberries. :( I don't blame your granddaughter for being disappointed. Birds usually get most of mine, LOL

Crusty, LOL! I actually am trying to dehydrate something without the dehydrator this year. Heat and low humidity! Though hot is hot no matter now humid. Or so I say.

Michelle, sounds excellent! What kind of perennial onions? My pepper plants didn't come up and I'm sad about that.

Julene, that is so true. There's no one-size-fits-all garden. Great idea about the thinnings. We've always eaten our beet thinnings, but not the carrots. Of course those get fed to the goats. :)

Frenchie, interesting about your garden. Seems like quite a few of us were late. Those squirrels are outrageously sneaky!

Sue, rhubarb! Sorry to hear yours isn't doing well. I've given up on trying to keep mine alive. After 3 years it is still puny. I agree about a good farmer's market. Hurray for good farmers!

Norma from Misty Haven Alpacas said...

Yum! Blueberries!
We've had spinach and radishes to date. Our first big garden, so we are learning to tackle issues...like potato bugs (Ick!)
N

bspinner said...

What a bountyful harvest. You are so lucky. Everything looks so yummy.

Shae said...

I haven't gotten much of a harvest here, since we are coming out of a drought with record temps in the 100's here. I got my first cucumber and 3 tomatoes yesterday morning. A few beans, and the squash bugs seem to be killing my zucchini plants :(