General Discussions 2008 - Chapter 24

lol , o well , if she doesn't know any better , she won't miss it ! my brother cooks , and my bil . mine knows how to heat up hominy and put chili over it . he thinks it's good .yuk .sally

Well guys; We both like sweet taders, any way you fix them.
Most of the cooking, baking now that I am retired has kind of been handed over to me. But she does most of the dishes. I guess that's fair.
Just got done with another batch of salsa. Tomorrow, I have a mess of maters to pick. Think I will give half of them away. I know one lady down the street will be happy. She is 87 and don't get out unless someone is with her, or one of us picks her up and takes her down to our little restaurant. Several of us kind of keep an eye out for her. She is like everybody's Grandmother. LOL

She is lucky to have a whole town to watch over her Russ. Can I move there? Maybe you or someone could adopt me. lol

Jeanette

LOL. Is that anything like if you are rich, I'm available for adoption. He He He,
Really I think you would miss your mountains and trees.
But yes if you were here, people would check on you if you didn't show your face every so often, either at the liars table or just for coffee. Garry or Tami each have called us once or twice, just to make sure. Just have to be friendly and associate with the locals a bit.

I just had an offer of all the apples I wanted from a couple of trees, here in town. He also raised corn and said I could have the stalks and what corn was left on them for Gary's & my goats. There is a retired farmer lives here on the edge of town, always raises sweet corn and always tells anybody here when it is ready, come and get some. He plants extra just because.
A widow lady out in the country, her son lives with her. has a peach tree and a cherry tree, they don't use them so she will tell us when they are ripe.
Come on out and pick to your hearts content. I would certainly miss a lot of people here if we left, for some place else.

You're right Russ, I would miss the mountains and trees.

lol, Someone moved here from Texas a while back and hated it. The mountains and trees were in the way. Blocked the view. Guess it is all in what you're used to.

I finally broke down and watered the tomatoes again. I was trying to force them into ripening. They are doing that, but very slowly. With the weather getting so cold I don't know if I will get enough to even can any salsa. The San Marzanoes are ripening faster than others. Also, I am getting some Dr. Wyches ripening now.

We had 36 degrees last night. It's getting down there.

Jeanette

home is where the heart is russ . that storm ike is going in about 50 miles above us in texas . if you look at a map , we're at the bottom of aransas national wildlife refuge ' and will be on the dirty side of it . i hope it comes in the way they predicted . we should be o.k. as far as storm surge tho , because we have that barrier island between us and the gulf . there are a lot of old ancient live oaks in my sons yard , and they go over , it can cause a lot of damage . it's sand , and they have shallow roots . my cousin is in lake jackson , but they have already left . we'll see what happens . sally

Sally, I didn't know you were that close to the weather problems down there. Lets hope that it acts the way you said. By dirty you mean the sand blowing?

Be careful. Jeanette

jnette, you can make green tomato salsa or process them for fried , or just let them ripen on the counter . i love the mountains , always have . the people from texas evidently had all their taste in their mouth , if they didn't like mountains . sally

Sally, if you are worried about storm surge all the way up to Dahlonega, we are ALL in trouble!

no , the storm goes counter clockwise and it will be going left on the top and down the left side of it . as it moves forward it picks up all the trash and brings it down on what is the dirty side . the dirty side is more dangerous because the wind is coming from the land and carries more missiles . do i make sense ? my boy took off work day b4 yesterday and drove down to board everything up . i , personally wont have any damage because i don't have anything on my property . it's just land and the man that developed it when it was first bought , came in with a lot of dirt and sand and built it up pretty high . my lots are the highest in that community .hope his place is ok . hate to spend the winter rebuilding it for him .sally

darius , my sons place is my winter home in tex . my land is across the street and the most it can do is wash all the sand off my septic tank .lol . he does fishing guide service and rents his place out in the summer but we go down and take it over in the winter . he comes down from round rock on some weekends , then we get to visit . we might put a mobile home on ours or build a small house , but right now i have other things to spend money on . like getting completely out of debt.lol sally

just came in and saw the news, weather . my son also called . looks like the storm has turned a little more north . we will be spared the worst of it but give a prayer for the others that will (and are) affected . hugs , sally

Hey y'all- So good to read all your posts (Doug, nice pic of you and Cheryl!)

I almost feel guilty that our weather here is so great and my garden is still producing beautifully. (Almost, but not quite!) A lot of the big foliage is dieing down, so I can see all of my acorn squash and melons. My tomatoes are doing great- I get a basket full of goodies each day- enough to eat and share, and I guess I'll make some tomato sauce this weekend.

Leaves are starting to fall, though- autumn is on her way! Wish ?I'd gotten it together to put in some fall crops, but you know the old adage "If wishes were horses then beggars would ride?"

Time to start planning the best way to configure the bales for next year! (Has anyone heard from Kent?? Is he MIA????)

xox Suz

haven't heard from kent at all . sure wish he'd let us all know if all's well with him . good to hear from you , begining to wonder . hugs , sally

Hey, just read a post from Kent on another thread of the strawbale forum. you need to take a look around you I guess. He didn't say much about how he was doing. Just helping a newbie out, but he is alive and out there.

Jeanette

Suz a lot of our garden is still going strong but we are still waiting on sweet potatoes. Just done another 7 pints of salsa last night. Made apple butter in the morning. I just know I won't get any melons this year. What are on the vine are very small and it's just not growing weather anymore. I have a bunch of green stripe squash and some butternut that has crossed with the green stripe. Guess I get to try a new flavor this winter LOL
I thought my beans were done but they have come back strong. So that is something else I get to do as soon as I get something in gear.
Russ

Hi all, nice pic Doug!
Im on holiday in the beautiful Hawkes Bay at the moment, its a bit further north on the east coast, one of NZs biggest wine and fruit producing areas. I havent been online in a while, and have had to skim through the recent posts as I have very limited time on here. Is everyone posting a nice picture of themselves? Thats a good idea, its always nice to b able to picture who your talking to... dont you think so Jeanette? :-)
I will be home in a few days, untill then, happy gardening and harvesting.
Lena

Lena glad you are having a nice vacation

Nice picture Doug, good looking couple

My garden still okay, no frost yet. Am eating fall radishes and lettuce about ready. The corn after first plant amounted to nothing, due to birds and earrwigs.

Guess I will go to Okanogan Farmers market this morning, haven't been there this year, had enough in my own garden, but would like to get some more Pluots.

Donna

what are pluots ? sally

Plums X Apricots = Plu-ots. I guess it sounded better than Apri-ums. LOL!

Ciao, KK

silly , that's cute . i'm duh ! lol sally

I've never had any of those. I do like both tho, so should be good. We went to the farmers market in Colville today and just got some corn, cukes, and a few nice slicer tomatoes for BLTs. My Dr. Wyches are almost ready Russ. I am anxious to try them. Also some seedless grapes.

Huge, getting to be dark yellow. I don't know if I am going to get enough San Marsanoes to make a batch of salsa. Maybe if I add the Box Car Willies to them. They almost look like them don't they Russ? The Sweet Charlotts are kind of funny looking and very acidic. Do I have them right Russ, or did I mix them up?

BTW Russ, the weather has turned pretty warm, almost 80 today, so maybe the sweet potatoes will do something yet.

Jeanette

ike is sitting right on top of my house in arkansas . before you ask , darius , i had it before i married . it just sits there . any one want to buy a decent fish camp on lake erling ? i'd sell 5,000 below appraisal . they won't insure anything in ark unless it's your primary residence . i do hope thers something left of it after this . if it was insured , i wouldn't even care , we only get through there to mow grass once a year . if i rented it out , i'm not there to see after it and it would just get torn up . . hugs , sally

Jeanette; I think they are a little mixed up. The san marzano is a small tomato sort of oblong, very little juice in them great for sauce and salsa making. You can add the larger box car willies to them they are meaty and have a little more juice. I put a bunch of everything together tomato wise, and drained the juice off with a colander. I am going to try making some V8 juice or something similar. Got the recipe from a cousin on Mom's side of family. Haven't tried it yet, think no better time than the present.
The sweet Charlot's are round and a little smaller than a tennis ball. They would be a close tie with the Cherokee Purple color and size that is.
If they are mixed up don't feel bad. Mine are not in any order this year. One of the last strong winds we had, some of the steel posts gave way from the rain and wind, so I have a tangled mess to try and pick. Makes it hard to not step on some. Except for some cukes, squash and the sweet potatoes, I'm about ready to say that's enough for this year.
I think if we get some of that 80 degree weather them sweet taders should fatten up pretty good. If they don't get very big, I will just have to say good that I planted so many. The little ones taste good too.
Russ

Good evening, Russ, Suzan, J, all the gang:

Not MIA, must PDB (pretty dang busy) and when I get a chance to check the board, I'm in and out real quick. Ya'll are doing a great job.

Busy, busy with job, home chores, home work checking with my DD, getting estimates on a 2-story addition to the house, church work, etc, etc.

Not enough hours in the day for now.

But, I'm alive and well. (Lost 10 lbs recently getting back into a consistent running and work-out routine, and mainly quit mid-nite snacking!!!)

Thanks for asking.

Hi Kent, We do miss your input. I know what busy is. Don't know how I kept up with all this and work to. Must have been all that midnight oil. I know I didn't yak as much then. Ha Ha Ha.
Russ

Good to hear from you Kent. It really doesn't take the midnight oil to put the pounds on. Just the snacks. Boy is that the truth.

Hope you have had a productive garden this year. If you have a minute tell me why you are putting another story on your house. Just curious. You can tell me to MYOB, or just not answer. lol

Jeanette

Kent, glad to hear all is well with you, I am in the same boat, just to busy, to get to the computer very often, mostly very early morning before going outside. I have been trying to get my little gh cleaned out as I know I've got to move plants in very soon, especially now that temps are going below 40.

Here is a picture of what is left of my Raywood Ash, after the July 10 windstorm blew half of it over. The birds love the dead leaders that are left, and since I don't think they pose too much of a threat to the deck roof or house , I think I will leave them as is. Good place to watch birds, my 2nd or 3rd hobby. I have counted more than 30 birds at one time visible on the bare limbs.

Donna

my tomatoes are still blooming and growing . oh , i've enjoyed fresh tomatoes so much this year . they are pretty naked on the bottom due to that blight or whatever , but they are still healthy at the top . if i can keep them going another month and half , should get my fill of them (fresh and in freezer) for the year . i'll put out at least three times as much next year . the okra is really strutting it's stuff now , and will have it fresh cooked 'till frost . we only put out fifteen plants , too few to put much up for frying .i wish i could get some pine trees cut so i could get more sun .mine are going to be expensive to cut because they have to come down from the top. paying climbers is hard on the budget . haven't heard any news from house in ark . don't know about damage or not . sally

You are so right Sally. Many years go I had to have 2 huge Madronas roped down and it cost $300 per tree then so can't even imagine what it would be now.

Donna, you look like you are in the same boat as I am. I have a ton of container plants that have to be put inside for the winter. Better get to fixing them room.

Jeanette

LOL Kent, you are the 2nd person this week that has told me that is why they are building additions, storage area etc. The cost of storing the "stuff" is paying for the shop. But wonder why we don't get rid of the "stuff"? I do love the screened in porch idea.

Jeanette

Jeanette: got my foundation dug and poured a few days ago. Guy did a good job. Getting estimates on putting in the foundation. One guy quoted 800, another guy 1250. Subbing this out ourselves is going to be interesting.

The guy who dug the foundation also has some hay for sale. I'm going to look at it over the weekend and see if it's what I want for next year. He's discounting it because it got wet in the field so it's not "horse quality". Since I want to do hay next year instead of straw, I hope it's baled tight enough. We'll see. I think I can get it delivered for 3.50/bale and I'll be way ahead of the game.

Jeanette;
How's the weather holding up?
I'm looking at70s and 80s for a couple days. Not too bad at night as well, just down to 60s. Got my fingers crossed. for the sweet taders. Melons - - -- - - not much chance of any, very small if any at all. I think I will start some inside next year, get them out as soon as no frost in site. Same with sweet potatoes.

That's quite a spread on the cost of that foundation Kent. Are they coming up with the same amount of cement? Are they charging the same for cubic yard? If so, must be in the labor.

Sounds like a great buy on that hay. How many are you going to do next year? What do you do with all of the old stuff? I think the ground can only take so much can't it? I know it rots, but wow, you get a lot don't you?

Russ, I guess today is going to be the end of our gorgeous weather. The last several weeks have made up for the terrible spring I think. Right around 85 during the day but down in the 50s at night. That might be too cold for the SPs?

Jeanette

Kent, that sounds like a very good price for the hay. You sure couldn't find any for that price around here, more like 8.50 to 9.00 and haul it yourself.

Donna

I have been looking for straw (or hay) for a while now, and cant find any. I phoned my usual supplier to place an order for 20 bales, but she only had five bales, and would only sell one per customer at $9.10 each!!! I havent been there to get one yet so maybe they are all gone by now. Theres a huge shortage this year she told me, because of the big droughts last summer, not much straw or hay was produced. It looks like ill be struggling to find enough just to mulch the tomatoes in the ground. What a shame, I had my bale garden all planned out already.

I will reuse some of last years bales, just plant directly into the rubble left behind under the support structure I made. I have added some compost and horse manure, and keep piling garden waste up on top, so will just hope for the best. My seedlings are growing nicely, will be ready for planting out in a few weeks. The plastic bags are to protect the worms from the birds!

Lena

What a shame Lena. How about, can you make boxes out of something, wood, or even how about plastic tubs of some kind and pack the straw you have left from last year. Would that work? Jeanette

in case anyone wants to know , ark house only got a little wind , no damage , I sure would like to sell it , it's just a drain ,and don't ever get to enjoy it . would use money to do something in tex. No family left in ark . sally

Jeanette, yes some boxing around it would be great, but I dont have any suitable timber. And cant afford to buy anything at the moment, I just spent all my savings on a lawnmower. I piled some horse manure mixed with sawdust on top, its becoming quite the mountain.Soon Ill add some lawn clippings too. I have plenty of space in my earth beds for tomatoes, its mainly along the fenceline and on the concrete yard where I will be missing the added growing space of bales. Have been digging along the fenceline to make new beds where last years bales were, I just have to make do. Im trying to grow ridiculous numbers again, despite telling myself not to over do it! Have about 150 tomatoes and 60 peppers to plant... somewhere. Id quite like some zuchinis this year too, I lost all my plants last year before they set fruit. Waiting on them to germinate. Hows the season coming along, is your garden still growing?

Lena