Sally's GF3 thread

[drstratton]

I'm thinking ahead to next summer's garden. It's something I can do while I wait for hubby to get up and make Sunday breakfast. (He makes bacon and eggs for us on the weekends. During the week, we each do our own.)

So... I'm going to plant a row of beans near my rhubarb. And in the raised bed next to the Egyptian Walking Onions, I'm going to plant tomatoes. Beans and greens have NOT done well next to the EWOs. Even though they're in separate beds, the beans look puny and stressed compared to the row that I planted near the potatoes.

Now I have to write this down where I'll remember where I wrote it down.

This is me...lol

 

[Sally PB]

6 more quarts of tomatoes...

I think one more batch of 7 will be enough. Then on to more salsa for hubby and some wimpy stuff for me.

The nice thing about salsa... No peeling! That makes a HUGE difference in the amount of work.

 

[Sally PB]

I made GF zucchini bread yesterday. It's... ok. I'm converting my baking recipes from sugar to honey. Honey is sweeter, so you can use less, but it also changes the amount of liquid needed in the recipe.

I need to tweak it a bit more. It's made with almond flour, which has a "gritty" texture to it. A soft grittiness, but the texture is still there. I might try subbing in some oat flour. The taste of almond flour goes really well with honey, so maybe 1/3 oat...?

I used some (3 tablespoons) of the zucchini flour I made with last year's monster zukes. It's the first time I've used any of it. Yes, it was clumped up in the jar, but not a solid mass. I'll use more of it too in my next loaf.

I grated up a bunch of zucchini a few weeks ago when they went crazy, ie, before squash vine borers killed the plants. 3 cups in each bag, frozen just as it was, fresh. When I thawed it, it mashed down to 1 1/2 cups when I drained out as much liquid as possible, like it says to do in the recipe. 1 1/2 cups is exactly what the recipe calls for.

 

[Sally PB]

Tomorrow is Last Tomato Canning Day!

I picked what was ripe, and I'll process up to 7 quarts. Then anything else made with tomatoes won't need peeling. Yippee!

 

[drstratton]

You've accomplished so much!

I'm not canning this year. I still have jars from last year. We will pick what tomatoes are left at the end of the season and store them in a single layer down in our basement. We sometimes have tomatoes until December.

 

[Sally PB]

You've accomplished so much!

Thank you!
You might think otherwise if you saw all the weeds in the garden. I'm rather dreading "garden cleanup" this year. Some weeds that made it up through the thick straw mulch took a look around and said, "Hey everybody! It's great out here, and worth the trip up through!" Yes, some of it is from wheat grains left in the straw, but not all of it.

Or... what if the wheat grains are spies! They snuck in, bided their time, and then called in the rest of the cadre!

 

[drstratton]

Thank you!
You might think otherwise if you saw all the weeds in the garden. I'm rather dreading "garden cleanup" this year. Some weeds that made it up through the thick straw mulch took a look around and said, "Hey everybody! It's great out here, and worth the trip up through!" Yes, some of it is from wheat grains left in the straw, but not all of it.

Or... what if the wheat grains are spies! They snuck in, bided their time, and then called in the rest of the cadre!

You are not alone...lol My garden is in the same shape between the boxes. Leave for a few days and they multiply faster than rabbits... As soon as it cools down, we will also have to do some major cleanup.

 

[Sally PB]

Tomato canning is DONE! What's left is salsa, and then applesauce.

I can start pulling out the tomato plants that are done. Cleaning up piecemeal style. I've done that many times.

It may look haphazard, but it's easier to face.

 

[drstratton]

Tomato canning is DONE! What's left is salsa, and then applesauce.

I can start pulling out the tomato plants that are done. Cleaning up piecemeal style. I've done that many times.

It may look haphazard, but it's easier to face.

You will have a well stocked pantry!

That's a great way to do it.

 

[Sally PB]

5 1/2 quart jars of honey! Hubby says it reminds him of the buckwheat honey he used to get as a kid.

They hadn't made much more in the last couple weeks in the super. We looked down under the QE, and the top brood box had at least one frame of capped honey.

The Newbies looked good too! Nice brood pattern and there was a frame of mostly capped honey too. We put another deep on with new (bare) frames, so they can do whatever they want. Get a head start on spring, maybe?

They were still on the buckwheat, and the golden rod is just starting.