How to Grow Your Own Food – 8/28/2013 Garden Tally

This year I’m on a mission to grow 4,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables in my suburban backyard. In 2012 I was able to grow 2,028 pounds, and in 2013 I’m going double or nothing. I have absolutely no idea if I’ll be able to achieve my goal. But, as with any adventure, half the fun is getting there.   ~Mavis

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When it rains, it pours. Last week we harvested 142 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables from our backyard garden. That’s like harvesting a full grown adult. Geez, that is a lot of food!

Even though I don’t think I’ll make my goal of growing 2 tons of food this year, I think I’ll probably at least get a ton. And for a housewife with a full time job and teenagers, I’d say that’s pretty darn good, wouldn’t you?

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go shuck some more corn. 😉

~Mavis

Here is what I have harvested so far this year:

Basil – 15 ounces

I LOVE making fresh pesto.

Beets – 86 pounds 4 ounces

We pulled up a few more beets this past week and we have plenty more planted for this fall and winter. Yee-Haw!

Bok Choy – 4 oz

Check out this Asian Noodle Salad with Bok Choy I made. It’s pretty awesome.

Broccoli – 13 ounces

We have broccoli planted in our fall garden. Hopefully we’ll get a few good heads.

Cabbage – 40 pounds 14 ounce

We are patiently waiting to harvest purple cabbage!

Carrots – 2 pounds 10 ounces

We picked carrots twice late week. I really need to get out there and plant some for a winter harvest.

Chives – 1 pound 8 ounces

I thinned out the chives this week. I’ll be posting about this tomorrow. 😉

Cucumbers 2 pound 15 ounces

The cucumbers are finally starting to come in and I’ve been making the HH cucumber and tomato salads practically every night this past week.

Egg Count – 1,834

We collected 64 eggs this past week. I’ve got a whole pile of cookies I want to bake this weekend so I know they’ll come in handy.

Garlic 9 pounds 2 ounces

Our garlic has been harvested for this year. 🙂

Garlic Scapes 11 ounces

We used these to make Garlic Scape Pesto. Yumm!

Green Beans 11 pounds 1 ounces

Bean production has slowed down a bit. Now we are waiting for the beans on the bean tepees to flower so we can get some more.

Kale – 18 pounds 7 ounces

I keep meaning to take a photo of the kale we have growing alongside the chicken coop. It has really taken off this past month and I have a feeling the chickens will be enjoying kale all winter long with the way it’s growing.

Kohlrabi 5 pounds 10 ounces

Lettuce – 36 pounds 9 ounces

While we were cleaning out one of the garden beds to plant fall seedlings we harvested a few heads of lettuce. Aren’t they pretty? I think the oak leaf lettuce is my favorite.

Microgreens 5 ounces

My favorite way to eat microgreens is with egg salad sandwiches.

Mint 10 oz

I made some blueberry mint jam and also harvested some mint for tea.

Oregano – 15 ounces

Onion – 12 pounds 13 ounces

All the cool people are storing onions in their pantyhose these days. 😉

Pears 47 pounds 7 ounces

We harvested the last 2 pears off the tree yesterday. Sniff, sniff.

Peas – 42 pounds 9 ounces

Aren’t they beautiful? I think they’ll be ready to harvest in early October.

Potatoes – 111 pounds 13 ounces

I still have so many potatoes to dig up. Holy cow, what was I thinking when I planted all of them?

Radish – 22 pounds 2 ounces

Radishes have been planted for fall.

Raspberries – 21 pounds 7 ounces

Raspberry season is officially over in our backyard. 🙁

Rhubarb – 32 pounds 3 ounces

I pulled up 2 more rhubarb stalks last week. So far this year we have made rhubarb vanilla jam, rhubarb walnut muffins, and strawberry rhubarb pies. 

Sage – 14 ounces

Spinach – 15 ounces

I’ll be planting more in the fall.

Sprouts –2 pounds 15 ounces

I grew some sprouts this past week for my vegan neighbor Francisco. I really need to show him how to grow them himself.

Here are instructions for growing your own sprouts.

Strawberries 23 pounds 9 ounces

The strawberries are producing again and Lucy the puggle dog loves to help pick them. We have them growing in the pallet garden, in the greenhouse and alongside the house. So far we have made strawberry kiwi jam, strawberry freezer jam, strawberry pie, and homemade strawberry shortcake.

Swiss Chard 25 pounds 6 ounces

Ugg.

Tomatoes 71 pounds 5 ounces

If you don’t see me in public for the next month, it’s because I am chained to my stove. Holy cow, tomato season has arrived.

Wheatgrass – 7 ounces

Zucchini – 15 pounds 11 ounces

I am shocked that we don’t have more zucchini yet this year. Maybe I need to go out there and check again.

Total Food Harvested in 2013: 711 pounds 2 ounces

Total Eggs Collected in 2013: 1,834

If you are new to gardening or just want to learn more on the topic of organic gardening, my #1 favorite book is The Gardener’s A-Z Guide to Growing Organic Food By Tanya L.K. Denckla.