Harvest Monday – 26th March 2012

Carrots, cucumber, garlic chives and edamame

The summer crops came out! Everything was looking so bedraggled, so I enlisted help from P and friends over the weekend and stripped most of the beds.

7.5 kilograms (16.5 pounds) Edamame soybeans

We pulled out the edamame soybean plants, and despite it looking like there wasn’t very much, the yield was 7.5 kilograms of pods. I am still halfway through the processing, but I estimate that it will equate to 3.5-4 kilograms of shelled edamame, which will mostly be frozen for use through the year. The kids love them as a snack, and they substitute well whenever normal shelling peas are called for.

1 kilogram of carrots

This carrot patch had been in since I got a free packet of heirloom carrot seeds in last July’s issue of Burke’s Backyard magazine! Most of the multicoloured ones had already been harvested, leaving still quite a number of carrots, some of which were starting to go woody.  P pulled out the lot for me, and although I didn’t weight them before I gave a good portion away, I estimate that there was about 1 kilo in total (root weight only).

2 kilograms tomatoes

It was heartbreaking to pull out the tomatoes, but it was time. Some of these will ripen on the bench, but I suspect that I’ll need to make a green tomato cake or similar with a portion. I’m still very hopeful for my winter tomatoes, which are looking promising right down the other side of the front bed.

400g eggplant

The remaining fruits came off before pulling out the plants. I left one plant in because it still looks healthy and productive, but the rest were on their way out.

2 bunches garlic chives

I have too much of this for our requirements, so these whole bunches came out.

200g green beans

My old faithfuls are slow now, and the 2oog included some more lazy wife beans from the side garden. The next crop of dwarf beans looks really good – should start picking next week.

1 cucumber

Last ‘double yield’ cucumber as the plant came out. There is still a lebanese one on the other plant around the side of the house, which I’ll save for next week.

Many handfuls of basil

I used quite a bit of basil over the weekend. I need to pull out my massive bush before it starts to die off, but I don’t have the energy tomake that much pesto at the moment. Maybe later this week.

9 eggs

2 eggs on several days, then none at all yesterday.

Bunch of wild rocket (arugula)

I love this stuff – it’s perennial and it grows like a weed because it is one! It is great to add to salads, and because it doesn’t bolt like lettuce I always have it on hand.

1 long green chilli

I pulled out all the chillies/capsicums and put them into pots. I’ve heard that they are more productive in their second year if you can keep them alive over winter, so that’s my plan.  I pulled off the long thai chilli still sitting on one of the plants, and I hope it will be more productive next year, because that was the only fruit the plant produced! To be fair though it was smothered by corn and soybeans, so received practically no sunlight.

1 Rhizome of ginger

Into dinner tonight. The ginger is still very small and I probably didn’t give it long enough in the ground. I might overwinter the remainder and give it a better chance for next year.

Sorry for the lack of photos this week again. For more harvests from across the world, go visit Daphne’s blog.