What did you do in the garden today?

[Compost King]

Now if you only had humidity too. I didn't expect lows under 80 yet so that is a bonus. Our feels like is 110 or so daily. View attachment 2286627

This is the year I realized Humidity is so much worse than high temps. Although we are relatively cool compared to your climate, and we have actually had a cool summer by our own standards, I would go out and work at night since temps were in the low 70's but Humidity jumped to 99% and as soon as I lifted one heavy thing I would start sweating and sweating but there was no evaporation so I would over heat despite it being a Temperature I consider to be on the cold side. I ended up working in the 90 plus heat of the day because I could at least have some evaporation in the 70% humidity. However I can not complain, only 5 weeks of heat this year and maybe a day or 2 over 95. Thats a cool summer for here but a very humid one.

 

[Compost King]

These are cheater pickles, white vinegar and water and salt with spices. I am going to ferment some the old time way too though. I make kraut and have plenty of air locks from the brew store. It’s just so easy to have shelf stable dills, stuff them in the dungeon and you’re done!

This is my first year doing fermented pickles (and other veggies) but previously I did cheater pickles because they taste so good. Maybe the fermented ones taste better maybe not I will find out Aug 21st when they reach the 2 week point.

 

[AllenK RGV]

This is the year I realized Humidity is so much worse than high temps. Although we are relatively cool compared to your climate, and we have actually had a cool summer by our own standards, I would go out and work at night since temps were in the low 70's but Humidity jumped to 99% and as soon as I lifted one heavy thing I would start sweating and sweating but there was no evaporation so I would over heat despite it being a Temperature I consider to be on the cold side. I ended up working in the 90 plus heat of the day because I could at least have some evaporation in the 70% humidity. However I can not complain, only 5 weeks of heat this year and maybe a day or 2 over 95. Thats a cool summer for here but a very humid one.

Not to mention the mosquitoes will drain you. But yes after moving here there are North Texan tasks I can no longer do outside.

 

[Sequel]

do you make them with Vinegar or Salt Brine?

These are cheater pickles, white vinegar and water and salt with spices. I am going to ferment some the old time way too though. I make kraut and have plenty of air locks from the brew store. It’s just so easy to have shelf stable dills, stuff them in the dungeon and you’re done!

 

[karenerwin]

Wasn't out in the garden for long today. But I did have to get out there to take care of all the things that got knocked over in the storms last night.
I pulled most of the corn plants. I did get some corn on the cob but they are pretty small ears. If I plant them again I need to plant them deeper to start with (I think). The roots were all very near the top and they leaned a lot or fell over in strong winds or heavy winds.
I got several more zucchini, a cucumber, a green pepper and another small one that had gotten knocked off. Picked some more tomatillos, most of which had gotten knocked off in the storm. Cooking up some tomatoes to can, because otherwise the nice slicing tomatoes I have would go bad before I could eat them all.
I'm also slicing and freezing zucchini for lasagna and grating and freezing more for whatever.
I want to make more pickles (before the cucumbers go bad). My husband wasn't real impressed with the spicy garlic dill pickles I made, so I want to try a different recipe. Does anyone have a spicy pickle recipe that they love?
My colonoscopy went well. I don't have to go back for 10 years!!!
No one has been able to get a hold of my mom today. My niece is going to go see her on Thursday and I believe my daughter is going to go tomorrow (if not, I will try to go tomorrow). I don't want to go when someone else is scheduled because they say she gets worn out so easily.
I still need to go out and pick up and burn all the downed branches from the storm but we didn't have any major damage, just lots of small to medium branches.

 

[Sequel]

This is my first year doing fermented pickles (and other veggies) but previously I did cheater pickles because they taste so good. Maybe the fermented ones taste better maybe not I will find out Aug 21st when they reach the 2 week point.

Oh I can’t wait to hear what you think. I did make a crock of them years ago, I remember having to skim the kahm yeast off daily but I have no memory of the actual pickles! They do take attention every day which can be a little much.
I agree with you on getting enough sleep when the days shorten. I have thought maybe I have reverseSAD because by the middle of August I’m depressed and sick of everything. Some days the afternoon sun makes me cringe, but I think I just am tired from the work the season entails. In June it’s light till 10 pm here so one makes hay while the sun shines.

 

[dbtcowgirl]

Today I found out instead of composting I accidentally grew corn and what appears to be an apricot tree

 

[Compost King]

Oh I can’t wait to hear what you think. I did make a crock of them years ago, I remember having to skim the kahm yeast off daily but I have no memory of the actual pickles! They do take attention every day which can be a little much.
I agree with you on getting enough sleep when the days shorten. I have thought maybe I have reverseSAD because by the middle of August I’m depressed and sick of everything. Some days the afternoon sun makes me cringe, but I think I just am tired from the work the season entails. In June it’s light till 10 pm here so one makes hay while the sun shines.

Today I found out instead of composting I accidentally grew corn and what appears to be an apricot tree

I get a lot of things like that in my composts, it means we are doing it wrong lol, who care the compost will still work! A proper compost kills seeds not germinate them! or that is what I am told. Being perfect isn't all its cracked up to be. What ever sprouts in my composts now gets eaten by chickens. I use my compost pile to feed Cornish X that I ration feed to for breeding my own meat birds. Composts are so rich in bugs and seeds etc that even CX will forage first then go to the feeder 2nd.

 

[dbtcowgirl]

I get a lot of things like that in my composts, it means we are doing it wrong lol, who care the compost will still work! A proper compost kills seeds not germinate them! or that is what I am told. Being perfect isn't all its cracked up to be. What ever sprouts in my composts now gets eaten by chickens. I use my compost pile to feed Cornish X that I ration feed to for breeding my own meat birds. Composts are so rich in bugs and seeds etc that even CX will forage first then go to the feeder 2nd.

Instead of a fail I'm going to view it as super productive multi tasking compost

 

[Kale the Quail]

I dug up some potatoes and pulled up the weeds and dead borage stalks in my garden which I'm trying to make less messy.