Harvest Monday 1/9/12

Art with fruit.  The little guy and I have been experimenting with orange peel art.  This is our first one, pretty cool.  We'll try peeing in different shapes and see what we can do.

 Which one is not like the other.? Lisbon lemon, Navel orange, and...

The boys were pretty happy with their haul: Improved Meyer and Lisbon Lemon, Mandarin, Navel and Tangelo Orange, Hass and Fuerte Avocado, Oroblanco Grapefruit.  Maggie gave them her seal of approval.  We have a lot of greens, as well as radishes and snap peas right now. 

 First peach blossom from the peach branch.  That's pretty much what it is, a branch.  It was in bad shape when we moved in, so I hacked it back last winter.  We got 15 pretty good pieces of fruit in the spring, we'll see about this year.  Looking good so far.

This is one of two Navel orange trees that we have.  This one is lower down the hill and is a little behind the other, maybe colder down in the bottoms. 














This is the only Valencia that we have.  The oranges should be ready in another few weeks.  Tangelo tree, probably my favortie citrus  that we have.

Tangelo

I also have a few natives as well as an Olive tree that I just put in.  The Salvias and Lavander are are starting their growth spurts.  TPW asked that I put in a Sweet bay tree.  The flowers are just about ready to pop.  This will be a good shade tree for the garden.

The oldest defending his Loquat tree.  He has set up camp and is ready to go to battle if need be.  Last year we didn't have a single flower, this year it's heavy with them.  We'll see if the fruit can hold on.

Harvest Monday 1/2

Happy New Year.  Hard to believe that it's January when it's 83 degrees!  Had a week of warm weather, missed the hot spot in the country by 3 degrees on the 31st.  A look down from the garden, I have been opening new plots as I find new things to plant.  New olive tree at the bottom of the yard is doing well.

 A look down the newest spinach row.  I have three other rows planted, this one is just coming up.  The boys love them some spinach, so I have planted more.  I put these seeds in the ground about 3 weeks ago, took them a while, but now they're finally popping their heads up.  Not sure if you can see it in this picture, but there are also some Shirley Poppies next to them.  Shirley you can't be serious .  I'm dead serious, and don't call me Shirley.  Sorry, couldn't resist.

Planted a bunch of snow peas a few weeks a go, I have been getting a few every day, to bad I eat them before they make it into the house.  I blame the boys.

Our older Blood Orange did not really fruit this year.  I have 20 oranges on the tree and have been very protective of them.  I ration them out to the youngest boy, who loves to smear the juice all over himself and claim that he is bleeding. 

Still getting at least a bowl or two of lettuce a day.  The picture below has 2 Artichoke plants, Chard, lettuce, Beets, Radish, and a small Sweet Bay tree, top middle,  that I planted last year.  TPW has been taking leaves off of it to cook with.  This is just one level, I have three levels in the garden, each with 4-5 different rows.  Still getting LOTS of oranges,  mostly navel and manderine but the Valencia are coming as well as grapefruit.  Have more avocados than I know what to do with, well almost.  I think that the boys are going to turn green from eating so many avos.

More radish on the way,  I can't seem to get enought of them.  I am able to harvest a few every day, however very few actually make it inside.

Harvest Monday 12/26

Lots of citrus, the counter is starting to fill up.  Picking 4-5 avocado every week, they usually take 2 weeks to soften up.  High 70's on Christmas day, Southern California, can't beat the weather. 

The boys, eating spinach off the counter.  Good thing I have plenty of greens going on in the garden.  Radish, lettuce, chard, kale, beets, and the turnips should be a few more weeks.








My brothers neighbor has two great Hass trees.  Picked a few when we were over there to add to the collection.  Still trying to keep the squirrels away from mine. 

TPW made a frittata with some of the eggs, and spinach.  2 of the ladies are laying, one is just finishing up molting so we should be getting 3 eggs a day in the near future.

Harvest Monday 12/5

Last of the basil, as well as other greens.  Still harvesting at least a bowl of lettuce a day as well as spinach and a few radish, salads everynight.  Finally picket a bucket of oranges and squeezed some OJ for the family. 

 We had a pretty major wind event over the past few days, I have been picking up avocados all day.  A couple of casualties pictured to the left, should be ripe in 10 days.  Notice the brown markings on them?  The squirrels like them almost as much as we do. 

 The youngest member of the team holding two of the  grapefruits that we picked today.  For such a little tree it sure is putting out a lot of fruit.  To bad I'm the only one that likes them.

Looks like I'll make it another year without scurvy.  The fruits of the families labor,  literally.

Harvest Monday 11/28

A sad day on the farm.  We lost out Barred Rock, Princess Laya.  Not really sure what happened, we left for a couple of days, they all had plenty of food and water,  The Princess was just laying in the middle of the the coop, no signs of trauma, no feathers scattered around.  TPW was pretty bummed as it was her second Barred Rock to die.  On a more happy note, I have expanded the garden some, see pictures below.  More room to plant.   Warm weather low 80's.  All of the citrus are looking good.  The Grapefruit should be ready in a week or two.

Boysenberry bush.  I have not had much luck with the berries. I planted 2 Raspberries as well asthe Boysen.  Maybe the spring will be better

Had to add some color to all of the leafy

greens.  Fresh OJ is only days away
Planted a new olive tree.  TPW has agreed to cure the olives when they arrive, probably not for a year or two.  Apricot tree losing it's leaves in the background.  See there is such thing as Fall in Southern California.  Well sort of.

Lots of leafy greens.  The little guy just can't get enough of the spinach.  I guess I should be happy, he could be drinking my beer.  Still getting tons of lettuce as well as radish, can't pick'em fast enough.

A couple of shots of the avocados.  Both trees are pretty heavy, not pictured is the Fuerte, like the Hass it's fully loaded.  Now if I can just keep the squirrels away.

Two new areas that I have opened up for planting.  I have planted the lower section with onions, lettuce, turnips, garlic and carrots.

Come on rain!

Got another inch of rain today, so much for La Nina.  Hope I didn't just curse myself.  All of the seeds that I planted a couple of months ago are doing well.  Had my first radish, pretty good.  Beets should be along shortly as well as turnips. 

Put some purple kale with one lonely chard, they all seem to be getting along.  Harvested 2 of the plants, hence the open section up front.  TPW makes killer Kale chips. 

Spinach on the left with lettuce next to that, beets in the middle, radish on the right with more spinach,  2 artichoke.  I have to keep the boys out of the spinach because they like to pick it right off the plant and eat it.

 All of the citrus are turning.  Fresh OJ is not far off.  The Blood's as well as the Navel will probably be first, followed by the mandarin, then the grapefruit, then Valencia. 

Harvesting the last of the Basil, I think.  I have a few plants that were able to over winter last year.  We'll see what they can do.  TPW has been drying some of the herbs in her very Brady dehydrator.  It always seems like I have so much, however when she is done it looks like so little.

Harvest Monday 11/7

Lots of leafy greens.  The Kale that I put in has gotten HUGE, below are three leaves that I cut along with a sample of the lettuce.  All of the seeds that I put in are looking good, and the citrus is starting the change color, well at least the Navel's are.  Had a pretty good storm blow through here this weekend.  About an inch of rain, some of you may be laughing at the fact that I am even mentioning that small amount of precipitation, but we usually only get 14-16 inches annually.  So it's a BIG deal! 

Lot of basil still going. 

Another look at some of the lettuce, I have been able to cut a pretty big bowl of lettuce every day for the past week, along with a variety of herbs.