Harvest Monday July 4, 2022

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.

morning harvest in late June

another June harvest

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.

Fairy Tale and Gretel eggplant

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.

Icicle eggplant

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.

Corinto and Mini Munch cucumbers

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.

Goldilocks squash

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.

Jacaranda broccoli and Quick Start cabbage

broccoli side shoots with Mexicana zucchini

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.

Natchez blackberries

Blackberry cobbler

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.

Zucchini brownies

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.

Deer eating blackberries

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!