Monday, August 1, 2011

Harvest Monday - August 2011

Our temperatures have been running a few degrees above normal all summer and the rainfall has been below normal. Some crops have failed completely but others are still hanging in there.
Here's what's on the table this week:
Cherry tomatoes have been producing well all summer, even with the heat. I'm growing them in 10-inch pots that are under irrigation out in the nursery.
The elderberries are putting out less fruit now, but there's still enough for a small batch of jam.
The white sapote season is almost over. Just a few clusters of fruit remain on the tree.
There are plenty of strawberry guavas ready to pick every day.
Persian limes are another daily harvest...
along with the smaller, but plentiful, key limes.
The starfruit harvest seems to have started a little earlier this year. I will be picking these from now until spring (or a hard freeze).
This is the first year I've had a crop from Syzygium smithii (lilly pilly). I'll be profiling this plant soon.
I unthinkingly ate all of the ripe figs before I made my rounds with the camera, so no photos of those today. Who could resist?
To see what other gardeners are enjoying today, visit Daphne's Dandelions, host blog of the Harvest Monday meme.

11 comments:

Robin said...

I can't blame you for eating the figs!! You have the most wonderful variety of fruit that I could never grow here.

Barbie~ said...

Beautiful. My Key limes are coming in again as well. But, about a month behind yours.

Liz - Suburban Tomato said...

What fabulous fruit!

Bee Girl said...

What a fantastic variety of fruits!!! I think the only one I can grow here is the tomatoes!!! Congrats on your harvest!!!

Melissa said...

A friend of mine grows starfruit. Last year, I dehydrated lots of them. Super yummy!

Daphne Gould said...

I'd be eating the figs before photographing them too. Yum figs.

Shawn Ann said...

You always have such a unique harvest. Lovely. Those Strawberry guavas almost look like a pomegranate. They look nice.

Ben Czajkowski said...

Oh wow. Elderberries are totally an underrated berry. Glad that you've still got some going!

Also. Limes = win.

K said...

Oh god, Your fruits look great! Is there seeds in your limes? I guess limes usually are seedless.
K

Grower Jim said...

Melissa: I've dehydrated them too, but they're better if you cut them in chunks instead of stars. I even like the fresh ones better in chunks. You get more juice in each bite!

Shawn Ann: The strawberry guavas do look like pomegranate, but they're much smaller.

Ben: I agree about the elderberries being underrated. When I take them to the farmers market everyone is interested but no one buys them.

K: The Persian limes are seedless but the key limes have a few seeds.

Ron Sawyer said...

The fruit look delicious. I'm trying out two types of guava: strawberry and one described to me (on eBay) as "tropical" guava. Not sure which it but I'm looking forward to the fruit.