What did you do in the garden today?

[chickengr]

A decade or two ago, those that were available to the general public they were just interesting novelty plants with fruits that one would honestly consider survival food - edible if nothing else is available. The fruit was also very small.

Nowadays there are many cultivars that are normal dessert fruit in taste and they are a good size. The taste is quite near the regular wild blueberries.

For the USA / Canada folks: I'm in Europe. "Blueberry" is used for another plant here. You call ours "European blueberries" and we call yours "American blueberries". Here, catch -

Anyway, the good cultivars that I can vouch for are the Boreal series: Boreal beauty, Boreal blizzard, Boreal beast. I'm told that Aurora, Strawberry sensation etc. are also great but haven't tried them, we grow close to 30 Boreals and it's enough for a family orchard.

In our experience Boreal beauty is the most practical because it's easier to pick than the others - it doesn't squish as easily while being harvested. Blizzard tends to be a little sweeter though.

Possibly important for you as you're in Greece: haskaps tend to become shriveled and dry when summer starts regardless of how much you water them, they just shut down because of the heat. But this is in our experience much less pronounced in the Boreal cultivars so that's also a plus.

thank you!

 

[Rick589]

We, at 3:52pm are at 100 degrees F. without any heat index factored in.

 

[Rick589]

…….real feel 111 F

 

[Molpet]

I was 98 before the rain. It's cooled off to 91

 

[Rick589]

I was 98 before the rain. It's cooled off to 91

View attachment 4157793

View attachment 4157792

Almost need a parka where you’re located.

 

[Rick589]

I collect them and hold them until I have enough.

Can I assume you put them in the fridge? If so, do you notice any difference in the pickle?

 

[TJAnonymous]

Can I assume you put them in the fridge? If so, do you notice any difference in the pickle?

I've left them on the counter for a few days with no problem. If it's likely to take a little longer, I've put them in the fridge for a week or so. Never had any problem with canning them afterwards.

 

[Smokerbill]

I went ahead and watered the garden, and while doing that I saw a white cabbage moth fluttering around my cabbages. I'll spray the BT on them later this evening.

With all the water I gave them the peas should be nice and plump when I pick them tomorrow.

Got a container of cooked kale/chives/beet stems/pork juice concoction in the freezer. There's still one big collard plant in the garden and eight smaller kale plants. I guess I'll have one more processing day soon, pick them all and pull out the plants. Maybe plant fall cabbages in their place...

 

[Smokerbill]

When is it the right time to harvest the dill flower heads for pickles? I'm going to have to freeze them to use later because my pickling cukes haven't even started vining yet. And does dill keep producing more flower heads after the first ones are cut off? This year is the first time that I've gotten dill plants to grow successfully so I'm clueless.

 

[WthrLady]

@Smokerbill when they're at peak, bright yellow but before they start going brown and going to seed. I can't remember if they keep sending up flower heads. I think mine did, they just got smaller and smaller.