The harvests were really down last week both because there is less in the garden to harvest and because I was taking a break from it. Dave and I took a few days off to go backpacking in Yosemite National Park, but not the usual part of the park, we headed to the less visited area around
Hetch Hetchy in the northwest corner of the park.
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| Laurel Lake at Sunrise |
After leaving the popular hiking trail that runs along the reservoir we left the day hikers behind and ran into 3 other backpackers in the 3 days that we were out. We had Laurel lake all to ourselves the first night where were treated to an incredible serene sunrise. Our second night was at Lake Vernon where we enjoyed a beautiful sunset and total solitude once again. Not a person or a rat to be seen. Dave's biggest disappointment was that we didn't get to see any bears. Beautiful sunsets and sunrises are some of the experiences that I most enjoy about backpacking and that keep me hiking even in the rain. And we had plenty of rain, we hiked in in the rain and hiked out in the rain, but we did get one absolutely beautiful day which made it all worthwhile.
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| Lake Vernon at Sunset |
One of the things that we enjoyed on this trip was my first effort at using dehydrated homegrown veggies in our meals. Dave declared the meals to be delicious and a resounding success (but then everything tastes great on the trail), but I had to agree that I was really pleased at how they came out. I had my dehydrator going nearly 24/7 the last couple of weeks preserving the tomatoes, peppers, and zucchini that were coming from the garden and those featured prominently in the meals. Added to the mix were onions from the garden, purchased mushrooms and shrimp, and a few other items. But more on that in another post.
So on to the scanty harvests last week.
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| Syrian Medieval Chard |
I harvested the first bunch of leaves from the fall planting of Syrian Medieval Chard. We enjoyed this in a simple saute with minced onions and currants. It helped to satisfy my craving for some greens.
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| Alvaro Charentais |
I noticed that one of the melons in the garden had suddenly changed color and it slipped easily from the vine so perhaps it actually ripened. We haven't tasted it yet.
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| Pantano Tomato |
And I found one largish tomato hanging in the vines. The few that are left on the vines now are green or barely starting to ripen.
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| Calabrese Broccoli |
The Calabrese Broccoli plants produced a few more shoots. This bunch along with the small harvest from the week before were enough for a generous serving for the two of us.
Here's the details of the harvests for the past week:
Calabrese broccoli - 5.1 oz
Syrian Medieval chard - 15 oz.
Alvaro Charentais melon - 1.3 lb.
Pantano tomato - 3.9 oz.
Total harvests for the week - 2.8 lb. (1.3 kg.)
2016 YTD - 829.6 lb. (376.3 kg.)
Harvest Monday is hosted by Dave on his blog
Our Happy Acres, head on over there to see what other garden bloggers have been harvesting lately.
Now I've got to get out to the garden to see what rain and rats have wrought in the past 4 days.
The hiking trip to Yosemite sounds idyllic! We went there once, but it was only a flying visit as part of a Fly-Drive tour. Taking home-grown food with you must have been very satisfying, but would probably have reminded me of Army rations!
ReplyDeleteThe trip was idyllic. But I never had Rice Noodles with Vegetables and Shrimp in my Army rations. (Yes, I served.)
DeleteYour hike certainly sounds amazing! I've never been to the eastern US, but one day... Taking dehydrated food is such a great idea - I'll have to remember that if we ever get back to camping.
ReplyDeleteEven if you don't go backpacking I think dehydrated veggies would be great for camping since you don't have to worry about keeping them in a cooler to keep them fresh.
DeleteA huge benefit, for sure - and just noticed I mentioned I hadn't been to the eastern US when I actually meant western. I must have still been on that 1st cup of coffee ;)
DeleteYosemite sounds like a great place to get off the beaten path. I haven't backpacked in years but taking good dehydrated food was always a big pain. The prepared meals are terrible and overpriced. I used to take the quick rice mixes and mix in tuna from those small packets. Making your own sounds like the way to go.
ReplyDeleteI didn't do it all from scratch, I took quick cooking rice noodles and couscous, each with seasonings included, and generously supplemented them with the veggies and dried shrimp - the best of ready made and homegrown.
DeleteYour trip to Yosemite sounds wonderful! I've never been there, but would love to visit someday. That's a great idea to dehydrate garden veggies for hiking trips. I really should use my dehydrator more!
ReplyDeleteI'm finding that I'm putting more things than ever into the dehydrator now that I'm trying to take more homegrown/homemade meals on the trail. It's amazing how good some things are that I would never have thought of dehydrating before.
DeleteI'm looking forward to hearing about your dehydrated veggies. I experimented with squash and beans this year, but I haven't used any yet.
ReplyDeleteWinter squash? I haven't tried that yet, but zucchini and Tromba squash are great dehydrated. And I don't have any beans left in the garden to try either. I'm interested to see how they came out for you. I'll keep you in suspense about my experiments until later...
DeleteOther than your destination you seem to have had a very similar sort of week to us, although I have to have admit to having stayed in a hotel. I would have been disappointed not seeing any bears too :-)
ReplyDelete