Harvest Monday - August 29, 2016

The big harvest this past week was the onions.  And they were pretty much the disappointment that I thought they would be:

Onion harvest curing on rack

On Tomatoes - Preserving and Problems

The tomato harvest is in full swing as is the proverbial glut that inevitably occurs.

I remember my first tomato glut summer - it was overwhelming to say the least.  There were tomatoes on every surface of the kitchen and I simply could not keep up.  It was stress overload.

The one thing that I've learned since then is that, for me, there is no single "best" method for putting up the harvest.  What works well for me one week may not work that well the next, depending on the circumstances.  So I like to use a multi-pronged approach and which "prong" I use depends on a number of factors including how many tomatoes I have to deal with, how many jars/containers I want of each preserving method, how much I have already put up and, most importantly, how much time I have.

For this post, I thought I would share the different methods I’m using this season to keep on top of and make the most of the harvest, ordered from most labour intensive to the least.

Harvest Monday - August 22, 2016

The big news lately is that our drought seems to have finally ended.  We have had quite a bit of rain over the past week - so much so that I’ve actually turned off all of the drip timers for now.  The grass and ornamental beds (and weeds, unfortunately) are loving it.

This past week, the harvest story begins with the corn:


Dorinny Sweet

Harvest Monday - August 15, 2016

It's the middle of August and the warm weather crops are at full speed ahead.

From left to right:  Melrose, Odessa and Hot Wax

Early August Update - Main Garden Areas

Once again, the main topic of discussion in our area is the heat...the unrelenting heat.  And this week is supposed to be the hottest week yet. 


The Weather Network Screen Shot
 

Check out the humidex readings on Thurs & Fri...up to 41C/105F...ugh!!  At least it looks as if we will be getting some rain, so that's good.

Harvest Monday - August 8, 2016

This week, I finally harvested the 1st of the larger tomatoes – here it is, surrounded by all his friends:

Taxi surrounded by (from the top):
Super Sweet 100, Bloody Butcher, Sungold, Juliet
 

Eary August Update - Hilltop

Before I get going on some Fling posts, I thought I had better do a couple of updates on the garden – the summer is flying by and it will be September before we know it!

This year the hilltop was planted up with most of the root crops – carrots, potatoes, onions, leeks, garlic and shallots – plus the corn and squash.

A new problem, however, emerged this year – voles.  In early summer, vole holes appeared in practically every bed.  Last year, when this area was created, all of the beds were lined with cardboard (to smother weeds and grass) before they were filled with soil, which is likely why this issue wasn’t apparent.  The cardboard would now be decomposed, giving the voles unrestricted access.

In an effort to avoid digging out every bed and laying down hardware cloth, I decided to purchase a “Yard Sentinel” ultrasonic device and so far, it actually seems to be working.

Yard Sentinel Ultrasonic Pest Control

Harvest Monday - August 1, 2016

This past week two veg dominated the harvests - beans and peppers.

Provider Snap Beans

It's my first year growing Provider snap beans and I love them - they are tender, stringless and delicious.  I served a big batch when we had some company over and everyone, including the kids, had 2nd helpings.