Tuesday’s harvest from the vegetable gardens
On Tuesday I was up around 5AM and got the sprinklers going then got my post up. I got a load in the dishwasher and headed out to the gardens to harvest. I was able to get all the vegetables I needed for making bread and butter relish plus the usual overload of squash and cukes.
My #2 intern was coming at 8AM and I was going to help her get the netting off the elderberry and then start cutting up vegetables for the salt soaking.
We went out and got the netting dropped off the elderberry and I came back in to start the vegetables.
She got the bowl in the sink which I thought was a good haul and she got them washed up, drained and into the freezer. She had also harvested a few more Juneberries and I got those into the freezer.
I kept on with the vegs as they needed to soak for at least 2 hours before processing. I wanted them to be done soaking when the temporary helper arrived at 12:30PM.
I got them done around 10AM. While I was doing those, my #2 intern found an old sheet and laid it out in the office. She went out and got the garlic from the wood shed. I brought 4 of the big bowls for grading the garlic.
The very best heads, with a minimum of 3 huge cloves or better, would be seed for October planting. The ones with a couple big cloves and good size heads were labeled #1 and would be for sale. The next size, #2, would also be for sale but was poorer quality. And the worst was saved for eating.
This is the year I have to start over breeding bigger heads with huge cloves. The previous breeding had somehow gotten contaminated with a disease. So I am starting where I am and selecting the best each year.
Once it was graded it was time for my #2 intern to go. I went out to set up for making relish and realized she hadn’t had time to get the netting on the line so I went out to do that.
When I got to the elderberry, I realized she had somehow managed to miss over half of the ripe berries. So I got 2 smaller bowls and got them picked. Then I got the netting on the line.
I sat down to cool off and rest until my temporary helper arrived at 12:30PM. I set her to washing the elderberries as I finished setting up to do relish.
She had to go do a couple errands: pick up my food order at the co-op and take the squash to the Survival Center. But when she got back, she didn’t have my food order! She’d donated it to the Survival Center. Why she would think ½ lb of oatmeal, 1 dozen eggs and 2 pints of ice cream would be a donation, I have no idea. So I called and they set it aside and she went back for it. Sigh…
I had intended for her to do the grinding of the relish as it’s a standing job and I was getting pretty tired. But I had to do it because she had to get my food back.
You may remember that huge amaryllis that flowered 3X last year. It had to be moved to the upstairs when I set up the plant lights in the living room windows. As soon as they were out, I moved it back, but all the leaves still died. Then a bud appeared.
On Tuesday the buds started to open and as always, they are sublime. It’s also grown 2 more leaves with more to come, and its side shoot has a leaf started. It sure loves this window.
I had finished the grinding by the time she got back so we put the vegs in the syrup and heated them up. While we were waiting for that, we got onion bags and bagged up and labeled the garlic then weighed it. She brought it down to the old root cellar and we got it hung up.
I got 9.45 lbs of seed garlic, 5.81 lbs of #1, 1.74 lbs of #2, and 2.13 lbs of eating bulbs, for a total of 19.13 lbs from 6 lbs bought from Johnny’s. I had been able to plant 205 cloves last October from that. They were mostly decent, ¼ were seconds and of the 6 lbs I got, ¾ lb were damaged or too poor quality.
The vegs had come to a boil so I taught her how to can it as she had never done it before. I had another errand I needed done so she headed out once the jars were in the canner. I took them out when they finished processing and she left shortly after she got back. I got 3 quarts and 7 pints.
I was so tired! I made some supper after resting a while and couldn’t get to sleep until 10PM. That’s often the case when I’ve done too much.
On Wednesday no one is coming and I hope to get out and clean out the New West garden by the front steps. I am so sick of the weeds! I also have laundry to finish and the rest of the kitchen to clean up. I mostly plan to read and rest in the afternoon.
