View Full Version : Ahhh, the bounty of summer
This is a wonderful time of year.
I have enjoyed U-pik strawberries, sweet cherries, blueberries, my own snow peas, herbs and garlic plus roadside supplies of fresh corn, kale, cabbage, yellow/green zucchini, pattypans, tomatoes, cukes, celery, romaine, peppers, sugar baby watermelons, cantaloupe with apricots, peaches and plums brought from Niagara area.
I have been looking for small pickling cakes to use with my heads of dill without success as yet as the current limited ones are ridiculously priced.
Tried some day-neutral strawberries for the first time and they are wonderful in flavour and appearance.
FYI - Dayneutral strawberries are uniquely different from Junebearing types and older everbearers. Dayneutrals have the capacity to flower and fruit continuously which is attributed to their insensitivity to daylength which normally controls flower initiation. They form flower buds under any daylength and continue to grow as long as temperatures are suitable. Dayneutrals produce a fall crop the year of planting; in subsequent years, the production cycle peaks every 6 weeks from June onwards. After the first year, the spring crop starts about 4 to 7 days before the early season Junebearers (e.g., 'Veestar').
What are you enjoying this year ? Any new items you tried?
I seem to have grown a whole lot of lettuce this year for some reason.
We have green beans in now.
If you get a chance, can you post your pickle recipe--I have dill coming in,and a good source for cucumbers, as mine as not in yet.
Let me see.........I'm enjoying green beans, a few small tomatoes, peppers and the cucumbers are coming in now. My lettuce is over and I'll plant more a little later.
I did just plant more bush beans too.
Razz......that's interesting about those Dayneutral strawberries. Are those genetically modified to do that? Seems sort of unnatural.
Let me see.........
Razz......that's interesting about those Dayneutral strawberries. Are those genetically modified to do that? Seems sort of unnatural.
Cathy, this is the website that local growers re these berries would get their info from: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/89-099.htm Lots of stuff to read. It was considered quite exciting when they were first made available a few years ago for the public to buy. A friend told me that she had tried them last week for the first time with real enjoyment. They were so fresh and beautiful, I couldn't resist.
We have been looking forward to harvest season since moving to Colorado. Known for their peaches, corn and cantaloupes...so we've been pigeon out on those. Bad me - peaches on ice cream every afternoon for the past few days.
I only grew lettuce/spinach/kale and tomatoes (I had 5 BLT sandwiches over the weekend...even for breakfast once). I picked blueberries at a farm and blackberries from my own. My grapes I think I'll actually get some edible ones from this year. I don't know anything about growing grapes but usually they come on beautiful then immediately dry up. Son#2 and I were eating a few off the vine yesterday so we need to check it daily. Our community garden at church has given me fresh herbs, garlic, and squash. Friends have given me cucumbers and little pan squash. I really haven't tried anything new. I will say my friends english cucumbers are much better than the english cucumber I get at the grocery store.
My garden is largely a bust this year. I planted broccoli and cauliflower for the first time in years and am getting what amounts to crumbs, only have had a few cherry tomatoes and no regular ones, one yellow bean, no green beans, no eggplant, basil all died, parsley is meh, and even the zucchini is scraggly.
I went big on leeks and peppers this year. Peppers are still a ways off, but I've been enjoying leeks for a couple of weeks. I started harvesting tomatoes last week, but the much anticipated brandywine are still a couple of weeks away. Peaches, melons, and apples are just starting to roll into the local farm markets. There's a lot to enjoy!
mschrisgo2
7-31-17, 8:14pm
I tried to grow food this year... tomatoes, red, green, yellow peppers, strawberries, blueberries, lettuce, cucumbers, zuchinni... all pretty much a bust. Lettuce came up and died, peppers died, strawberries died, blueberry plants limping, tomato plants finally have a couple of blossoms, straggly cuke vine, even more straggly zuchinni vine... it was too wet too late, then immediately into the 100+ degree days, baked off everything. I'm going to put in a raised bed this fall, and try again next year.
My garden is doing fairly well this year, but is about 2-3 weeks behind last year's schedule, probably due to our really cold and wet spring, even though we have raised beds.
I grew shelling peas for the first time and we've really enjoyed having them. We mostly ate them as we picked them, but I managed to freeze a few packages.
Tomatoes are coming on now. My peppers were disappointing. Forgot: we have 2 plum trees ripening now--one Italian, the other mystery--and they are in their moderate year. Every other year they're loaded.
I put up bird netting to protect my cukes and squash but wound up with yellow-skinned cucumbers. I looked it up and found that the bees probably are not bothering to get through the bird netting to pollinate the cucumber blossoms. So I took the netting away and we're getting green cucumbers again! We do great with zucchini! Very large. One does us about 3 meals.
I rigged up a deer net over a hoop for the tomatoes which is keeping the deer away from them, but I'm not quite sure if they are getting all the sun they need. The net itself if rather thick and casts a bit of a shadow. But I'll live with it. At least we're getting the tomatoes this year, instead of providing the deer with their nighttime snacks.
Our lettuce was fine but it done now.
The garden is ON!!!!!!!:cool:
18 quarts of ratatouille is in the freezer. 27 pints of salsa are canned and we each took a quart to work to share. 3 gallons of green beans are blanched and frozen. (another gallon tonight).
Cucumbers and tomatoes for fresh eating and also plenty to share at work. Zucchini to share at work. Sharing with neighbors as well.
what does YOUR garden grow?:~)
Wow! I just plucked two tomatoes for pasta tonight with fresh basil. I caramelized onions in the crock pot Tuesday- they are freezing in little patties now and I will put them in glass jars in the freezer for soups.
My deer net/PVC hoops protected my tomatoes from the deer! Last year we got NO tomatoes while the deer got plenty. This year we've been harvesting cherry tomatoes and other tomatoes for the past few weeks!
We weren't as successful with cucumbers, because of a pollination problem. I covered them with bird netting to protect them from pests, but I also protected them from bees! Lesson learned.
My CSA farm grows interesting things every year, so I always have the chance to explore new things. This year I tried ground cherries--they look like baby tomatillos, and they're very sweet.
Ground cherry pie is a favorite from my childhood
Ground cherry pie is a favorite from my childhood
Really! Where did you grow up, Tammy? I never even heard of them.
IshbelRobertson
9-7-17, 5:32pm
Greengages and other plums. Jam, crumbles, coulis, roasted and added to home-made elderflower cordial.
The butternut squash ate finally getting a little color after being white all summer. With the nights as chilly as they are I don't think the eggplant will do much more so I brought them in small as they are and will roast them with the skins on, since if I try to peel them I will have almost nothing left.
Ohio. Northwest corner. The Mennonites there love their ground cherry pie.
A nearby neighbour with a large garden who sells produce on the roadside had some ground cherries for sale. He told me to taste some and they are sweet and really tasty. Little bigger than blueberries so wonderful in a salad. Had to use up my grape tomatoes first so will get some on my next walk by their stand.
Have to look up how to make a ground cherry pie, hmmmm. I am in experimenting mode at present so cooking is fun and friends will eat the results.
Ohio. Northwest corner. The Mennonites there love their ground cherry pie.
27 pints of salsa canned.:cool: 6 pints for fresh consumption. Another 3/4 gallon of green beans blanched/frozen. I love harvest time!
Wow Gardnr........sounds great!
Before I had kids, I canned lots of things, but have gone to freezing mostly now.
My garden was just okay this year. The coons messed up the tomatoes. The pole beans are doing well. My peppers are doing great. My butternut squash only grew 3. One year I had 40! I think too much rain in the spring and then too little rain through the summer has taken it's toll. Most of my stuff is in raised stocktanks, and it dries out pretty fast. (I drilled too many holes in the bottoms). I try to water it every couple of days.......but the plants sure know the difference between ground water and rain water.
I've frozen a bunch of beans. Didn't buy blueberries in quantity soon enough and they sold out. I've made green tomato casserole a couple times. My cherry tomatoes are doing great, in spite of having to share them with chipmunks. The cucumbers pooped out early. We sure enjoyed them though. I've replanted chard and spinach and some lettuce.
Funny......after the coons messed up the tomatoes so badly, we put up a solar electric fence. Didn't have any problems after that. But yesterday, I decided to test the fence, and I could actually hold onto the wire and only faintly feel a zap.........so maybe the coons just left on their own? Now I have to figure out what's wrong with the fence.
Gardnr.......one reason I quit canning was that it was so hard to control the pressure. Do you use a pressure canner or water bath? If you use a water bath, do you adjust the acidity in anything? Thanks!
I've never heard of ground cherries. Do they have seeds?
iris lilies
9-8-17, 3:05pm
Here is a photo of DH's dried beans for the year.
http://www.simplelivingforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=1923&stc=1
I've never heard of ground cherries. Do they have seeds?
If they do, they're teeny, teeny seeds. They're like sweet little tiny tomatillos. You take the husks off before eating.
1924
In case anyone is interested........I discovered what my electric fence problem was.............I was wearing tennis shoes when holding the wire. A lady at the local Tractor Supply told me to try it without shoes (if I didn't have a weak heart)........and sure enough .....ZAP!!! I'm glad to know that's probably what has been keeping the coons out.
If they do, they're teeny, teeny seeds. They're like sweet little tiny tomatillos. You take the husks off before eating.
1924
catherine........did you take that picture? If so, it's really nice!
catherine........did you take that picture? If so, it's really nice!
Thanks, but no! Just a Google image.
I can't claim to be as good a photographer as you are, Cathy!
Thanks, but no! Just a Google image.
I can't claim to be as good a photographer as you are, Cathy!
Aw, thanks catherine......but I just point and shoot! But you did pick out a nice image to post! :)
Wow Gardnr........sounds great!
Gardnr.......one reason I quit canning was that it was so hard to control the pressure. Do you use a pressure canner or water bath? If you use a water bath, do you adjust the acidity in anything? Thanks!
We use a water bath. 30 minutes for salsa. We don't adjust acidity. Tomatoes have plenty and my recipe does call for apple cider vinegar.
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.
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.
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.
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!!!!!!!!!!!!:cool:
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!
I had my first butternut squash last night.
TOMATOES.......up the Wazoo:cool:......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! :0!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??????
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.
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.
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.
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.
Williamsmith
10-1-17, 9:18pm
We have an Apple festival in a nearby town next weekend. I buy enough Newtown Pippin apples for really good homemade apple pies. And this year I want to make apple sauce with stevia instead of sugar.
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