Gardening...The June Totals

On June 8th, I decided to start documenting what our garden produces.  It is a small garden.  Sometimes, you wonder if all the time and effort put into the garden it worth.  Sure, it is a way to relax in the evening but it is still a fair amount of work.  Here's is the totals from June:

1. Lettuce, mixed types - 7 1/2 lbs
2. Sweet Peas 1 1/2 lbs
3. Radishes - ~40
4. Chives - 1 oz
5. Cilantro - 1 1/2 oz
6. Garlic Scapes - 5 1/2 oz
7. French Sorrel - 2 oz
8. Beet Greens - 12 oz
9. Swiss Chard - 4 oz
10. Broccoli - 1/2 oz
11. Dried Greek Oregano - 3/8 oz
12. Dried Lemon Balm - 5/8 oz (filled a quart size jar)
13. Banana Peppers - 2

In addition, I canned:

1. 13 - half pints of strawberry jam
2. 8 - half pints of blueberry jam
3. 10 - half pints of nectarine & mango jam (trying something new here)

Doesn't seem like a lot with but it's been cool and then got hot.  So, one the lettuce beds has been removed and replanted with beets; the radish bed has been removed and replanted with lettuce. 

I experimented with the garlic scapes as I found out that these can be treated like a vegetable.  They were interesting with just a hint of the garlic flavor.  I wasn't sure on the timing of picking the garlic scapes but they made an interesting addition to a stir fry.  Do you know the best time to pick?  The other experiment is the French Sorrel.  This is a perennial and I wanted to see how it grows.  The flavor is a bit lemony and bitter.  The bitter most likely increases as the leaves get bigger.  We had tried this on it's own, in salads, and in green morning shakes.  Do you have any additional suggestions for French Sorrel?

I know I didn't get all the items from the garden in the totals because there is a fair amount of tasting going on when we are in the garden.  Really, who can resist fresh out of the garden goodness. I know a lot of the asparagus earlier in the year was eaten this way. 

July should find many of the items listed about along with more pepper varieties, beets, beans, and if we are lucky some squash, and tomatoes.

Here's a picture of the garden in June:

This was about 2 weeks ago.  The squash and the tomatoes in the first pictures have grown to the top of their respective supports.  The deer will be biting the tops out of the tomatoes soon.  In the second picture, the squash has filled out in it's spot in the garden, the tomatoes have grown out of their cages, and lettuce & swiss chard have double in size.  Yes, I've been trying to keep it picked.  You can't really see the beans but they are in the 3rd bed on the right and have completely filled it now and are in bloom.  I always look forward to the fresh beans.  

That's it for now.  I'll have new pics with the next gardening post along with a few flowers.

Happy Gardening! (or should it be Stitching)