Today's harvest

[larry_stewart]

Larry! That's one beautiful shiitake! what are you going to do with it.

Already stir fried it up. It was about the size of 4 - 6 shiitake. Had a nice texture and great flavor.

I hope the logs produce more this year.

Fresh shiitake are much better than dried ( which I still love).

I dont know how I missed it. It was kind of under the log and blended in.

 

[larry_stewart]

I thought I posted earlier but I guess I forgot to click the post button after uploading the pics.

Anyway, today was the last harvest ( other than leafy vegetables , some herbs and a few cabbage, kohlrabi and broccoli that may or may not make it.

Today was Peanuts and Sweet potatoes
Peanuts I would consider and average year, as we harvest just about the same each year.

Sweet potatoes, I grew 1 more plant than I usually do ( 4 in Total). Although the amount was about the same as previous years, I got more normal sized and normal shaped sweet potatoes this year.

Ill probably do the same with sweet potatoes next year, but take a break with the peanuts. As fun as they are to grow, they occupy prime real estate in the garden where I'd rather put the onions.

 

[larry_stewart]

Almost forgot about one of my experimental crops this year. Yacon. Its a tuber that is supposed to be sweet and crisp. Sometimes called a ground apple or pear of the earth.

I found it by accident while looking through one of the million garden catalogues I get early in the year. Since it was something I never tried or heard of before, I figured what the heck.

It took so long for the plants to be delivered, that when they finally arrived, I had even forgotten that I had ordered them.

Anyway, at a that point I had no space left in the garden so I put them in very large pots.

They are supposed to ultimately flower, but now that it is getting cold, and having received them too late in the season, I figured while harvesting everything else, lets just dig them up too. ( I actually dug up only one pot, I still am letting the other plant go as long asa I can before a frost, although I dont expect much if any more growth or development .

Anyway, To my surprise, I got some decent sized tubers ( I put a chestnut on top so get an idea of size).

I bit into one, and it definitely had a Jicama type consistency ( less starchy and more watery). It wasn't as sweet as I expected, but that might be because it wasn't fully developed.

Would I grow them again, probably not. I will make use of them.

 

[pepperhead212]

I grew yacón many years ago, but only once. The plants got very large, though I didn't get that much from the area the two plants took up. But that wasn't the problem. It wasn't until years later, with the internet, I discovered the problem.

It turned out to be the absolute worst food I have ever eaten as far as causing flatulence! Legumes aren't even close, and I've eaten just about every kind! I found out that it is loaded with inulin (which is supposed to be good fiber supplement, and they actually sell it), as well as other oligosaccharides, which are what do not get digested, and feed the anaerobic bacteria! People in regions where it is used regularly supposedly become used to it, in some way, as those where legumes are consumed a lot, but I wasn't going to try it again.

 

[larry_stewart]

I grew yacón many years ago, but only once. The plants got very large, though I didn't get that much from the area the two plants took up. But that wasn't the problem. It wasn't until years later, with the internet, I discovered the problem.

It turned out to be the absolute worst food I have ever eaten as far as causing flatulence! Legumes aren't even close, and I've eaten just about every kind! I found out that it is loaded with inulin (which is supposed to be good fiber supplement, and they actually sell it), as well as other oligosaccharides, which are what do not get digested, and feed the anaerobic bacteria! People in regions where it is used regularly supposedly become used to it, in some way, as those where legumes are consumed a lot, but I wasn't going to try it again.

Im a 10 year old boy at heart, so the flatulence issue doesn't bother me at all ( although my wife may beg to differ ).

I did eat one and no issues yet. But I did notice a striking resemblance to Jerusalem artichokes as far as taste and consistency goes, and I know they can have the same affect ( effect) so it did cross my mind,

Anyway, Im considering it a been there, done that crop. Im sure Ill find something else that is funkier or more unique to take its place.

 

[larry_stewart]

After a mushroom log is done producing, it is advised to soak it in cold water 24 - 48 hours to " Shock It " into producing again. So I did that and this what happened a few days later.

There were no mushrooms visible 5 days ago.

As mentioned in another thread, I used a bunch for soup, Ill try to use top what I can this week, and likely dry the rest. I love the taste and consistency of fresh shiitakes, So I really want to make use of as many of them in their fresh form.

 

[GotGarlic]

Cool pix, Larry.

 

[larry_stewart]

I knew it would work, but not as well as it did. Its amazing how quickly mushrooms grow under the right conditions. With this flush of mushrooms, it knocks down the price to about 50 cents a mushroom , so its almost cost efficient, but there is no price I can put on the enjoyment and experience Im getting.

 

[dragnlaw]

Fantastic Larry! Happy for you!

The effect of all that work will affect your taste enjoyment.

 

[larry_stewart]

Fantastic Larry! Happy for you!

The effect of all that work will affect your taste enjoyment.

Was that 'Effect' / 'Affect' response intentional ???

I still dont get it

 

[pepperhead212]

Glad to hear those are doing so well, Larry! I dabbled in shiitake growing in oak logs years (decades!) ago, but once I set up my workshop in the basement, I stopped, as I didn't want that humidity down there. And that was about when the oak log was getting "soft", and producing much less, than in the beginning.

Today I did as much as I could, before the rain came, and got a lot done! I pulled most of the tomato plants that were left - just 5 cherries left. I pulled all of the tomatoes, including green tomatoes, leaving the smaller ones, except those that are small when mature.
Some of the last tomatoes of the year, 10-25 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Green tomatoes, from the plants I removed today. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I harvested some peppers today, before the sun got to that side of the house.
A few peppers, harvested on 10-25 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I trimmed my marjoram and Syrian oregano, to get a lot to dry, plus to root a couple of each, as a safety net, in case they were killed by intense cold. Each spring, I give the spare plant to a friend, and they just get larger!
Marjoram Left, and Syrian Oregano, harvested on 10-25 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

A few beans, I have been getting every day, but most had stopped, except for the Thai long reds. Seems the cold would have stopped those first!
Just a few beans at the end of the season, including the dry pod, of red Thai long beans. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Here's the largest greens I have in SIPs, previously with tomatoes, and just a half tsp Epsom salts, and a tsp calcium nitrate, in the very beginning.
Red Dragon cabbage, 4 plants in SIP, 10-25 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

And here's something that I have to harvest soon - lemongrass! This is larger than it has ever gotten for me.
4 lemongrass clusters, next to a large sage and rosemary plants. Ready to be harvested soon, 10-25 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[bethzaring]

I'm working on dehydrating celery today. This is three of my six celery plants.

 

[taxlady]

How do you use the dehydrated celery?

 

[bethzaring]

How do you use the dehydrated celery?

I have dehydrated celery leaves more than the stalks. Both are used for flavoring soups and stocks. The leaves are easier to use; just crumble into soups. The stalks I plan to use in making and canning chicken stock where the celery pieces will be discarded with the bones.

 

[taxlady]

That sounds like great uses for dehydrated celery. I have dehydrated leaves, with and without the little stems, and turned it into powder. That didn't really add much flavour. But I can see how the leaves would work well in a soup or stew. I think the problem I had was that I was using it in stuff that doesn't get cooked or only gets cooked a short while. Great idea to just crumble the leaves into the soup, instead of going to the effort of making it into powder.

 

[bethzaring]

That sounds like great uses for dehydrated celery. I have dehydrated leaves, with and without the little stems, and turned it into powder. That didn't really add much flavour. But I can see how the leaves would work well in a soup or stew. I think the problem I had was that I was using it in stuff that doesn't get cooked or only gets cooked a short while. Great idea to just crumble the leaves into the soup, instead of going to the effort of making it into powder.

From my experience, home grown celery has much more flavor than store bought. I love using the dried leaves.

 

[larry_stewart]

From my experience, home grown celery has much more flavor than store bought. I love using the dried leaves.

I agree.
I personally like using store bought celery for celery itself, but the leaves and stems of home grown more as an herb to flavor soups. Definitely more intense flavor ( in a good way).

 

[pepperhead212]

I don't grow celery, due to pests in my area - I found out why that is one of the dirty dozen for pesticides! But I do grow cutting celery, or leaf celery - those leaves do have a lot of flavor! I grow it in hydroponics, and only need one plant to supply me during soup season. Often I have to trim it, when I'm not using it, because it grows so fast, so I might try drying some, to save for when I don't grow it - I like the idea of crumbling it in the dishes!

 

[GinnyPNW]

I don't grow celery, due to pests in my area - I found out why that is one of the dirty dozen for pesticides! But I do grow cutting celery, or leaf celery - those leaves do have a lot of flavor! I grow it in hydroponics, and only need one plant to supply me during soup season. Often I have to trim it, when I'm not using it, because it grows so fast, so I might try drying some, to save for when I don't grow it - I like the idea of crumbling it in the dishes!

Would that be "Seasoning Celery" you are growing? I've not grown it before, but I have 1 pod in my AeroGarden's current herb garden. I got the seeds from Renee's Garden: https://www.reneesgarden.com/products/celery-amsterdam-seasoning -- I'm looking forward to trying it!

 

[pepperhead212]

Yes, Ginny, that's the same thing, as far as I know, and Renee's was the last one I grew, and it grew like crazy, like those I had from previous sources. This year I have some from Pinetree, labeled Cutting Celery , which I thought was a strange name - isn't most of it cut? I wanted to see if there is a variety that grows less vigorously, and would be manageable - same thing I had to do with parsley, for hydroponics and pot growing, as flat leaf grows like wildfire! I had both of these break open the 2" baskets in the hydroponics, by the end of the season! Renee's curly parsley grows fine in both the hydroponics and the windowsill boxes on my deck. The flat leaf, down in my herb bed, that I thought was a smaller variety, turns out larger than gigante! Go figure...