51) Sustainability Sundays: the very late edition

Over a week and a half late!  I've been more than fully booked for both days of both the past two weekends.  I've had an awesome time, but the blogging has definitely suffered for it; I have so much to catch up on!  I keep taking photographs of the garden, but they're out of date by the time I get them uploaded and/or the blog post written.

Before I start this post, I should mention that Geodyne has also started doing these posts.  She's far more committed, hardcore, organised and invested in this stuff than I am, so if you're enjoying my gardening exploits, you really should check hers out!  She's also adding another section to her reports: things she bought which she *could* have provided for herself.  I think that's a great idea, so I'm going to add on the same, and yet another section, too - looking forwards.  I'm aware that the garden is about to start its really productive season, and also that I do best when I'm working to a pre-prepared plan, so I'm going to list my thoughts about the week (or, in this case, four days) ahead.

  1. Plant Something -
    Nothing in the last two weeks!   Mostly lack of organisation here, I think.

  2. Harvest something -

    Loads!

•   Strawberries (and the first few raspberries):

• Mange tout (I think these are just about finished now.  I've let a few pods develop fully for next year's seed, so fingers crossed that works out).

• Garlic scapes

• Broccoli (I'm particularly smug about this, because last year, caterpillars got the lot):
  

• Spinach beet
• Various herbs
• The very first of the new potatoes
  

3. Preserve something

• Mange tout blanched and frozen
• Greens sauteed and frozen

4. Waste Not (reducing wastage in all areas)
     Just the usual - composting etc.

5. Want Not (preparing for shortage situations)~

     Nothing this week!

6. Build/support Community Food Systems –

• Blogging about it

7. Eat the Food

• Strawberries and yoghurt on my breakfast
• Broccoli!
• New potatoes
• Sauteed greens on pizza (with blue cheese, walnuts and egg.  Fabulous!)
• The garlic scapes became garlic scape butter.  This made an awesome garlic bread thing (although J did ask if it was broccoli pizza!), and last night was also used to pan-fry some thin-cut pork chops, which I finished with lemon juice and black pepper, and which were totally delicious with our first new potatoes.

8.What I bought

• Green beans.  My pole beans aren't producing yet, but the bush beans (which went in later!) are starting.  I think I'd have been able to pick fresh green beans this week, if I'd started the bushes earlier.
• Onions
• Garlic
• Broccoli. We've harvested enough for about one meal for one person so far; we eat way more than that!
• Mushrooms.  My mushroom growing experiments haven't really worked out so far; more investigation required.

9. Looking forwards

• Beetroots are looking very healthy and getting to a good size; start eating the greens!
• Broad beans are growing fat and the first should be ready to harvest within the week;
• Soy beans, dwarf peas and the next round of bush beans **really** need planting out.
• I need to review the seed box and start planting for the next section of the year, now that midsummer is past.