Washingtonians

[Illia]

I have to ask, am I the only one though who thinks Pink Banana squash are boring?

I tried a few and the flavor was, well, not there.

My squash this year consists of a few different varieties of Zucchini, (one I think is a volunteer from a hybrid because it is just flat-out weird and I never planted anything where its growing) Galeaux d'Eysines, Rouge Vif d'Etampes (pumpkin), Connecticut Field (pumpkin), Marina di Chioggia, Boston Marrow, Yellow Crookneck, Gelber Englischer Custand, (an old type of patty pan) Juan et Vert Scallop, Australian Butter, Kamo Kamo, Blue Hubbard, and Pennsylvania Crookneck.

I like my stuff weird, rare, and delicious.

I tried some Zucchino Rampicante too, but it hated the heat of the greenhouse.

One of my supposed Blue Hubbards turned out to be a Butternut type though.

The squash was exactly the color, shape, size, and texture of a Butternut, but the taste was kind of like a Butternut crossed with a Hubbard.




This year, food and garden wise, is just awesome for me. With the greenhouse, I'm getting sooo much food, and I'm still planting new stuff. I have two huge beds of Melons and Beans that are done, so I pulled out the last of the beans yesterday, however my Orangeglo watermelons are staying (still growing and producing after 4 months

) And so today I'm adding new beans and some winter squash.

I know I should rotate crops, but I've little other options right now, and, it's in a greenhouse. I'm not too worried about staying with beans and Cukes for one year.

My only other good options are nightshades, and boy, I have PLENTY of nightshades.

 

[blueducklings]

Quote:
You are motivating me to use my green house next year. I did have some good herbs in there a few years ago.
I have it in a wet spot. It needs to be moved to my new garden spot. I hope i didnt nail it down too good.

 

[blueducklings]

Quote:
Illia the green beans I posted there are 13 pounds of Roma Pole beans.
They are so tender, they cannot be canned or just fall apart.
They come in yellow (Gold Marie) and green, and all have brown beans inside if you let them go to seed.
They are very meaty, tender, stringless and prolific.
I blanhed & froze the 13 pounds 4 days ago, and just did the same with another 10 pounds this morning.
The peas were over a few weeks ago, but got a good 25 pounds of peas from them.
Gotta go buy another freezer today!
Next year I am planting only 1 cherry, one slicer, and 15 Roma tomatoes (for sauce & salsa!!!)
I am making 12 pints, or 8 quarts, of either salsa, tomatoe soup, stewed tomatoes or sauce, every other day!!!!!!!!!!

This salsa recipe is really super good:::
4-5 big onions chopped
2-4 cups of dried black eyed peas, softened
bunch cilantro, chopped
2 jalapenos, diced, & seeds removed
2 pasillo peppers, diced, seeds removed
2 anchos, diced & seeds removed, and 2-4 gallons of diced tomatoes, all colors
1 jicama, diced
2 cucumbers, diced
1 half gallon jug of snappy tom type veg juice...heat to boiling, and hot pack in pint jars, then process water bath for 10 minutes at a boil.
We take a jar every fishing trip with chips.
It is called "Texas caviar"

Other beans can be softened and added, too, if you want, like black beans or navy, or white beans.
They sell Texas caviar at Costco, it is VERY YUMMY!!!

Yummm....
I love anything with JicaMa in it.
Not sure if I got al the ingredients.
No salt?

 

[Stumpfarmer]

Quote:
Since you're from Olalla, you may want to wait until we have our South Sider's meet up in Tacoma. I'll try and plan one for mid-week sometime in the next couple of weeks. Jen? Jbugged? (Where are you BTW?) ZGoatLady? Kaneke? Stumpfarmer? Let's pick a date - Wednesdays are best I think. We'll meet at the wine shop - Vino Aquino @ 4417 6th Ave in Tacoma sometime around 6 PM?

I could bring some eggs for Helaine to put under HER broody ....

oh and possibly I could pick up Julia (Stumpfarmer) if she can go whatever day you pick

That would be wonderful; lately I've been considering a week that I actually get the the Oly Farmer's Market a rare treat!

Julia, 2011: the summer I didn't go anywhere.

 

[Stumpfarmer]

Also: male Great Horned Owl perched somewhere in the oaks and hooting all last night. The only hunter that reliably goes after rats, skunks, and possums (and young raccoons, for a special honor) but a reminder that my coops and runs need solid roofs and doors because short of a bobcat getting locked in with the chickens, a Great Horned Owl in the chicken house is the nightmare of nightmares.

 

[PitterPatterPalace]

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Yup- definitely up for it! Can't do Wed but Thur 9/15/11 is open after work

 

[chickens4gramma]

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In case you don't get an answer on your question: How much dirt is she eating? or is she picking through and finding little bits of gravel and rocks and eating them? My beds are sand. Remember this is how a chicken "digests" or "chews" its food. The food and rocks, gravel, etc are in the gizzard. The gizzard muscle then contracts and the rocks/gravel are used to munch the food down so that it can go further into the "process". I am sure there are more experience bird owners who can explain the process better: CL? Illia? anyone. But yes they do eat "dirt".

I do know about the gizzard and that they eat small gravel, I just didn't know they would eat plain old brown dirt. She isn't picking out any small gravel, she just kind of scoops the dirt with the side of her beak. I saw one of the others do it too, so I guess it's okay, lol. She is also eating her food, not just dirt, so I'm not too worried. I gave them some watermelon last night, and one of them ate a seed or two, but the rest is still there. Not interested at all. Like Ariloveschickens, I thought they would love it. Oh well.


Thanks for answering. Oh, and what kind of sand do you have? I went to Lowe's today to get a bag for their dust bath corner, and who knew there was three kinds!

 

[AriLovesChickens]

Anybody know this guy? What do you think of these coops/runs?

http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/grd/2586366141.html

 

[Kaneke]

play sand has been "milled" to make the grains rounder and smoother .. so it's slightly less dusty but not as good for chickens to swallow into gizzard and crop

construction sand is coarser, slightly dustier, but fine for chickens to nibble on .. it may have some very small gravel in with it too

paver sand is usually finer sand ... about as dusty as construction sand

actually I have all three kinds of sand in my coop --- DH just buys the one that is cheapest per weight ... the play sand will be lighter weight for the same cubic capacity (counter-intuitive) ... our play sand weighed about 50 pounds and the construction sand weighed about 70, both of them 1/2 cubic yard bags

generally takes two bags to comfortably fill my 3-1/2 foot by 3-1/2 foot coop, deep enough that it's easy to scoop out the night leavings

 

[Kaneke]

Quote:
you'll probably want to add some sort of no-dig barrier around the outside; if you put on a solid roof you may not need no-climb barriers, assuming that the common chicken predators there are dogs, cats, and occasional raptors

also check very carefully to see how sturdy the connections and doors are; those tend to be weak spots when under attack by predators (and a pack of dogs running loose can be much more destructive than you'd think)

you might be better off to watch Craigslist for dog kennel panels ... there have been some real bargains on those

also depends on what sort of vehicle you have to go pick them up

edited to make verb agree with subject -- LOL