Last report from my garden

[prairiemom]

Usually, as fall wanes, I can cover the garden for a few days between the mild frosts and bring in the garden before a hard frost. Not so this year. We had our first frost Tues night and a hard frost last night. So I had 2 days to bring everything in. Yesterday was a marathon day--7 hours of solid work for me and 2 ds's. Dh worked with us the last 3 hrs picking apples and bringing everything inside.

So...here's what we got: On Tues I brought in a gallon of basil, 95 lbs ripe or ripening tomatoes, 60 lbs green tomatoes and 45 lbs Swiss chard. Wed we got the Swiss chard all processed and some tomatoes dried.

Yesterday's harvest:
42 lbs carrots (weighed after all the tops were cut off)--some are purple, some are yellow as well as the regular orange-type.
55 lbs turnips
21 squash--hubbard, butternut, spaghetti
1 pumpkin--35 lbs
4 lbs beets
2 purple cabbages (1st cutting)
6 small green cabbage (2nd cuttings)
1 gal broccoli
1 gal purple Brussel sprouts
2 gal green and ripe cherry tomatoes
various zucchini, parsnips, eggplants, cucumbers and parsley
And LOTS of apples--3-5 gal buckets pictured here.

http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs274.snc1/10129_179206216279_546991279_4267740_7167920_n.jpg

MORE apples! 4 laundry baskets and 7 bins (each bin about 20 gal) full. Plus 3-5 gal buckets and two big cardboard boxes similar in size to the plastic bins are on the front porch. This will make LOTS of apple cider. And pie filling. And dried apples.

http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs274.snc1/10129_179206226279_546991279_4267741_6853107_n.jpg

This is more apples than any family can use. The frustrating thing is I had 3 other families lined up to come pick apples and none came. This happens every year. I can't believe how many people turn their noses up at free food.

Well, all will not be lost because this year dh bought me an apple cider press, which we've already used. I estimate the apple pictured will produce about 20-24 gal of cider. Again, way more than I was prepared to put up, but if I have to do it, I will. I don't want it to all go to waste.

The other great thing dh bought me this summer was a set of washtubs. He got them for $30 at an estate sale.

http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs274.snc1/10129_175566566279_546991279_4239552_2536955_n.jpg

These made yesterday's work sooooooo much easier. I did all the washing outside (had to wear rubber gloves though, because it never got above 45?) Got all the veggies washed, trimmed and put into bins. I still need to sort the carrots and turnips for those that need to be eaten or canned immediately and pack the rest into peat. But that will come after processing tomatoes and apples.

Don't know how much of our food supply this will be, but I'm guessing we reached our goal of producing/putting up 90% of our fruits/veggies for a year.

[signseeker]

That's so awesome! 45 pounds of Swiss chard?!?! :blink: Isn't that like, lettuce? I mean 45 pounds of it must have filled the flat bed trailer, huh? Sheesh.

I was thinking about the food that people are "capable" of growing for themselves but just don't for one reason or another. Or that, as you say, turn down free food. I concluded that as times get harder, people will become more resourceful. I really think they will. :thumbsup:

[Cowboy]

That is quite a haul!

[4evermama]

I now have a new muse.
Amazing haul!
Congratulations on a job well done.

[Highlandsunrise]

Wow, Prarrie, great job!!! We had our best garden yet this year. Progress.

This morning, I ambled out to the chicken coop looking for eggs and about tripped over two dead chickens and a very live light gray mink looking at me over dead chicken #3 that he had just killed. I reclosed the door and went shreeeking in the house after DH.
MINK IN COOP! DEAD CHICKENS!
DH came running, grabbing a rake on the way. The mink was very bold. He wasn't done and he wasn't leaving yet. DH wacked mink with the rake and then while stomping on the mink, said mink turned and chomped on DH's pant leg. (I do hope that DH would not have tried that had he been wearing shorter pants.) At that point, DH removed his foot from the mink and mink removed his teeth from pant leg. Mink ran up ramp into nest. DH kept mink in nest with rake while I ran for gun. After running around to make sure there were no horses or kids around, DH held 9ml high, shooting at downward angle toward floor, ended mink's mortal life. I am so thankful to my hero DH getting rid of that guy.

Normally we are not this hostile to visitors. Usually I am upset at the thought of killing even the predator that is after my birds but this one stepped way over that line. I am so glad to not have to worry about HIM coming back to finish the job on the rest of my poor hens.

[Buffie]

Prairiemom, you are fantastic! But you didn't say a thing about turnip greens. Down South we really love them; they're just the top of the turnips. I usually pull the thick stalks out of the middle, then wash them repeatedly. They've been available in our local outdoor markets for several months, but many people think they're best after the frost gets them.
Hope your family likes apply jelly. It's the only flavor my husband wants.
Oh, you gave me a serious garden guilt complex.

[prairiemom]

We only like turnip greens picked early, in the springtime. They get too bitter and stringy when they are older (IMHO). We got about a dozen or so bags in the freezer from earlier this year.

I have so much other jelly--blueberry, peach, raspberry, wonderberry and apricot--about 60 jars total, that I passed on apple jelly this year. Instead we did TONS of cider/juice.

[signseeker]

Wonderberry? :blink:

[prairiemom]

Yeah, I talked about them here: http://www.ldsglo.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6869 Pictures included.

[signseeker]

Those are grapes. :frown2: