What did you do in the garden today?

[Sueby]

Morning all!

So sorry about the BER @Wee Farmer Sarah - it stinks to work so hard & walk out & see something like that. What kind of tomatoes are they? I just ripped out 3 squash plants that now have vine borers! I noticed them wilting a bit & figured it was the squash beetles that had moved in. I'm waiting on my garden sprayer (will be here tmrw) to spray again...boom today they're about dead & I see the borers evidence. I have too many squash plants as it is so I just ripped them out instead of cutting them open. Hopefully they're only in that 1 bed, but prolly not - not sure how they work as I've never had them before.

I just canned 8 jars of pickles - I picked all the cukes that weren't looking great, kind of yellowish but they turned out to be fine so I canned them. That's probably all I'll get this season, but that's ok, it's enough.

I need to spray copper again, looks like the blight might be getting ready to ramp up again.

& 2 chickens are now snotty - I'll start treating them tomorrow & throwing away eggs.

@reddogmaster2 that pepper plant is BEAUTIFUL!! What do you do with all the tobascos?

I know I sound like a Debbie Downer today - but I'm really not. I'm thankful that's the extent of my troubles!

Have a wonderful day all!

 

[AllenK RGV]

Ok so I just had to guarantee personal safety for my lawn guy. That is a first for us. Dang Malinois are a tough breed.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Good morning gardeners. Happy August. Good golly, time sure does pass quickly when your days are absorbed by chickens and gardening. A break in the heat overnight then going up near 90F again today. All I got this morning was one cucumber. I need another pound to do a batch of pickles, so that should be another two days from now. I'm not getting all that much on the summer squash myself @Sueby. It could be vine borers. But I still have a few pounds of them in the refrigerator that I need to do something with. So I'm OK with just getting one every other day or two. I trimmed up my cherry tomato plants. They were over 6 feet tall. We may get hit with Tropical Storm Isaisa Tuesday or Wednesday of next week, so I thought I would trim the vines to give the wind less to blow around. The butternut squash are going crazy. I did see the very first blossoms on my pole beans. This makes me happy. I know I likely mentioned it before, but even though I have to freeze most of these green beans, they are still immensly better than anything from the grocery store. I got all my peppers into the freezer yesterday. Also froze the okra. OMG! They are almost as easy to freeze as the peppers. Wash, dry, slice then heat in a 350 degree oven for 3 minutes. Cool then toss into a freezer bag. I tasted a piece after the quick "toasting" and it was sweet and tasty, not slimy at all. I was beginning to have my doubts, but I will be growing okra in the future. As for my tomatoes with the BER problem @Sueby, this plant is the Burpee's Long-Keeper organic tomato. I honestly think it may have been the result of too much water. But I am keeping a close eye on them. Gee, you have a lawn guy @AllenK RGV? Around here, I am the lawn guy girl. I have to tackle the slope that is such a PIA to mow, but it really needs to be done. Have a great day everyone.

 

[Sueby]

@Wee Farmer Sarah how do u freeze your beans? Do u blanch them or just toss em in the freezer? I've never grown them before & am getting just a couple a day right now so I'd like to freeze those.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

@Wee Farmer Sarah how do u freeze your beans? Do u blanch them or just toss em in the freezer? I've never grown them before & am getting just a couple a day right now so I'd like to freeze those.

I blanch the beans for about 2 - 3 minutes. Then put them in an ice bath. Then I dry them and lay them out on a parchment lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap then put in the freezer. I give them at least an overnight to freeze, then bag them. Okra was much easier. LOL! But this has always worked well for me. So much better than the frozen ones from the grocery store. I have a question about gluten free zucchini bread. Does this freeze ok?

 

[pennyJo1960]

Morning Gardeners ... @AllenK RGV Malinois are a harsher temperament easiest introduce anyone coming on the property first ....

 

[Acre4Me]

Those beans look awesome. I woke up to dreams of french fries from a hole in the wall place around here. HAGD! I for sure will be getting whatever their special is later today with fries. Gimme a fish licked sammie please, oh and these fries are red and seasoned. I should probably take a photo.

Thanks!! I love the red/white ones - not a typical grocery one, and makes awesome bean soup. It is relaxing to sit and shell the beans out of dried pods.

Some French fries are AWESOME and totally worth the calories. Interestingly, most French fries that are used in food service (the frozen ones) are flavored. The flavors run the gamut from “potato”, “baked potato” to “beef tallow”. Recently I purchased an air fryer with a rotating basket (it uses the rotisserie setting). Of course I made French fries using home grown white potatoes. They were really tasty! Enjoy your fries later!

 

[Sueby]

@Wee Farmer Sarah, thank you, I'm going to start freezing little bits of beans here & there that way. & yes, I always freeze the bread (or DH would eat it all at once). It freezes just fine but I do find that the almond and/or coconut flour breads get very crumbly & fall apart whether or not they are frozen so they're best sliced on the thick side. I'm baking 4 more loaves right now, I will vacuum seal the loaves once they cool, then thaw one at a time & slice.

 

[WthrLady]

Just enough of a breeze that I couldn't spray this morning. So instead I stained the bench. Now I'll I need to do is attach the bench seat when it's all dry, then I do need to add felt pads on the feet to keep from scratching the new floor. I'll get photos when I can.

August, can you believe it?

Need to tie up tomatoes. Came in to cool off first. Then all pick up house and sew the rest of the day.

Put up 12 half pints of pizza sauce last night.
Have a great day all.

 

[Sueby]

I am trying to freeze squash shredded, squeezed & laid out on a baking sheet. Last time I froze them in 1 cup batches, this time I'm trying for loose. Not sure if it will work. Not even sure if frozen squash will even be good in bread later on or if it'll be too mushy! But I gotta try something, I have so dang much of it.

I just tried one of the loaves of squash bread, I added strawberries & lemon, loving the strawberries! It's like it has its own built in jam, lol.

I tied up the tomato plants, as Sarah said we're expecting that hurricane on Tues/Wed.