What did you harvest today?

[Hailstorm]

Our poor little garden got completely smashed by the massive golf ball sized hails stones on Saturday, there was on Strawberry that I was saving for Haze and a heap of capsicums that were most likely going to be the last produce from the tiny garden....I'm a bit sad even though we had planned to pull it out and mulch and re plant.....SO now I have nothing left to harvest at all and won't for awhile

[boy wrangler]

oh Kyls, that is a shame.

Our garden got trashed by ... wait for it ... water! It has rained so much over the past week and a half and our garden has such bad drainage that everything is boggy and swampy. Beans (two types), pumpkin and zucchini have all been drowned, parsley is looking a big worse for wear but should survive. The only thing that is going ok is masses of ceylon spinach and a bed of corn, other herbs like rosemary, chives, oregano and thyme seem to have made it through ok.

So I harvested one sprig of rosemary for the lentils that are in the slow cooker and just before its ready I'll go and get some ceylon spinach to put in.

[Stardust]

Oh kylie that is a shame. We wre relatively protected but Mum and dads place copped it too.
Harvested some parsley, garlic chives and a big batch of potatoes. Mashed them tonight and they were yum!

[mama_bel]

Harvested a bag of capsicums and a bag of chokos to take to the LETS trade night. Chickens are laying more eggs, which is great.

[jodiemiller]

The chillis are here!! I picked half a bucketful yesterday.

[kebeni]

tomatoes are coming in thick adn fast, rainbow chard, tonnes of strawberries still and snow peas, there are also spuds to be dug

[Savannah]

I picked 8kgs of tomatoes this afternoon. I can't believe how many we have still to ripen too. Perhaps 24 plants was too much after all...

[kebeni]

picked another 4 or so kg of tomatos, that makes almost 20kg all up! some more tomatoes and dug up the spuds. Got about a shopping back worth of spuds and they are yummy!

[Indigo]

More butternut pumpkin, the first of our beans, and snow peas - all used in our dinner!

[Savannah]

It is so rewarding to make a dinner from the ingredients you have gathered from your own garden.

[mama_bel]

I am jealous of the tomato hauls you girls get! The most I'd get is 1kg in a day. And now, just cherry tomatoes until next season.

Today a watermelon, pumpkin, 3 chokos, 4 cucumbers, 14 eggs, and a bowl of cherry tomatoes.

Also harvesting right now - herbs, green leafies, macadamias and more...

[Savannah]

Yeah but Bel, you get mangoes up there. We need a little bit of something to balance it out!

[Stardust]

Just herbs. Our spag squash has climbed half way up the apple tree and we have one baby squash. Hoping it stays warm a little longer or the frost will get it. We have heaps of flowers but something, prob the rabbits keep nipping them off!

[mama_bel]

Ah, I don't get mangoes right here where I am, have to go about 30-50km away to find them. I have still planted a mango tree, though, in case of climate change...

I think we've had the last of our watermelons now. Just harvesting the usual here. Meant to fix up #1 greenhouse today, but feeling a bit blah.

[michelle_j_r]

today i sold my very first harvest! the local servo here has a shelf of local fruit and vege and when i filled up yesterday i noticed he had no pumpkin, so i picked two japs and one queensland blue this morning and took in and he bought them. i thought it was kinda cool cos i have never done anything like that before (and i have soooooo many pumpkins!). He wants more, but smaller ones.... no idea who to tell if they are ripe when they are small. ?

Would love more info on bananas though. I have two big bunches on the trees but have just left them there. Should i pick the whole thing while still green and hang it somewhere?

Getting lots of yummy big passionfruit. But my tomato bushes are giving me bugger all.

[lizlea]

yep, pick the whole thing while green and hang it under cover. They ripen really quickly, just cut off a few at a time to eat. Watch out for flying foxes - they like to eat them!

[lizlea]

and yay for your sales! Sorry, I can't help on the ripe q though.

[michelle_j_r]

under cover, how? i just stuck them hanging from a beam on the back deck under the roof... is that what you mean? Or cover the individual bunch like in the blue/silver bags you see in actual plantations? cos i could not be bothered to buy a bag....

[marmee]

I wish I could be more glamorous - but I don't have much to harvest...

But I did harvest a lemon and some parsely?

Do I get points for that?

[mama_bel]

You always get points for lemons and parsley, Marmee - they're essential ingredients IMO.

Pumpkins will grow big now - don't pick them small, they will be yuk and pale and tasteless. Toward winter as the vine is dying back they will grow smaller. Maybe the man would like halves or quarters like the supermarkets do? Maybe not. Japs and Qld Blues are just big now, with this rain and the last of summer heat, that's what they do. If he wants small, grow some butternuts or similar for him next year.

Bananas can be picked when the ridges start to fill out so the fruit aren't so angular, iykwim? Yep, cut the whole bunch (can weigh a LOT) and tie the long stem part through a beam under the shed or carport or whatever roof. Don't bag them. Put some newspaper under the bottom as they drop icky brown stuff sometimes. Cut away anything the birds, rats or possums got into and chuck it out. If you suspect rats or bats have been on your bananas, wash the fruit really well, and your hands. Cut off the ripest looking ones and bring them inside to enjoy. One day, about 50 will be ripe at once. That is the day you peel, bag and freeze or dehydrate them.

I picked the long yellow capsicums, another weird pumpkin, chokos, cucumbers, parsley and a handful of other herbs, celery for stock concentrate...