What did you do in the garden today?

[BReeder!]

Went to town like 25 miles down the road saw listing there on real estate sign a 6 bedroom is 498. that is Chehalis proper

6 bedroom for $498K its a good price here. The most comparable house on our block to ours just went on the market for $375K. They bought it in 2013 for $175K. I bought in 2016 for $185K, which was a steal against the value of $225. My his is 300 sqft snake than the comparable neighbor that's selling, but Redfin and Zillow give me an estimated value of $270K. Our neighbor is clearly losing higher than even the inflated market right now. And they'll probably get their asking price! The market here is very competitive right now for buyers and very much in sellers' favor. Houses are going under contract after just days on the market.

 

[Sally PB]

Right before we bought our house 27 years ago, Michigan passed a ballot proposal to cap the amount property taxes could rise in a year. Tied to inflation, I think. When property is sold, the "taxable rate" resets to the State Equalized Value (I think?); I'm not sure, but it resets to reflect the appreciation of the property.

So in 27 years, our property has appreciated in value, but our taxes have not gone up as much as the value has. If you buy property in Michigan, don't bother to ask the seller what the taxes are; yours will be higher. In this market, probably much higher.

The Grand Rapids area is smoking hot right now. I hope when this bubble pops, it isn't like 2008...

 

[BReeder!]

Today's harvest was plenty of cucumbers and tomatoes. The cucumbers are Boston Picking and Straight Eight. The tomatoes are Ponderosa, Brandywine, Rutgers and San Marzano. I believe the huge ones are Brandywine. They are the biggest tomatoes I've ever grown.

I'll be canning again soon...

 

[TJAnonymous]

Guess how many vb larva I dug out of ONE pumpkin plant tonight???

SIX!!!

And I'm sure I missed some since it got dark and I couldn't see anything. I saved them in a cricket can. Going to RELISH feeding them to the girls tomorrow....

 

[chickengr]

I am going to water and harvest a few ripe things (hot peppers, tomatoes and maybe zucchini and cucumbers).

 

[gtaus]

I always say anything pickled takes at least two weeks before a taste test. Thicker items take even longer.

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. From the YouTube video, I did try my first spicy pickled bean at 24+ hours. It was pretty good, nice and crisp, and already spicy. Don't think I could eat too many at one time, but that is what I was expecting. I dated the jar, so I'll just keep a mental note of how well they age as I eat a couple beans everyday.

I was pleasantly surprised at how well I liked the spicy green beans even after just one day in the refrigerator. While in town today, I bought another jar of applesauce so I can empty it out and use the jar (6.5 inches tall - perfect size for my beans) to make a second batch of spicy green beans when my first jar gets down to maybe half full.

 

[gtaus]

Bitter cucumbers.... Does anyone have a suggestion on what to do with bitter cucumbers? I was going to use a batch of new cucumbers to make another sour cream/miracle whip cucumber salad, but I learned from the last batch that I had to taste test a slice from each cucumber before adding it to the salad mix. The last batch I had at least one cucumber that was bitter, and that detracted from all the good cucumbers. So this time I would take a slice from each cucumber and taste it before adding that cucumber to the mix. I ended with 2 cucumbers that were bitter and I set them aside. So now I wonder if they can be treated in a way to get the bitterness out, or if I have a bunch of cucumber slices for chicken treats sitting the fridge?

Trying to find out why some cucumbers are bitter, I have seen on YouTube that cucumbers will turn bitter if the plant is stressed - low water, excessive heat, etc... I though maybe I had picked them either too early or too late, but what videos I have watched seem to indicate that the bitterness is not related to the maturity of the cucumber, but only if the plant is stressed. Unfortunately, we have gone 2+ months with essentially no rain and excessive heat. It is a drought year here. So I am expecting more and more cucumbers to be bitter if stress if the cause.

Finally, I am wondering if a cucumber on the vine can be saved if I leave it on the vine long enough, water it enough, and wait for cooler weather to pick them. Or is once a bitter cucumber always a bitter cucumber? Thanks for any thoughts.

 

[Swiss]

Bitter cucumbers.... Does anyone have a suggestion on what to do with bitter cucumbers? I was going to use a batch of new cucumbers to make another sour cream/miracle whip cucumber salad, but I learned from the last batch that I had to taste test a slice from each cucumber before adding it to the salad mix. The last batch I had at least one cucumber that was bitter, and that detracted from all the good cucumbers. So this time I would take a slice from each cucumber and taste it before adding that cucumber to the mix. I ended with 2 cucumbers that were bitter and I set them aside. So now I wonder if they can be treated in a way to get the bitterness out, or if I have a bunch of cucumber slices for chicken treats sitting the fridge?

Trying to find out why some cucumbers are bitter, I have seen on YouTube that cucumbers will turn bitter if the plant is stressed - low water, excessive heat, etc... I though maybe I had picked them either too early or too late, but what videos I have watched seem to indicate that the bitterness is not related to the maturity of the cucumber, but only if the plant is stressed. Unfortunately, we have gone 2+ months with essentially no rain and excessive heat. It is a drought year here. So I am expecting more and more cucumbers to be bitter if stress if the cause.

Finally, I am wondering if a cucumber on the vine can be saved if I leave it on the vine long enough, water it enough, and wait for cooler weather to pick them. Or is once a bitter cucumber always a bitter cucumber? Thanks for any thoughts.

In my experience, the bitterness is in the skin of the cucumber. Try peeling off the skin, rinsing, and then taste-testing.

 

[WthrLady]

2nd Pressure Canner Arrived today. I'll be putting up sauce today or Saturday.

 

[Sally PB]

It has cooled OFF, and the humidity is dropping. Gonna be a weed pulling, bug hunting, compost turning day!