Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Denise's spring/summer harvest totals

As the year's last Early Girls slow roast in the oven, I'm totaling the season's harvest. I thought I'd wait until all the beds were empty, but that's not going to happen: some of the Sungolds are still fruiting, plenty of kale is going strong, and both the jalapeƱos and the jalapas are still producing, too.

So it looks like about 430 pounds. The biggest producers were
  • the summer squash: zucchini (89 lbs 4 oz from 3 plants) and scallopini (39 lbs 3 oz from 3 plants)
  • the tomatoes: Sungolds (27 lbs 15 oz from 4 plants) and Early Girls (63 lbs 6 oz from 4 plants---I didn't count the bush EGs, which hardly produced)
  • the winter squash, of course: butternut (14 lbs 15 oz from 2? 3? plants) and Lakota (18 lbs 13 oz from 3 plants)
  • the cucs, of all things: cucumbers (17 lbs from 4 plants) and lemon cucumbers (22 lbs 11 oz from 4 plants)
  • and the greens: True Siberian kale (24 lbs 2 oz) and Lacinato (13 lbs 13 oz and counting)
Like Stefani's total, mine doesn't include all the foraged food: blackberries, huckleberries, and mushrooms. I'll keep better track of those this year. In the last week or so alone we've gathered over 33 pounds of oyster mushrooms. Yippee!

Some were quite large.


All ended up sliced and fried up with garlic and plenty of olive oil, then frozen: instant dinner starter.

I'm not a big hot-pepper fan, so today I had to process over a pound of jalapeƱos that have gathered in the fridge. I pickled some with tiny potatoes from the garden and carrots (all prepped on the beautiful cutting board Kevin made for me of reclaimed redwood, black walnut, and cherry).

Some I just canned with lemon juice. I'm not sure the latter is officially sanctioned; I'll let you know. Pretty, though, isn't it?

And as we prep the back bed, we've given the chickens their first field trips. They're such dirt monkeys! And they left their first contributions to the soil.

10 comments:

Stefaneener said...

That tree is amazing. No wonder you're getting up at the crack of dawn! And the peppers are really very pretty. . . I hope they're good.

Unknown said...

Wonderful harvest. Thats a lot of great food!

I just got the fungi perfecti catalog in the mail today. Great fungi in there.

Kristin said...

Once you give those girls freedom they're going to whine for it all the time honey.

I love jalapenos. I'll trade you for figs.

So cool that you gals weighed it all--and what a total!

Amazing that you foraged for all those mushrooms.

The cutting board is splendid.

kitsapFG said...

Beautiful mushrooms and peppers! Good work on the production this season. Well done!

Mr. H. said...

Oh those mushrooms, and 33 pounds...wow. I bet they are so good. I need to get out and see if any of those might be growing in my neck of the woods.

I can't beleive how much kale you were able to produce, that's a lot.

Heather said...

And what a harvest is was (is)! I must keep track next year. I am intrigued by the idea of knowing how many pounds one can produce from home! Love the chicken picture!

Denise said...

Stefaneener, that was actually in the evening. You know the crack of noon is hard for me. Ooops, does that mean I can't be a farmer?

flowrgirl1, thanks! Fungi Perfecti rocks; Paul Stamets is going to save the world with mushrooms, and who can't get behind that?

Kristin, I'll trade you jalapenos for figs any day! Now let's just see how many more I can coax off that plant.

kitsapFG, thanks! The peppers make me smile when I open the cupboard.

Mr. H., do get out and look! Oysters are so boisterous, they often save the day when long walks through the most promising habitat at the absolute perfect time of year yield ZERO chanterelles and not a one porcino. (That was us yesterday.) Let me know---I'd love to hear what you find!

Heather, it is fun to keep track. I realize the poundage only says so much---what I'd really like is the percentage of total food intake that we grow---but it's what I can do right now. The chickens are a hoot. Congrats again on your first egg!!

Susan said...

I love all the mushroom pics. I have a hankering to go picking mushrooms. I haven't done it since I was 21 living in Leningrad. 430 lbs--wow--you must be growing bowling balls. I guess tomatoes are pretty hefty. My arugula is coming up. I want to eat the little babies right now. But I think they are lighter than air.

Heiko said...

I'm amazed as to how efficient you are keeping a running total of what you produce! I have trouble counting my fingers after a days working the land! And those Jalapenas in lemon juice do look good. I'll trade them for a couple of jars of green tomato chutney, or plum jam with grappa if you prefer...

Denise said...

Susan, yes, I'm growing bowling balls : ) It's going to take a heck of a lot of arugula to reach 430 pounds! When are you coming mushroom hunting with me?

Heiko, servus und herzlich Wilkommen! I'd probably be more tired if I had actual "land" to work instead of just one crowded garden, so keeping track isn't too hard. And I'll happily trade you pretty much anything you want for plum jam with grappa.