What did you do in the garden today?

[WthrLady]

Yes, that’s my understanding. Let them dry out, peel off the outer layer, shake all the seeds out and you’re ready to go. I’m assuming that I’ll need to cut them into useful sized pieces. This is my first time growing them.

I just let mine sit around the workshop all winter until the skin goes brown. Then in the spring, when they're all dried out, I put them in a 5 gallon bucket with water for a day to soften the skin, peel it off, and cut a chunk off each end and let them dry well in the sun. Then I shake out the seeds by banging them in a clean dry bucket and then slice up the loofa.

 

[Coldd]

We pulled in a bunch of stuff from the garden yesterday. Pie pumpkins, a volunteer Hubbard, tobacco leaves, strawberries, and a bunch of tomato’s and zucchini. Cut out a lot of dead and dying squash vines, powdery mildew creeping in. Hubbards not ready yet, even if some look like it. Will do potato’s next year but will put them in the ground instead of bags. Probably got 1-2 for every one that was planted.

The chickens are enjoying their outside roost. I’ll be adding another one or two today. Eggs are getting larger as well. Sitting on 4 dozen right now but we’ll be making zucchini bread shortly so that’ll take a big chunk out of our stash.

Work and the house have been demanding so I haven’t gotten out hunting like I would like to, but rifle season is around the corner, and things at home are slowing down.

Here’s the photos.

 

[Elyrian1]

I let the chickens out for a couple of hours this morning. It was fairly cool (for us) and I could sit and watch to make sure they only busied themselves with the bugs in the garden and not my actual plants. They were quite happy with the arrangement. I had to mind the 3yo that he didn't get too close to the rooster though. Kiddo loves the chickens and always wants to pet them. Rooster sees somebody not much bigger than he is and thinks it's go time.

They'll all put up now and I'm thinking of popping into town for a bit. I do have a few things on my shopping list.

 

[WthrLady]

Forgot to tell you yesterday. I went through the local village yesterday on the way to the next small town over, and they were having their annual flea market sale. (Someday I will remember that it is the first weekend in October.) It turned out to be more of a craft market, and many of the booths had the same darn stuff you can see anywhere, but there was one that said share here.
She uses her freeze dryer to make store bought candy and she was NOT shy about saying she was making a mint off of it. I could see why. The kid and adults were literally eating the novelty of it up. She had pops that were just a werthers soft carmel with the apple flavor center, shoved on a stick, freeze dried and were going for $1 EACH. A freeze dried single bag of skittles for $6. Same for MMs with or without peanuts, cut up snickers, milky ways, etc. She had baggies with graham cereal/marshmallows and choco chips for $6. Licorice strips, fruit roll ups, and on and on and on. She's bought 3 more machines all from the profits of the making from the first machine. She says she's filling each machine 2x a day with stuff and that is enough to get her through a day of craft/show sales.

 

[WthrLady]

I let the chickens out for a couple of hours this morning. It was fairly cool (for us) and I could sit and watch to make sure they only busied themselves with the bugs in the garden and not my actual plants. They were quite happy with the arrangement. I had to mind the 3yo that he didn't get too close to the rooster though. Kiddo loves the chickens and always wants to pet them. Rooster sees somebody not much bigger than he is and thinks it's go time.

They'll all put up now and I'm thinking of popping into town for a bit. I do have a few things on my shopping list.

Some roosters see their own shadows or a butterfly and think it's go time!

 

[TJAnonymous]

I went a head and brought 6 of the loofahs inside. That way if the temperature drops unexpectedly I won’t loose all the loofahs View attachment 3278020I included the 2-liter bottle as a size reference. It is rightup next to the 1st loofah.View attachment 3278021

Do you eat yours? Or use them as sponges?

Just wondering why you are worried about weather? I use my loofah for sponges and just let them dry and turn brown on the vine?

 

[pennyJo1960]

Good morning Gardeners. We are having summer weather still. My garden stands a small chance of brussle sprouts and a few acorn squash, tomato and salad.

 

[Ascholten]

Does anyone make their own bone meal, with bones and wood ashes? I've read about it, not done it.

I have gobs (and gobs and gobs) of wood ashes, six months of the year, with the wood stove. I use them sparingly in the garden, though, because it's easy to dump on too much when you have a bucketful. Or three.

The wood ashes can be used to make lye for making your own soap. You will want to use them sparingly because they can raise your pH fairly significantly. coffee grounds are acidic, wood ash alkaline, so maybe mixing the two will help balance it out and give filler for your gardens of composty stuff for them to grow in? I would want to say that a lot of ash can start caking and cause drainage issues too possibly.

aaron

 

[WthrLady]

Just drained the irrigation system for the winter. Trimmed the black-eyed's to the ground, sage is next. I'll bring the mums up from the hoop house to the front porch to feed, water, and bloom.
Sigh. Fall...

 

[WthrLady]

Forgot to tell you yesterday. I went through the local village yesterday on the way to the next small town over, and they were having their annual flea market sale. (Someday I will remember that it is the first weekend in October.) It turned out to be more of a craft market, and many of the booths had the same darn stuff you can see anywhere, but there was one that said share here.
She uses her freeze dryer to make store bought candy and she was NOT shy about saying she was making a mint off of it. I could see why. The kid and adults were literally eating the novelty of it up. She had pops that were just a werthers soft carmel with the apple flavor center, shoved on a stick, freeze dried and were going for $1 EACH. A freeze dried single bag of skittles for $6. Same for MMs with or without peanuts, cut up snickers, milky ways, etc. She had baggies with graham cereal/marshmallows and choco chips for $6. Licorice strips, fruit roll ups, and on and on and on. She's bought 3 more machines all from the profits of the making from the first machine. She says she's filling each machine 2x a day with stuff and that is enough to get her through a day of craft/show sales.

Forgot the gumdrops and all manner of gummy bears/worms/butterflies etc.
3 musketeers was delicious but I'm not a fan of high sugar candy anymore.
I bet freeze dried fudge would be good.