August 5, 2013

Harvest Monday, 8/5/13

Tuesday's harvest: Eggplant, zucchini, and summer squash are really starting to coming in and we are still getting a few cucumbers although the plants look like they are on the downward slide into oblivion.
This is from the same Tuesday picking, more summer squash and zucchini. Look how the overgrown squash on the right look like shmoos, those wonderful mythical beings who love to be eaten (they were not counted in this weeks weigh in).
Friday and Saturday's harvest: Tomatoes were picked along with fresh hot peppers which were canned into 16 jars of salsa on Saturday, the jars are 3/4 of a quart so about 12 quarts total. Plus the 2 quart jars in the fridge were refilled for cooking and immediate consumption.
Sunday's harvest: A handful of Red Noodle yard long pole beans, okra, a single cucumber, and all manner of eggplants. The little round eggplants are a bit different then normal eggplant, they have a firmer texture perfect for soups and simmered coconut curries.

The garden is looking very overgrown and crazy messy. Pictures will be shared later this week. Shield shaped squash bugs are all over the eggplants, tomatoes, and pole beans. There are swarms of flea beetles amongst the eggplants. And vine borers have decimated a few winter squash vines. It has been raining too regularly for me to dust the plants with diatomaceous earth but something will have to be done soon.

I have been thinking about a fall garden in an abstract way, I don't know if I'm up for it. Maybe if the garden was flagging but there is so much canning and processing to be done. Pickled okra and hot peppers, dried eggplant, and maybe some tomato sauce are planned for the future.

This week's harvest:
17.89 pounds tomato
13.07 pounds eggplant
6.90 pounds zucchini
3.66 pounds summer squash
3.57 pounds cucumber
2.47 pounds hot pepper
0.79 pound okra

Totals: 48.35 pounds vegetables

Please join us for Harvest Monday hosted by Daphne's Dandelions.

7 comments:

nutmeg gardener said...

You have so many nice vegetables that I have had no luck with this year! I'd love to have some of your eggplant! I have exactly one tiny eggplant fruit growing out of about 20 plants. All looks great!

Jenny Rottinger said...

WOW! that's a lot of eggplants and squash! Love seeing all those jars with canned salsa!

gardenvariety-hoosier said...

Your garden is amazingly productive. You must really love eggplant. I'm guessing that you preserve much of it. I canned six pints of salsa this weekend and that was all the cutting and dicing I wanted, especially the hot peppers. Hope you can stay ahead of the insect invasions.

Annie*s Granny said...

I think I probably have a few Shmoos hiding out in my garden, too! I was hoping, by removing 2 of my 3 plants, they'd be easier to find and keep picked...but they double in size overnight! I'm loving the jars of salsa I'm getting from the garden now. I just had another one of my kids stop by to pick up his share :-)

Anonymous said...

Wow! I thought that I've been busy in the kitchen and you're picking so much more than me. We have 8 eggplant plants, and they haven't started producing yet. I've got my fingers crossed that we get as much as you one day! Have fun in the kitchen, and go for the fall garden!!

Michelle said...

Lots of beautiful eggplant! I'm still waiting for my first one, but in the meantime the squash are filling the gap, more than filling the gap. It all looks great. I wish I could grow those noodle beans, but it's just not warm enough here. I'll just have to admire yours instead.

Mac said...

Wow all those eggplants and squashes, I've never grown the long green eggplants before, how's the texture and taste compare to the long purple variety?