What did you do in the garden today?

[jerryse]

7 quarts of tomatoes in the water bath canner now . Still need to pick all those little red pear tomatoes .

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Glad you liked the cuke @Sueby . I googled the recipe for cucumber bread, will try to make it soon. I just canned 2 1/2 pints of stewed tomatoes (the Minnesota Mix recipe) and 3 pints of Roma tomatoes. I’m hanging with my peeps right now. Babysitting them while they run around in the grass is relaxing.

 

[pennyJo1960]

I lost two more peeps from the auction so ticked at the kid that packed them in that too small box not saying a word will say something next time in there

 

[Sueby]

Oh, @Wee Farmer Sarah I forgot to answer you, my Dahlias are way behind this year. Most are only 2-3 feet tall, 3 are blooming & 3 haven't gotten there yet. Last year they started to bloom in July & by September they were 4 feet high. But once they start flowering they go mad.

 

[karenerwin]

When I was still in NY I used to make the following jam. If anyone has access to Concords it's pretty freakin' good.

These are old directions from a publication back in the 60s or 70s so we wouldn't boil the gaskets anymore.

Grape Conserve

Recipe By: Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery
Yield: Makes 10 8-oz. jars

A conserve is a preserve that has at least one fruit and usually two or more and also has nuts. This preserve is unique and outstanding with the fruity taste of grapes and a winey flavor from raisins.

• 4 pounds Concord grapes
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 lemon, juice and rind
• 1 orange, juice and rind
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 4 cup sugar
• 1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped

1. Prepare clean jars by placing them on a heavy cookie sheet in a 350˚ oven. Prepare lids and rubber seals by boiling and then simmering them in a saucepan of water. Keep hot and sterile during conserve preparation.

2. Make sure all the grapes are of the freshest quality. Wash, drain and remove stems. Slip skins from pulp and reserve. Heat pulp to boiling in large, tall pot. Rub through a course sieve to remove seeds. Return the pulp to cooking pot.

3. Remove rind from lemon and orange making sure not to include any of the white pith. Grate or julienne finely. Ream the juice from the orange and lemon. Remove any seeds. Set this aside in a separate bowl.

4. Add water, rinds, salt and raisins to the grape pulp. Cook for 15 minutes. Add the citrus juices and grape skins. Heat to boiling. Add the sugar and cook until conserve is thick. When the proper consistency is reached the conserve will still appear liquid but a thin layer on the back of a spoon will leave a "track" if you draw a line through it with a spatula.

5. Add the nuts during the final minute of cooking.

6. Pour finished conserve into hot jars to 1/4 inch from top. Wipe rim of jar clean and put on a sterile seal and top. Process jars in a hot water bath that is at least 1 inch over the jars for 10 minutes. Remove jars and set aside on a rack or several layers of kitchen towels to cook. Check jars for a vacuum seal when cool. Store sealed jars. Any that did not successfully seal can be placed in the fridge for immediate use.

@IamRainey So I am tempted to try this recipe. I even bought the concord grapes today! So do you use it just like jams and jelly? Or do you use it in other ways as well?


I canned 5 half pints of Corn and Cherry Tomato Salsa. ( I had to buy all the ingredients. Even the cherry tomatoes , but I did add the 20 cherry tomatoes from my garden to it).

 

[karenerwin]

So I just finished checking the garden. Got a small handful of greenbeans and found 2 small eggplants on the ground! It looks like something ate all the green stuff off the top of both of them. I guess it is the chipmunks that keep snacking on the cherry tomatoes. I pulled up 2 of the bush bean plants and 1 of the eggplants as they were done producing. I need to dig up the potatoes to see if I got any. The green part above ground has all died off. It didn't really grow a lot, so I'm not sure if I will get any potatoes or not.

 

[WthrLady]

Sorry for your recent loss @WthrLady. You have such a busy life, and I'm sure this was a bit of a bump in the road for you. I was hoping to bring a smile to someone today, so perhaps this will give you a chuckle. I was out watering my garden and what did I find? A huge 1 pound pickling cucumber. LOL! Perhaps I need to move my eye exam up to sooner than November. I can't believe I missed this one. Have a nice day.
View attachment 1890195

Oh dear Lord! That's not a cucumber, that's a space station!

Isn't it amazing how well they hide?!

 

[IamRainey]

Yeah. A spread for toast or scones. But maybe you'll think of something brand new to do with it.

I might suggest trying it as a glaze for meat but it's pretty sweet and it has, at its base, that iconic Welch's grape flavor. Just more complex and interesting.

 

[WthrLady]

I use it on my norwegian meatballs as a side flavor YUM! Dinner Sunday night.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Well watered myself left me able to water more or less of what I wanted done
I have a bit more tomato and zucchini also