Harvest Monday – September 19, 2011

September 19, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  by Ben Czajkowski  |  Gardening

I’m not proud to admit that it’s been a few weeks since I’ve written a blog post and a Harvest Monday post. I’m also not proud to admit that I’ve neglected most of my garden, since the end of August. I traveled over the course of two Mondays, and, here, in Baltimore, we received an obscene amount of rain, enough that my basement flooded. Granted, it didn’t flood as bad as some, but enough that I had to throw some things out.

Harvest Monday September 19 2011

Harvest Monday September 19 2011

In my absence, the garden suffered a bit, mostly from insect ravaging. Something killed the hops’ cones, and I think that ultimately killed my gardening motivation for the year. I was truly looking forward to brewing up an IPA with these cones. Sadness.

Insects obliterated the Cherokee Purples; I went to pull one of the tomatoes off the vine, and a black and yellow beetle with a black spot on its back crawled out. I image-searched, in hopes of finding what it was, but I haven’t been able to find a match to what I think I saw.

The damage was extremely upsetting, but most of the insects then left the Bush Early Girl Tomatoes alone. I harvested nine pounds from the two plants, this weekend, a personal best. I’ll have to try the Cherokee Purples again next year because Mother Nature just didn’t give this one a fair shot.

The eggplants aren’t thrilled that the temperatures have dropped into the fifties and sixties. Both are still flowering and fruiting like champs, though. The Ichiban has more fruits on it now than it has all season. Might try to overwinter this one.

Sweet Million Cherry Tomatoes

Sweet Million Cherry Tomatoes

Sweet Million Cherry Tomatoes

Harvest: 4 Cherry Tomatoes Weight: 7/8oz.

Cayenne Peppers

Cayenne

Cayenne

Harvest: 3 Peppers Weight: 3/4oz.

Bush Early Girl Tomatoes

Bush Early Girl Tomatoes

Bush Early Girl Tomatoes

Notes: These two plants turned out almost 9lbs of tomatoes over the last two weeks. Most of the fruits were small, unlike some of the tomatoes from earlier in the season. However, with all the rain and the quick decline in temperatures, it doesn’t surprise me that the fruits didn’t get very large. There are still probably more than two dozen tomatoes left to pick, once they ripen.

Almost all of the ones pictured above became gazpacho or salsa. The former was absolutely delicious, with a warm quesadilla; I couldn’t even let the gazpacho chill before wanting to eat it.

Harvest: A grocery bag full of tomatoes Weight: 139 1/2oz.

Red Beauty Pepper

Red Beauty Bell Peppers

Red Beauty Bell Peppers

Notes: There was originally a fourth pepper. However, when I brought all of the harvest in, and I left it sit out overnight, the pepper collapsed in on itself. It smelled awful, and its innards had, basically, putrefied. If I was more adventurous, and I had a mask, I would have dissected it.

Harvest: 3 Peppers Weight: 10oz.

Bush Green Beans

Bush Beans

Bush Beans

Notes: The two plants that survived Mother Nature produced a ton of beans. Most of these probably should have been picked before I let them get so big; from what I’ve read, greenbeans are best when they haven’t fully matured. Oh well. They’ll make something delicious this week.

Harvest: Bagful of Bush Beans Weight: 10oz.

Purple Beauty Bell Peppers

Purple Bell Peppers

Purple Bell Peppers

Notes:  I let two of these peppers fully mature into their reddened state so that I could harvest seeds from them for share and to see what happened when they fully mature. Might sample some of the “reddened” peppers and compare with the “immature” purples.

Harvest: 5 peppers Weight: 12 5/8oz.

Early Sunsation Sweet Bell Peppers

Early Sunsation Bell Peppers

Early Sunsation Bell Peppers

Notes: These started to develop random brown spots. I had to scrap one; it was just beyond safe-eating salvage. I didn’t see any insect penetration or damage. Maybe something else got to it (like Time).

Harvest: Two peppers Weight: 5 1/8oz.

Patio Pickler Cucumber

Patio Pickler Cucumber

Patio Pickler Cucumber

Notes: This is the final cucumber of the season. Wave goodbye!

Harvest: 1 Cucumber Weight: 11 1/4oz.

Ichiban Eggplants

Ichiban Eggplant

Ichiban Eggplant

Harvest: 1 Eggplant Weight: 7 1/8oz.

Fairy Tale Eggplants

Fairy Tale Eggplants

Fairy Tale Eggplants

Notes: No idea why one was starting to turn neon yellow.

Harvest: 1 Eggplant Weight: 5 1/4oz.

Weekly Total (doesn’t include various herbs): 202 1/2oz.

2011 Year-To-Date Total (doesn’t include various herbs): 38.1328125lbs. (610 1/8oz.)

Daphne is the ringleader of Monday Harvests. You can see her here and wish her a speedy recovery.

Harvest Monday – August 29, 2011

August 29, 2011  |  7 Comments  |  by Ben Czajkowski  |  Gardening

I feel blessed that after a hurricane moved through the East Coast, this weekend, that my garden is still in relatively good condition. You can see pictures of the aftermath here.

Monday Harvest August 29, 2011

Monday Harvest August 29, 2011

Cherokee Purple Tomatoes

Cherokee Purple Tomatoes

Cherokee Purple Tomatoes

Note: These were a garden first, for the year. This plant has suffered some major annoyances. Among them, blossom end rot and, most likely, squirrels. These two fruits were cracked and scarred from all of the rain that we’ve had here, in Baltimore. I was stubborn and wanted them to ripen on the vine. They were just fine, during consumption and seeding.

Harvest: 2 Cherokee Purple Tomatoes Weight: 6oz.

Sweet Million Cherry Tomatoes

Sweet Million Cherry Tomatoes

Sweet Million Cherry Tomatoes

Note: Only a few fruits left on this one. After that, it’s game over.

Harvest: Cherry Tomatoes Weight: 2 5/8oz.

Cayenne Peppers

Cayenne

Cayenne

Note: These will join the others that are drying, in the basement.

Harvest: Peppers Weight: 1 1/4oz.

Jalapeno Peppers

Jalapenos

Jalapenos

Note: Oh yeah. Time for round two of Jalapeno poppers. This time, taco-style. I reddened two of the peppers so that I could harvest the seeds to start more of them, next year.

Harvest: Peppers Weight: 1 1/4oz.

Red Beauty Pepper

Red Beauty Bell Pepper

Red Beauty Bell Pepper

Note: Are they red, you ask? Yes, yes they are.

Harvest: 1 Pepper Weight: 3 1/8oz.

Bush Green Beans

Bush Beans

Bush Beans

Note: I planted 8 of these suckers, and only two have survived. One was killed by the hurricane. Two more were severed at the soil level. The other 5 died under various causes (loss of leaves, wildlife, didn’t sprout). I didn’t plant a lot, for the fall; I wanted to sample their quality first. So far, they taste green AND beany. Kinda light on the bush, though.

Harvest: Handful of Bush Beans Weight: 4oz.

Ichicban Eggplants

Ichiban Eggplant

Ichiban Eggplant

Note: This plant is still chugging along. Two more fruits are still developing; both survived Irene. When I harvested this one, a fire ant fell off and bit me. A fire ant? Really? I am loathed to admit that I let out a squeak of shock. Yes, it was a squeak, too.

Harvest: 1 Eggplant Weight: 8 3/8oz.

Weekly Total (doesn’t include various herbs): 26 3/4oz.

2011 Year-To-Date Total (doesn’t include various herbs): 25.4765625lbs. (407 5/8oz.)

Daphne is the ringleader of Monday Harvests. You can see her here.

Also, while you’re here, check out the question of the week: How many of your plants, this year, succumbed to death from disease/insects, before their time?

Monday Harvest – August 22, 2011

August 22, 2011  |  14 Comments  |  by Ben Czajkowski  |  Gardening

I wish I could say that I did a ton, out in the garden this week. However, it was busy for me. On top of that, Mother Nature was gracious enough to gift Baltimore with record rain, which saved me from having to water, and again caused me to regret not having rain barrels. Eventually, I’ll get one of those giant 500 gallon jugs, to save rain and snow water.

Monday_Harvest_August_22_2011

I’ve also done a lot of research, these last couple weeks, on hydroponics, aquaponics, and bubbleponics. I definitely think that I’ll be doing some growing, next year, using these methods. In the back of my mind, I hope to one day never need soil and the problems that it can bring…

Bush Early Girl

Bush Early Girl Tomatoes

Bush Early Girl Tomatoes

Note: These instantly became part of salsa, along with many of the pickings from last week. Although the salsa looks delicious, it looks more like pico de gallo. I, again, continue to be pleased with these Bush Early Girl tomatoes.

Harvest: 2 Bush Early Girls Weight: 9 7/8oz.

Sweet Million Cherry Tomatoes

Sweet Million Cherry Tomatoes

Sweet Million Cherry Tomatoes

Note: I think this plant is on its last legs. With all the rain that we’ve received, over the last two weeks, here in Baltimore, its leaves have yellowed and started to shrivel. It’s probably a fungal infection that I don’t feel like dealing with, this late in the season. I’ll probably plant multiple of these, next season. Pleased with the output and taste.

Harvest: 6 Cherry Tomatoes Weight: 1 1/4oz.

Patio Pickler Cucumber

Patio Pickler Cucumber

Patio Pickler Cucumber

Note: This plant only has one fruit left, growing on it. I think that it has slowed down to the point where I’ll probably retire it, soon. However, it still has one more giant yellow flower on it. So, I refuse to give up on it, quite yet.

Harvest: 1 Cucumber Weight: 10 7/8oz.

Cayenne Peppers

Cayenne Peppers

Cayenne Peppers

Note: These will join the others that are drying, in the basement.

Harvest: 3 Peppers Weight: 7/8oz.

Jalapeno Peppers

Jalapeno Peppers

Jalapeno Peppers

Note: Oh yeah. Time for round two of Jalapeno poppers. This time, taco-style. I reddened two of the peppers so that I could harvest the seeds to start more of them, next year.

Harvest: 14 Peppers Weight: 5 1/8oz.

Red Beauty Peppers

Red Beauty Bell Peppers

Red Beauty Bell Peppers

Note: These were quickly gutted after picking, being prepped for stuffed peppers: dinner Monday night. My only regret so far is that I only have one of these, this year. I would have loved to have continuous peppers, over the course of the summer, rather than sporadically.

Harvest: 3 Peppers Weight: oz.

Early Sunsation Sweet Bell Pepper

Early Sunsation Sweet Bell Pepper

Early Sunsation Sweet Bell Pepper

Early Sunsation Sweet Bell Pepper

Early Sunsation Sweet Bell Pepper

Note: Definitely golden. Definitely not early.

Harvest: 2 Peppers Weight: oz.

Bell Pepper Seeds

Bell Pepper Seeds

The bell peppers were used for stuffed peppers, as I mentioned before. Since these bell beauties have matured, I feel comfortable saving the seeds. Previously, I’ve saved seeds from one each, and both of those produced maybe a few dozen seeds, total. The two yellows, from above, were seeded and saved on the right. On the left, the three reds generously shared. I look forwarded to being able to give these out to those that one them, in the coming months.

Weekly Total (doesn’t include various herbs): 47 1/8oz.

2011 Year-To-Date Total (doesn’t include various herbs): 23.8046875lbs. (380 7/8oz.)

Daphne is the ringleader of Monday Harvests. You can see her here.

Also, while you’re here, check out the question of the week: Do you eat insect-damaged vegetables and fruits?

Monday Harvest – August 15, 2011

August 15, 2011  |  9 Comments  |  by Ben Czajkowski  |  Gardening

All the makings of raw salsa.

Harvest Monday August 15, 2011

Harvest Monday August 15, 2011

Ichiban Eggplants And Bush Early Girl Tomatoes

Ichiban Eggplants And Bush Early Girl Tomatoes

Bush Early Girl

Bush Early Girl Tomatoes

Bush Early Girl Tomatoes

Note: These tomato plants just continue to power through tomato production. Heather used most of what I had picked to make gazpacho. I, then, proceeded to pick more tomatoes. She can’t keep ahead with the production, at this point. I think some of the tomatoes might go to a local food bank.

Harvest: 9 Bush Early Girls Weight: 58 7/8oz.

Sweet Million Cherry Tomatoes

Sweet Million Cherry Tomatoes

Sweet Million Cherry Tomatoes

Note: A couple more of these were completely poached by local wildlife. I’m okay with these smaller ones being eaten. I moved the container to a higher location in hopes of keeping ground creatures away from it.

Harvest: 4 Cherry Tomatoes Weight: 7/8oz.

Ichiban Eggplant

Ichiban Eggplant

Ichiban Eggplant

Harvest: 3 Ichiban Eggplants Weight: 14 1/8oz.

Fairy Tale Eggplants

Fairy Tale Eggplants

Fairy Tale Eggplants

Harvest: 2 Eggplants Weight: 2 7/8oz.

Patio Pickler Cucumber

Patio Pickler Cucumbers

Patio Pickler Cucumbers

Note: This plant just continues to produce and to impress me. I’ll probably grow this one again next year.

Harvest: 3 Cucumbers Weight: 35 7/8oz.

Cayenne Pepper

Cayenne

Cayenne

Note: These are huge. Nine inches of delicious cayenne peppers. Hanging them up to dry for a few weeks.

Harvest: 5 Peppers Weight: 1 7/8oz.

Purple Beauty Bell Peppers

Purple Beauty Bell Peppers

Purple Beauty Bell Peppers

Harvest: 1 Pepper Weight: 1 1/4oz.

Weekly Total (doesn’t include various herbs): 115 3/4oz.

2011 Year-To-Date Total (doesn’t include various herbs): 20.859375lbs. (333 3/4oz.)

Daphne is the ringleader of Monday Harvests. You can see her here.

Also, while you’re here, check out the question of the week: Would you eat produce grown with human waste?

Harvest Monday – August 08, 2011

August 8, 2011  |  13 Comments  |  by Ben Czajkowski  |  Gardening

After some troublesome times, over the last couple weeks, this past week was a much better change of pace. We received some much needed rain, here in Baltimore (at least, in my part). Best of all, my tomatoes were left alone, all except for one. That Early Girl was only a quarter eaten, and left for dead.

Since I sprayed my Capsaisin mixture, I’ve only seen one squirrel: the one chewing on the aforementioned tomato. I will be reapplying it tomorrow, since we’ve received a ton of rain. The best part is that the Early Girl plants, between the two of them, have at least 2 dozen new fruits on them.

Monday Harvest - August 08-2011

Monday Harvest - August 08-2011

Also, biggest crop that I’ve harvested, to date.

Bush Early Girl

Bush Early Girls

Bush Early Girls

Note: I also harvest four more that are still a bit un-ripe. I’ll count those next week. I only removed them to avoid not being able to harvest them before the squirrels.

Harvest: 5 Bush Early Girls Weight: 29 1/4oz.

Sweet Million Cherry Tomatoes

Sweet Million Cherry Tomatoes

Sweet Million Cherry Tomatoes

Harvest: 11 Cherry Tomatoes Weight: 3oz.

Yellow Pear Tomatoes

Yellow Pear Tomato

Yellow Pear Tomato

Harvest: Yellow Tomatoes Weight: 1oz.

Ichiban Eggplant

Ichiban Eggplant

Ichiban Eggplant

Harvest: 1 Ichiban Eggplants Weight: 6 1/8oz.

Fairy Tale Eggplants

Fairy Tale Eggplants

Fairy Tale Eggplants

Harvest: 3 Eggplants Weight: 4 7/8oz.

Patio Pickler Cucumber

Patio Pickler Cucumber

Patio Pickler Cucumber

Harvest: 3 Cucumbers Weight: 23 3/8oz.

Cayenne Pepper

Cayenne Peppers

Cayenne Peppers

Note: These are huge. Nine inches of delicious cayenne peppers.

Harvest: 2 Peppers Weight: 3/4oz.

Purple Beauty Bell Peppers

Purple Beauty Bell Peppers

Purple Beauty Bell Peppers

Harvest: 4 Peppers Weight: 6 3/8oz.

Early Sunsation Sweet Bell Pepper

Early Sunsation Sweet Yellow Bell Pepper

Early Sunsation Sweet Yellow Bell Pepper

Harvest: 1 Pepper Weight: 6 1/2oz.

Weekly Total (doesn’t include various herbs): 81 1/4oz.

2011 Year-To-Date Total (doesn’t include various herbs): 13.625lbs. (218oz.)

Daphne is the ringleader of Monday Harvests. You can see her and her 81lbs of tomatoes here.

Also, while you’re here, check out the question of the week: Would you eat produce grown with human waste?

Harvest Monday – July 18, 2011

July 18, 2011  |  8 Comments  |  by Ben Czajkowski  |  Gardening

It was a fairly uneventful week, in the garden; not in the kitchen, however. I converted the harvest from last Monday into Ichiban Eggplant Curry, and later this week, you’ll see a post on Jalapeno poppers and my pickles. Matt, with whom I co-write this blog, also whipped up a batch of his own pickles, writing through satire. Subscribe to the RSS feed or follow us on Twitter, to catch them when they go live!

It was a small harvest this week, just one Patio Pickler Cucumber.

Patio Pickler Cucumber

Patio Pickler Cucumber

Harvest: 1 Cucumber Weight: 6.375oz

That which will never make it to the table:

Damaged Sweet Million Cherry Tomato

Damaged Sweet Million Cherry Tomato

As I was washing my hands from dealing with the jalapenos, I watched a grackle pick at my only ripe Sweet Million Cherry Tomato. The frustrating part of this was that I was washing my hand to go out and pick this! My yard has two bird feeders, and the ground is littered with seed and bugs. And the little bastard had to go for my only ripe tomato. It was going to garnish a salad for lunch, tomorrow, too. Sadly, now it will never be realized.

Oddly enough, part of me is okay with this, since the first tomato of the season is supposed to be rather dull. I also composed three Cherokee Purple tomatoes, this week, due to blossom end rot. I immediately applied a calcium mix for the tomatoes, which I will talk about later this week, as well.

Weekly Total (doesn’t include various herbs): 6.375oz

2011 Year-To-Date Total (doesn’t include various herbs): 3.96875lbs

What’s in the wings:

  • This Fairy Tale Eggplants are really knocking on the door. I decided to give them one more week, or at least 3-4 more days on the plant before picking any. I don’t want to do it too early, like I did with the pepperoncinis.
  • Several more cucumbers are almost ready, as well.
  • My cayenne peppers are spiraling, and reaching about 6-7 inches already! Now, they just need to turn red.
  • Speaking of red, the Red Beauty Pepper is also getting close!

Monday Garden Update – Two Weeks Edition [Gardening]

July 5, 2011  |  1 Comments  |  by Ben Czajkowski  |  Gardening

It has been a busy two weeks, not only in real life, but in the garden, as well. In between drinking and almost dying, I forgot to update last week. It’s been mostly hot here, in northern Baltimore city. There’s a real shocker, right? Luckily, it hasn’t crept back into the 100s. For early July, I couldn’t ask for better weather: it’s been mostly sunny with the occasional shower; the tomatoes and peppers are absolutely loving it.

Bell Pepper Fruit

Bell Pepper Fruit

To date, I still only have one bell pepper. The two plants are so lush with green leaves, and there are budding nodes on them. It’s only a matter of time until I have plenty of bell-pepper fruits. I’m already thinking ahead to the fall and winter, and I’m wonder if it will be possible to over-winter them…

Tomato Blossoms

Tomato Blossoms

Sweet Million Tomato Fruits

Sweet Million Tomato Fruits

Bush Early Girl Tomato

Bush Early Girl Tomato

The tomatoes are doing absolutely fantastic. All of the plants have tons of flowers, and a couple of them have fruit already growing on them. Which means I need to pay close attention to their water levels, every day, at this point.

Ichiban Eggplant Quickly Growing

Ichiban Eggplant Quickly Growing

Last week, I was so excited about my Ichiban eggplant that I gave it its own post. Well, the fruit is now well over six inches long. It looks healthy and purple. And the best part is that the earwigs appear to be leaving the plant alone.

Fairy Tail Eggplant Fruits

Fairy Tail Eggplant Fruits

The Fairy Tale eggplant is happily producing fruits, as well. At last count, it had four budding babies on it. The Fairy Tale is half the height of the Ichiban, but it is putting out more fruits at this point.

Chili Pepper Flowers

Chili Pepper Flowers

Jalapenos

Jalapenos

The jalapenos, pepperoncinis, and chili peppers are doing remarkably well, as well. I’m honestly surprised at how healthy they have been, thus far. I expected some kind of pepper bacterium to swoop in and destroy them (no idea if something like this exists). Keeping my fingers crossed!

Patio Picker Cucumber Taking Over

Patio Picker Cucumber Taking Over

Patio Picker Cucumber Fruits

Patio Picker Cucumber Fruits

The “patio picker” cucumber plant has at least two fruits on them, as well. I will probably pick both this week. I need to research at what point that I should pick them. Or maybe read the info stick that came with the plant.

Planted Moonstruck Marigolds

Planted Moonstruck Marigolds

One of the things that I did of which I am proud is that I picked up five HUGE moonstruck marigold plants to companion-plant with my peppers and tomatoes. So far, they have taken root fairly well. The ones left, at Lowe’s, were less than stellar. With at least four and a half months of a growing season left, I picked up two packs of marigolds as well, and I’ve started them from seed. More on that later this week.

Rosemary

Rosemary

The herbs are happier than could be. We used some of the rosemary sprigs on potatoes, this weekend, and it made them taste fabulous. I am strongly considering trying a sprig or two in a bottle of beer to see if it would be worth using it to “dry hop” with.

The Cascade Hops are happily threading their ways up the jute twine that I have strung for them.

Cascade Hops Sending Up New Bines

Cascade Hops Sending Up New Bines

Cascade Hops Quickly Growing

Cascade Hops Quickly Growing

Currently, each of the two Cascade Hops rhizomes have three flourishing bines that are heading for the tops of their respective ropes. I am so anxious for them to begin producing cones. I’ve been reading on how to brew with them, and that has me excited to try it.

Dying Zucchini And Squash

Dying Zucchini And Squash

Unfortunately, I have lost both my zucchini and squash plants to the forces of nature. More on this later in the week, as well.

How are your plants doing, so far? Let me know in the comments!