Monday, December 7, 2009

Harvest Monday

With all the unprotected crops harvested last Saturday this Harvest Monday will contain a lot of lasts:

With the ground starting to freeze I harvested all the parsnips that were seeded July 15. I was planning on harvesting them next spring but onions will be taking their place and would not allow any more growth time. I ended up with a nice bunch about the size of your average carrot and a bunch of baby ones. I look forward to cooking these up soon.

The last of the radishes came in as well. I really liked these 'Easter Egg' radishes, they performed well in the spring & fall.

Here is the last of the fall broccoli. The side shoots were getting quite small but I will take what I can get. All in all the fall broccoli grew great this year. I seeded them June 1st in cell packs and transplanted them into the garden July 1st. They produced a nice crop of large heads mid September and have been producing side shoots ever since.

14 comments:

  1. Your parsnips are lovely! I think I pulled mine a bit too early. They were still quite small. First time I'd grown them. Congrats!

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  2. The parsnips look just about perfect to go in to a nice pot of chicken soup! My parsnips did not get as much size on them this year as they usually do. I started them about two weeks later than normal and think that probably is why. I need to get back to the original schedule and stick with it.

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  3. I don't think I've even had parsnips before. I think I need to diversify my crop next year.

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  4. Enjoy the parsnips! I love em. Hopefully the crops in our hoop houses will endure the current freezing temperatures. Next harvest monday should be interesting.

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  5. Your parsnips are looking good! That's something I haven't tried growing, I bet homegrown tastes great... Would they survive being left in the ground when it freezes?

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  6. I have neither grown nor tasted a parsnip. I keep thinking about it as a new crop but they take up so much space that I've never found a spot for them. Your broccoli might be small now but it still looks good. I love garden broccoli.

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  7. I thought I was doing well because I was harvesting peppers and tomatoes a few weeks into November. Granted, they weren't root crops, but you must have some nice weather.

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  8. Sar - This was my first time growing them as well. I was surpised at my harvest after starting them so late. They are a long season vegetable that's for sure.

    KitsapFG - If I find room for parsnips next year I will plant much sooner as well.

    Aerelonian - Parsnips are good when harvested correctly, kind of like a spicy carrot. If they are picked before a frost they can be horribly bitter which seems to be the case with grocery store parsnips.

    Thomas - I am guessing our hoop house crops will be harvestable until mid Jan. Then things will be pretty frozen until early March.

    Hippiemom - Thanks

    Michelle - Parsnips can be left in the ground all winter long here. They are supposed to get even better by spring.

    Daphne - I don't know if I will have room for more parsnips next year, we will see how nice these ones taste tomorrow.

    Red - Nov's weather was great, we didn't see one flake of snow. Things are changing now though... unfortunately.

    Cloud - Fall broccoli is the best!

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  9. I love how a seed goes into the ground on a lovely summer day and comes out of the ground -- crisp and fresh and gorgeous -- in December, when the hand that planted it is now wearing gloves.

    Lovely post!

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  10. June - Yes, the gloves do come in handy this time of year. These ones are nice and thick with a rubber coating on the fingers & palm. Just the thing to guard against losing a digit in this weather :-)

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  11. That broccolettes looks delicious. P.S. I was admiring your gloves too.

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  12. It ain't over 'til it's over. After yesterday's snow I was surprised to still find sideshoots. It can't last forever, though

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