What did you do in the garden today?

[jerryse]

Got home safe. Squash and pumpkins took over the garden. No sign of squash bugs. Not sure about SVB. A vine or 2 look tired. Pics later.

 

[igorsMistress]

OH my. I'm up to my eyeballs.
All this plus another 24ish pounds of orange ones in a bushel basket in the garage. (I leave them there for a day, to let any crawlies, crawl out.)
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I made 5 quarts of meatless spaghetti sauce, and that's still simmering on the stove, which I'll do up as pints for quick dinners.
And another 3 quarts of puree for the shelves.
The tomato plants are very, very tired. When the temps drop this weekend, I'll feed them and probably take down the sun shades.
The heat and humidity right now is un-believable!!! 104'F not including what it feels like with the humidity.

 

[igorsMistress]

Jealous of all the harvests! Thanks for sharing pics.

@Acre4Me are you going to just store all the squash or are you going to can or freeze any?

It's 54 degrees at 7am. In August.

I’m jealous of that temperature!

 

[igorsMistress]

Got home safe. Squash and pumpkins took over the garden. No sign of squash bugs. Not sure about SVB. A vine or 2 look tired. Pics later.

Glad you made it home safely!

 

[saysfaa]

Butternut also makes a very good thickener in stew.

As for the tree, you might consider drilling some holes in the bottom - weaken it so it doesn't take as long for a storm to take it down. And/or so a weaker storm will take it down. Beavers do something similar; they chip part way through standing trunks of trees then let storms do the rest. It saves them a lot of energy, wear on their teeth, and it is probably safer for them.

 

[jerryse]

90 when I got home yesterday. 97 today and 100 tomorrow

 

[Sueby]

I’ve baked, then drained a bit, the pie pumpkin, freeze in 2 C quantities for pie etc. as far as butternut…not sure. I have a wonderful butternut squash soup recipe. Seriously no other flavor but squash, with a touch of cream. It is the best, and I usually make this and freeze it in smaller quantities. My fam isn’t as big on the smooth creamy soups -they like it but only about half as much as I do. I may try to slice and freeze some -for roasting, or cube it for freezing. Not sure what is the best thing here.

That carrot cake recipe did say they tried it with sweet potatoes …and it was good. Maybe I’ll try butternut squash in a batch. That will be 7C shredded squash for one recipe.

Then I have that huge pumpkin to deal with… that plant has produced 5 already (only 2 are huge), and looks like 3 more are developing. Apparently that is sold by the slice in France bc they are so big!

I bet it would make a good cake! I'm with you, I love it as soup. DH likes meat in his cream soups & that seems weird to me, but he is weird.

I cooked mine, mashed it, and froze it in pint jars. It is NOT safe to can squash, even under pressure, according to what I read.

I don't grow winter squashes so I have no clue, but isn't it safe if you cut it in chunks & then pressure can? Or just a no go altogether?

I’m jealous of that temperature!

I'm sitting here freezing under a blanket. My hands on the computer are so cold.

 

[igorsMistress]

I bet it would make a good cake! I'm with you, I love it as soup. DH likes meat in his cream soups & that seems weird to me, but he is weird.

I don't grow winter squashes so I have no clue, but isn't it safe if you cut it in chunks & then pressure can? Or just a no go altogether?

I'm sitting here freezing under a blanket. My hands on the computer are so cold.

Wow, sounds like you need some dogs to help warm you up!

 

[jerryse]

I bet it would make a good cake! I'm with you, I love it as soup. DH likes meat in his cream soups & that seems weird to me, but he is weird.

I don't grow winter squashes so I have no clue, but isn't it safe if you cut it in chunks & then pressure can? Or just a no go altogether?

I'm sitting here freezing under a blanket. My hands on the computer are so cold.

Squash and pumpkin can be canned safely as cubes or chunk. Puree is done commercially but a no no for home canning.

 

[WthrLady]

I’m jealous of that temperature!

Me too. 105 yesterday but felt like 118
today 104 feeling like 115
EVERYONE is tired of being hot and cranky