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Since my last entry I've canned up the case of mators I bought from the Produce stand, made 22 pts an 6 pts of juice. Not bad I didn't think. The corn I got from my BIL made 15 1/2 pts, although I like using qt bags for them an they are a little more than a pint in them, then bagged 4 bags of corn on cob with 4-5 ears per bag. I got one of those "SealaMeal" things back for Xmas an will be interesting to see how well things hold up. Since most of the year I am cooking just for two I see no need in wasting food using qt jars or bags filled to the max.
A friend of mine is suppose to get me some more corn tomorrow an I thought I'd just bag them up for corn on the cob. Just in case my BIL gets busy an can't get me anymore corn I've got a backup plan. My luck both will come thru an I'll have overload. Suppose to work in the shop this week end as well, so I've got a busy weekend ahead of me.
Yesterday I picked quiet a few tomatoes from my garden an made some plain tomatoe sauce an more juice. I couldn't believe how many more were ready this afternoon to be picked again. So hopefully over the weekend I can find the time to do up some spaghetti sauce. I like using pt jars for those to, then I add 1 pt of the plain tomatoe sauce with it along with garlic an basil pesto. Usually turns out pretty good.
While at the grocery store a little while ago (which I don't go often) I did have to restock on a few things an wound up buying a 5 lb bag of carrots. We just love carrots with leeks cooked together. It is better using fresh carrots right out of the garden but I don't have any other than the canned ones which will do fine in stews, but we like a little crunch left in them with this dish. All I do is coat the bottom of a pan with EVOO an a little butter, Cut the carrots up to where they aren't to small or to large add a little salt an pepper an cook them just enough for them to be done but leaving a little crunch in the center, the last couple minutes of cook time add 1 cut up an cleaned, diced leek. Man is it good! I got this recipe from a friend of mine an have been making it ever since. No one in my house cared much for plain cooked carrots til I started making this, even my picky DD.
A couple days ago I decided to get started on my fall seeding. I seeded broccoli, spanish onions, ga. collards, rutabega, kolhrabi. I thinks thats all. I also got to looking around at some of my flower beds an realized I still have some soaker hoses down. I found 3 buried under the straw. It clicked with me, actually just haven't thought about them in years. I had put them down back when we got this property an was getting my beds established. Anyway over the years there they sat. So I got them all pulled out, checked them out by running water thru them. Which amazingly I only had 2 spots that had to be cut off an mended, which I had the connections in my tool box on my truck. Got that done an placed them in 1 watering station in the veggie garden. My thinking here is why am I overhead watering when I don't need to, no telling how much water is getting wasted by watering pathways, an the borders of the garden. So far just by using 3 (which some had already had 2 connected together) which made them very long.
While in the garden I picked some nice size mators which I'll save seeds from, Paul Robeson, Black Krim, Red Brandywine, Picardy an Abe LIncoln. Being how the other day the case of mators I got from the produce stand made 22 pts an about 6 pts of juice I may make something else outta these. I need to can up some sauce an spaghetti sauce this year as well an I still need to can more plain mators into qt. jars but that'll be later on. The qts come in hand for soups an chili come winter without running thru all the pts. When I can mators I like to can enough to last for a couple years, so I can move to other things every other year.
Yesterday afternoon we met our BIL in Albany to get the corn he pulled for me an enjoyed a nice supper, stopped by Wmart an got another 3 soaker hoses for station 2 of the garden. Got home an got the corn spread out onto sheets so it wouldn't go thru a heat an today thats what me an DD will be working on, Creaming corn! We love fresh creamed corn. He's harvesting 70 acres a day right now an by next week end he says he will be starting to harvest the white corn an it would be best for corn on the cob, so guess (I hope) next week end I'll get some of those. Well time to eat breakfast an get busy cleaning corn. trudy
I got a good check up with the doc yesterday, upped my weight limit to 20 lbs. You know what that means right? I can now do a few things in the yard an garden, may not be much but its better than it was b4. So on my way home yesterday I stopped by the produce stand an bought a case of mators which came from Sloccomb, Al. So I knew they would be good. Sloccomb is known around here for having the best tasting tomatoes. Something to do with the soil there. They had just been picked the afternoon b4, an knowing how I need to replenish my tomatoe supply I figured why not. So today I'm canning those up.
This morning I got the veggie sprinkler going at 7:30 b4 the heat sets in. Ordinarilly I can only water in late evening due to my work hours, but while I'm on leave its nice to be able to water in the mornings. Everyday I have been harvesting a few things like cukes, mators, few staggered strawberries. A couple days ago the zuke plant replacement I noticed was wilting, well something apparently cut it off at the base. So I'm not sure if I want to replace it yet again or just give up on zukes this year.
Late yesterday afternoon after my nap an boredom set in I went out on the porch an decided to prune out some of the dead canes out of my 2 climbers at the entrance. Nothing strinuous, b4 I knew it I had a couple small piles I now need to take to the edge of the woods. But the roses look better! Hiding on a cane was a grown GA. Thumper (Grasshopper), they east everything in site. So far since seeing them in early spring everytime I see one or more I stomp them to death. By doing this I have decreased the numbers I see almost daily. So to grasshopper heaven he went.
Well time to get busy while the mood has hit me, trudy
Over the week end even though I can't do much DH & DD has been great about keeping my plants an veggies watered. I did get all the garlic cleaned up that had been dug b4 Thursday, gottem separated into the drawers as to what needs to be used first an what will be used for seed come Oct/Nov. To my surprise they did very well this season an some fairly decent sizes grew. Most are hardnecks which isn't suppose to grow here this far south. So I'm very pleased.
Being how I am having to sit more than anything I decided to work on my cracked pecans that I couldn't seem to ever get around to. They are still good btw, just need picked out of the shells. I know if I could get out an do stuff this job wouldn't get done. I thought I'd be getting some sweet corn from my farmer BIL yesterday but he didn't have time to pull any, so he said I can get some next week end, he'd have them ready for me. Which will be better cuz I'll have DH here to help me. I'm wanting to put some creamed up this year, an seeing how I can't seem to grow corn to well in my little garden its good to have family thats farmers.
Previously someone wanted to see pics of my veggies, I just uploaded them so to view you'll need to go to my photos, Vegetable Album.
I'm a couple days late on this entry, had the surgery on Thursday, but on Wed. I bought 2/6pks of bell peppers to help fill in where the garlic was dug up an let the store owner talk me into Galieth (sp) tomatoe saying any plants I bought I'd get a 10% discount. I think he said that cause I was telling him he needed to start having some sales on the plants cuz its getting to hot to be trying to plant things here.
I had only planned on getting my chicks some more feed an the peppers, ok ok I'm easily persuaded when it comes to plants of any kind. His employee tried to get me to get the larger peppers that had blooms on them already, but I stood my ground on that one. I told him NO, that I already had plenty in the ground an by getting the ones smaller I wouldn't be overwhelmed all at once with peppers. Besides the bigger the plant in the pot may make it more difficult for them to get established. An knowing I wouldn't be able to be out there to tend to them I think I made the right choice. Dug a few more garlics an put them in the greenhouse shade area to cure. While there the ones I dug the other day were doing nicely, so I trimmed off some the roots on some of them an let them be a little longer.
Seeing how nothing got watered yesterday cuz we got home late from the hospital I turned on the sprinkler this morning an got DH to change out the stations after an hour per station. I knew not to try an pull on the hoses to change them out. But I did pick one of the Black Krim mators while out there. It was just calling my name, what can I say. Ok I can't sit here long so till next time. trudy
Got a few more things done today after I got home yesterday, DD was trying to finish up moving into there new home they purchased then remodeled. So proud of her, her first home she got on her own. They are finally at a point that it won't be long she can plant the plants I've saved for her in pots for her own yard. I did get the cattle panel arbor up with my newphew in laws help. Added some manure to the area, worked it in an planted some Willowleaf Pole Butterbeans. Replanted in spots some of the Sieva BBeans where the others hadn't come up. I think the Sieva seeds must have gotten old seeing how they are coming up in spots. They were given to me when our feed store went out of business back before spring. So if I can just get enough of them to make I'll replant saved seeds next year with fresh seed. The Willowleaft must be ok, the ones I planted earlier so far are trying to break ground. I still have some planting area left that needs something in there, but what?
We had a good storm come thru about 4 yesterday afternoon an everything got a good drink, so afterwards I checked the greenhouse, all was good. But while there I noticed my Devil's Claw seed pods had gotten blown onto the ground with a few seeds scattered. I took them an put the in the squash bed (open ground area). I think those are neat seed pods. Wicked looking! If they come up fine, if they don't thats fine to. I finally took the time to get my last large container done up an planted the last of the comfrey that I almost let die. Good Lord at the roots on them. But they stand a better chance now to survive. They just look bad for now. Weeded a few more beds, not that there bad but don't want them to be either.
If the wind isn't up after work today I think I'll do some round up in spots just so it doesn't get out of hand b4 my surgery. After that I won't be able to pick up anything over 8 lbs for 6 wks. So better get as much done in the over 8 lb catagory finished up today. I put up 4 more pvc stakes for mators an got some others retied. Added a little manure to one of the asparagus containers, just because.the others I had done a few weeks ago responded so well after doing this. I thnk I may have ID'd my mystery vine that came up in the strawberry patch to be cantolope. May be wrong, but from my (not so good) memory I think thats what it is. So my trellising may not work without some olf panytyose to use for a sling. Will see if it ever forms some fruit. Trudy
I think it worked, now just to remember how I did it next time. this is my free composted manure.. I really like it, its good stuff. trudy
It was 103 today, no idea of the heat index. Way to hot to be outside, but gotta do whatcha gotta do. Stopped by the feed store on the way home to get some corn for the hogs an scatch for the chickens an wound up buying a 6 pack of Jubilee Watermelon seedlings an 2 tomatoes, but 1 of them had 2 in the pot so I got 3 total. Like I need more, after 111 tomatoe plants you'd think it'd be enough. But I had some empty spots to fill in one of the mator beds so there ya go. Got them planted an repotted a Rabbiteye Blueberry bush I had bought back in the spring that I just can't seem to get in the ground, but this one was still in the plastic tubing thing, It really needs to develop a better root system b4 going in the ground in this heat. So its in the garden area right next to the faucet so I'll have to trip over it to water. That way I don't overlook it. I also potted up a lemon tree that I had rooted a piece of off a friends lemon tree, so I named it Howells Lemon. It to went into a garden path so it gets watered when I water the garden.
While weeding I noticed the garlic bed had bout finished up an needed dug up, so I took the time to get them dug an in the shade so they can dry. A few are left that aren't quiet ready yet. But most of them were. Now to figure out what to put in that kinda large area. I thought about putting up a cattle panel an arch it for a walk thru trellis, then plant some more pole butterbeans. Even then I'll still have some room left over. Decisions!
After reading the blog about the strawberries, can't remeber the username I got to noticing how the strawberry patch that I just this spring put some runners in now has runners everywhere. So I may need this fall to plant them somewhere or give them away. I may put at least some in with some of the flower beds. But I don't want no 300 of them, lol. Thats way to many for me. I'm trying to get things done/somewhat caught up b4 Wednesday, cause Thursday I'll be out of commission for awhile due to surgery an recovery. But the plus is I'll be home an in the cool a/c.
I can't seem to figure out how to post pics to a blog yet, wish there was a simple "attach photo" button to click on in here to simplify things. I'm not that computer smart to start with, lol. trudy
Its been awhile since my last post according to my last log entry. Other than keeping things watered an weeded its been the same ole same ole. We've gotten 2 evenings of good rain, that has really done a lot of good. I have finally gotten around to planting the last 2 Thai Green Eggplant plants into their container. I almost let my comfrey die of drought, although its not a pretty green I think it will come back. I still have a couple blueberry bushes to plant but really don't know where to put them. So I'm keeping them in the water path of the garden so they get a good drink daily. I've had to replant my Sieva (sp) Pole Butterbeans 3 times, but they have finally broke ground. My last years Everbunching Onions gave up and after clearing that spot I put up my bambo pole I had dried out early an put up a trellis then planted the Willowleaf Pole Butterbeans to climb on, some have already broke ground.
Tonight for supper I was finally able to use up 3 of the patty pan squash I had picked an added them to the yellow crookneck squash added some scallions an the 1 brocolli head I had picked a couple days ago with some olive oil, salt an pepper, sauted just enough to leave a little crunch along with some of the multi colored potatoes (that didn't get big at all) with some fresh from the garden diced garlic with diced rosemary sprinkled with some EVOO, fried green tomatoes, an cucumber with vinegar, salt & pepper. All this with some venison cube steak. Man ole man was it good. Nothing like picking your supper fresh from the garden.
I have already put up 2 trays of bell peppers in the freezer. Hopefully by the end of the season I'll have plenty of that to do awhile. I've got a mystery vine that I trellis up on an old baby bed spring that I have no idea what its gonna be, but it came up in the strawberry patch. I'm thinking it may be lemon cukes, thats the same spot they were last year an with adding compost to the strawberries its very possible thats what it is. I have ID'd on the the volunteer squash an I am pretty possitive its the banana squash. Undecided whether to leave it or rip it out. My strawberry plants all have runners on them now, just need to find the time to get some small pots done up and place the babies in them so they can take root in them instead of where ever they choose.
I've only picked a couple of those black with yellow striped worms off the tomatoes so far, but yet to find any of the horned worms yet. It may still be a little early not sure, but am curious to see if my experiment is working. More later on that! I have added a scoop or two around all the veggie plants of the wonderful manure an could see a difference within a few days.
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