By the fourth of JUL ????? (2013)
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I've been busy but not so much in the garden. The guy I hired to weed-eat cut down my squash plants, summer squash AND winter squash!
I've been busy making fruit and herb vinegars (chive blossom, Provençal, raspberry, blackberry, and Nanking cherry), and today some blueberry syrup. It has cleared some space in my chest freezer although the herb vinegars are from fresh herbs from my garden. I have more I want to make (as gifts, like Christmas) but I'm out of champagne vinegar for the base.
Next week Susan (FruitOfTheVine) and I are meeting up in Winston-Salem, NC after my doctor's appt. and heading to Upstate SC for peaches. We'll stay overnight with another DG friend, Carat. who is on vacation in their SC house before moving there permanently from Las Vegas next July. Should be a fun trip!
I plan to can most of the peaches, but will make 2 kinds of peach chutney too... one being hot and spicy.
Quitting my job at the hatchery. I'm just never caught up this past month or so. If it wasn't for the grandsons I don't think I'd even be able to keep up with the lawn.
Nik, sometimes quitting is the best move!
I cannot keep up with the lawn; no grandsons but at least a yard man every 2 weeks whicj isn't enough but all we can afford. I'm getting too old to do much mowing myself.
well i m back from CA vacation
lots of fun
Ca doesn't do plastic bags anymore , state law. You pay .10 cents for a paper or a reusable. The reusable ones are pretty nice at some of the stores ! .
darius sounds like a good time with friends , have a great trip . :) eat some peaches for me .
well my garlic is very small ? i know last year i got it in late , very late actually I think it was Dec ?
with so much rain i m hoping it doesn't get rotted.
Dyson hope you can catch up on things at home. I had to do the same thing.
weeds are out of control here with so much rain. to wet to do anything. looks like we may dry out this week .
started canning as raspberry season is here , peaches and lots of other stuff
I won't bore you with all the troubles we have been going through. Suffice it to say it has been a rough row to hoe. Worst part is that I had to have my best friend put down. He was with me for 14 1/2 years and I miss him so bad I can hardly stand it at times. Won't be long before we have to have the mare with the liver damage put down. So much death.
But life is not all bad. We finally got our boys!!!! We only have a month with them so we are making every day count. We don't have the money to give them a fancy summer but we are giving them a full summer. They are swimming, riding horses, going to the show and the park, playing in the creek, picking berries and going to cookout at friends. I bought some heavy cream so they can make butter. We are going to make bread too. They helped me draw up water from the well today. Hope to bring them to the water park. When they are grown I hope they remember we spent time with them and not that we didn't have money to spend on them.
My little garden is doing pretty well. My peas did well. Put a couple bags in the freezer. When I pulled them I planted corn in that spot. Just 4" x 10' so it only held 13 corns. But if they do well they will be a tasty treat. I got 4 pickings from my Bush beans before they were spent. I pulled them and planted again. Most of the second planting is up. Had to replant a few. The peppers are off to a slow start because the first beans were smothering them out. Dug them up and put them in containers and they are blooming now. I have 1 yellow straight neck squash that is bearing well. The scallop squash is not doing as well but I am picking a few. The stars of the garden are the eggplants. I have 1 long purple, 1 white and 1 gandia. They are producing well and we are really enjoying them. The saddest part of the garden is the tomatoes. I have lost 2 of my 4 plants to blight and it looks like I may lose the other 2 also. I found a small group of volunteers a good ways from the garden and they are blooming. It appears to be a cherry type. Maybe Galena's Yellow or Matt's Wild. I like them both. My strawberries in the towers did well. I look for a better crop next year when they are well established. Same with the 2 blueberry bushes. Wine berries are about finished and I sure have enjoyed them. Next will be the pawpaw.
Hope you are all doing well.
Caj, I'd love to have a pawpaw.
My vegetable garden has languished this year, too busy with poor health and numerous trips to NC to see doctors. It doesn't help that the yard man my sis hired has mowed down my squash plants, not just once but twice!
My tomato seedlings (late bearing heirloom tomatoes) are ready to go in the raised beds, maybe the yard man won't get to them.
Darius, so sorry about your garden and your health problems. DH has had more than his share of health problems so I know how hard that is. Wish we lived closer. I could help you out some. I take it the yard man is not a gardener.
I have never had corn and bean jelly. ;)
I grew my elephant garlic from some I bought in the produce department at Wal-Mart. It did well. I did not have much planted. That was the time I was really having a lot to deal with between DH and my Momma both being sick.
I harvested my onions. They did pretty good. My beans are up and it looks like a good stand. I have a few to replant but not too bad.
Good luck at the fair. We don't have a nice fair here. Had a great one back home. I miss the fair. I loved all the exhibits and the animals. Never missed the rodeo.
Just got back from the barn. Cleaned Ben and Coffee's stalls. I will do Godiva's tomorrow. Knock is a big help at the barn. It is raining. Had a big storm last night. Lost power about 8 and didn't come back on until 3am. Hope we don't have that kinda weather again tonight.
Gotta get a shower. I am sweaty and stinky. Swamp People finale comes on tonight. Don't want to miss that!!
we do have a nice fair. We have one of the largest Ag fairs in Ohio. Actually i think it is the largest ? so i m told.
its very clean, well run. no alchol sales . very family friendly.
I want to say we had over 800 hogs last year ?
LOL bean and corn jelly.... silly Cajun. You know i can't type. :)
just darn hot and humid here.
kids are taking goats for walks on the leads in the morning.
Happy Birthday, Sue!
Hope you do well at the fair!
thanks darius .
got several 1st place ribbons with jams and jellies. my corn bread got 3 rd place.
pulled my garlic and its in the basement. came out very small this year. i didn't fertilize and i knew i should have. just got busy .
anyone need garlic ! lol
darius how are things with you ?