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Thread: Ahhh, the bounty of summer

  1. #31
    Senior Member herbgeek's Avatar
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    I'm just finishing up the last of the zucchini into a "zapple" filling (from the Zucchini cookbook). I cook peeled and diced zucchini with a bit of lemon juice for like 10 minutes, add brown sugar and apple pie spices and cook a couple of minutes more. Most people believe that its cooked apples. I have a cake with these cooked pieces currently in the oven, and froze the rest. I've used this in making bar cookies with this filling in the middle.

    I've used zucchini in all kinds of savory ways this summer, and I'm actually kinda tired of it. So a sweet use is novel, and will go well with fall meals.

    This year's bounty was incredible, all due to the knee high fence hubby put up late last year after getting tired of me whining how the rabbits and chipmunks were eating everything. Lots of pickles, jams, roasted tomato sauce, salsa, pickled jalapenos and herb butters and purees.

  2. #32
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    Glad to know that the fencing works, both electric and low. The ground cherries look interesting. I don't suppose they ever get into the grocery store. We've had great peaches from the local orchard and are now beginning apples. The corn from the orchard has been magnificent as well.

  3. #33
    Senior Member CathyA's Avatar
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    herbgeek..........did the fencing keep out the chipmunks? They actually live underground in my garden, so fencing doesn't work. Maybe when the garden is done this year, they'll move........but I doubt it. I bought a solar motion-detector owl that puts out a weird sound, but I don't think it works consistently.

    Yeah.....nothing like a good fence to keep out rabbits. they used to jump over our 3' high chicken wire fence. But a number of years ago, we put up a 4' utility wire fence with 2' chicken wire at the bottom of that, and haven't had a single rabbit. since. Now that the electric wire keeps out the coons, and the utility wire fence keeps out the rabbits, those waskely chipmunks have taken over. They sure are cute though...........

    Gardnr.........I guess they breed mostly low-acid tomatoes now, but that apple cider vinegar should bring the acid up, for sure.
    Have you ever taken a look at the Harvest forum on the Gardenweb forum, in Houzz? It's very good.

  4. #34
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    Another 11quarts of ratatouille comin' right up! It's a LOT of work after 9h at the paid employment location...but I am NOT letting this produce go to waste! I remember how poor my production was last year. I am so ready to drop into bed.

    Game on!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Oh and yesterday, I took 10 pounds of tomatoes and 8 huge cucumbers to a family gathering and came home with none of it!

    4 large squash to work to share. We grilled zucchini and eggplant to go with grilled fish for dinner tonight.

    Oh yum....fresh garden fare!

  5. #35
    Yppej
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    I had my first butternut squash last night.

  6. #36
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    TOMATOES.......up the Wazoo......bumper crop this year off 24 plants (last year I did not get enough for our food storage plans).

    Last Sunday? I picked about 60 pounds! Took about 15# to 1 neighbor and 10# to another. The folks next door were gone on vacation and the other 2 we know are growing plenty of their own they said. Texted one of my staff to see if she wanted some. Yes! She drove over and I sent 17# home with her. Her DH was soooooo excited, he headed to the store when she headed here. They didn't get a garden in this year (she's in FT school AND working FT right now).

    SALSA:
    Made 14 pints last Sunday and it's all canned. Our stores are full enough.

    Tuesday we made 7 more quarts. I took 3 qt to work by week's end and DH took 1 quart (small team). We'll take the rest to work early this week.

    Today: made 16 quarts. Canned 14 quarts for my sweet nephew-Sr in college and FB quarterback living with 2 guys on the team. I hope it lasts them through the end of the year. But have you seen a FB player eat?

    And no, we're NOT out of tomatoes! Anyone else having the harvest year of their lives??????

  7. #37
    Yppej
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    Gardnr, no such bounty, but my mother bought apples and gave so me sugarfree but sweet homemade applesauce. She said the secret is to make it out of several varities of apples that interact well together.

  8. #38
    Senior Member razz's Avatar
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    My tiny tim and black Russian climbers are amazing this year. I go the seed for them both last year so was not sure what the result would be. I am growing them both again. I find them better for me with my small 3'x16' garden and since I can u-pik bushels locally for a modest cost.
    My snow peas are just coming into bloom from the late seeding. The warm spell has helped.
    As Cicero said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.”

  9. #39
    Senior Member razz's Avatar
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    My favourite orchard has wonderful apples in abundance at present so I buy a 1/2 bushel of C grade at a time to make apple sauce canning it in my pressure canner. 1/2 bushel makes about 8 qts.

    This year I cheated. I cut the tiny little flaws out, quartered the apples, coring them and cut into chunks for simmering to a soft stage. I then used my handheld blender and blended til smooth. No more peeling for me as the result is lovely and very tasty. I did add some Vit C to the 2 cups of water that I add to apples at the start of the cooking stage.

    Just an observation - I am amazed at the tiny little flaws that trigger a C grade down from the prime grade.
    As Cicero said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.”

  10. #40
    Senior Member Rogar's Avatar
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    My tomatoes have about run their course. With a little luck I'll get a few more Brandywine, which are never very productive for me but a favorite. I planted quite a few leek starts and have been having leeks in stir fries and homemade pizza and have just enough left for a couple of potato leek soup recipes.

    There are few volunteer apple trees around where I can usually scrounge up enough apples for a couple pies or crisps, but the late snows and cold froze them out. Fortunately the local produce market is getting Johnathan and McIntosh right now. This is the only time of year I bake with apples. I have one of those hand crank apple slicers that peals, cores and slices apples all at the same time. That's sure a time saver.

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