Monday, December 28, 2009

This Week's Harvest - The Last of December

christmas harvest 2
It feels nice to be able to participate in Daphne's Harvest Monday again. You're looking at the last of December's bounty- a pretty decent haul if I do say so myself. Not that I'm bragging or anything. It's just that not too long ago, I was questioning whether or not I would even make it this far in my winter gardening adventures. Of course, my streak could suddenly come to an end at any moment. Anyway, here are a words about what I harvested this week:

christmas harvest 4
This is my first harvest of Red Russian kale. I direct-sowed the seeds in early September only because I didn't get a chance to dig the bed until then. Next year, I will aim for a much earlier sowing date. Then again, it would be nice if these successfully overwintered and I was able to harvest them all summer and fall.

christmas harvest 3
I harvested a big bunch of my Napoli carrots. They are pretty tasty but I must admit that I prefer the taste of my Nantes carrots, which have a more pronounced carrot flavor. My bed of Nantes carrots is currently frozen solid. They seem to be handling it fine though. Hopefully we will get a mid-winter thaw soon so I can harvest the remaining carrots.

chritmas harvest 6
This is my first harvest of Bright Lights chard, not a big one but pretty to look at nonetheless. The seeds came from Kelly at How My Garden Grows (along with the kale) and were direct sown in early September as. Hopefully they will overwinter successfully as well.

christmas harvest 5
This is the last of the Chinese Kale. They were a bit frozen when I harvested them. Hopefully they will still taste fine when cooked.

christmas lettuce harvest
Finally, I picked another round of Tango lettuce, which is tasting slightly sharp from the freezing temperatures we've had lately, but is edible nonetheless.

Next week, I plan on harvesting a big round of spinach. That is, if weather permits.

17 comments:

  1. Lovely harvest, Thomas! It’s so nice to see a successful winter gardening. Hopefully more gardeners will see this bounty and decide to have a winter garden as well next year.

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  2. Very nice harvest. It all looks quite lovely. Wishing you the best in 2010!

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  3. Thomas, an abundant and beautiful harvest! I am in awe of what you have accomplished with your garden. You must be proud... we are. ;)

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  4. Nice harvest! This year was my first growing Nantes, and, I have to say I love the flavor and storage capacity. They froze well also.
    Your winter garden is amazing and inspiring!

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  5. The greens and carrots are beautiful and such a refreshing addition to the table when the bulk of our garden produce is in the form of preserved or frozen items. By the way, kale will take quite a bit of freezing and bounce back just fine.

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  6. It is very cold and icy here in Scotland, so I have not been able to visit my plot since Christmas eve, but even if I did - I would not be harvesting any salad leaves, as the persistent rain here had destroyed them all. Maybe I should've planted some in the greenhouse, maybe next year...
    But I do still have some chard, kale and baby carrots. I look forward to participating in Daphnes Harvest Monday, one-day.
    Happy New Year to you and your readers.

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  7. I'm so excited for you! This is a beautiful harvest...good job!

    I planted everything too late for my winter garden...then what little did sprout, the chickens got to! Next year tho...for sure!

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  8. Lovely! Everything is beautiful and looks delicious!

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  9. That is a really nice harvest. I wish I was harvesting all that at this time of year. It is quite a feet for almost being the new year.

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  10. That's a fantastic harvest. Your greens look so pristine, really beautiful. Those may not be your favorite carrots, but they have to be better than any carrots you can buy!

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  11. Looks great! I "forgot" to plant my fall carrots, and my lettuces are now done for, but we still have some spinach and the Bright Lights Chard going! We did grilled pizzas with the chard & spinach last night!

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  12. What a fantastic haul, you're making me feel guilty out here in So CAL for not having a winter veg garden!

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  13. What a beautiful harvest, Thomas! Oh how I would love to snack on carrots just pulled from the garden right now.

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  14. Your harvest is huge, way to go! All your photos makes me want a salad. I have not been harvesting anything lately. I need to get out and bring a lot of it in, the frigid weather can not be too far off.

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  15. I'm now drooling for a fresh picked carrot !
    I grew napoli this year. I thought they tasted great but then again I didn't have a different variety to compare them with. I'm growing 3 varieties next year, including nantes. Can't wait to taste.
    Beautiful harvest, Thomas !

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  16. Happy New Year Thomas! I wanted to let you know the NOFA bulk order will be open on the first of the year according to their site. If you are interested in potatoes they did Moose Tubers last year, available in 2.5# quantities on up- not bad!

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  17. Hi Thomas,

    You are so inspiring! We had -12 C for several days before Christmas, so the kale I planned to have for Christmas dinner is still in the garden, frozen solid.

    Next year I plan to build a hoop house to cover the 4' x 4' raised bed in the back, so I can have an extended harvest too. Your winter veggies are so beautiful.

    Only six weeks til time to start seeding flats in the greenhouse. Can't wait!

    Deb in western Canada

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