What did you do in the garden today?

[Elyrian1]

Watered seeds in the garden this morning. Okra isn't quite ready to pick, so I'll leave it for tomorrow.

I had fake eggs in the chicken coop, one in each box. This morning when I went out I noticed that the eggs weren't in the box. I found one, very much destroyed, on the ground in front of the box. Very curious....

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

picked the last of the wild raspberries, the rest is for the chickens. I have enough for a dozen pints of jam.
I planted two rows of late summer sugar peas. Lots of male flowers on squash; still no fruiting but others in my region are having similar issues.

 

[CaroleW]

I have raspberries that I need to layer tips for some new plants. Tried to get to it this morning but only got some pots ready for this evening. Had to get to work at my desk - can't wait till tonight!

 

[MotherofOrpies]

Watered seeds in the garden this morning. Okra isn't quite ready to pick, so I'll leave it for tomorrow.

I had fake eggs in the chicken coop, one in each box. This morning when I went out I noticed that the eggs weren't in the box. I found one, very much destroyed, on the ground in front of the box. Very curious....

Could be crows, they are very smart, they robbed the eggs in the coop, flew/walked through 2 hatch doors, finally got them stopped with the 3rd hatch, and putting a log in front of it, so they can’t see me coming, they stole at least 10 fake eggs, and when they found out they were fake, they clogged up my rainpipe with them

 

[TJAnonymous]

Wait what happened? Did I miss something?

Awwww, lol. No, you didn't miss anything. I wish it was something more glamorous but it's not. I have chronic tendonitis in my Achilles and my elbow. Nothing has been able to help so the next step is to try PRP injections. It was super painful... I screamed into a pillow for both of them but the Achilles was the worst. I couldn't walk afterwards so they had to wheel me out to the car in a wheelchair. I'm on crutches now until the swelling goes down a bit.

 

[Ascholten]

I think I posted this before but Ill post it again.
I have an Okinawa spinach, and a few others, including a pineapple sage growing in a tote. The spinach must have originated at Chernobyl because it is growing like I never seen before. This thing literally has a trunk that is probably 4 to 5 inches in diameter and is probably 15 foot tall now. and FULL of flowers, kind of like a sturdy bottle brush tree of sorts. Oh plus it's very edible and very good for you.

I also have Night Blooming Jasmine that is under my windows and this is abotu the time of year it goes crazy. This stuff is amaziong, when the weather is right, I open the window turn the fan on and suck cook air into the house with the aroma of the NBJ and the whole house smells wonderful, and literally you can smell this plant several doors down.,

anyways, I have had a problem with it, where some huge ass moth, not sure what kind it is, and I really don't care, flits around, lays eggs and the caterpillars destroy this plant, I mean literally they will eat everything down to the main vein in the leaves. Little green MF SOB's. They don't stop with it either, I have also found them trying to get onto my papaya's and other fruit trees / trees as well, so yes they are a problem

Well this year I am going to stay right on top of that, i am not going to wait until the tree is half devoured because literally it only takes them a day or so to destroy an entire bush! I have the sprayer ready to nuke these things the moment I see them starting to appear. Today i go out and the spinach, which big flowery, has a bit of an aroma actually too surprisingly, has all these big moths flying around it, along with dragon flies, bumble bees etc. IM thinking oh hell NO you do NOT. I grab my bug juice to go nuke it, when I get there I see that instead, NO they are not moths, the thing is FULL of Hummingbirds Little green ones, blue/purple ones. they were darting all over the place. How awesome is that !!

needless to say the poison went right away into the closet, and I watched them, i tried to get a picture but they are timid little things.,

Is there a poison I can use to kill caterpillars yet won't hurt any hummers that anyone can recommend. When it comes to this, I want something that actually WORKS, not this organic crap that's useless.

Aaron

 

[MotherofOrpies]

Awwww, lol. No, you didn't miss anything. I wish it was something more glamorous but it's not. I have chronic tendonitis in my Achilles and my elbow. Nothing has been able to help so the next step is to try PRP injections. It was super painful... I screamed into a pillow for both of them but the Achilles was the worst. I couldn't walk afterwards so they had to wheel me out to the car in a wheelchair. I'm on crutches now until the swelling goes down a bit.

Did you try rolled cabbage leaves fixed with a bandage? You press/roll the leaves with a rolling pin til the juice starts to come out, and then wrap ist around the affected joint, fix it with a bandage and leave it on about 30 minutes, you can do it 3 times a day. Quark bandages (leave on til it’s dry) can also help, of course the best is to reduce the load/stress on the joint

 

[MotherofOrpies]

I think I posted this before but Ill post it again.
I have an Okinawa spinach, and a few others, including a pineapple sage growing in a tote. The spinach must have originated at Chernobyl because it is growing like I never seen before. This thing literally has a trunk that is probably 4 to 5 inches in diameter and is probably 15 foot tall now. and FULL of flowers, kind of like a sturdy bottle brush tree of sorts. Oh plus it's very edible and very good for you.

I also have Night Blooming Jasmine that is under my windows and this is abotu the time of year it goes crazy. This stuff is amaziong, when the weather is right, I open the window turn the fan on and suck cook air into the house with the aroma of the NBJ and the whole house smells wonderful, and literally you can smell this plant several doors down.,

anyways, I have had a problem with it, where some huge ass moth, not sure what kind it is, and I really don't care, flits around, lays eggs and the caterpillars destroy this plant, I mean literally they will eat everything down to the main vein in the leaves. Little green MF SOB's. They don't stop with it either, I have also found them trying to get onto my papaya's and other fruit trees / trees as well, so yes they are a problem

Well this year I am going to stay right on top of that, i am not going to wait until the tree is half devoured because literally it only takes them a day or so to destroy an entire bush! I have the sprayer ready to nuke these things the moment I see them starting to appear. Today i go out and the spinach, which big flowery, has a bit of an aroma actually too surprisingly, has all these big moths flying around it, along with dragon flies, bumble bees etc. IM thinking oh hell NO you do NOT. I grab my bug juice to go nuke it, when I get there I see that instead, NO they are not moths, the thing is FULL of Hummingbirds Little green ones, blue/purple ones. they were darting all over the place. How awesome is that !!

needless to say the poison went right away into the closet, and I watched them, i tried to get a picture but they are timid little things.,

Is there a poison I can use to kill caterpillars yet won't hurt any hummers that anyone can recommend. When it comes to this, I want something that actually WORKS, not this organic crap that's useless.

Aaron

Only thing that doesn’t harm any other animals is to pick them off by hand, what about the chickens, don’t they eat all the caterpillars?

 

[TJAnonymous]

The directions for preserving are at the end.

COWBOY CANDY

You will need the following ingredients to make Cowboy Candy (Candied Jalapenos):

• 1/2 pound Jalapeno peppers (about 10-12 average sized jalapenos)
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon chili powder (optional, for a bit of heat)
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• Other seasonings, as desired. See the discussion below.

Once you’ve gathered up your ingredients, let’s talk about how we make them, shall we?

HOW TO MAKE COWBOY CANDY (CANDIED JALAPENOS) – THE RECIPE METHOD





First, slice the jalapenos into ¼-inch round slices. You can remove the seeds if you’d like, but I make them without coring. You should wear gloves if handling hot peppers bothers your skin.



View attachment 3228513



Stir together the sugar, vinegar and seasonings in a pan.



Bring to a quick boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer until the sugar dissolves into a gooey syrup.

View attachment 3228511



Add the jalapeno pepper slices and mix to evenly coat them with the syrup.

View attachment 3228509



Simmer them about 4 minutes. They will darken a bit as they slightly cook and absorb some of the sugars.



View attachment 3228512



Transfer the candied jalapeno peppers to cleaned jars, then fill the jars with the remaining syrup. Just pour the boiling syrup right in. You can cool it slightly first if you’d like.



View attachment 3228508



Wipe the rim of the jar then cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

View attachment 3228514



Boom! That’s it! I love my cowboy candy. Great stuff!



LEFTOVER SYRUP

If you have any leftover syrup, save it. Use it to make yourself a cocktail or a spicy mocktail. It’s quite delicious! Pour it over cupcakes. Get creative!

Nice and spicy and sweet.



FOR PRESERVING/JARRING

1. First, clean your jars and lids using a steamer rack in a 16-quart pot. Place the jars on the rack and fill the pot with water, enough to cover the jars. Do not let the jars touch the bottom of the pot, as the heat can cause the glass to crack.
2. Bring the water to a boil and boil the jars for 10 minutes. Remove the jars with tongs when you’re ready to use them.
3. Prepare the candied jalapenos per the instructions above.
4. When the candied jalapenos are ready, scoop them into the jars, leaving ¼ inch head space.
5. Clean the lids with soap and hot water, then place them onto the jars. Secure them with cleaned canning rings. Wipe the rims clean.
6. Place the filled jars back into the hot water bath, onto the steamer rack. Ensure the jars are covered with 3 inches of water.
7. Return the water to a boil and process them for 10 minutes for half pints, or 15 minutes for pints. For higher altitudes, process them for additional time (at least an extra 10 minutes). Remove the jars with tongs and tighten the screw caps.
8. The jar lids should make a popping sound as they seal. If a lid doesn’t seal for some reason, you can reprocess it, or store the jar in the refrigerator.
9. Invert the jars to test for leaks. Flip them upright after 10 minutes and allow to cool.
10. Store the jars in a cool, dry place. They will last a year or longer this way. Once you open them, however, keep the jars in the refrigerator.

Makes about 3.5 cups.

Packed into three ½ pint jars.

SERVING UP YOUR COWBOY CANDY

I like to simply snack on my Cowboy Candy straight out of the jar as a quick sweet snack. They are also ideal for garnishing. Pop them on top of your favorite Corn Bread Recipe, on top of a cupcake or a slice of pie.



It’s super awesome over cream cheese. Smear some cream cheese over crackers and top them with candied jalapenos. Amazingly delicious. You can even mix them into a serving bowl with cream cheese for a candied jalapeno cream cheese dip.

Garnish a cocktail with them. Margaritas, anyone? Chop and swirl some into your favorite guacamole recipe for a touch of sweetness.

View attachment 3228508View attachment 3228509View attachment 3228511View attachment 3228512View attachment 3228513View attachment 3228514

Will this work with pepperoncinos? They are a bit spicy too but much smaller than Jalapeños

 

[TJAnonymous]

Did you try rolled cabbage leaves fixed with a bandage? You press/roll the leaves with a rolling pin til the juice starts to come out, and then wrap ist around the affected joint, fix it with a bandage and leave it on about 30 minutes, you can do it 3 times a day. Quark bandages (leave on til it’s dry) can also help, of course the best is to reduce the load/stress on the joint

Never heard of it before... I think my bunny would approve if he gets the leftovers.