It’s time once again for Harvest Monday, where we celebrate all things harvest related. Summer crops are taking over much of our harvests now. The blueberries and blackberries are still ripening, but the heat and dry weather are making them smaller than usual and a bit less prolific. I like to do my harvesting early in the morning, before it heats up, and my wife picks the blueberries then too. It is safe to say we have plenty of homegrown fresh food to eat right now, and my wife and I are enjoying it.
The container eggplants are doing quite well, and we are getting our fill of the small fruited Fairy Tale and Gretel varieties. Both AAS Winners, they always do well for me in containers. They are also two of my favorite eggplant varieties for eating.
Icicle is a new addition to our eggplant lineup, and I’m growing this 2022 AAS Winner both in-ground and in Smart Pots. I got the first two last week, and the plants are loaded with blooms and more fruit setting on.
Greenhouse cucumbers are struggling with the heat, but we’re still getting enough to eat. Mini Munch is very productive, and Corinto is dependable performer in the greenhouse.
I got the first Goldilocks acorn squash last week. This 2021 AAS Winner was a star in last year’s garden, and it has set on quite a few more squash already. It has a mild flavor when baked, and I like the smaller size which works well as a side dish.
Spring crops are winding down, but we’re still getting a few harvests. I got side shoots from broccoli, a head of spring cabbage, and another head of the Jacaranda broccoli. Jacaranda has done well for me here in spring, and I want to give it a try this fall as well. The Mexicana zucchini is very prolific, and I am getting more of it this year than the darker green varieties like Dunja and Raven.
I took advantage of the fresh blackberries to make a cobbler last week. Blackberry Cobbler is one of my favorite desserts, and I used soft white whole wheat flour for the batter.
For another sweet treat, I made a batch of zucchini brownies. This is my lightened up version, with less oil and sugar but lots of rich cocoa powder. They freeze well, and I may make another batch and freeze all of it for later enjoyment.
I got a new toy last week: a trail camera! We have had problems with critters digging up plants, and I wanted to ID the culprits before trying to find a solution. This one is triggered by motion, and records the images on an SD card in the camera. I set it up under our mulberry tree for testing purposes, and it got 180 images the first night alone! I got one image of a deer feasting on a couple of our blackberry bushes. I’ve seen them dining there in broad daylight, so I wasn’t surprised to see them there at night – repeatedly! I have the rest of them planted inside the fenced vegetable garden, where they are safe from the critters. I’ll be doing more testing with the camera in days to come.
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 please take a minute and check out what everyone is harvesting!
It always amazes me that you can have squash so quickly, that acorn squash looks great. My true summer squash are still acorn sized!
Seeing what live in your garden behind your back is really interesting. The cobbler looks delicious but we’ll have to waot a bit longer for ripe blackberries and our peppers are just flowers at the moment, It amazes me how quickly your plants grow. We have to be patient.
Summer definitely looks to be coming in to full swing at Happy Acres! I like the look of the Icicle eggplant, I will investigate it. The blackberries really look big. Glad you’re having fun with the trail cam.
Oooh I have envy on all fronts this week, Dave… and then you add in that camera!! My crops are a long long way behind yours for sure, but just enjoying what we do have. Maybe i could make cherry cobbler?
We make cherry cobbler with the same recipe Kathy. This year we didn’t get any cherries, but the blackberries are loaded with fruit!
Absolutely glorious harvest!
We recently bought a couple of inexpensive home security cameras, and have been enjoying the antics of our urban wildlife.