Since I recently fell behind on my posting I wanted to post many of the pictures that I have taken the last few months to show everyone the harvest for this spring. The rain fell often and we picked broccoli clear up until the middle of July. Finally O Wise One just pulled it up. We were broccollied out. The chickens enjoyed the plants.
The heads were lush and tight though... just as it should be. This is the variety "Top Crop" and it did indeed live up to it's name.
The above head of broccoli is sitting on a 9 inch dinner plate. And they were all that size! The plants grew huge with lots of rain and cooler temperatures later into the season than normal.
Lots of broccoli vacuum sealed in the freezer for going on the grill, in casseroles and roasting in the oven.
Surprisingly the bugs were few this year on the broccoli and cabbage. We sprayed lightly twice with Bt during the whole season. We were lucky I guess in that respect.
Blessings from The Holler
The Canned Quilter
Magnificent. I have never seen broccoli so healthy and large!
ReplyDeleteOur bugs have hindered the green early crops for years.
This year has been a strange crop year for us. The plants tended to bloom before they had enough plant to hold a fruit. The bugs have been voracious. We have a slow crop coming and until now our rain was good but otherwise we have battled for each bite.
Glad to know you were just working in the garden. Someone was asking.
Super glad you are having a wonderful garden again.
Good to hear from you.
ReplyDeleteWe had the same experiences when we planted Top Crop Last year. We still have some in the freezer.
God bless. ♥
I didnt have any luck with brassicas this year. The plants got huge but never flowered. My goodness you had a big harvest!
ReplyDeleteSo glad to see you back! I only planted broccoli once because the green worms bothered me so much. I was always worried I didn't find them all. Your broccoli looks amazing.
ReplyDeleteI soak mine in salt water then I run the cup up pieces through my salad spinner. Spins any hidden worms right out of there!!! Just a tip there : )
DeleteWe have had such an amazingly cool and wet growing season here in TN too! Our garden has produced so much we have been so blessed! The weeds have grown crazy and I too am exhausted from all the work. I have canned 600 quarts and my plants keep producing. I am also pulling plants that are still producing!
ReplyDeleteSo glad to see you blogging again, I was very worried and am happy to see you have just been to busy to blog.
I think a slow down and due, you have worked so hard!
I hate to complain about the work because it is so nice to have such abundance but the down side is that the weeding itself is a full time job when it rains that much. Not counting the harvesting and canning. Then when you throw in a few health problems and several out of town medical trips and next thing you know you are so far behind you may never catch up.
DeleteNice! I grew broccoli for the first time from seed this year. And it did well. I suspect it was because Michigan has been cooler and a bit rainy so far, with the plants bolting this last week---finally. I trimmed them back and we have another stint of cool, rainy weather coming. No worms at all. I think next year, I will start them plants soon and then set them out early under a cold frame. We won't have two of these kind of summers in a row.
ReplyDeleteBy the way...glad you are back. For Old Wise One.....a report of limits of specs (uh crappies) in two hours! Salmon hit and miss, although we did pull a 19 pounder out a couple of weeks ago.
surprised on the crappies as they are not biting good around here right now! Neighbor caught a 40 pound catfish the other day though on lines.
DeleteI was thinking about your blogging just the other day...that I hadnt seen anything new..and now here you are again. Glad your back! It looks as though your as busy as always. Those snakes must be having a good impact on keeping the small stuff away from your gardens...very pretty. I hope the health updates are all positive. Cheers from Oshawa, Ontario, Canada.
ReplyDelete