Well, late in writing this posting...skipped last week but still harvesting each day. Since last posting we have had some serious rain. The rain and cold pretty much halt the fruit from getting much sun and ripening. The figs are done after a good soaking and the grapes that are remaining have taken on some mold.
The garden continues though with Satsuma Mandarins being the current harvest. A little green on the outside but open it up and the bright orange citrus is wonderful!! If you have not grown your own citrus, you are missing out! The only problem with growing your own citrus is that once you have your own fresh citrus you will NEVER be able to eat store-bought citrus ever again. I have been spoiled because I grew up eating fresh oranges in S. California and now I have Mandarins, Oranges, Grapefruits, Lemons, and Limes all in the yard.
The garlic is in the ground and plan on planting the cover crop this week with moist soil and warm weather predicted through the middle of the week. I did buy a few supplies since last posting. Some organic fruit tree fertalizer and some chicken manure for the garlic patch.
Harvested over the past 2 weeks:
Day 109
1) 1 fig ($0.25)
2) 3/4 pounds tomatoes ($1.50)
3) 1 mandarin ($0.25)
4) 1/2 pound grapes ($1.00)
Day 110
1) 3/4 pound grapes ($1.50)
2) 3/4 pounds tomatoes ($1.50)
3) 8 figs ($2.00)
Day 111
1) 1/2 pound tomatoes ($1.00)
Day 112
1) 1/2 pound tomatoes ($1.00)
2) 3/4 pound grapes ($1.50)
Day 113
1) 6 figs ($1.50)
2) 1/2 pound tomatoes ($1.00)
Day 114
1) Two bunches chard ($6.00)
Day 115
1) 3 mandarins ($0.75)
2) 1/4 pound grapes ($0.50)
Day 116
1) 3/4 pound grapes ($1.50)
2) 3 mandarins ($0.75)
Day 117
1) 1/2 pound tomatoes ($1.00)
Day 118
1) 1 mandarin ($0.25)
2) 1 tomato ($0.50)
Day 119
1) 1/2 pound grapes ($1.00)
Day 120
1) Two bunches chard ($6.00)
2) 3 mandarins ($0.75)
Day 121
1) 4 mandarins ($1.00)
Day 122
1) 4 mandarins ($1.00)
Two-Week harvest: $35.00
Expense: $35.00 (Fertilizer, water)
Total Produce Harvested (Year-to-Date): $783.50
Total Honey Harvested (Year-to-Date): $220.00
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $105.00
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Days 102 - 108 Winter Planting
Winter is a time of lots of rain. This means that you do not need to do any watering...but it also measn that it is a time when the snails, slugs, and weeds thrive.
For this reason I like to plant a cover crop to keep the weeds down. Just ordered some seed and hope to plant by next weekend. With the nice rain shower today it makes the soil ready for the new seed to sprout. I really do not like to have to water the seed...call me lazy.
I also like to plant garlic. It grows with little care, the slugs and snails do not touch it, and we get enough garlic by May to pretty much have garlic for the year. All for very little work...and don't forget, the garlic that you get out of your own garden is truly amazing!! If you want to make sure that the garlic does not sprout after harvesting, keep it in a cool, dark place.
What is happening in the garden right now? The figs are the real star of the garden with a plentiful supply of the sweetest fruit you can imagine. We have a "white" fig that becomes a beautiful red inside and green outside. Still getting grapes, tomatoes, and of course chard (the plants are 6 months old now!!)
Day 102
1) Two tomatoes ($1.00)
2) Handful of grapes
3) One fig
Day 103
1) 1 pound grapes ($2.00)
2) Three mandarins ($1.00)
Day 104
1) One tomato ($0.50)
2) Two bunches of chard ($6.00)
3) 1 1/2 pounds grapes ($3.00)
4) Six figs ($1.50)
Day 105
1) 3/4 pound grapes ($1.50)
2) 1/2 pound apples ($1.00)
3) 1/2 pound tomatoes ($1.00)
Day 106
1) 1/2 pound grapes ($1.00)
2) Eight figs ($2.00)
3) 3/4 pound apples ($1.50)
Day 107
1) 1 1/2 poounds tomatoes ($3.00)
2) 1/2 pound grapes ($1.00)
Day 108
1) 3/4 pound strawberries ($1.50)
2) 3/4 pound grapes ($1.50)
3) 1/2 pound tomatoes ($1.00)
4) Eight figs ($2.00)
Weekly harvest: $33.00
Total Produce Harvested (Year-to-Date): $748.50
Total Honey Harvested (Year-to-Date): $220.00
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $70.00
For this reason I like to plant a cover crop to keep the weeds down. Just ordered some seed and hope to plant by next weekend. With the nice rain shower today it makes the soil ready for the new seed to sprout. I really do not like to have to water the seed...call me lazy.
I also like to plant garlic. It grows with little care, the slugs and snails do not touch it, and we get enough garlic by May to pretty much have garlic for the year. All for very little work...and don't forget, the garlic that you get out of your own garden is truly amazing!! If you want to make sure that the garlic does not sprout after harvesting, keep it in a cool, dark place.
What is happening in the garden right now? The figs are the real star of the garden with a plentiful supply of the sweetest fruit you can imagine. We have a "white" fig that becomes a beautiful red inside and green outside. Still getting grapes, tomatoes, and of course chard (the plants are 6 months old now!!)
Day 102
1) Two tomatoes ($1.00)
2) Handful of grapes
3) One fig
Day 103
1) 1 pound grapes ($2.00)
2) Three mandarins ($1.00)
Day 104
1) One tomato ($0.50)
2) Two bunches of chard ($6.00)
3) 1 1/2 pounds grapes ($3.00)
4) Six figs ($1.50)
Day 105
1) 3/4 pound grapes ($1.50)
2) 1/2 pound apples ($1.00)
3) 1/2 pound tomatoes ($1.00)
Day 106
1) 1/2 pound grapes ($1.00)
2) Eight figs ($2.00)
3) 3/4 pound apples ($1.50)
Day 107
1) 1 1/2 poounds tomatoes ($3.00)
2) 1/2 pound grapes ($1.00)
Day 108
1) 3/4 pound strawberries ($1.50)
2) 3/4 pound grapes ($1.50)
3) 1/2 pound tomatoes ($1.00)
4) Eight figs ($2.00)
Weekly harvest: $33.00
Total Produce Harvested (Year-to-Date): $748.50
Total Honey Harvested (Year-to-Date): $220.00
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $70.00
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Days 95 - 101 What have we done with our food?
I was having lunch with a colleague the other day and we often talk about food...for we are eating of course!! Anyhow, I have been bringing tomatoes to share at lunch and he has been getting kind of used to having fresh garden tomatoes for lunch. He had gotten so used to it that he went out to buy some tomatoes when I was not supplying quite enough for him.
Well, he was not happy with what he got. He bought an heirloom variety from the local Whole Foods Market and what did he get? A tomato that looked great but tasted like nothing he had gotten used to. You might say...of course. Nothing compares to a home-grown tomato. What was he thinking? My response is that this tomato was from Whole Foods and it was an heirloom variety. Seems to me that that should have come from a farmer who nurtured that tomato from seed to fruit and would pick it only when it was the exact right time...for it was an heirloom... But not. He then had some figs that he bought too. Figs are expensive in the store and for the price you pay you would hope that you get something good. Nope. I tried one and could not finish it. Tasted like nothing. Not sweet at all. No hints of strawberries that we get in our figs. Not even close to a fig as I know it.
What will it be like when this is what we think food tastes like? I was down at Google this summer for a computer science symposium and they had some fruit plates out for people to snack on. A guy from Indiana picked up a fig and asked me what it was. He had never eaten one before...and I am sure I would have not either if I was from Indiana. I told him that it was a fig, he took a bite, and it was just awful. I told him that is not what a real fig tastes like...and he should try again when he can pick one off of a tree when it is ripe... I hope he does.
Day 95
1) 1 1/2 pounds tomatoes ($3.00)
Day 96
1) Two bunches chard ($6.00)
2) 1/2 pound grapes ($1.00)
3) Five figs ($1.00)
Day 97
1) 1/2 pound grapes ($1.00)
2) 3/4 pound tomatoes ($1.50)
3) Four figs ($1.00)
Day 98
1) One fig ($0.50)
2) 3/4 pound grapes ($1.50)
3) One basket of strawberries ($2.00)
Day 99
1) 1/2 pound tomatoes ($1.00)
2) 1/2 pound grapes ($1.00)
Day 100
1) 1/2 pound tomatoes ($1.00)
Day 101
1) 1/4 pound tomatoes ($0.50)
2) Five figs ($1.00)
Weekly harvest: $23.00
Total Produce Harvested (Year-to-Date): $715.50
Total Honey Harvested (Year-to-Date): $220.00
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $70.00 (water)
Well, he was not happy with what he got. He bought an heirloom variety from the local Whole Foods Market and what did he get? A tomato that looked great but tasted like nothing he had gotten used to. You might say...of course. Nothing compares to a home-grown tomato. What was he thinking? My response is that this tomato was from Whole Foods and it was an heirloom variety. Seems to me that that should have come from a farmer who nurtured that tomato from seed to fruit and would pick it only when it was the exact right time...for it was an heirloom... But not. He then had some figs that he bought too. Figs are expensive in the store and for the price you pay you would hope that you get something good. Nope. I tried one and could not finish it. Tasted like nothing. Not sweet at all. No hints of strawberries that we get in our figs. Not even close to a fig as I know it.
What will it be like when this is what we think food tastes like? I was down at Google this summer for a computer science symposium and they had some fruit plates out for people to snack on. A guy from Indiana picked up a fig and asked me what it was. He had never eaten one before...and I am sure I would have not either if I was from Indiana. I told him that it was a fig, he took a bite, and it was just awful. I told him that is not what a real fig tastes like...and he should try again when he can pick one off of a tree when it is ripe... I hope he does.
Day 95
1) 1 1/2 pounds tomatoes ($3.00)
Day 96
1) Two bunches chard ($6.00)
2) 1/2 pound grapes ($1.00)
3) Five figs ($1.00)
Day 97
1) 1/2 pound grapes ($1.00)
2) 3/4 pound tomatoes ($1.50)
3) Four figs ($1.00)
Day 98
1) One fig ($0.50)
2) 3/4 pound grapes ($1.50)
3) One basket of strawberries ($2.00)
Day 99
1) 1/2 pound tomatoes ($1.00)
2) 1/2 pound grapes ($1.00)
Day 100
1) 1/2 pound tomatoes ($1.00)
Day 101
1) 1/4 pound tomatoes ($0.50)
2) Five figs ($1.00)
Weekly harvest: $23.00
Total Produce Harvested (Year-to-Date): $715.50
Total Honey Harvested (Year-to-Date): $220.00
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $70.00 (water)
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Days 88 - 94 Three months and counting!!
Well, we have made the daily harvest for 1/4 of the year. I have to believe that a difficult time is coming in the next month. Our Sierra Beauty apple tree is light on the fruit this year and our family is eating more fruit than ever. Seems like the trees barely keep up with the family consumption...
I know that we can make it for the next couple of weeks. We still have a good supply of chard, apples, tomatos, figs, and grapes. The problem comes in late October and early November. If we can make it to mid-November, we will start the citrus harvest (can't wait!!) with the Satsumas coming in. We have a bumper crop of satsumas this year so that will take us well into 2011.
This has made me think about what is needed this time of the year. I have been trying to fill in the early fruit trees (planted Apricot, Aprium, and White Nectarine) to have some June fruit. I think that I will replace our Red Delicious apple tree (that nobody really likes anyhow...but was here when we bought the house) with a Granny Smith. My friend has a Granny Smith and it holds apples well and we have had apples from him well into November. Seems like the longer on the tree the better too!!
Well, the harvest is lighter this week.
Day 88
1) Four apples ($2.00)
2) One tomato ($0.50)
3) 1/4 pound grapes ($0.50)
Day 89
1) Two tomatoes ($1.00)
2) Three apples ($2.00)
Day 90
1) Two bunches chard ($6.00)
2) One pound grapes ($2.00)
3) 1/2 pound tomatoes ($1.00)
4) 3/4 pound apples ($1.50)
Day 91
1) 1/4 pound grapes ($0.50)
2) 3/4 pound apples ($1.50)
3) One pound apples ($2.00)
4) Basket raspberries ($2.00)
5) Two figs ($0.50)
Day 92
1) 3/4 pound grapes ($1.50)
2) 1/2 pound apples ($1.00)
3) 1/2 pound tomatoes ($1.00)
4) One basket of strawberries ($2.00)
5) Seven figs ($2.00)
Day 93
1) 3/4 pound grapes ($1.50)
2) 1/2pound apples ($1.00)
Day 94 (gone much of the day)
1) a few grapes
Weekly harvest: $33.00
Total Produce Harvested (Year-to-Date): $692.50
Total Honey Harvested (Year-to-Date): $220.00
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $70.00 (water)
I know that we can make it for the next couple of weeks. We still have a good supply of chard, apples, tomatos, figs, and grapes. The problem comes in late October and early November. If we can make it to mid-November, we will start the citrus harvest (can't wait!!) with the Satsumas coming in. We have a bumper crop of satsumas this year so that will take us well into 2011.
This has made me think about what is needed this time of the year. I have been trying to fill in the early fruit trees (planted Apricot, Aprium, and White Nectarine) to have some June fruit. I think that I will replace our Red Delicious apple tree (that nobody really likes anyhow...but was here when we bought the house) with a Granny Smith. My friend has a Granny Smith and it holds apples well and we have had apples from him well into November. Seems like the longer on the tree the better too!!
Well, the harvest is lighter this week.
Day 88
1) Four apples ($2.00)
2) One tomato ($0.50)
3) 1/4 pound grapes ($0.50)
Day 89
1) Two tomatoes ($1.00)
2) Three apples ($2.00)
Day 90
1) Two bunches chard ($6.00)
2) One pound grapes ($2.00)
3) 1/2 pound tomatoes ($1.00)
4) 3/4 pound apples ($1.50)
Day 91
1) 1/4 pound grapes ($0.50)
2) 3/4 pound apples ($1.50)
3) One pound apples ($2.00)
4) Basket raspberries ($2.00)
5) Two figs ($0.50)
Day 92
1) 3/4 pound grapes ($1.50)
2) 1/2 pound apples ($1.00)
3) 1/2 pound tomatoes ($1.00)
4) One basket of strawberries ($2.00)
5) Seven figs ($2.00)
Day 93
1) 3/4 pound grapes ($1.50)
2) 1/2pound apples ($1.00)
Day 94 (gone much of the day)
1) a few grapes
Weekly harvest: $33.00
Total Produce Harvested (Year-to-Date): $692.50
Total Honey Harvested (Year-to-Date): $220.00
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $70.00 (water)
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