Fresh Picked

Here is today's harvest.

Harvest

While summer has come to an end, here are a few things we have harvested from our yard. We have used a lot of the tomatoes for sauce, which we have frozen for winter. Once we harvest all the tomatoes in the hoop houses we will see what we can plant over winter in those areas.

Tomato

this tomato is very pretty inside, it was very delicious, also. We just sprinkled it with sea salt(from Salt Island, BVI) and a little chopped basil. These tomatoes also made a wonderful BLT.

spider webs

The spiders were busy overnight, they decorated our little pine tree.

Broccoli

broccoli is almost ready for harvest!

Having fun with all the variety of product we have grown this year!

More potatoes please Sir!!!

Havested some more potatoes. These varieties are for baking and mashed.

Torpedo Onions

Harvested all of the torpedo onions. Letting them dry for a day or two.

Did you say Cheddar!

Cheddar Cauliflower! We are going to have this for dinner tonight!

Sliced Purple haze Carrots

They were very nice with are salad!

Summer harvest

Some more purple haze carrots!

This is our first meal where everything on the plate was from our garden. We harvested everything today except for the beets (see golden beets below), they were picked a few weeks ago and pickled. The menu consisted of potatoes baked on the grill, purple haze carrots, curried yellow squash, salad with sungold tomatoes and nastursium, raw broccoli, kolrahbi and freshly made applesauce. Nothing better than fresh picked vegetables!

Broccoli

Actually, this is a very small bud. I put the camera on Micro and moved it close. We should have a good head of broccoli in a couple days.

Green tomatoes

Since we have put up the hoop houses the tomatoes are growing at a faster rate. We pull the sides up during the day to get more heat in and at night lower the sides to keep the heat in. I will start to put lighted candles in the hoop house soon to give a little more heat at night. I will just put the candles in a water bath, so I feel safe during the night.

Red Onions

This is the first year I have been successful at growing onions. We have shared some with neighbors, pickled julienne cut onions and a few made it on a pulled pork sandwich. The rest are hanging in a basket in the kitchen waiting for further instructions. I need to make a cold cellar.

Golden beets

Just harvested these golden beets. We cleaned them up and put them in water and simmered them until they were cooked all the way through. We pickled them for later eatings.

Helping Summer along!

We put these two hoop houses over the tomatoes because we have not had a consistent summer of temperatures for tomatoes. Last two days in the low 70's during the day, 50's at night. I guess that is why most commercial growers here do Green houses, hot house etc.

Pumpkin Flower

Good night pumpkin!

Pumpkin Flower

Good morning pumpkin

Onion harvest

Pulled up Red onions and a variety called torpedo red onions. Roasted with for dinner. When I pull the next onions I need to let them dry out for a day or two.

First Potatoes

It just amazes me how putting one potato in the ground can yield 8 lbs. or more of product. This is the first plant variety that I pulled up today. They are purple potatoes. We roasted them on the BBQ just in olive oil, salt and pepper. Yummmmmm!

It's almost Carrot Time!!!

We pulled this Purple haze carrot out today to see what size the carrots are. They need a little more time in the ground. We had that in our salad for dinner

Now it's Summer Time

We have had our first summer temperatures. We went from 67 degrees to 97, 95, and today it is 83. The garden is loving it. Now we need the summer here to stay for a long time. Here in the NW we have had a slow start with produce. Great plants, now we need the fruit to ripen

Strong winds

We have had some nasty weather. We haven't had a summer yet. The highest temp has been 77. I put the left over metal from the fence around the tomato plants to protect them from the winds. It also adds some heat.

POTATOES

Can't wait until the end of July for some potatoes

First English Radishes from the garden. We went to the farmers market on Sunday. As we walked around we noticed that we really didn't need to buy anything. We have variety of greens, radishes, carrots, potatoes etc. It was a really nice feeling!

Our Roses are blooming! So do not forget to stop and smell the roses!

While the spring rains are falling they are not kind to the iris once it has bloomed. This was taken during our short warm spell, I think it lasted about 5 days. This is my favorite iris, it's only downfall is that it smells like a rootbeer float. Which by they way smells pretty good but everytime I walk by them I start craving rootbeer floats. I guess I will go get some rootbeer now!

Compost tumbler

Kelly is making us a compost tumbler from a 55 gallon drum. We have composted for years it will now be nice to just turn it instead of pitch forking it.

One more raised bed

The raised bed on the front left hand side is the one we just finished. It's 8 pm and time to relax.

We now have 7 raised beds in the front yard.

Blueberry flowers

We have planted 3 blueberry bushes in the front yard. This is a great picture of the flowers on one of the bushes.

Metal Trellis

Put a metal trellis in the lettuce bed. I started dakota peas and will finish putting the rest in today. We just had a rain shower with thunder in the distance. The sun is out again. There is nothing like eating a pea right out of the garden.

Purple haze Carrots

I am planting purple haze carrots. They are purple on the outside and orange on the inside. They lose the purple color when you cook them. Great flavor. I don't like to thin out, I feel like I am wasting the product so I planted each carrot seed one inch apart. Time consuming I know.

Rhubarb

We might make rhubarb and strawberry pie, or chutney or jam from this plant. As we are adding plants to the yard it is getting exciting to see when everything grows how it will look.

Artichoke

This is the first of two for the front yard. Will use it for food, plus they have beautiful flowers

Apple blossoms

With Carols help of thinning last time she was here we should have a good crop of apples this years

Maggie's New Leash

Maggie likes her new leash, especially when she gets to go to the park. I made this leash last weekend because her old one was falling apart.

Starts

I have quite a few starts in the green house. Peas, beans, tomatoes, soy beans. onions etc.

Signs, signs everywhere a sign

We got this sign last year at the farmers market. I haven't used any sprays for years. All certified organic practices. This is in our first bed by the street. Hopeing no one will steal it.

A new bed

This is our 4th raised bed. We bought cherry wood this time around. We will have 3 more beds made soon. I am thinking of putting lettuce and spinach is this onel

Inspector is here

As I have just about filled the 3 beds the inspector is coming around to make sure I have done it right

Spring is here!

We must have about 100 daffodils planted on the side of our house and a few the squirrels have placed in the beds over winter