Summer Gardens Part 2

i tell you what, Drthor, you would totally do an awesome job if you ever set up a stand at a farmers market, lol!

StillPlaysWDirt: i think the mega blooms mostly happen on the beefsteak type plants, i may be wrong, but those are the only varieties that i see ever get them. Yeah they do look like a fruit from an alien world, but the flavor is not affected one bit :)

I'm here too! just nothing to report, but still learning.

I could eat t hat roasted tomato goulash with a spoon, but what do you-ll usually do with it? And it looks ver easy, but is it a low temp for a long while?

My mama was scared to death of home-canned goodness, and I'm having a hard time getting over that teaching. Not that I've ever had enough produce to have extra, but one day...maybe even this year.

Please keep letting me leach onto y'all's wisdom!

Turtle

Steph - Whada ya say.... We'll have to play rock, scissors, paper to see who gets to adopt Becky! Or maybe we can come up with a timeshare plan. LOL!

drthor - Great pics! Wish I was your neighbor! Luuuuuvvvv gaspacho. So very good made from fresh ingredients. Now you've made me hungry!

Turtle - I am paranoid about my canning! The whole kitchen gets a wash down before I even start washing the jars. My mama told me a story about a relative who opened up a can of tomatoes (which usually gets done in a waterbath canner instead of a pressure canner), and didn't like how they smelled. So she threw them outside to her chickens. Three hours later they were all dead! Botulism is very unforgiving! Everything I'm using including spoons etc., gets washed down good. And I check the seals before the jars go into the pantry and before I open them. No "pop" when I open them, out they go. Haven't had to throw out but 2 jars in 6 years. I follow the 'canning rules' to the LETTER! I don't blame your mom for being cautious, It's a lot of work to do canning right and some folks bend the rules.

ok i think i've figured out what i will do with all of those berries that ive been collecting ;)

http://www.seededatthetable.com/2014/04/04/mixed-berries-buttermilk-cake/

I worked in the kitchen at college, and was in the pantry when a gallon can of garbanzos exploded. Just to reinforce my mother's fears.

Oh holy cow that berry cake looks good!! It reminds me of the cherry cake they used to serve in my elementary school cafeteria, no joke, it was so good and I've been looking for a similar recipe so thank you!! And I think you're right about the beefsteaks and mega blooms, they are the only ones to do it. But all the beefsteaks I'm growing have thrown a mega bloom already this season.. I'll be watching for this next year.

Okay Lois and Steph, what about joint custody? I'll wear out my welcome at one and then the others!! LOL but I'll be eating good in the neighborhood!! :D

turtles - Was it an actual can or a glass jar? That must have been exciting to say the least - not to mention messy! The only beany beans (as opposed to green beans) I will can up are in my pork and beans, and they are pressure canned. I like to put my beany beans up dry. My mom used pressure cookers and canners all the time, but I was never allowed in the kitchen when she was using them because one had exploded once when she was cooking beans. She said scalding hot beans went all over the kitchen ceiling and she had burns. I was scared to death of a pressure cooker when I was a kid! Still wary of them now, and I have three!

Becky - Joint custody it is!

Cooking up zucchini, tomatoes and onions this morning to freeze. Sometime this winter I'll pull this out of the freezer and have great memories of my summer garden and my new gardening friends here on Dave's! this is undoubtedly the BEST forum I've ever been on! Ya'll are an inspiration.

jmc - Just copied the Buttermilk Cake recipe and will be making it today. I have three grandchildren and my grandson's friend over today. I'm betting this will be a huge hit! Thanks for sharing this!

Lois

StillPlaysWDirt
the "Tomato Tart" recipe is on the last issue of the Heirloom magazine by Beker Creek (not on their catalog). It is a very light recipe, no mayo.

jmc1987
Thanks for the kind words ... but no farmer marker for me ... those are all mine ... my preeecioussssss.
I bought a huge freezer last night for only $200 from Craig list (one year old and it looks new).

13Turtles
My roasted tomatoes are really easy to make, you just need lots of them.
slice the tomatoes in half or quarter, add onions, salt & peppers and herbs from your garden (I used thyme, marjoram, oregano and you can add basil at the end, or it will turn bitter).
Drizzle olive oil on top.
Bake at 300F for 1 hour, then I let them inside for 2 hours (without opening the oven door).
I have tried different oven setting and time, and this is the way I like them.
You can eat roasted tomatoes as a side dish (they are really sweet), or you can add to a slice of bread or pasta. You can put them in the blender and puree to make sauce for pasta or meat/fish ...

drthor,
That's a GREAT score on a freezer!!!

I bought one last year just for my garden veggies, too. Need to start eating up everything, though, cause a new fall/winter season is right around the corner, and there'll be no room for the new stuff, LOL!

Ya'll have a great and Godly weekend!

Linda

drthor - Are you a fellow Ringer? Mae Govannin mellon nin!

Translation for non Lord of The Rings Fanatics.... "Well met my friend!" in Sindarin Elven, one of the languages J.R.R. Tolkien invented for his books.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone. May it rain just enough overnight to help your garden and then go away when you want to be outside!

Lois

I am not a ringer ... I am Italian !

funny you should mention the fall and winter season, because i have already mapped out my autumn harvest garden....oops, i just realized i misspelled Lettuce when i was labeling the romaine lol.

This message was edited Jun 27, 2014 12:55 PM

Jmc1987,

LOL, "fall and winter season...," since I've just about I've missed the entire spring/summer season.

At the beginning of May, my young niece was diagnosed with a rare intra-abdominal Desmoid Tumor (only 2-4 persons per million/annually -- 900 people), . My family and I were in an initial state of shock over this for most of the month, and it took all the wind out of my gardening sails. We've since gained our composure, and there's a beacon of light on the horizon....

M.D. Anderson classifies it as malignant cancer. Very invasive and aggressive to neighboring organs. Does not spread (metastasize) like regular cancers do, which is a good thing. Bad thing is it is so close to her Mesenteric Vein (major blood flow to all the internal organs), that surgery is not possible until it can be shrunk away from the vein so the surgeon can go in and try to remove it without nicking that vein...

She is 37 years old, with twin baby daughters who will be 2 yrs. old July 18th, and a 7 yr. old daughter (June 6). Wonderful husband (very hands on with his children and family), wonderful career (Ph.D. Pharmacist), wonderful home, an extraordinarily large and close-knit social network, and this diagnosis...

But, my God is still on the throne, and He and I (and everyone we know) are walking with her on this journey. Her mother and I have spent quite a bit of these last two months at her home, helping out with her and the children. I hope this explains my lack of garden pictorials this season -- nothing's growing except the 8 beet plants and 3 cabbages I left in the raised beds....I do peep out every now and then...but, once she started chemo (radiation is out of the question -- could damage her internal organs), my garden was the last thing on my mind...

My niece is scheduled for 6 rounds of very high-powered drugs, and there's a definite up and down cycle associated with this event. The first nine days after chemo she can't do much for herself or the children. Luckily, her school-teacher husband is now off for the summer. Before that, our routine was to greet the kids at home after school (after our own work days) with a "walking in the door snack," feed them dinner, entertain them for 90 minutes, bathe and put them to bed, pick up toys, and leave the kitchen clean...made for some very long days...

Now that school's over, their dad is on point in the evenings, and they've had several out-of-town friends come in to stay and help for several days at a time. This gives her mother and me a much-needed break to catch up on our own households.

All my sisters and nieces came to town for the long Mem'l weekend, which is when I took the opportunity to build the bean trellis for the 7-yr.old. We had just planted four Earthboxes
before the diagnosis (cukes, Asian yard long beans, sunflowers, and mint). So, the trellis building project kept me close to the garden as I could manage, LOL. We had a fine time all together, camped out at the house. Much love there!

The doctor's report two weeks ago shows the tumor shrunk 2 cm, and is responding to the chemo! Praise God! He wants her to have two more rounds of chemo (#3 was last Thursday), then meet with the surgeon to see if she feels she can get in there with enough margin to excise the tumor. The surgeon will most likely want her to take the last two chemo sessions (for a total of 6), just to increase the margin, if possible.

So, that's where I've been, ya'll.

And, that's why I've been enjoying this thread so much. I'm so happy to see all of ya'lls progress this season, and, I've been learning so much. And, I am encouraged that the next season will be here soon enough. God knew I wouldn't be growing this season, so He has given me some down time to do quite a few much-needed smaller garden projects geared to mobilizing me toward the next season. I've been organizing and planning, in those quiet hours, after the kids are all asleep. And, I've been praying a whole lot...

Please forgive the length of the post, but, I hadn't shared with you all before now. Guess I was waiting for the right moment, and it came.

Hugs.

Linda

That's a nice layout program. Which one is it?

This message was edited Jun 27, 2014 2:59 PM

Wow, Linda! What an ordeal your family has been/is continuing to go through. I'll definitely be praying for your sister and your family. How wonderful that you and the rest of your family are able to step in and help, although it's taxing to you. God is good and he'll be shown faithful in all this.

OH, YES, HE WILL!

oh man, HUGE hugs all around for you guys GG! So glad to see that there has been some improvement there.

As for the layout i made, actually just thrown together from scratch with a photo shop type of software, lol.

Thanks, Jmc1987!

Sorry to here your niece has cancer and happy to hear there is some response to treatment. I get the "8 beet plants and 3 cabbages". It was that way for us last year also only it was 8 tomato plants and DH's father fell down the basement steps.

Hope she continues to do better.

Oh, Susan,
That's why I love this thread so much -- we can all relate, LOL!!!

"8 tomato plants...DH's father...down the basement steps!"

Thanks for ya'lls much-appreciated prayers on her behalf. Her name is Lolita.

Linda - Just got back from running errands. So sorry to hear about your niece, she is so lucky to have you all for a family! We will all keep you in our prayers. I am a former RN and I have seen people with terrible diseases or wounds overcome all the odds and go home from the hospital to a full life when all hope had been thought to be lost. It sounds like she has good support and good doctors. Keep us posted on how things are going.

Lois

I've been wondering where you've been, Linda. I'm sorry to hear the reason, but I'm so glad Lolita is responding to treatment. Thank you for letting us know and letting us be behind you and your family.

Lois-it was an actual can!l

Thanks, You Guys!

Tomorrow morning will be the first Saturday I wake up in my own bed in almost two months!

I can't wait to race out into my yard, LOL!

Have a Godly and great weekend!

Linda

Ah nuts! i had noticed a darker green area on my "mega bloom" mater early this morning and just accounted it as accumulated morning dew. Just went down there again today and now its in BER mode....figures! LOL!

My garden has been snoozing, but all of the sudden this morning I had ripe blackberries, blueberries, fully red peppers of two kinds, several pounds of asparagus bean (which BTW is interesting but virtually tasteless), the okra is over 2' tall, my sweet taters are finally starting to run and my suffering cucumbers have taken off with lots of blooms.

Oh, and more zucchini of course, but that's practically a given.

My Recession Gold produced it's first ripe tomato of the season, perfectly yellow and red, just under a pound and rich flavor. Alas, the first one split, which I am trying to breed out but I don't want thick, tough skin either. Since I watered deeply a few days ago, I'll cut it some slack.

To top it off, we got a break in the weather and only hit about 85F today with a gentle 3/4" rainshower. Lovely.

Geez Nicole, you struck it rich today!

NicoleC
amazing peppers ! WOW !
My husband's pet escape from her area into the middle of my peppers bed and got stuck there for half a day eating them .... but she left 2" stem ... the plants are slowly growing back again ... yuk !

WTG Nicole!! Great haul!

Here's today's harvest: lots and lots of cherry tomatoes (Large Cherry), a few Marmande tomatoes (very prolific), 2 Muncher cukes, 2 National Pickling cukes, 2 gray striped zucchini, and 1 little yellow squash.

I counted at least 6, yes SIX, watermelons on one of my Sugar Baby vines.

The little peppers are Hungarian Black. When purple they are mildly hot, a little hotter and sweeter when red, and the seeds will blister your tongue. It's kinda nice you can control the heat level so easily. Might be a keeper. The hotter peppers just overwhelm me and I don't use many.

I stuffed them with brown rice, Thai basil, balsamic reduction and a hint of salt, sealed off the top with goat cheese and garnished with a dusting of paprika. Very tasty; we'll see if they are a hit at the picnic today. If I do them again I'll do wild rice instead for a bit of nutty flavor.

The bells are Islander. The unripe purple ones are pretty; the orangey red ones are gorgeous. Pale green on the inside when purple turning reddish-orange on the inside when they ripen.

Looks like I will have about a dozen melons in a day or two. I wished they'd space themselves out a bit!

Wow Nicole! That sounds delicious! Didn't plant any hot peppers this year. I still have a boatload of them from last year all nicely dried and put up. But from your description above, now I'm a little sorry I don't have any fresh ones.

Today is for canning up the tomatoes I've gathered for the last two days. Should make a substantial amount.
Anybody got a good way to put up zucchini? I suppose I could dehydrate it....

My green beans have virtually stopped producing now. The combination of deer devastation, and now Japanese beetles has really set them back. There are only leaves on the top half of the plants, the bottom half is mainly chewed up stems. I've put down a thick layer of top soil, with composted manure and am hoping that this will help. If the tops weren't still so green and full, I'd just pull them up. I go out every morning and kill Japanese beetles and this morning could only find one. Maybe that's progress....
ON the bright side, my okra is going well, and I'm getting about six cucumbers a day. Will be making pickles tomorrow.
Hope everyone's weekend went well. We got some very welcome and refreshing rain yesterday, and it is still raining lightly this morning.
Lois

loisf10
I store my squash/zucchini in multiple ways.
My favorite two are:
1. Slice the zucchini very thin and grill them. Let them cool. Put them in a bag and vacuum seal and freeze. When ready to use, DEFROST them in the microwave ... do not let them thaw. Add then your favorite dressing. Mine is plain salt, pepper and olive oil.

2. Cube your zucchini, blanch in hot salted water for 3 minutes. Shock them in ice water untillcool to touch. Let them dry a little. Put them in a bag and vacuum seal and freeze. I sue these diced zucchini to make delicious soups or sauces.

Thanks drthor! I will use both methods! Sounds yummy!

Harvested the last of the gray striped zucchini this morning. They were being overtaken by the evil SVB. We'll plant again in the fall when the little sucker isn't as prolific. Also harvested these few things.

I tried a new cucumber salad recipe a couple of days ago. I liked it so well, I made more last night! LOL I really love the smell of fresh sliced and peeled cukes.

major bummer on the SVB, i heard something about wrapping a section of pantyhose around the base of the plant will help to keep them from laying eggs there--something about them being unable to get to where they normally lay them at, so they tend to not bother. couldnt hurt anything to try it, except just making the plant look silly, lol.

although i imagine it wouldnt be worth it on bush types, as there are just too many stalks, the reference for this was on vine habit types

This message was edited Jun 30, 2014 12:15 PM

I don't think any sure fire way exists to fight the SVB moth or the worm. Next time we plant, we're trying foil.

Today's harvest, including the last of the zucchini. On a positive note, I have 3 butternut squash on the vine!

We finally found a couple dozen green tomatoes last night! My eyes are so bad I'd only ever seen the almost golf-ball size one, lol. Cukes are starting to bloom, so I don't know whether to "protect" them or not. Bought 10 yards of tulle the other day.

I was surprised to find how widely apart I planted most things, esp. the cukes. Had to buy my zukes though, so they came four in a pot. Should I cut off three of each set? Thet will have a 4 X 16 arched trellis ti climb, and I I only have the two foursomes.

Y'all are still providing me with encouragement, thanks!

Lois, did you try that cake recipe? Anxious to hear how it turned out. I'm not quite a ringer, lol, but LOTR is amazing, and I'm happy my kids are finally getting interested in it, even if it is mainly for the epic battle scenes..

Drthor, I had no idea baker creek had a magazine. I've never seen it on newsstands although it supposedly is. Will have to subscribe since I really like their company/ catalog/ website.. All of it. And their catalog consistently puts out good recipes for garden fresh goodies, so I bet the mag is great for that also.

Lisa, I've never met you in person, but I wish I could hug you! It sucks to be going through what you've been going through, but your sacrifices and dedication for your family won't be forgotten. They are lucky to have you, and the garden planning you're doing will be proven worthwhile when you do have the time to plant again. Beaming lots of good vibes your way girl :))

Jmc, nice garden plan, and don'tcha just hate that BER!!? Oh it sucks, all my black icicles have been victims so far..

Mm Nicole, those 'Islanders' will be mine next year! Lol and your haul looks great!

Steph, at least you got tons of zukes before the SVB got bad. What do you do w the foil?

Turtles, congrats! It won't be long now! What sort of "protection" were you naming on w the tuille? Bugs? Only issue I could see w them being covered, is no/poor pollination. But you could hand pollinate them or maybe leave the cover off in the early morning.

Thanks, StillPlaysWDirt!

Hi everyone, I have not much of a veggies garden this year. But I have been reading your posts. I have a question please; how much sun will water melons vines need to thrive? I just brought home half dozen vines, and I plan to put them in earth boxes to give them maximum sun - exposure. Linda, , I read about your niece Lolita. Thought and prayers be with you and family. Kim

StillPlaysWDirt
the Baker Creek magazine is a must have !
I did subscribe for 4 years right away:
http://www.rareseeds.com/store/general-merchandise/publications/