What can you do with excess crops? It seems like only a week ago we had very little, but as you can see now (harvest below) we are in excess. Of course you can give stuff away. Perhaps even better, in using the concept of "distributed agrigulture", you can barter with friends and neighbors. Perhaps you have extra pears now and they may have extra tangerines in the winter.
That may be too much for you to do though. I am really quite lazy at heart and in a previous post talked about how a garden saves time because we do so little food shopping when the garden is in full swing (what was a long weekly shopping trip now is a quick stop for bread and milk).
Here are some ideas for excess crops that take little time:
1) Cukes - See pickle recipe in last post
2) Peaches - Cut in half, take out pit, and freeze on cookie sheet. Put in ziploc bag and you have peaches all year for baking, smoothies, etc.
3) Zukes - Our kids (and us) love BBQ zukes. We ate almost 3 lbs for dinner yesterday. Simply slice lengthwise, coat with a little olive oil, then Balsalmic Vinegar, salt and pepper. BBQ skin side down first then flip to the sides.
Any other quick ideas out there?
Harvested
Day 31
1) Eight pears ($6.50)
2) Ten peaches ($5.00)
Day 32
1) Four zuchinni ($5.00)
2) Three cucumbers ($3.00)
3) Five pickling cukes ($1.50)
4) Ten peaches ($5.00)
5) Basket of Strawberries ($2.00)
6) 1/2 pound green grapes ($1.00)
7) Three pounds frozen peaches ($6.00)
Total Harvested (Year-to-Date): $181.50
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $6.00
Monday, August 2, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Days 29, 30 - Plentiful Harvests
It is times like these that make you want to have that garden. A couple of peaches to start the day right off of the tree, a fresh cucumber with lunch, and perhaps some barbequed zuchinni for dinner. All within easy reach!!
What do I have in the garden right now?
Eight beds:
Full Sun
1) Cucumbers
2) Tomatoes
Almost Full Sun
3) Zuchinni
4) Tomatoes
Partial Shade (wish I had more sun)
5) Green Beans
6) Green Beans
Quite Shady
7) Chard
8) Potatoes (this is an experiment...I had some potatoes that were sprouting, so I planted them)
I will update the blog as the content of the beds changes.
Harvested
Day 29
1) Two bunches of Chard ($6.00)
2) Two zuchinni ($1.50)
3) Four peaches ($2.00)
Day 30
1) Four cucumbers ($2.50)
2) Eight peaches ($4.00)
3) Basket of Cherry Tomatoes ($2.00)
4) One Lemon Boy Tomato ($0.50)
Total Harvested (Year-to-Date): $146.50
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $6.00
What do I have in the garden right now?
Eight beds:
Full Sun
1) Cucumbers
2) Tomatoes
Almost Full Sun
3) Zuchinni
4) Tomatoes
Partial Shade (wish I had more sun)
5) Green Beans
6) Green Beans
Quite Shady
7) Chard
8) Potatoes (this is an experiment...I had some potatoes that were sprouting, so I planted them)
I will update the blog as the content of the beds changes.
Harvested
Day 29
1) Two bunches of Chard ($6.00)
2) Two zuchinni ($1.50)
3) Four peaches ($2.00)
Day 30
1) Four cucumbers ($2.50)
2) Eight peaches ($4.00)
3) Basket of Cherry Tomatoes ($2.00)
4) One Lemon Boy Tomato ($0.50)
Total Harvested (Year-to-Date): $146.50
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $6.00
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Day 27, 28 - Here come the cukes!!
The cucumbers are coming. Now some people think that you can get too many cucumbers out of a garden...not our family. Our kids devour them as fast as I can harvest them and they have the cooling properties that a hot summer needs (not that this summer has been hot).
I plant standard sized cucumbers and pickling cucumbers. We will eat the standard sized fresh and I have an easy recipe for the pickling cukes. I am not one for a lot of work and you will love this pickle recipe for its ease.
It came from my grandma and I remember the crock-pot pickles that she and my grandpa used to make. Well, these are just as good or better.
Here it is:
7 cups water
1 cup vinegar
1/3 cup salt
dill and garlic as desired
1) Boil the water, vinegar, and salt so that the salt becomes part of the solution. Do not boil the cucumbers.
2) Pack the pickling cucumbers into a large jar with the dill and garlic on the bottom.
3) Pour the liquid from step 1 into the jar.
4) Cover and put in the fridge for 3 days.
5) Eat and enjoy. These are not for long-term shelf life...but they will be so good it will not matter!! They will not last that long.
Day 27
1) Six pickling cucumbers ($1.00)
2) Basket of cherry tomatoes ($2.00)
Day 28
1) 15 peaches ($7.50)
2) 7 pears ($5.00)
Total Harvested (Year-to-Date): $128.00
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $6.00
I plant standard sized cucumbers and pickling cucumbers. We will eat the standard sized fresh and I have an easy recipe for the pickling cukes. I am not one for a lot of work and you will love this pickle recipe for its ease.
It came from my grandma and I remember the crock-pot pickles that she and my grandpa used to make. Well, these are just as good or better.
Here it is:
7 cups water
1 cup vinegar
1/3 cup salt
dill and garlic as desired
1) Boil the water, vinegar, and salt so that the salt becomes part of the solution. Do not boil the cucumbers.
2) Pack the pickling cucumbers into a large jar with the dill and garlic on the bottom.
3) Pour the liquid from step 1 into the jar.
4) Cover and put in the fridge for 3 days.
5) Eat and enjoy. These are not for long-term shelf life...but they will be so good it will not matter!! They will not last that long.
Day 27
1) Six pickling cucumbers ($1.00)
2) Basket of cherry tomatoes ($2.00)
Day 28
1) 15 peaches ($7.50)
2) 7 pears ($5.00)
Total Harvested (Year-to-Date): $128.00
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $6.00
Monday, July 26, 2010
Days 24, 25, 26 - Garden as a Time-Saver
Sorry about not posting for awhile. Wife was out on a business trip and was busy with the kiddos.
We were talking the other day and something that I have noticed about having a garden so readily available is how it really can be a time-saver. We are pretty much living off our garden now as far as produce goes, a friend my wife delivers fresh eggs each week from her own chickens, and we are part of a local meat-buying club for our meat. What does this leave to shop for? Milk, bread, and coffee!! At least for the weekly shopping trip. That means that shopping is made simple!!
It also means that everything is fresh. What do we want for dinner? Go out to the garden. Lunch? Garden. Fruit to snack on? It is out there. Not hard store-bought peaches but ripe one right off the tree. Not ragged zuchinni...freshly cut so that the juices are still seeping out as you cut them up. And all it takes is a walk out to the garden.
Harvests
Day 24
1) Three peaches ($1.50)
2) Three pears ($2.00)
3) Three zuchinni ($4.00)
4) One Lemon-Boy Tomato ($0.50)
Day 25
1) Ten peaches ($5.00)
2) Five pears ($3.50)
Day 26
1) Two bunches of Chard ($6.00)
2) One zuchinni ($0.50)
3) Six peaches ($3.00)
4) Basket of Strawberries ($2.00)
Total Harvested (Year-to-Date): $112.50
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $6.00
We were talking the other day and something that I have noticed about having a garden so readily available is how it really can be a time-saver. We are pretty much living off our garden now as far as produce goes, a friend my wife delivers fresh eggs each week from her own chickens, and we are part of a local meat-buying club for our meat. What does this leave to shop for? Milk, bread, and coffee!! At least for the weekly shopping trip. That means that shopping is made simple!!
It also means that everything is fresh. What do we want for dinner? Go out to the garden. Lunch? Garden. Fruit to snack on? It is out there. Not hard store-bought peaches but ripe one right off the tree. Not ragged zuchinni...freshly cut so that the juices are still seeping out as you cut them up. And all it takes is a walk out to the garden.
Harvests
Day 24
1) Three peaches ($1.50)
2) Three pears ($2.00)
3) Three zuchinni ($4.00)
4) One Lemon-Boy Tomato ($0.50)
Day 25
1) Ten peaches ($5.00)
2) Five pears ($3.50)
Day 26
1) Two bunches of Chard ($6.00)
2) One zuchinni ($0.50)
3) Six peaches ($3.00)
4) Basket of Strawberries ($2.00)
Total Harvested (Year-to-Date): $112.50
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $6.00
Friday, July 23, 2010
Days 22, 23 - Summer feels like it is here!!
Summer in the garden means Peaches and Tomatoes. Well, the time has come, albiet a bit late, and sure later than I am used to when I lived in Santa Barbara. I remember ripe tomatoes in late June or early July. Did not have the pleasure of fruit trees back then...so I cannot comment on Peaches.
People ask what fruit trees I might plant if I had only a limited space...like space for only two trees. If I had to pick two trees, they would have to be Peach for the summer and a Navel Orange for the winter. Both are prolific and if you follow Dave Wilson Nursery's tips on Peach trees, you can plant four successively ripening trees in one "hole" and have peaches for two months. A good Orange tree will also give you fruit for two months. That gives you four months of backyard fruit, including winter fruit which is essential in my opinion!!
Harvested the past couple of days:
Day 22:
1) One bunch of chard ($3.00)
2) One Lemon Boy Tomato ($1.00)
Day 23:
1) Six Peaches ($3.00)
Total Harvested (Year-to-Date): $84.50
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $6.00
People ask what fruit trees I might plant if I had only a limited space...like space for only two trees. If I had to pick two trees, they would have to be Peach for the summer and a Navel Orange for the winter. Both are prolific and if you follow Dave Wilson Nursery's tips on Peach trees, you can plant four successively ripening trees in one "hole" and have peaches for two months. A good Orange tree will also give you fruit for two months. That gives you four months of backyard fruit, including winter fruit which is essential in my opinion!!
Harvested the past couple of days:
Day 22:
1) One bunch of chard ($3.00)
2) One Lemon Boy Tomato ($1.00)
Day 23:
1) Six Peaches ($3.00)
Total Harvested (Year-to-Date): $84.50
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $6.00
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Day 21 - The Pear
Harvested the first of the Bartlett Pears today. Speaking with my Old Italian Guy (OIG) neighbor who benefits from my Pear tree by having the tree hang over his fence, he commented how Pears do not get the respect that they used to get. I have to agree!! When we moved into this house, the Pear tree was looking like it was on its last legs. With some careful pruning and learning about what can kill these trees, I have managed to bring this old mama back to a full fruiting glory!! My wife and I believe that it is one of the best fruits we get every year (and so do my neighbors who benefit from large harvests). This tree also gives our property some history. Its trunk is old and gnarled. Do not know how old it is exactly, but it must be at least 30 years old.
The question I get is, "How do you know when the pears are ready to be harvested?" You cannot let the fruit "ripen" on the tree because if you do that they will be rotten in the core. So, I know that this is about the time of the year that I begin to "test" the fruit. I pick a few to let them ripen on the countertop. If they ripen nicely, I harvest a few every day so I have successive ripening...and the kids devour these luscious beauties, usually before I get any. If they do not ripen well, I will wait another week or so before trying again.
Good day in the garden...things ramping up!!
1) Four peaches ($2.00)
2) Two zuchinni ($2.50)
3) Four Pears ($2.00)
Total Harvested (Year-to-Date): $77.50
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $6.00
The question I get is, "How do you know when the pears are ready to be harvested?" You cannot let the fruit "ripen" on the tree because if you do that they will be rotten in the core. So, I know that this is about the time of the year that I begin to "test" the fruit. I pick a few to let them ripen on the countertop. If they ripen nicely, I harvest a few every day so I have successive ripening...and the kids devour these luscious beauties, usually before I get any. If they do not ripen well, I will wait another week or so before trying again.
Good day in the garden...things ramping up!!
1) Four peaches ($2.00)
2) Two zuchinni ($2.50)
3) Four Pears ($2.00)
Total Harvested (Year-to-Date): $77.50
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $6.00
Day 20 - Waiting, waiting, waiting....
What a year! Rain until early June has caused everything to ripen a bit late. Just now harvested my first full-sized tomato and my peach tree that is usually ripe a week ago has still a boatful of hard (albiet beautiful) fruit. The rain also brought havoc to one of my apple trees with less pollination than normal. Add to that, the typical heat that comes this time of the year has yet to arrive. I do enjoy the foggy mornings and 90 degree afternoons...don't get me wrong, but it sure does not ripen tomatoes very quickly!!
For this reason, it has been difficult to harvest much since the beginning of the month. Lucky for us, the Chard and Zukes are doing well. Once the fruit starts, we are free and clear for months!! The Citrus are looking fabulous this year. Sure am looking forward to fresh mandarins each morning in November/December/January. The trees are loaded.
Good harvest yesterday though showing the diversity of what we can grow in Northern California.
1) Basket of cherry tomatoes ($2.00)
2) One Lemon Boy tomato ($0.50)
3) Basket of Strawberries ($2.00)
4) Small container of blueberries ($0.50)
Total Harvested (Year-to-Date): $71.00
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $6.00
For this reason, it has been difficult to harvest much since the beginning of the month. Lucky for us, the Chard and Zukes are doing well. Once the fruit starts, we are free and clear for months!! The Citrus are looking fabulous this year. Sure am looking forward to fresh mandarins each morning in November/December/January. The trees are loaded.
Good harvest yesterday though showing the diversity of what we can grow in Northern California.
1) Basket of cherry tomatoes ($2.00)
2) One Lemon Boy tomato ($0.50)
3) Basket of Strawberries ($2.00)
4) Small container of blueberries ($0.50)
Total Harvested (Year-to-Date): $71.00
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $6.00
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