What did you do in the garden today?

[TJAnonymous]

Hope your hubby has a fast recovery.

Thanks for the info on the vacuum sealer. I had no idea that vacuum sealed foods would last that long.

If you vacuum seal soups, do you just reheat the whole package in a pot of water or do you have to empty the bag into the pot? I could see making one person sized portions of soup, vacuum sealed and frozen, then just drop in it a pot of boiling water for a quick meal and very little mess. That is, if you can cook the soup in the bag.

I make single sized freezer bags of soup now whenever we make chili, chicken tortilla soup, potato soup, etc. I like being able to pull out a bag for lunch here and there since I work from home. Currently, I put the bag in some boiling water just to help the thaw process a little. Once it's a little slushy, I dump in the pan to reheat fully or in the microwave.

I don't like to microwave plastic such as cling wrap, baggies, etc. Too much potential for harmful toxins to seep from the plastic into your food. If food needs covered, I will use paper towels instead.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Stop. The. Presses.

My 5 yr old lemon tree FINALLY flowered for the very first time!

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

Stop. The. Presses.

My 5 yr old lemon tree FINALLY flowered for the very first time!
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View attachment 3631549

I was going to tell you that mine came back from the dead too. The blossoms smell amazing!!!

 

[PopoMyers]

Fall not here yet, all of next week temperatures around 80 forecast, and I’m in the hospital and can only send son messages to irrigate the plants since he doesn’t reply, I fear the worst hubby is also of no use at all in that department, he comes from the tribe of, less is more, concerning plants, and is only good at killing them by stepping on them, breaking them off while passing through or drowning them ( either that or the no water at all method ) my younger daughter came by this weekend and told me all the peaches were rotting away ( nobody picked them) at least she ate some ripe tomatoes and an apple, it seems to be the worst time for the garden for me to be missing

Sending healing thoughts and prayers for you to be well soon. I believe I can speak for any gardener, that after putting our heart, blood, sweat and tears into our gardens, it is very sad to see it destroyed, and not by our own doing. Wasted fruit is another huge sadness, as we won't have them again for another year.

 

[PopoMyers]

Question for those using vacuum sealers right now. I saw an infomercial recently where the sealer was handheld. I think it was the PowerXL Duo but I can't be certain. The benefit allowed you to hold the bag upright or put it in a bowl (if you were sealing a liquid such as soup). It also allowed you to seal at an angle across a bag and not just horizontal.

When I am looking at sealers online from Walmart or Amazon, none appear to be handheld or able to be used this way. They all look like you keep them sitting flat on the counter top.

What are your actual experiences with this? Do you use your sealer as a handheld tool?

I have

Question for those using vacuum sealers right now. I saw an infomercial recently where the sealer was handheld. I think it was the PowerXL Duo but I can't be certain. The benefit allowed you to hold the bag upright or put it in a bowl (if you were sealing a liquid such as soup). It also allowed you to seal at an angle across a bag and not just horizontal.

When I am looking at sealers online from Walmart or Amazon, none appear to be handheld or able to be used this way. They all look like you keep them sitting flat on the counter top.

What are your actual experiences with this? Do you use your sealer as a handheld tool?

Read the reviews carefully. In the past, I would freeze the liquidy item in another container, remove container and then bag and seal. Rectangle containers made the bags somewhat more stackable. We have a Foodsaver that's lasted for years.

 

[igorsMistress]

I mentioned last month that I was doing a study with a 1/4-inch wicking rope run through the bottom of a 4-inch net cup filled with coco chips, placed into a lid and 5-gallon bucket of nutrient solution.

I have four 5-gallon Kratky buckets hooked up to a float valve/water nutrient reservoir and the level is set at 6 inches, so I had to install an open and close valve on each bucket in order to initially start with a higher nutrient level.

The wicking rope kept the coco chips moist, and the roots and nutrient level eventually reached the 6-inch mark off the bottom or 8 inches off the top of the bucket. I opened the valve on each bucket today to keep the nutrient level of each bucket at 6 inches off the bottom.

My previous tomato plant's roots in these same buckets weren't as healthy as this new batch. I used clay pebbles without the wicking rope in my previous grow out, so I conclude that the wicking rope made a huge difference in this extremely hot area.

Notice how moist the coco chips are with the water level way below the net cup.

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Thanks for the follow up! I may try the wicking rope in my buckets this fall. We are so dry and I think this will work well for my starts so I don’t have to water at first.

 

[igorsMistress]

Question for those using vacuum sealers right now. I saw an infomercial recently where the sealer was handheld. I think it was the PowerXL Duo but I can't be certain. The benefit allowed you to hold the bag upright or put it in a bowl (if you were sealing a liquid such as soup). It also allowed you to seal at an angle across a bag and not just horizontal.

When I am looking at sealers online from Walmart or Amazon, none appear to be handheld or able to be used this way. They all look like you keep them sitting flat on the counter top.

What are your actual experiences with this? Do you use your sealer as a handheld tool?

I do not, this sounds interesting though. I remember there being this type thing in the past, but they didn’t last long. I’d be interested to know it works if you get it. Trying to store liquids sucks with the models that sit flat on the counter.

 

[PopoMyers]

Not entering the State Fair anymore. Period.
I got the comment cards back today along with the ribbons.
The state fair does NOT open jars and taste or test foods entered in the canning category, UNLESS they look like they are not what they say they are or are packed in oil or alcohol instead of what they should be packed in. It says so right in the rule book, they don't open or taste.
So basically they are judge on how pretty they are, which is nuts, but whatever.
So I never know how things are going to work out and I work extra hard to make things presentable.
My pickle slices were wavy cut, and had staged spices and bay leaf front and center lined up with the Golden Harvest logo and the lid lined up with that. It looked like a magazine prop.
I couldn't figure out how I came in 4th when 1st place was a quart jar of spears with no spices in it, and almost 3 inches of nothing in the bottom of the jar and spears floating at the top.
2nd and 3rd were so loosely packed they were only half full.
The comment on my card for 4th place, some bits of the pickle slices sticking up above the liquid.
UM, I handed over my entry in perfect condition, it was driven by fair employees 200 miles, handed over to other people to store at the fair, and then handled by others for display. I have NO control over that, and it doesn't matter anyway. Pickles should be TIGHTLY packed.
Then I look at my other entry cards.
2nd for Tomato PUREE. "Tastes wonderful, should think about simmering longer to thicken."
UM JAR was still vacuumed sealed when I saw it after judging at the fair. NO WAY it was opened. Concave lids are OBVIOUS. and it's puree not paste. I had simmered it from 6qts down to 3.
#1 entry, the jelly, comment "amazing color and marvelous taste" again, after judging, i saw my jars, NOT OPENED!!!!
What the flying frick???
IF I do the fair next year, I'm on the judging panel!

I personally have come to the conclusion that fair judging is biased, and who should subject themselves to human rules and judgment? Beauty and taste are in the eye of the beholder, as well as value. I have never entered anything in any fair, though tempted to want to compete for the ribbons and honors. Others may feel different, but man has no right to judge anything God creates, or that I make. What man deems not ribbon worthy all has a purpose. We know when that batch is or is not according to our standards. We are stewards, gardeners, kitchen wizards, and we do what we can to the best of our ability.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

It took me a little time to learn to use my food saver and I love it. I use it on bulk purchases of meat and produce from my garden that I know will be in the freezer for more than a couple of months. I have peaches from last year that look great and I’m hoping to be able to turn them into preserves when my stove repairs are complete. Just a little harvesting in the garden this morning. Tomatoes, lima and pole beans, an okra pod, some basil and mustard greens. Worked on putting the frame for the new chicken run together. I’m hoping to start on the shed for the new chicken hut tomorrow. Interesting sunflower in the garden

 

[CedarLane]

If I get a nice batch of beans, I will probably try both blanched and non-blanched with the vacuum sealer. Last year Dear Wife just washed and froze the beans. You could tell that they had been in the freezer after a number of months. They still tasted good, but not garden fresh. Mind you, we were very happy to have garden beans of any kind in the middle of the winter, but you could definitely taste the difference due to freezing.

This year we have been eating lots of fresh beans and I currently don't have any excess beans to preserve. But maybe I'll be able to pick some more this weekend.

I had read that if you freeze your beans unblanched, you should make sure they are dry before freezing. Not sure. I always blanch beans, peas, etc. (except zucchini or other things that don't require blanching). My SIL doesn't blanch her carrots. Maybe a way to find out would be to do some both ways. I think if I were to do green beans (etc), I would blanch most but freeze a couple batches without blanching. The reason I say this is so that if I didn't like the unblanched beans, I wouldn't ruin a whole bunch of them... Then if we didn't mind them unblanched, I could do more the next year.

I don't have a vacuum sealer, but would like one some day.