Monday, June 14, 2010

Harvest Monday - June 14, 2010

Harvest Monday is here again. Sometimes it seems like I wouldn't get around to blogging if I didn't have a harvest to show off every week . . .

This week the camera is being hogged by a head of red cabbage that is certainly living up to its name, Mammoth Red Rock. Here it is straight from the garden lounging on a nice comfy chair waiting for its chance at fame and feasting.



All trimmed and ready for prime time, it came in at 6 pounds 2 ounces. It's a . . . . cabbage! And soon to be cole slaw and I don't know what else. Six pounds of cabbage is enough to feed two people for at least a week or so and then some. Thanks for the seeds Pam. :-)



The rest of the harvest was mostly more of the usual with the addition with my first harvest of a few chamomile blossoms.

The snap and snow peas are putting out one last big effort. They will be done soon, the arrival of warm weather and the steady advancement of powdery mildew is bringing that harvest to an end.

The caper harvest has really taken off with the warm weather. My potted plants are showing their appreciation of their winter repotting and trimming. The plants growing atop the wall seem to be happier than ever, in spite of the lack of a trim this winter. Last year I picked capers once a week every week from May 20 through August 5. This year my first small harvest was on May 10 and then once a week through the end of May. The last couple of weeks have found me with snippers in hand every 2 to 4 days. Each harvest is still pretty small, from about 1 1/2 ounces to 3 1/4 ounces, but all those little harvests add up, so far I've picked 12 1/2 ounces this year. Last year I picked 1 pound 4 3/4 ounces for the entire season.

The Seascape strawberry plants have been putting out a nice harvest for the last couple of weeks. I'm still waiting for the Mara des Bois plants to produce, but there are small berries that have set. Most of the transplanted Maras have survived, but they are not exactly bursting forth into new growth.

Here's the harvest totals for the past week:

Piracicaba broccoli - 3.75 oz
Mammoth Red Rock Cabbage - 6 lb, 2 oz
Capers - 6.75 oz
Chamomile blossoms - .25 oz
Sugar Magnolia Purple Snap Peas - 1 lb, 8 oz
Snow Peas - 1 lb
Strawberries - 1 lb, 6 oz

Total for the week - 10 lb, 10.75 oz
Total for the year - 232 lb, 15 oz

12 eggs last week

Head on over to Daphne's Dandelions, the home of Harvest Monday, and get a dose of gardening inspiration from the abundance being harvested by garden bloggers around the world. Show us what you've been harvesting lately!

22 comments:

  1. Wow, that's one beautiful cabbage! Nice harvest.

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  2. WOW! That is a nice head of cabbage!!

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  3. That's a wonderful cabbage. It certainly needs a chair of its own! I'm looking forward to when I can harvest a few capers, but I know I have to wait....

    Do you use the chamomile blossoms for tea?

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  4. Wow, that's a beauty!
    Your caper production is very impressive, I'll take the challenge later this year.

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  5. Robin and Allison, Thanks!

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    chaiselongue, a couple more years . . .

    And yes, the chamomile is for tea, one of my favorites.

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    Mac, you're on! :)

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  6. That's a monster head of cabbage! Looks like Mammoth is a good name for it.

    We've gotten a few Seascape strawberries too and we're real happy with the taste. I can't wait for the bed to fill out a bit more.

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  7. villager, It's a big thing, but your 2 pound cabbage would be much more practical for a family of 2. I wish I had a few more Seascape plants as well, they have been very good and grow well here.

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  8. A huge cabbage indeed, but at least it will last a while even when it's been cut open.

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  9. It’s a big cabbage for only 2 people. It has beautiful color. Is it purple inside also, or is it more white?

    I hope your Mara strawberries will start to produce soon.

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  10. Beautiful cabbage! Don't you just love cabbage in the garden, giant unfurling cartoon roses? They make me happy. My few cabbages are long gone with the heat though, and what cabbage we've been eating is from the farmers market.

    I've been making coleslaw lately with a poppy seed-blue cheese dressing that has been pretty popular (normally not a cabbage eater) with the man. I look forward to seeing how you use yours.

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  11. Jan, yes, thank goodness cabbage is a durable veggie, whole or cut.

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    vrtlarica, I haven't cut into the cabbage yet so I don't know if the color goes all the way through, I'll let you know. The Mara is starting to show a little pink!

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    Christina, It was a toss up between the cabbage and the poppies for the most eye-catching display in the garden this spring. That poppy seed-blue cheese dressing sounds wonderful, do share, please! :) I think the first wedge of cabbage is going to be wilted and mixed with duck confit, still working out the details in my head..

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  12. What a beautiful head o red cabbage! It looks absolutely perfect. I'm guessing you kept it safe from the bugs.

    I love red cabbage in an Asian slaw. Delicious!

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  13. I adore red cabbage if nothing else for the stunning beauty it provides to the garden. I actually did not get any planted up this spring though so I will have to content myself with looking at your fine specimen!

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  14. 12 ounces of capers is a lot of capers, and it's just the beginning of your season, wow!

    This cabbage looks beautiful on your colorful furniture. Your yellow table makes me a little envious, I'll need to find myself one:-)

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  15. Wow! That is the godzilla of cabbages. I'm thinking by the end of the week you will be very tired of cabbage and ready to move on to something else.

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  16. Thomas, I hope it's perfect inside, the rosette of open leaves around it was well chewed by worms and earwigs. I did read somewhere that red and savoy cabbages are more resistant to bugs. Do you have a recipe for that Asian slaw?

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    Dan, It sure is, I'm mighty proud of it! :)

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    kitsapFG, This is the first red cabbage that I've ever grown, and you are right, the plant was beautiful. I hope I've inspired you to grow another one of your own!

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    Angela, 15 ounces after the harvest yesterday, I've got my fingers crossed that the harvest lasts as long as last year.

    Those Provencal bistro tables are fun, I found that one at a local hardware store.

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    Daphne, By then end of whatever week I get around to cutting into it, there's been other produce from the garden in need of being consumed first. Thank goodness cabbage keeps well, but its time will come soon, I see a gap between the spring and summer harvests coming up quick.

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  17. Now that is a nice looking cabbage, I'll be happy if our Mammoth Red Rocks turn half as good. This is our first year growing them...thanks to you.:)

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  18. Mr. H., I hope the cabbage does well for you too, this is my first year growing it also!

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