On the May Homestead

Cool, maybe I can find some to plant!

They are cutting down Ash trees in this part of the country. Trying to control Emerald Ash Borer.

I know I am late responding==but
Beautiful Peonies MsRobin............breath taking. I love peonies and hope to have some here on this property one day.
It is a shame they only bloom for a short while during the growing season. But worth the wait.

will read and catch up with the other post

We got some coolness after a week or so hot spell, with a little rain thrown in the mix. All the transplants that went in the last week should be doing great. We got 1/4" of rain each of the last 3 days.

We had our MG "Spring Fling Plant Fair" today. Lots of great 1/2 hour demos and informative segments in spite of the couple of downpours. My container gardening and potato bags demo went extremely well, if I say so myself.

Cricket, thanks. I love them too!

Darius, just been busy here. Glad to hear it won't cost so much for the plumbing project..

Good for you Robin... on the coolness, light rain, and the Plant Fair! We've had a nice light, gentle rain most of the day today so I didn't get much done outside.

I didn't get all my bean seedlings planted yesterday either, and this morning they were scattered all over the walkway to the front door. I can only assume my sis knocked them over when she came home from 2nd shift work and didn't bother to pick them up. They were too high for the dog to reach them... Thankfully it wasn't the whole large tray of seeds I started just yesterday. It will be in the low 50's tonight so I brought everything inside.

Cricket, I'm watching your building progress. Looks great... sorry the 2nd story made you sick.

We just had a storm with hail then steady rain and cold front behind it. Never been this low this late in May. 44 is the low tonight and tomorrow night. I need to learn how to deal with the weather change. Last week we had a frost. Our last frost date is normally between April 8th and the 15th. This is a whole month later.

My bull won't gain weight. He has plenty of grass but won't eat everything and I am too lazy to fence in a smaller area. He is in a 3/4 acre area now. (10 acres altogether)
I been feeding him hay and corn and Now added some soy pellets to his diet. Getting a worming salt block this week.
We want to eat him.................he is still young... and he is Holstein. I am no cow expert. Just wanted some fresh grown beef in the freezer. Been raising him since he was 2 wks old . He is now 1 yr 7 months old and Rough to deal with. I cannot get in the fence with him. He has Never been cut. I thought I could get by with bypassing that procedure.

I thought about getting a few goats to raise up with my new puppy===Pyrenees named Daisy

Lots of irons in the fire around here.
I can't keep up with myself.
Brain goes in one hundred different directions.

I planted potatoes. Had to dig up my purple potatoes prematurely. They taste like potatoes.
Planted a few sweet potatoes in their place. Have red potatoes growing and russet growing that have already bloomed. And what are those fat red juicy bugs with a lots of little black tiny legs that are eating my potato plants. and they use their little butts as a fifth wheel======like an extra leg. they use their butt to push themselves forward ===I guess cause they are too fat to use their tiny legs.

happy gardening

I got a bunch of stuff into the garden while it was warm and drying. Now it's rainy again and cooler. Supposed to get down in the 40s tonight. I have a couple of huge piles of leaves that are 3-4 years old. I have been pulling all the thistles out of them and spreading the composted leaves where I want to plant, and piling it around my transplants. The transplants that are already in the ground are doing beautifully. I still have a couple dozen tomatoes and peppers to plant, and then I still have to do the seed. I am going to start a couple of my squash, cukes, and zukes in 2 inch pots then set them out. Just as insurances against the seed rotting in the ground. I'll still have a bit of a crop. I think I am going to plant the rest of the transplants today. It shouldn't matter if they get put into wet ground or not, and I think the ground is warm enough. This week I am going to get my seed planted one way or the other.

Looks like we will be wet all week until Friday. :(

Cricket, BTW, it's nice to see you posting here. :) Interesting about the bull info. One of the sources for some calves I found this past spring, said he'd castrate any bull calves I bought, if I wanted. I got as far as buying the supplies for 2 shelters and getting the piglet shelter put together before I got sick this spring. Still have to get the calf shelter up and the electric fences up. And then try to find someone that has feeder pigs and young calves for sale again.

EWWW on the potato bugs! I've got a few potato plants that came up early from potatoes left behind last fall and the bugs are stripping the leaves on them. I squish any I see everytime I walk by them.

Nik, glad to hear you are getting some stuff planted. I can only guess that using the wide raised (mounded) rows is the reason I was able to plant in spite of all the rain we had. When we had standing water in the yard, my planting rows were wet, but not sopping. A lot of my walkways however, were like little moats around the rows. LOL

Darius, how's your creek doing? Are you going to start more seed trays?

Hi Cricket, are you sure the bull is underweight? If his short ribs aren't showing, he's probably grown as fast as he can and will just get flabby with more corn. Dairy breeds never look 'beefy'. It sounds like you know how how aggressive he's become. If he was mine, he's be gone tomorrow. Just keep in mind, dairy bulls are the most dangerous aggressive bulls there are. Raised without a herd and human contact makes them even more dangerous. They haven't learned or been pushed around with herd manners. And have NO fear of humans, which keep us 'some what' safe at a distance.
If your going to keep him another month, I'd give him all ten acres, he'll gain what he can of fresh grass. The meat will be healthier, but leaner. Just make your date with the arbiter/butcher today, please :0)

Looks like we might have some cool weather for the next week. Nothing to do in the veggie garden, but pick bugs. I might actually get some flower gardening done!

Guys are still gone fishing and I'm enjoying 'my' time :0) Will catchup more later. Still waiting on Cajun..and what she doing with that many squash plants :0)
I need all squash recipes I can get!

Zucchini Carpaccio (photo below)
Serves 6 as a light salad course
Vegetarian and gluten-free; vegan if you omit the cheese

* 2 green zucchini, about 1 inch in diameter and 7 or so inches long
* 2 yellow zucchini or summer squash, same dimensions or 4 yellow pattypan squash (the UFO looking guys)
* 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
* 4 teaspoons sherry vinegar, champagne vinegar, or good red wine vinegar
* 1 tablespoon minced shallot
* 2 teaspoons flaky sea salt
* black pepper
* small handful of fresh mint leaves
* small handful of fresh dill heads or regular fresh dill, or other herb of your choice
* Parmigiano-Reggiano

1. Trim the ends of all the squash. Using a mandoline, slice somewhere between 1/16 and 1/8" thick. Discard slices that are mostly skin. Working in batches that will fit in a single layer on a microwave safe plate, cook 1 minute. Then cook 30 more seconds at a time until they are quite tender. Reserve on a sheet pan in the refrigerator, keeping the single layer so they don't tear.
2. Let the shallot macerate in the vinegar for a few minutes, then whisk in the olive oil and 1 teaspoon of salt.
3. When you are ready to serve, arrange either on chilled individual plates or a family style platter. You can see the arrangement I used above, overlapping alternating slices of 1 green zucchini with 2 yellow pattypan, but go with what you feel.
4. Drizzle on the dressing.
5. Tear and distribute the herbs. (If you have the dill heads, break them up into small flowers, they are real purty).
6. Use a vegetable peeler to distribute thin slices of parmigiano-reggiano.
7. Add a final sprinkling of sea salt to taste.
http://www.herbivoracious.com/organic_food/page/3/
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Julienned Zucchini with Lemon Pesto

8 zucchini – julienned or grated
1 tablespoon olive oil
Lemon Pesto (recipe to follow)
Additional lemon zest for garnish – optional
Freshly grated parmesan cheese for garnish - optional

Dry the zucchini on paper towels after julienning or grating.
Heat a large sauté pan over high heat until hot. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and heat until hot but not smoking. Add the zucchini and sauté quickly about 1 minute. You want the zucchini to be warmed through but still a little crunchy. Add the lemon pesto and heat for about another 15 or 20 seconds just to warm it through. Garnish with additional lemon zest and or grated parmesan cheese if desired.

Serves 6

Lemon Pesto

Juice and zest of 2 lemons (I use a microplane for zesting)
1 bunch basil leaves (about ½ cup or one large handful)
5 gloves of garlic, smashed and peels removed
3 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted in a dry pan
¼ cup olive oil
Pinch salt
Pinch pepper

In a small food processor or blender add all the pesto ingredients and process until well combined.
Note: you can add grated parmesan cheese to this pesto is you like, really nice when using it for gluten-free pasta. Just work in about 3 tablespoons at the end after all the other ingredients are combined.
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Zucchini Fritters with Feta and Dill
From Michael Symon’s Live to Cook

2 medium zucchini
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh dill, plus whole dill for garnish
1 large scallion, white and green parts, thinly sliced on the bias
2 teaspoons minced garlic
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces feta cheese, coarsely chopped or crumbled
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 large egg
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Oil or lard, for pan-frying
½ cup Greek yogurt
Coarse sea salt, for garnish

Grate the zucchini on the large holes of a grater onto a clean kitchen towel. Sprinkle with the kosher salt and let it rest while you gather and prep the remaining ingredients.

Wrap the zucchini in the towel and wring as much liquid out of it as possible, discarding the liquid. In a medium bowl, combine the zucchini, mint, dill, scallion, garlic, pepper, feta and all but 1 teaspoon of the lemon zest. Stir in the egg and flour and mix until well combined.

Add the canola oil to a large shallow pan; you want about ¼ inch or enough so that when all the fritters are in the pan, the oil comes halfway up their sides. Place the pan over medium-high heat. Form fritters by hand or using a ¼ cup measure, and fry them in the hot oil in batches. Cook until the fritters are golden brown on each side, 4 to 6 minutes. Drain in paper towels.

Transfer the fritters to plates and garnish with a dollop of Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of dill, the reserved lemon zest, and some coarse sea salt.

Serves 4 (makes about 8 fritters)
***********

Zucchini Stuffed with Goat Cheese
Servings: 4

* 2 large zucchinis, cut in half lengthwise
* 5 tbsp olive oil
* 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
* 2 shallots, finely chopped
* 2/3 cup bread crumbs or croutons
* 1 tbsp Herbes de Provence
* Salt, pepper
* 1 (4 oz) log Chèvre Plain
* 1 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
* 1 cup water

Preheat oven to 350°F

Scoop out and discard seeds with a small amount of the flesh from the zucchini.

Sauté zucchini halves in 2 tablespoons of olive oil with garlic, shallots, bread crumbs, Herbes de Provence and a pinch of salt and pepper for 15 minutes. Let cool.

In a bowl stir together Chèvre with 1 tablespoon olive oil, chopped mint, and salt and pepper.

Stuff the cooled zucchini with the cheese mixture and arrange in a baking dish. Sprinkle with water and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Bake in a 350°F oven for 20 minutes.
Serve warm.

Courgette Carbonarra

2 cups of penne rigate
1/2 onion diced
2 courgettes (1 green, 1 yellow), quartered, seeds removed then cut on a bias to mimic the shape of penne
1/4 red bell pepper, sliced & cut on a bias to mimic a penne shape
lots of fresh cracked black pepper
1/4 cup dry white wine
3 cloves of garlic, minced
5 slices of bacon, chopped
2 tsp fresh thyme
1/2 cup of heavy cream
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
some pasta water

1. Get a large pot of boiling water started. Add salt and boil your penne for 10-12 minutes.

2. In a large fry pan, add your bacon and some water and render the fat from the bacon. Eventually the water will evaporate and the bacon will cook off the fat and brown nicely. Reserve the bacon and take out excess bacon fat, leaving 2 Tbsp in the pan.

3. Add your chopped onion, zucchini, peppers and black pepper. Reduce to simmer for 5 minutes for the veggies to soften. Add your thyme, garlic and wine and simmer until the wine has reduced. Turn off heat and reserve.

4. In a bowl, whisk your egg yolks, cream and Parmesan. Reserve.

5. When your pasta is ready, save some of the pasta liquid. Drain your pasta and add it to the pan. Pour your egg/cream mixture over your veggies. Add some pasta water and toss the pasta to coat well. The residual heat of the pasta should cook your egg/cream mixture without turning it into scrambled egg.
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I recently caught an episode of Jamie Oliver’s Jamie At Home and he featured recipes using courgettes or zucchini.

What struck me about this dish is that the taste matched its marvelous presentation. Local zucchini are in season and using green and yellow zucchini will brighten the look of this dish.

I also found that thyme and zucchini complement each other very well. Use fresh thyme for this dish; it’s an herb that grows quite easily indoors if you have a harsh winter.

Last two recipes:
Zucchini with Tomatoes, Apples & Onions
1 ½ pound small zucchini, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 apples, chopped
2 fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Set a small pan of water to boil. Drop the zucchini slices into the boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove immediately and drain. Heat the oil in a fry pan and sauté the onion until it is transparent. Add the apples and stir well to coat. Add the tomatoes and the blanched zucchini. Stir well, and then add the parsley. Season this mixture, and leave it to cook, covered over a gentle heat for 5-10 minutes, until the zucchini is soft. Serve hot.
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Vegetable Charlottes

This Emeril recipe makes a lovely side dish for company or maybe just when you feel like having a little fun in the kitchen. Give it a try, you'll be pleased with the result.

Serves 6

2 medium zucchini
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more if necessary
Salt Freshly ground black pepper
1 small eggplant, cut into eight 1/3-inch thick slices
4 ounces mild goat cheese, such as Montrachet
2 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, such as basil, thyme, oregano and parsley
1/2 cup oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained, plus 2 tablespoons of their oil
Tomato Vinaigrette, recipe follows

Preheat the broiler to 500 degrees F.

Cut each zucchini diagonally into slices about 1/4-inch thick and about 2 1/2 inches long. Transfer the slices to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush each slice with a little of the olive oil, and season lightly with salt and pepper, to taste. Position the oven rack about 6-inches away from the flame and broil the zucchini slices for about 4 minutes, or until slices appear shriveled and golden brown in spots. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack.

Repeat the above procedure with the eggplant slices, brushing with olive oil and seasoning lightly with salt and pepper as before. Broil until slices soften and are golden brown in spots, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool.

In a small bowl combine the goat cheese with the cream, 1 teaspoon of the garlic and the fresh herbs and stir to thoroughly combine.

Combine the sun-dried tomatoes with 2 tablespoons of the packing oil and the remaining teaspoon of garlic in the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth, about 2 minutes.

Decrease the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

Lightly brush the insides of 6 (1/2-cup) ramekins with some of the remaining olive oil and line the bottoms and sides of the ramekins with 8 to 10 zucchini slices, in pinwheel fashion and with slices slightly overlapping one another. Place 1 slice of eggplant on top of the zucchini slices in the bottom of each ramekin.

Divide the goat cheese mixture among the ramekins, using the back of a spoon to press down and smooth the tops. Divide the sundried tomato puree evenly among the ramekins, again using the back of a spoon to evenly distribute the puree over the goat cheese. Divide the remaining eggplant slices among the ramekins and press down firmly to pack contents. Place the ramekins on the middle rack in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or until just heated through.

Make the Tomato Vinaigrette while charlottes are heating.

Unmold the charlottes onto plates and spoon some of the Tomato Vinaigrette around them.

Tomato Vinaigrette:
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped basil
1 teaspoon chopped oregano
3/4 pound very ripe tomatoes, such as roma or vine ripened, peeled, seeded and diced

In a mixing bowl combine the vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper and whisk together. While continuing to whisk, add the oil in a slow, steady stream until combined and slightly emulsified. Stir in the basil, oregano and diced tomatoes and serve immediately.
Yield: about 1 cup

Yummy-sounding recipes!

I can't get motivated. Too cool and damp out there for me. But I've got a bunch of perrenial plants that I should get in the ground while conditions are right for them to settle in. Came home yesterday with a bunch of free plants after the sale was over. Also need to unload my car from all the demo presenting stuff.

My house is a disaster too, so am thinking about doing some major spring cleaning now that I've got all the seed trays out of the house. The key word would be "thinking".

Sounds like me and my distaster of a house, Robin! Better things to do than clean... like starting more flats of seeds.

I've been hand-pulling weeds... easy to do in the wet ground. At least 3 heaping wheelbarrow loads this morning alone. Sure wish my plants grew as well as weeds! I also see what looks like half a dozen or more Harris model parsnips coming up in the general area where I planted some 4 years ago. I need to find a pic of leaves, and if they are parsnips, transplant them before Jess mows them down.

LOL, I just looked parsnips up in PlantFiles.. and it's MY picture of the leaves!

I don't know that they will make parsnips because of the heavy clay, and I have NO space in the big raised bed. Only 2 of my Yukon Gold potatoes have grown up through the surface so far. I hope more than that survive and grow.

Well, well... my parsnip plants turn out to be parsnips that wintered-over in the lawn! Had I known they were actual parsnips I would have dug deeper!

Cocoa, I only have 5 squash plants and they are each a different kind. I want to learn how to can this year and put some up. We like fried squash a lot. I also have become fond of stuffing them, especially the scallop squash, with pepper dressing and baking it. Mmm

Darius, thanks for the recipes. I hope my squash and my goats cooperate so I can try a couple of them. :)

Do any of you know how to eliminate striped gophers? They are digging in my garden and ruining my beans and onions. Will they eat rat poison?

My taters need to have a roll let out of the bags and some more compost put in. I also need to pick my sugar snap peas. I ate a raw one today and it was delish!! Gonna make a stir fry with them. Chinese cabbage is going to seed so I will pull it for the stir fry too. Picked a few strawberries. My tomato I thought the sun killed is standing back up. Sure glad about that. All the tomatoes look really good. My cukes have come up. The corn looks good too. I only have 9 hills of sweet corn but if it makes a few ears to each stalk we will enjoy a bit of fresh corn. Each hill has 2 plants. I am waiting for the herbs to sprout. My beans are coming up and the ones I planted early are about to bloom. Purple sprouting broccoli is growing but I don't see a sign of any heading at all. I know it does not make a central head and it does take a lot longer than regular broccoli. It stands the heat better too. I have 6 plants growing in 2 hay bales. I could use those bales to put in my tater bags but I don't want to lose the broccoli. It might still make. I need to make a spot for my pepper plants and my eggplants. I have 2 peppers already out in gallon containers.

My goats are starting to get bellies and milk sacs. The smaller goat has the bigger belly and udder. May just be because she is smaller. I need to get another goat house fixed to keep the kids in at night so I can milk in the mornings. They can stay with their mommas during the day after I milk. It's called latching and it seems the easiest way to raise them, to my thinking. I am not going to keep the kids. I just want the milk.

I have to get a new chicken pen built soon. Gotta get these half grown chicks out of these brooder tubs and cages on the porch. They stink!!!

I am having problems with my stomach. After 17 days of this I am way past thinking it is a virus. I also don't think it is all due to the stomach ulcers. I am wondering if it is IBS. It sure does hurt.

Well...I did think about cleaning, but instead stayed curled up on the couch with the computer and did some reading. Almost felt guilty, but then decided I was due a day off. :)

I have a bunch of parsnips too. If they taste good, I'm going to put some in the deliveries this week.

Robin, what size box do you do every week?

Well, I'm back and it's half-way through the month!! So glad to see everyone's progress :) I didn't cry at my daughter's graduation, got to visit the grandbaby twice, saw my expectant daughter and had my first Mother's Day with my Mom in almost five years. It was a very worthwhile trip.

Lost all but two lettuce plants in last week's heat wave while I was gone. Broccoli is still making shoots, and spinach has a few more leaves to pick. Chard is growing well, it liked the heat I guess. Peas and strawberries are coming in, slowly. My raspberry plant has berries! But they are fall bearing variety so I am not sure why they have berries now; maybe a two-season one? Must research what to do with these early berries. I hilled up my leeks which are growing well. I have a few tomatoes already on my under three foot tall plants, not sure how that is happening. I had some gorgeous butternut squash plants growing in my compost, so I potted up three of them to transfer out to somewhere they can ramble later on. Got taters in sacks started, never tried it before so I hope it works. My herbs took off while I was gone and everyone looks happy. I lost a tomato seedling or two, including my Roma which I wanted for canning. I will have to replace that one.

Got my raised bed frame assembled, so once I mow where I want it I will fill it with dirt and get to planting in it. While cutting up all the fallen huge limbs, I also picked out six nice ones to make a bean teepee from.

A pretty productive day with plenty of coolness to keep me from feeling overworked, although I am tired still from my trip. Tomorrow will be finishing unloading the truck, picking up the push mower from the repair shop and sending the riding one in, some weedeating and more wood cutting. No rest for the wicked I think the saying is...LOL!!

~H

Glad you are home, and had a safe and productive trip!

Hineni===glad you had a nice trip.

I know guineas will eat all the garden bugs and a few small snakes to boot but not suppose to scratch up the garden plants========but no body told me that they would eat my strawberries. They were having a feast this evening....
I am going to do away with the strawberry bed. And the new pup Daisy was nibbling on them yesterday. GEEE

Sounds like you are really on track. Glad you had a good trip. Your garden is way ahead of mine.

I am picking a few berries but it's just enough to eat for a snack. Nowhere near enough to do anything with. I think those stinking chipmunks are eating them.

Wow ~ lots of ground covered since Darius thought it was something she said! LOL
I know that feeling, often wondered what I said when a thread died. Perhaps my bad breath. 8 0

I love parsnips but they are not commonly grown here and don't know why. Need to research.

Yummy recipes Darius. Have you considered a restaurant or perhaps catering? Sounds like a 'passion' for you.

MsRobin glad to hear your presentation went well. Was the event well attended?
I wish for one of those days lounging on the couch but it is not any time soon.

Hineni ~ glad you had a safe trip and enjoyable Mothers day. Who tends to your critters when you are gone?

Cajun ~ we were wondering where you slipped off to. I do hope you get to perking better. Is it possible you are just overdoing it?

I harvested half of the multiplier onion bed yesterday. Needed the spot to plant the okra. The onions are a bit stunted due to lack of moisture but still tasty. I normally leave them in ground but need to improve their permanent bed so will dig all up. Doing the same with garlic shortly.

Watching the tomatoes start to turn a lighter shade of green. Why can I not grow huge tomatoes? I it is my goal. DH dislikes the smaller ones (I guess not manly enough). They all taste good to me...

pod, many years ago (before half the population lived on fast food) I read that 1 in every 3 Americans secretly dreamed of owning a restaurant. Not me! I can't imagine having to cook every night for a family, much less patrons.

Some recipes read like they'd be tasty, so I copy lots of them. Once in a while I even make one of them. :)

Slowly, between rain showers, I'm getting the raspberry bed cleaned out. It's been 4-5 years and a lot of weeds have grown up in there, and there are a lot of dead (old) canes because I never mow the raspberries down... and of course, many new shoots coming up in the walkway. With all the rain forecast for the next week, it may not get finished anytime soon.

I hear that the brown marmorated stink bugs are moving further south and west. They wiped out all my tomatoes last year, so I'm thinking lightweight row covers if I can afford them. They haven't found anything that is effective against the bugs so far. If you don't know them, here's a photo. The babies look a little like the orange ladybugs at a quick glance.

Darius, thanks for the recipes! I've never used mint or dill on zuchs, got to give that a try! The dill in coming on thick and I should get to it before the swallowtails do. Maybe some compound butters as well.
Are the parsnips still good when they get that large? I don't I've ever had a parsnip, maybe in mashed potatoes?, can't remember...

Cajun, the stuffed patty pan sounds good too. I planted lots of them hoping to put up some tiny pickled ones. Maybe if they make it through the summer I can let some get big and save for pigs. I think the patty pans form a hard shell when allowed to get big...not sure..anyone know?
Sorry about the chipmunks, got the real gophers giving me fits!
Can't wait for the baby pics! Try not to over do it, I know it's hard not to during the spring.

Lol, MsRobin, no need to feel guilty! If you can snag a nap on the couch take it! I did the same yesterday. When the guys got home with a big bucket of fish remains. I was out in the full sun to get them buried. Afterwards, laid down, *just for a minute, and slept two hours!

Hineni, glad your back! And so happy to hear the garden made it through!

Cricket, when we had guineas and peafowl they would eat all our blackberies then leave purple poop all over the porch. Just to add insult to injury, I guess.lol

Pod, I thought you were avoiding me...It's safe, I really don't have any vintage cars, puppies or kittens for ya :0) How big do walking onion bulbs get?

Eww, yeah, I think we have those stink bugs. Will have to look close and see if they are the same markings. I'm used to picking stink bugs and this year the SVB eggs have been thick as well! The #$#@@!

I like parsnips mixed in oven-roasted winter vegetables. Sometimes even "new" parsnips from the store get a hard core; I just pick it out after they are cooked as it separates easily. I have grated them raw for fritters but if the core is hard, it will still grate and be chewy in the fritters. For making fritters I look for 'snips with smaller cores.

Cocoa ~ avoiding you like the plague. LOL I want NOTHING else that needs feeding or painting!!!

Walking onions stay small, similar to what you see used in pickled onions. The multipliers that I harvested weren't much larger this season. This time the multipliers were about the size of garlic cloves. In fact, I inserted these small onions in a roast yesterday like you would with garlic cloves.

Good score on the fish fodder. Hope they got lots of tasty fishies too.

Those stink bugs look vaguely familiar. I will need to look closer to see if there is a difference with what I see here. How do they decimate a tomato crop? If you shop for bargains on row covers, please let us know if you find some.

This morning I was in the front yard and heard crows. Walked around back to find them settling in on the garden beds. I will not be here everyday to deter them and need to do something. I am missing one eggplant plant. crows ~ 1 pod ~0

Parsnips are tasty when roasted with other root vegetables as well as sliced, seasoned and panfried. I think when they get too old, they get woody.

I got sidetracked in the garden (don't we all?), and got a bonus. I can use strawberry plants as a ground cover around my apple tree, and the other day I bought just one for $2, remembering there are a few in a semi-neglected bed against the deck. Each year I get maybe half a dozen berries because the berries get lost amongst the hostas, spearmint and Siberian iris... and they get no sun at all except a couple at the edge. I really didn't have any idea how many strawberry plants were in there.

I just dug up between 50-75 to transplant!! A few (maybe 8-10) have some berries, which I assume may not survive transplanting... anyone know if I should just cut them off now or take a chance on fruit ripening? I know the plants will root and grow better without the berries... but selfishly I'd like to leave a few berries to ripen anyway.

My maters are blushing and should have a few ripe in a day or so.
had the first of the yellow straight necks baked with butter and Parmesan last night for supper.
A squirrel screamer seems to work on birds too. Google "Bird X" or "Yard Guard" for the ultrasonic units.
Back to laying water line
ugh

(forgot to mention that amazon has them for $39.95)

This message was edited May 16, 2011 3:52 PM

I'd leave the berries on. But I LOVE stawberries! LOL

I hate crows. We used to keep them out of the fields back home by stringing one strand of fishing twine from corner to corner. They are suspicious and won't go around what they can't figure out.

My scallop squash never got a hard rind. They were just like straight or crook neck summer squash. I planted a flying saucer squash this year. It's a scallop too.

It's blackberry winter here and I hope it passes fast. It's way more chilly than I like. My raspberries are blooming but the wine berries are not. Blackberries are putting on a show so we should have a good crop if we get rain when we need it.

I saw a garter snake today. Odd it was out with it being so chilly. It was a male so it may have been looking to breed. He was moving so slow I could have picked him up. I have seen a lot of them this year. DH nearly stepped on a copperhead. We kill those.

I compromised on the strawberries... picked out the few with berries and planted them in the herb garden close to the house. The remainder will go around the apple tree, leaving a reasonable space of course. Moved some yarrow and ? (forget the name) over there because a guild needs some plants that attract pollinators. Still have to separate the lemon verbena and put some in there too, along with dill and garlic chives.

Sure wish I had a vague idea how large (wide) the apple will get. I emailed the DG guy that arranged the trade, but he hasn't responded... and probably won't. I hate it when folks owe me things and then avoid me, but at least it isn't money!

lizards_keep, my summer squash are just now putting out their first true leaves, and the cool rainy weather is hampering growth. I haven't even started seeds for winter squash, which is a root cellar mainstay.

Sue (DW) and Madison (DGD) picked a gallon of fresh strawberries out of last years bed yesterday - made two pies and many shortcakes. Got to get something done before the next shower! Care to all.

Woohoo on the berries for Darius and Dyson. Mine are still green and are rather oddly shaped. I'll have to find the bird netting to protect them probably since they are eye level, being up on the deck. A gallon of berries sounds yummmmmmy! Darius, that's a lot of plants, what a wonderful find - I'm happy for you.

Finally got the push mower fixed (ugh, I need to learn small engine maintenance or just feed the mower shop), and now they are picking up the riding one tomorrow. All that work done last year and now the new battery won't hold a charge at all. Sure seemed easier when DH was alive and he quietly took care of all of this stuff. Just more for my learning curve I guess.

Insurance adjuster should be out on Wednesday - I'm anxious to find out if my damages will be covered. They were great and very timely last year when I lost my electrical on the house due to an April storm.

Mainly ran errands today, did some laundry and hung it out since it's the first sunshine I've seen since Friday, and did some job-hunting. Pretty quiet and I hope it stays that way..lol!

Podster - this time, I had boarders at the house. They are relatives of a neighbor and are building her house. They are staying in exchange for help with repairs, lawn mowing and such; kind of a barter thing. Normally I have to board the dogs at the kennel, but this trip I was saved that expense.

PLEASE don't use bird netting! They can get caught in it and not survive. It's terrible to watch them struggle. Buy some cheap row cover material instead.

No bird netting, I was thinking row cover.

Two okra plants gone.

crows ~ 3 pod~ 0