It’s time once again for Harvest Monday, where we celebrate all things harvest related. We’re keeping well supplied with squash and cucumbers these days, and have had enough to start giving them away. I’ve been freezing squash for use later, and we’ve been eating a lot of it. I’ve harvest 90 pounds so far, and that’s just the summer types.
assortment of squash and cucumbers
One of my favorite things to do with the cucumbers is make Quick Refrigerator Pickles. I make them often during cucumber season and they make for a cool and easy side dish.
Quick Refrigerator Pickles
The 7082 cucumbers have done quite well for me this year in the greenhouse, which is where I’m growing all my cucumbers. These make great pickles, and that’s what I have been using most of this variety for.
7082 cucumbers
But wait – there’s more squash! This time paired with an assortment of small-fruited tomatoes. We haven’t got any big tomatoes yet, but the small ones are keeping us well supplied now. I even had enough of the Juliet tomatoes to dehydrate a couple of trays worth of them.
harvest of squash and tomatoes
tomatoes
dehydrating Juliet tomatoes
The blackberries are winding down, and my wife has declared an end to the blueberries. It was a great year for them, not so good for the blackberries.
blackberries
The small-fruited eggplants aren’t done for yet though. The striped Fairy Tale and dark purple Patio Baby have been prolific this year. Both are growing in containers, sitting outside the greenhouse.
Fairy Tale and Patio Baby eggplant
We got our first big eggplant last week, and it went on an eggplant sandwich we have for lunch one day. The beans got roasted in the oven, and showed up alongside Taco Stuffed Zucchini Boats.
Galine eggplant and Orient beans
Taco Stuffed Zucchini Boats with roasted green beans
I pulled the last of the spring cabbages to make room for a fall planting of collard greens. It has been a good year for cabbage, and I have even frozen some for use later in soups. I also made some sauerkraut with one head of it, and gave another head to a friend to enjoy.
cabbages and eggplant
Harvest Monday is a day to show off your harvests, how you are saving your harvest, or how you are using your harvest. If you have a harvest you want to share, add your name and blog link to Mr Linky below. And be sure and check out what everyone is harvesting!
We are so far behind you on squash Dave, it’s laughable, but at least we still have blueberries! I think we’ve probably harvested 10lb of squash so far and it’s all courgettes and Center Cut! It’s been so rainy and dull for almost the whole of summer so far!
It’s so nice to see ripe tomatoes! We are still waiting for them, even the small ones. I like the idea of the stuffed zucchini; maybe I’ll let some get big and try it. Ninety pounds of summer squash is a lot, it’s a wonder you aren’t tired of them.
We will get tired of the summer squash before long Will, but by then the squash bugs will have gotten to the plants and I am usually not all that sad about it!
I can’t imagine dealing with 90# of squash! And this is a scaled back garden? Sounds like the makings of a farmstand. Recommendations for freezing summer squash? Thanks.
“Scaled back” is a relative term for sure! I slice the squash then blanch for 3 minutes in boiling water, cool & drain, then spread out in single layer on wax paper lined cookie sheet/pizza pan, When frozen, I break into pieces and put in freezer bag.
I feel like I’m emerging from a fog. For a while I was so down about gardening that I didn’t even want to read about it. So it’s nice to start getting back into the groove with a new harvest post! Stuffed zucchini is on my short list because zucchini is the one thing that I have a glut of right now, you’re version sounds yummy.
Your recipes always looks so scrummy Dave! And there’s me getting excited about TWO aubergines and you have a whole basketful of little lovelies.. wow!!
Dave, I love keeping up with your blog! It’s nice to see the Juliet tomatoes—I’m growing them this year based on your recommendation and the plants are as tall as I am and have loads of green fruit on them. I suspect I’ll be quite busy come August/September (everything takes longer in Wisconsin). I never thought about quartering them to dehydrate; I always slice them. Any reason to do one or the other?
I have just one post on my garden blog this year but hopefully I can get one up for next week’s Harvest Monday, since I’ll be on vacation.
Hi Liz, I’m glad to hear Juliet is growing well for you! I have tried both halving them and quartering them, and I just prefer them quartered for what we use them for. They are also good cut in half and slow roasted. I generally slice larger types for drying.
We’d love to have you join in on Harvest Mondays!
All your crops seem to race on really quickly. We still have blueberries – they tend ti ripen gradually so we have a steady flow over a long period, As for blackberries the first few fruits are just beginning to ripen. We are also just starting to harvest courgettes (zucchini)
I wish things came on more gradually here too Sue, but the seasons seem to rush by. We do get to have spring and fall plantings of cool season veggies though.
First time reader of this blog. How helpful too. Just looking at a dumpling recipe from a Japanese blogger that calls for “spring cabbage” and here is a picture. on your blog. Unfortunately, I’m not a gardener, only a shopper. We have only one kind of round cabbage in my Hawaii grocery store. They don’t even bother to label with a name and it’s quite pale. Your cabbage looks greener with less compact leaves. Could you tell me the name? The farmers markets are open now & I can go searching. Thanks.
My cabbage is the same round cabbage you see in groceries. I’m not sure what ‘spring cabbage’ means, though it could be the fresh cabbage you see in spring as opposed to cabbage that has been in storage all winter. You might ask at the farmer’s market and see what they recommend for the dumplings.
Envious of those cucumbers – we’ve been having cucumber beetle issues for the first time this year so will have to come up with strategies to deal with yet another pest in the future. Love the cabbages! I seeded some just a couple of weeks ago for a fall harvest – a first (but a good one this time)!
woaw, 90 pounds of summer squash aka courgettes in the UK – wow, i am lucky if i am even harvesting one of a plant. And you have ripe tomatoes, envy.