Due to the lack of rain recently things have been sorta slow in the garden. The tomatoes have finally starting coming in nicely and the onions are doing well to. Cucumbers seem to be finalizing their supply for this year but we have had a good harvest from them so no complaints really. There have been discussions between Amy and myself about the garden for next year and we have definitely decided that we are going to scale back to about 9 or so raised beds and be done with it. Our schedules leave us no real time to work on them throughout the week, leaving our weekends full of gardening and not much else. With our youngest off on his new adventures later this year it seems we need to slow down some, doing some of the other things we liked to do before. We also plan on doing some traveling next year to here and there. No place too exoctic, but just scoping out some areas where we would like to spend our remaining years. Climate is a big check on the list for us. We do have a few areas picked out but we need to spend more time researching and asking questions before we get too far into it. May be asking questions of the fellow harvesters here :). Anyway off to what's happening in the garden this week.
As I said before, tomatoes have really come in on their own. Amy's has been able to get a few of here favorite, Solar Flares. We also get a smattering of romas and grapes, a few Better Boys thrown in. I am excited that the new variety I tried this year have set nicely and I have a few to eat. They are called Red Pear (or Pomodoro.) They are obviously pear in shape and they do have a rich taste. Not so much acidic but I'd say close to a Mortgage Lifter. I got the from Seeds From Italy. They sell only heirloom varieties. Between that, the previously- mentioned Solar Flares, Better Boys, Romas, and Grapes, I've picked a few Mortgage Lifters and Boxcar Willies. A few of the plants are pretty much dead and a few are going strong. In looking around at other gardens in the area, everyone seems to be in the same boat. Earlier we got a lot of rain and the past week and a half, nothing.
Red Pear
Here's a picture of the harvest Amy picked Sunday.
A little bit of everything. I was hoping to get enough ripe tomatoes at once to make some salsa but they may not happen. If not we'll hit the farmers market for a box of Romas and make it then. Still save money in the end and the recipe we use tastes great. And low cal snack if you eat it right.
A few weeds here and there but I'm keeping it fairly trimmed back as I can.
Here's this week's (and last weeks, sorry) harvest totals.
I did start some more bush beans in the raised beds as we wanted to get some more quarts canned, but do to lack of rain they haven't done too much.
Onions. Yes not hard to grow these things.
Closing up I finished the last Viking book, read another book called Behind the Scenes by Elizabeth Keckly and now am on A Walk in the Wilderness, about the Appalachian Trail. Some day I plan on walking it. Amy may not know it yet...
WOF of the Week. Why not. Scrounge for snacks during meal prep.
Harvest Monday is hosted at Our Happy Acres. With my reducing my duties in the garden hopefully I'll post more. Have a great week everyone!
