What are you canning now?

[speckledhen]

If thats the case, I have green gold in my closet. I did pickles (spears, slices, BnB of both) 2 years ago, relishs last year and still have a ton!!! I refuse to plant cucs until they are almost gone. Anyone wants some Im up for selling. For crispy pickles put a whole grape leaf in the bottom, not sure how it works but it does.

Thanks for the tip. I know you cut off the blossom ends because they contain enzymes that can make cucumbers too soft.

I agree Cyn...even if a person can only grow a few plants and put by a little at a time, it's a good idea. My grandpa used to say, "It's hard to starve a farmer", (and that doesn't mean you have to have 40 acres and a mule either).

Absolutely.

 

[Glasshen]

I love your grandpa's words. They will be my quote for the day! "It's hard to starve a farmer."

 

[3goodeggs]

Quote: I did not know either of those things!


I have not had luck with cucumber for a few years now, gets too hot & too humid too soon for us, but some times we hit it just right and I pickle it up for the lean years.

I will add the grape leaf and cut the blossom end.
Does it matter what species of grape leaf? The round one or the lobed one? (Rotunifolia vs aestivalis?)

 

[MarcoPollo]

ETA: Oooh, black market! I'll sell you a jar of pickles for $500, hehehe.

I do agree with your thoughts on growing your own food. I hate to be all doom and gloom, but I don't like where we are headed either.
Good luck with your tomato harvest. I can't grow a good crop of tomatoes to save my life lately. Gonna give it another try though here soon for an autumn harvest. Thankfully I live where it's warm so I can try again this year!

 

[speckledhen]

I do agree with your thoughts on growing your own food. I hate to be all doom and gloom, but I don't like where we are headed either.
Good luck with your tomato harvest. I can't grow a good crop of tomatoes to save my life lately. Gonna give it another try though here soon for an autumn harvest. Thankfully I live where it's warm so I can try again this year!

Good luck on your second harvest. Here at 2000 ft elevation, this is our one shot for tomatoes. We already have some leaves turning red on a few of the trees, if you can believe it. It's crazy. Hot and humid this week but at least, for now, the rain has stopped. Maybe the Rio Grande tomatoes will begin to turn and we can begin salsa production. I have 5 jalapenos on one plant but no other plants, hot nor bell peppers, have anything on them. Weird.

 

[N F C]

Good luck on your second harvest. Here at 2000 ft elevation, this is our one shot for tomatoes. We already have some leaves turning red on a few of the trees, if you can believe it. It's crazy. Hot and humid this week but at least, for now, the rain has stopped. Maybe the Rio Grande tomatoes will begin to turn and we can begin salsa production. I have 5 jalapenos on one plant but no other plants, hot nor bell peppers, have anything on them. Weird.

Funny about your peppers. Last year we were overwhelmed with bell, jalapeno, poblano and banana peppers. This year, very few have developed, and even a lot of the seeds I started didn't come up. Same varieties, new seed...very poor production. Gardening is a crap shoot for me anyway.

 

[Raech]

I did not know either of those things!


I have not had luck with cucumber for a few years now, gets too hot & too humid too soon for us, but some times we hit it just right and I pickle it up for the lean years.

I will add the grape leaf and cut the blossom end.
Does it matter what species of grape leaf? The round one or the lobed one? (Rotunifolia vs aestivalis?)

     

I dont think it matters, I should have asked but I didnt, it was just a darker green grape leaf that he growing along his back fence.

 

[rancher hicks]

I did not know either of those things!


I have not had luck with cucumber for a few years now, gets too hot & too humid too soon for us, but some times we hit it just right and I pickle it up for the lean years.

I will add the grape leaf and cut the blossom end.
Does it matter what species of grape leaf? The round one or the lobed one? (Rotunifolia vs aestivalis?)

I dont think it matters, I should have asked but I didnt, it was just a darker green grape leaf that he growing along his back fence.

Well now I don't know. I was doing a research on "wild grapes" to make jelly and found a posting about false grapes. Apparently there are some that appear to be grapes but are not. Point? you don't want to poison yourself.

I have vines growing about and some get grapes and some don't.

Please be careful,

Rancher

 

[3goodeggs]

The false grapes are definitely false. I had them growing on a fence when I was younger. They had a 'Don't eat me smell"

There are the muscadine type and the concord type.
I have seen grape leaves for sale in the ethnic section of the grocery. I am thinking perhaps it is the tartaric acid that is in grapes that makes them crisper? When I make wine there are the crystals at the bottom of the carboy, but I do not know if it is in the leaves.
These are the things they did not teach me in botany.

I have nothing to lose by tossing in some off of the arbor. I will try both.

 

[rancher hicks]

A friend gave me some Concord grape and I made jelly. It's a three day process here since you have to cook the grapes, then let the drain, then let the juice sit for 24hrs to form those crystals then make the jelly. That's four days isn't it? At least that the recipe I have. Is there a faster way?

She sold the house this year but had me come and dig up the vines. They are now in my yard and seem to be growing okay. I have no idea when or if I'll get grapes. They're pretty thick trunks so maybe next year?