What did you do in the garden today?

[oldhen2345]

That's a lot of concrete. Cinder block should be cheaper.

Mine are cinder block and I love them. Just be sure to put capstones on top- weeds like to grow in the holes- once had a watermelon get stuck in a hole- it had grown too big to get out.

 

[oldhen2345]

we hate squash bugs too!!

they are multiplying now -seeing more than earlier in the season. The cucumber beetles cause us a lot of grief-can’t hardly grow more than a few cucumbers before the entire plants wilt. We have tried many varieties.

it is very frustrating when a bug can have such a big impact!

Both raised gardens were overrun with squash bugs. Next year, will plant squash in individual feed bags- away from the garden. Is there anything I can do over winter to get rid of them??

 

[oldhen2345]

I was a bank teller for a while in Colorado. Sometimes people's money smelled... funny. I won't touch the stuff personally, the smell gives me a headache. But even worse were the stacks of $1 bills that some ladies would bring in, if you follow.

Well DH has pulled it off! He found a shipping crate that'll suffice for the number of birds I'm aiming for. Free! That's a good portion of our startup expense just gone! A comparable basic coop made by hand would probably cost us $400 with current prices. Now we just need alterations to it, a tub brooder, and a dog/coyote/raccoon secure run. Looking at hoop run options currently for cost benefit.

I'll get out and water the plants later. Currently overheated from draining RV tanks. Ew. That is all.

I am paranoid about handling money- you never know if it was in a g string, on a hooker, used to snort drugs or down the sweaty cleavage of a fat woman in the southern summer heat.

 

[oldhen2345]

recipe? never heard of it but greek cuisine is different anyway. I have always liked unusual things.

Bread pudding is a southern delight too. One of my very favorite desserts

 

[oldhen2345]

I'm losing the war with the squash bugs. Once they killed all my curcubits outside the hoop house, they attacked them all inside. I had 1 yellow squash, 1 spaghetti squash, and 2 pickling cucumbers left. This morning I realized 1 of the cukes was in a wilted, dead heap on the ground. This evening I went about my daily rounds catching & killing squash bugs and clearing out any eggs I find. I must have captured 2 DOZEN adults & large juveniles. I sprayed dozens more with neem oil and also squashed countless nymphs by hand. But removing eggs was the worst.... There were so many that I just started tearing holes in the leaves instead of trying to gently remove them without damaging the plants. And I also found eggs ALL OVER the place aside from the plants. They are laying eggs on the hoop house netting, on my tomatoes, on the runner bean leaves, on flowers, everywhere!

Words cannot describe how frustrated I am.

I hear ya.

 

[Phaedra Geiermann]

Harvested flowers and arranged a bouquet for the living room

Need several photos to include all flowers

 

[littledog]

Wow, we finally got some rain! Not a lot, but a steady trickle for several hours last night. First in several months!

Super coincidence this past Friday - I had 3 quarts of sauerkraut ready for canning, and had just picked my first cukes, ready to become pickles, and I was rummaging through my canning supplies, hoping I could dig up enough wide-mouth lids for seven quarts.

Just then, Mr. Dog brought in a package from the porch - I'd assumed it was some horse tack I'd ordered recently, but this package was too heavy...It was the reusable lids and rubber gaskets I'd ordered from Harvest Guard, way back in February!
I used some of the metal lids I had, but used 2 Harvest Guards, one for sauerkraut and one for pickles - unfortunately, I read the instructions too late, rushed into the kitchen to tighten the rings after they'd cooled too much, and neither of them sealed, even though the normal metal ones did seal. I could keep those two in the fridge and eat them first, but I think I'll try to reprocess them, just to learn how to use them right - it seems there's definitely a learning curve on the reusable lids, but definitely worth it if I can learn how to be successful at them.

I got my first ripe tomato yesterday - from the "labeled Sungold but definitely not Sungold" plant! I'm guessing "Early Girl" since this person tends to produce lots of those, plus it's looking very prolific compared to the others. Whatever, it was delicious!

Oh yeah, quite a few pages back, some of us were talking about cucumber soup, but the person who first posted it couldn't find it again (I'm so sorry I don't remember who you are) Anyway, I dug through my recipe file and found it!

Creamy Cucumber Soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1 small onion, diced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4cups peeled, seeded, thinly-sliced cucumbers, divided
1.5 cups vegetable broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
pinch hot pepper
1 diced avocado
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup plain yogurt

Heat oil in pan at medium-high, add garlic and onion, cook 1-4 minutes until tender. add lemon juice, cook 1 minute, add cuke slices, broth, salt. pepper, cayenne, bring to simmer. Reduce heat and gently simmer for 6-8 minutes until cukes are soft.
Transfer soup to a blender, add avocado and parsley, blend until smooth. Pour into serving bowl, stir in yogurt. Garnish with chopped cukes and parsley if desired. Good served hot or cold.

I'm so sorry I don't remember who you are who first posted this recipe - I do remember making it and it was totally delicious and a big hit at my house - can't wait to make it again now that I'm fortunate to get lots of cukes this year! So thank you!

 

[WthrLady]

Another learning curve of the reusable lids is that there is no way to lid check like you do with the tin/steel lids. No convex/concave bubble to see, no ping or thud spoon check, just crushing disappointment when you find a row of lids that have quit on you 3 months into storage.
Although I wish you good luck with them. I now save them for dry or dry vacuum seal storage only with rings as backup.

 

[oldhen2345]

Got the purple hull peas planted- tomorrow carrots. Weed whacked most of the back yard- will finish this evening, cleaning up the grass and dirt from edging my sitting area. Also will don rose gloves and remove grass and weeds growing through the roses. Will Blanche and peel last batch of tomatoes and make tomato sauce - should I freeze or can? The debate continues.

 

[WthrLady]

hauled in 18 pounds of tomatoes, but they won't be canning ripe until Wednesday.
Also 15 pounds of catawba grapes for jelly. I'll do those Wednesday or Thursday.