Harvest

Harvest Monday

July 9, 2012

Happy Monday everyone!

Thankfully, the past week finally brought us some much needed rain!  Not only has it helped to calm our spirits a bit, but the garden has loved the respite form the heat as well as the moisture from the skies.  Rain water must have some magic in it because it affects our veggies unlike any water we get from the tap, without a doubt!

Anyhow, this week brought us the very last of our homegrown apricots, the first summer squash (yellow crook neck) and the second harvest of rhubarb, among a few other goodies 🙂

We’re also quite sure that one of our pullets has begun laying, though we’re not sure which one.  See that little pink egg?  We’ve gotten a few of them throughout the week.  They’re very sweet and tiny 🙂

There was also a happy, unexpected harvest this week.  While we didn’t grow or water or care for the apricots we “harvested” from the ground in a friend’s backyard, we saved them from rotting into the ground or messing up everyone’s shoes with their fallen sadness.  We picked up a total of 13 pounds of apricots, sorted them, cleaned them and canned them.  While this “harvest” will not be counted in my harvest tally, it has done wonders for our pantry!  It also brings me a great happiness knowing that we were able to “save” some delicious fruit that would have otherwise gone to waste.  (BTW-chickens love apricots…they got all the bruised ones…after I pitted them…and ran around like it was their Birthday or something!)

In addition to all the fruits and veggies this, we also harvested…er…culled our rooster.  He weighed in at 3 lbs 8 oz and made for a delicious weekend meal.  While the process of culling this time around (our second time ever) was very different from our first experience a year ago, I’m not sure it will ever get easy.  And that’s as it should be, I believe.
This weeks totals:
  • Apricots = 3 lbs 2 oz
  • Basil = 3 oz
  • Beet Greens = 5 oz
  • Chamomile = not weighed
  • Dill = not weighed
  • Lemon Balm = 1 oz
  • Mint = 3 oz
  • Oregano = 1 oz
  • Rhubarb = 1 lb 14 oz
  • Summer Squash = 5 oz
  • Thyme = 1 oz
  • Tomatoes = 1 lb
  • Eggs = 30
Hope everyone has a wonderful day!
Happy harvesting!
Linking up to Harvest Monday @ Daphne’s Dandelions
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24 Comments on “Harvest Monday”

  1. Awesome apricot harvest! Congrats on the first squash of the season too. Enjoy the rain.. it seems to be a rare occurrence this year.

    1. Thanks, Julie! It was a good week, for sure! And, the rains just keep coming…I am so grateful!

  2. What a variety of eggs! Funny how not all eggs taste the same, contrary to popular supermarket beliefs. Everything looks delicious.

    1. Right?! The variety in eggs is simply amazing to me! I love it…it makes egg collecting (and eating) feel special and exciting 🙂

  3. What a great harvest. And your own chicken can’t be beat. I do find I can’t butcher and eat them in the same day. I have to wait a day or two before they’re dinner. It does get a little easier after you have done a few dozen. And with practice you will become more efficient and quicker about it also.

    1. Thanks for the words of encouragement. I do hope it will get easier. I don’t ever want to loose my perspective on the process, but it would help if it didn’t feel so personal every time 🙂

  4. Lovely apricots! We had them in our yard when I was growing up… and I did not appreciate them enough. I miss them now!

    1. Ha! Right?! Our friend just back into town and said we can come back and keep taking them! I may be up to my elbows in apricots for a while 😉

  6. Love that you got to harvest fruits you love for someone who didn’t want them cluttering up their yard. Double win. 🙂

    1. Absolutely! We’re tempted to walk around town with brown paper sacks and pick up whatever we can off the ground…

    2. I have heard of people offering to pick/ clean up unwanted fruit in people’s yards and even around city property (maybe on Craigslist, but I can’t remember now…). I could totally be a bag lady picking up poor unwanted fruit, too! 😉
      -Jaime

  8. Oh those beautiful apricots! Those “found” harvests are a gift, aren’t they? We’ve been offered to pick all we want of my husband’s late aunt’s blueberry patch, while her estate is in transition; that’s our “found” harvest and I am rejoicing, I’m sure the way you are over those apricots!

    1. Oh man…blueberries! Now that would be a wonderful treat! What will you do with them???

    1. Thanks! Yes, he was delicious…though it’s still a bit surreal to cull and eat a chicken within a few days. Definitely important to us on this journey of ours, but also very surreal.

  10. Those eggs are beautiful! And so is everything else! Yes, rainwater is definitely way more effective for the garden! We got some last night and I am so glad!

  12. What a beautifully yellow harvest. Pretty and delicious. Well done on the salvage harvest too.

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