Monday, September 23, 2013

Harvest Monday

I can't believe another week of September has gone by already! I had every intention to do another garden post between the Harvest Mondays but the days just flew. It has been a busy week. I actually went shopping twice. To the mall. Nowadays that seems like something out of a different life, but I needed a dress for a wedding we were to attend this weekend and boy, those aren't so easy to find these days! The Bible club for children that I administer at my church started up this week so I was running around preparing for that too. All I really got done garden-wise was harvesting and preparing and canning tomato sauce and a batch of salsa. The garden looks pretty lame but the harvests are still coming in.
 Here they are in all their glory: my eight butternut squashes and one buttercup. Four years ago after every single one of my winter squash plants died squashless, to paraphrase Scarlet O'Hara I said "As God is my witness, I WILL grow a winter squash!" Each year since there has been improvement. Yay! I actually grew nine butternuts this year, but the smallest broke off its stem and began to decay, so I cooked the good (and not quite ripe) part. Not only are these the most butternuts I've ever grown, but they are also the largest, so I'm quite pleased. I actually like the taste of buttercup squash better and the one in the photo is a beauty. I was able to grow three others which are a bit (or a lot) smaller. At the top left of the photo above the squashes are two honeydew melons. My melons all did very poorly, with only three getting to a usable size. These two weren't fully ripe, but still tasted good.
 My honeydews are so rare around here they are taking another bow in this pic! Above also are the first of my fall Hakurai turnips. They turned out beautiful and I still have a batch growing which will be picked this week. The bowl is full of arugula and as you can see I got one Lipstick pepper and a couple of the last cucumbers.
 Pretty close to the last eggplant, peppers and tomatoes were brought in this week too. Just when I think the Gold Marie Vining beans have had it they put out another batch of yellow beans for me. The Chinese Red Noodle beans are still coming in nicely and I'm still getting more green beans than we need.
 My scallions were another interplanting success. I planted them in spring between the early cabbage and they are looking very good now. On the plate you see two tiny watermelons. The vines were dead, so I picked them. They made two tasty mouthfuls. I have one small watermelon that actually has some size to it (maybe about the size of a duckpin bowling ball) and I'm anxious to pick it, but I think it's not quite ready. It'll be another first for this garden. Like winter squash, I have a long way to go to successful melon growing!
 There's still plenty of kale! The late summer bugs are doing a number on it though!
And lastly, more beans, beans, beans! That the Harvest Monday haul this time around! Be sure to head over to Daphne's Dandelions to see what gardeners all over the world are harvesting this week!

20 comments:

  1. Beautiful, beautiful harvest! I know what you mean about the squash. I have had a great year this year, I started them very early inside and got them growing really good before I put them out and I think that helped. My buttercups gave me several but the vines were killed quicker than all the other varieties I had. Good thing they produced quickly!
    We use to have a bible club at my church once a week but we are small and not enough workers. My kids really miss it, but it is a lot of work. I am glad for those who have the heart for it!

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    1. Thanks Shawn Ann! I'm glad you had a good year for squash! I love winter squash, so can never have too much of it.

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  2. Great harvest! My butternuts, if I can succesfully keep them alive, won't be ready until close to Thanksgiving. I have several small ones now, hoping the bugs/disease don't get them first.

    I had one melon this year, it was almost ripe and then I found snail holes all over it, ugh! I have a few tiny ones (pea sized) starting in my aeroponic tower so I'll hold out hope for those.

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    1. Well, good luck with your butternuts and your melons! They seem to have so many pests that love them as much as we do! Thanks for visiting here!

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  3. Haha, do you think we kind of overdid the beans this year? I think I'll be planting about half as many next year. Your turnips look so pristine. I just cannot grow turnips to save my soul. Either they refuse to form roots and have gorgeous tops (and we don't like turnip greens), or the do grow roots but our wireworms ruin them.

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    1. Oh yeah, those beans! But I'm a glutton for punishment and at least they grow for me! Turnips seem to do better for me as a fall crop and I like the Hakurai variety more than any other I've tried. Have you tried them?

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  4. Gorgeous harvest! Love those gorgeous beans and huray on squash harvest!

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    1. Thanks Jenny! It's good to have a goal, but I think the beans can slow down a little now!

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  5. Congrats on your success with the squashes. They sure are beautiful. Lovely beans harvest. My red noodle beans are finished for the year.

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    1. Thanks! My noodle beans are slowing down but I still have some coming. And I am sure glad about the squashes because we do love winter squash.

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  6. Congratulations on the squash harvest, wasn't a good year up here with the PM. Your Gold Marie beans always seem to be glowing, I may try those next year and see if I can get over my yellow vegetable phobia (scarred by my mother's cooking and canned wax beans).

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    1. Ha, David I grew up on canned green beans and peas! They are definitely different from what we get out of the garden!

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  7. Your beans and winter squash are just gorgeous. We had very little of both this year, so they look especially special ;-)

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    1. That is too bad about your beans and squash! If you lived near here I'd be sure to give you some beans, because I've been swimming in them this year!

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  8. Beautiful harvests. I haven't picked my butternuts yet. The vines are dying quickly though. I just hope the late planted ones will be ripe enough when I pick them.

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    1. Thank you! I just hope I didn't jump the gun picking my squash, but they were on mostly dead vines so I went ahead.

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  9. Your garden is still doing great! Glad that you are becoming successful growing butternut squash. Nancy

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    1. Well, things are slowing down, but there is still harvest coming in. I'm ready for a little slowing down myself!

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  10. Beautiful and abundance harvest, the yellow beans look lovely, I've grown wax beans but not yellow Romano variety, does it taste like regular yellow wax beans?

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    1. I've only ever had fresh wax beans once a few years ago, so I really don't know if the Gold Marie's taste the same, but I'm thinking pretty close. They definitely have a different mouth feel than regular green beans.

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