What did you do in the garden today?

[jerryse]

I have watched some videos on making fish fertilizer. I think I will try it with the next batch of fish guts. No need to waste anything. Ate fish last night so now time to catch some more.

 

[igorsMistress]

on a well, so just the electric to pump it, probably cost me an extra $10
I would have found it 12 hours after I turned it on, had I walked the garden first thing in the morning as usual, but I had to run to Menards in the morning, so I skipped the walk.
Oh well. What is done is done.


OK EVERYONE having issues with sealing/non-sealing Ball'Kerr'Golden Harvest flat lids, call the company, do not email.
Don't ask for replacements, or refunds, simply state that you want them to go back to the solid lids that made them a 100 year old household, trusted, name.
Yes, you know how to can.
Yes, you know how to test a seal.
Yes, you know about headspace.
Yes, you know you don't have to preheat the lids any more.
Yes, you know leave the rings on for 12-24 hours after removing from the canner.

Tell them, it's not just you, it's nationwide, a simple search online and youtube will show the lack of steel, lack of seals, lack of confidence in the product.
Tell them you are moving on to another brand that DOES work.

Emails were getting ignored, the phone call lady was VERY interested in experienced canners having an issue. If we're having it, beginners don't stand a chance.

Good to know, I’m about to break out some new lids this week. I had two of four that didn’t seal on a batch of chicken thighs. Super irritating!

 

[BReeder!]

It's been forever...
Our garden is abundant and we've been harvesting. I made 8 quarts of roasted tomato sauce and 6 quarts of roasted salsa - although 2 jars of salsa broke on accident. We also made a bunch of peach barbecue sauce and peach jam - our first real harvest from the peach tree and it was very abundant!
Of course luck works out poorly though and 1/3 of the peach tree snapped off in a bad storm because it was too heavy since I didn't go over the fence in the neighbor's yard to prune it. Now the tree is lopsided without the balance of that major branch - I'll definitely be getting a new peach tree next Spring to plant in another part of the yard away from the new shed and will ensure I prune the whole thing properly.
There's a milkcrate of peppers we harvested sitting on the table right now and a pile of cherry tomatoes as well as some Supersauce tomatoes - and plenty more tomatoes on the vines. There's a basket of carrots on the table too - I need figure out the plan for those still.
Cucumbers failed. Melons are still growing. Herbs need to be picked/pruned and seed heads picked. There's plenty of hot fish peppers to harvest - I'm thinking about adding them to a giardiniera recipe or pickling them. Garlic is all beautifully braded and hanging in the shed and pantry. Onions are the biggest I've ever grown! They're actually worth while this year. Some are in the house and others are curing on the garden fence and the last of them are still growing in the ground around the tomatoes. Sunflowers have been smaller this year but gorgeous! We planted sunset and chocolate varieties - I love the different look of the chocolate ones.
Canning is underway! I'm working through a sleeve of lids my MIL got for us from near her in TN. I just ordered100 Tattler reusable lids and rubber rings - if anybody uses those, I'd be interested to hear how you like them. I'm sick of paying a fortune for lids every year - so paying a fortune once just this year and hopefully these last several years to come. I'll need to invest in some cheap labels though next because I normally just write on the lids.

 

[WthrLady]

It's been forever...
Our garden is abundant and we've been harvesting. I made 8 quarts of roasted tomato sauce and 6 quarts of roasted salsa - although 2 jars of salsa broke on accident. We also made a bunch of peach barbecue sauce and peach jam - our first real harvest from the peach tree and it was very abundant!
Of course luck works out poorly though and 1/3 of the peach tree snapped off in a bad storm because it was too heavy since I didn't go over the fence in the neighbor's yard to prune it. Now the tree is lopsided without the balance of that major branch - I'll definitely be getting a new peach tree next Spring to plant in another part of the yard away from the new shed and will ensure I prune the whole thing properly.
There's a milkcrate of peppers we harvested sitting on the table right now and a pile of cherry tomatoes as well as some Supersauce tomatoes - and plenty more tomatoes on the vines. There's a basket of carrots on the table too - I need figure out the plan for those still.
Cucumbers failed. Melons are still growing. Herbs need to be picked/pruned and seed heads picked. There's plenty of hot fish peppers to harvest - I'm thinking about adding them to a giardiniera recipe or pickling them. Garlic is all beautifully braded and hanging in the shed and pantry. Onions are the biggest I've ever grown! They're actually worth while this year. Some are in the house and others are curing on the garden fence and the last of them are still growing in the ground around the tomatoes. Sunflowers have been smaller this year but gorgeous! We planted sunset and chocolate varieties - I love the different look of the chocolate ones.
Canning is underway! I'm working through a sleeve of lids my MIL got for us from near her in TN. I just ordered100 Tattler reusable lids and rubber rings - if anybody uses those, I'd be interested to hear how you like them. I'm sick of paying a fortune for lids every year - so paying a fortune once just this year and hopefully these last several years to come. I'll need to invest in some cheap labels though next because I normally just write on the lids.

I don't care for the Tattler. I've had uneven,mixed results with them. According to Tattler, I don't know how to properly screw on a ring. Sigh. I do use them for dry storage and refrigerator storage, since they are here and cost an arm and a leg.
I also have trouble seeing if they HAVE fully sealed, and the rubber ring and failed a month into storing one year.
Not worth my brain-ache and worry.
I wish you luck though.
I use these from amazon, come in colors for coding purposes, and wash of really easily, entirely, and fast with water. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08HG52JCZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[pennyJo1960]

I do not like the tattler lids at all. Going to lay cardboard in the garden try to control the weeds. Will weed eat first might help huh.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Good to know, I’m about to break out some new lids this week. I had two of four that didn’t seal on a batch of chicken thighs. Super irritating!

I canned 4 quarts of grape juice this morning. So far, I *think* all 4 sealed.

But I agree that it's super irritating.

 

[BReeder!]

I don't care for the Tattler. I've had uneven,mixed results with them. According to Tattler, I don't know how to properly screw on a ring. Sigh. I do use them for dry storage and refrigerator storage, since they are here and cost an arm and a leg.
I also have trouble seeing if they HAVE fully sealed, and the rubber ring and failed a month into storing one year.
Not worth my brain-ache and worry.
I wish you luck though.
I use these from amazon, come in colors for coding purposes, and wash of really easily, entirely, and fast with water. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08HG52JCZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

perfect labels! and the green ones are cheaper than the rest right now for some reason, so I'm ordering some.

 

[WthrLady]

perfect labels! and the green ones are cheaper than the rest right now for some reason, so I'm ordering some.

LOL Odd when one color is less than the others. I'm using green right now (2024 expiration at my house is green). So that's funny.
They fit the circle on the lid PERFECTLY.

 

[karenerwin]

Such a pretty garden, you do good work lady!

Thanks but the church put it all together. My daughter and I have one of the rectangular beds and one of the round buckets.

 

[fuzzi]

Went to my mom's house and spent 5+ hours trying to clean out her she-shed. Got about 70% done. Apparently my mom had a box fetish. I have never broke down so many empty boxes in my life... I also uncovered yet MORE gardening fertilizer, an entire 55 gallon trash can full of peat moss, some garden solar lights, soaker hose, and a gazillion more pots of various sizes. And then there was the bird seed. My mom had DOZENS of bird feeders all over her property. Well, she had probably 8-9 of these giant tubs with various types of bird seed in it. I threw several away because they were moldy or infested with bugs. Then there were several large unopened boxes from Wild Birds Unlimited which were full of bird seed. Never opened. Some of them had to be thrown away because mice had gotten into them. Then there were several boxes of suet. She had 8 giant tubs of Christmas decorations! That's not counting 2 bags which I suspect are trees and another that's probably a wreath.

Just insane. And I'm still not done going through things in the shed but the dumpster was full.

I have a lot of boxes, too...