Harvest Monday - June 2, 2014

The other day I had to clear out the "spring" onions to make way for some broccoli and cauliflower seedlings that were ready to be planted out. The onions didn't really qualify as "spring" onions anymore, some of them were bulbing up pretty nicely. The largest Superstar and Red Candy apple onions were thickly sliced and grilled last night and served with big fat stalks of grilled asparagus and burrata cheese, all of which was dressed with a late harvest Sauvignon Blanc agrodolce vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, and Oregano Indio (from Rancho Gordo). That made a tasty dinner. I thinly sliced a few of the skinnier onions and sauteed them in butter and olive oil with thinly sliced fennel. To my surprise that turned out to be a big hit with my husband, who until fairly recently was not a big fan of fennel. I was doubly surprised when he asked me to make it again a couple of nights later, so I obliged, but the second time I added some chopped fava beans to the mix (the last of them for this year).

Superstar, Red Candy Apple, Candy onions

A few weeks back I sowed some radish seeds into a small open spot in one of the beds. I noticed the White Icicle radishes were starting to push up out of the soil and when I checked the other radishes I found a few of them ready to harvest as well. One of the Long Scarlets did a funny twist, but rest of them appear to be straight. The White Icicle radish was nice and mild, the Easter Eggers were developing a pleasant bite, but I haven't tried the Long Scarlet yet.

Long Scarlet, Easter Egg II, White Icicle radishes

The chard is growing like crazy so I had to trim it back yesterday, it is in the fridge waiting to be used.

Golden, Flamingo, Italian Silver Rib, Peppermint Stick chards

There was one tiny spinach plant that I left when I cleared out the spinach patch ages ago. It hadn't grown much when the rest of the spinach was growing, but recently it took off like a weed and it finally started to bolt this week so I pulled it out.

Monstreux d'Viroflay spinach

Once upon a time I let some Ear of the Devil lettuce go to seed and now it volunteers in a modest way around the garden. This was one volunteer that was in need of harvesting so out it came yesterday. I harvested another head of it earlier in the week also.

Ear of the Devil Lettuce

The latest succession of Purple Pac Choi was also in need of harvesting. I sow these close together so they tend to bolt fairly quickly, but then they are quick to bolt regardless of spacing. I don't mind since I prefer to use them as babies in my salads.

Purple Pac Choi

And the same for the Ruby Streaks Mizuna, I grow them along with the Purple Pac Choi and they both seem to bolt at about the same time. I used one bunch of the Mizuna in a salad that was particularly tasty. I coarsely chopped the Mizuna along with some pea shoots and tossed those with some shaved fennel, diced avocado, roasted salted sunflower seeds, and some leftover grilled leg of lamb. The dressing was a simple one of extra virgin olive oil and a Merlot agrodolce vinegar. The occasional mustardy bite of the mizuna flower tops was a pleasant compliment to the sweet fennel and pea shoots.

Ruby Streaks Mizuna

Not photographed this week was the bolting Romanesco fennel that I harvested. The fennel had quickly gone from "bulbs" to something that looked more like clubs. Big surprise though, it was (is) not tough. The thick round central stalks are crisp and juicy, not at all tough and stringy except at the very base of the plants. The fennel has been excellent thinly sliced or shaved across the grain, either raw or cooked.

Also not photographed this week were capers, dried chamomile, pea shoots, and runty garlic that I tried to grow from some bulbs that I grew last year.

Here's the harvests for the past week:

Capers - 9.3 oz.
Chamomile, dried - 4.5 oz.
Flamingo chard - 4.8 oz.
Golden chard - 11.8 oz.
Italian Silver Rib chard - 10.7 oz.
Peppermint Stick chard - 10.9 oz.
Romanesco fennel - 10 lb., 12.8 oz.
Lorz Italian garlic - 2.2 oz. (weighed as I use it)
Red Janice garlic - 1 oz. (weighed as I use it)
Ear of the Devil lettuce - 3 lb., 5.4 oz.
Ruby Streaks mizuna - 13.4 oz.
"Spring" onions - 6 lb., 6.6 oz.
Purple Pac Choi - 11.4 oz.
Pea Shoots - 2.6 oz.
Easter Egg II radishes - 2.1 oz.
Long Scarlet radishes - 1.6 oz.
White Icicle radishes - 1.1 oz.
Monstreux d'Viroflay spinach - 11.5 oz.

The total harvests for the past week were - 26 lb., 11.7 oz.
Which brings the harvests for 2014 up to - 261 lb., 10.6 oz.

Harvest Monday is hosted by Daphne on her blog Daphne's Dandelions, head on over there to see what other garden bloggers have been harvesting lately.