It has been an excellent harvesting week – a great variety of things and everything has been delicious which helps no end. What also helps is: much milder temperatures and the occasional ripe tomato. The kids and I harvested quite a few this week , most of which were cherry size but there was the occasional larger one. Eaten sliced on toast – my favourite breakfast. 
This was also the week of the great shallot harvest (well 8 plants anyway). These are the large red ones with a few small brown ones through in for good measure.
Then there were the bigger brown shallots:
I have been hugely pleased with the shallots, the large brown shallots produced 1.5kg or 81 from just 3 bulbs and the purple ones produced 2.9kg or 61 shallots from 3 bulbs. The smaller brown shallots produced about 250g from 2 bulbs but I planted them too deeply so I think they would have done better if it weren’t for that. All in all I have a lot of spice paste and crispy fried shallots to make in the weeks ahead – YAY.
We also had a few more potatoes, some Kipflers from a volunteer plant in a very shady side bed and some Cranberry Reds from a 40cm pot.
The capsicum here was an accidental harvest as I much prefer them red.
I was most pleased with the Cranberry Reds – 7 excellent sized potatoes and a couple of little ones weighing about 1.5kg in all. I have put the little ones back in the tub and I look forward to a second harvest
In the basket below, next to the cranberry red potatoes are the rest of my onion harvest – they may be small but they are eating beautifully in salads. Also in the basket are some more beans, including the first of the Royal Burgandy.
The cucumbers are producing well at the moment, we are getting about 3-4 per week and I think this will increase markedly over the next couple of weeks. This week we had four and I used 3 of them to make Bread & Butter Cucumbers which I will post about on Thursday.
The greens are producing all the time at the moment, although I have had issues with some of 5 coloured silverbeet either bolting or developing what looks like a mildew on its leaves. The perpetual spinach is growing well as are most of the white stalked plants from the 5 colour batch. The silverbeet I ate with a lemon & sage chicken dish, and this Kale was used in Caldo Verde, a soup that both my partner & I love but unfortunately the kids are nonplussed about.
Still on the green front (from a colour perspective anyway) I picked the first of the Beanette beans, lots of mizuna, basil, lettuce, dill and mint.
I also used some sage and thyme in my chicken dish mentioned above:
And how could I (almost) forget – my first red cayenne chilli of the year from an overwintered plant – I ate it tonight in Gado Gado – good level of heat from an early fruit.
All in all its been a great week in the garden – the only veg I’ve bought has been carrots (I have just sown some more where the garlic used to be) and a couple of red capsicum, the rest I grew which makes me very happy indeed.
To find out what the rest of the world is doing harvestwise all you have to do is click on Daphne’s name.
Looks like you have a fantastic range of harvests… am wondering about your cranberry red potatoes… haven’t seen them being sold here in Japan…
This is my first time of growing the variety – I bought them from a Tasmanian seed potato supplier but don’t have much knowledge about them beyond that.
Tomatoes on toast? You’re killing me here in the frosty cold U.S.! Those shallots look wonderful. I’ve never had a lot of luck with them. What is your secret?
Neglect? Actually I’m not sure, I got these from my dad who started then from bulbs, 3 bulbs to a 15cm diameter pot. Once they had shot and developed a decent root system and in May I had space in the garden so I planted them. And thats about it. The bit of ground they were in was shaded (but well lit) by the house all winter but it has had about 6 hours for the last couple of months when bulb development has been happening. Otherwise they are just in the same raised bed with my other veg and get watered periodically but not much else.
Wow! What an amazing harvest, Liz! So many beautiful varieties! And…so much inspiration for those of us sitting in the dark days of winter! Happy harvesting!
I am so full of jealously right now I can hardly stand it. What a great harvest, all I have fresh from my garden this week are a few carrots that I had to pry from the frozen ground. Enjoy those tomatoes!!!!
Well, as you say, an excellent harvest. I’m very impressed with the yield you got from your shallots. I hope mine will do as well… And I’m super-impressed with the chilli going into your Gado-Gado. I hope you made some nice peanut sauce to go with it – and of course I would want some chicken satay.
He he – I do like to traumatise my family with a vegetarian meal a couple of times a week. They too asked where the chicken satay was though. I do often cook some with Gado Gado.
Heavenly! Looks like your garden’s incredibly productive right now, and sounds like you’re eating very well indeed.
wow what a great harvest you had!!!
Cranberry potatoes look interesting where did you get your seed supply from? Your shallot look fantastic. This is the first time I used fresh shallot and the slicing of it left smell on the hand for days.Hope you enjoy your crispy fried shallots! A lovely varieties of harvest as always. Oh yeah still envy your cucumbers….hehehe…
The cranberry seed potatoes I got online from a Tasmanian company called Tasmanian Gourmet Potatoes. Their web address is: http://Taspotatoes.com.au
The were quite good but a bit slow to dispatch the order and there was one rotten one in the Cranberry Red packet. I ordered some other varieties from them and these were all fine though. They do have a good selection of different varieties.
I agree, that is a fabulous harvest. Your shallots are amazing from just 3 bulbs, and your tomato is just beautiful. I love this time of year when there is so much happening in the garden. I’m staggered at the productivity! I might have to join in on this Monday harvest thing to force me to keep track of everything.
I do like it I have to say, I have been doing it since about June I think and I think it will be great to refer back to next year to see when I had what produce etc.
Bountiful harvest. I will just have to admire and salivate. Will be a while before I have garden fresh anything.
I just adore the summer bounty harvests – full of variety and lots and lots of flavor! Your harvest this week is colorful, tasty looking, and abundant!
Thanks all for your lovely comments – I do feel a little sorry for those of you who are snow bound (or with frozen gardens at the very least) as I sit here enjoying the summer – actually if it makes you feel any better it is pretty grey and not very warm at all here today – I hope we go back to normal summer weather soon.
Beautiful and bountiful harvest, your gorgeous photos motivate me to start seeds and get growing again.
You garden is so productive. (Maybe I should upend the potato bags and see what’s in them…)
Wow! Great harvest! 🙂
Lynn