Did a big stock up shop this weekend for the fall/winter. Got a lot of canned tomatoes. I keep hearing about coming shortages of tomatoes due to drought in California.
What are you folks doing?
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Did a big stock up shop this weekend for the fall/winter. Got a lot of canned tomatoes. I keep hearing about coming shortages of tomatoes due to drought in California.
What are you folks doing?
Attachment 4808
I planted 18 tomato plants and we had a bumper crop. This is the bitter end still on the vine. I have boxes and boxes in the garage. I have been cooking and preserving every day for weeks. I also have a ton of bell peppers and sweet onions. I'm on salsa duty for the family reunion this weekend.
I shop once a month like normal and just pick up a few things in between.
We continue to carry a much larger inventory of cat food than normal because we can't always get the preferred flavors, so we buy quite a bit when it's available.
Wow!! Congratulations!Quote:
Originally Posted by Simplemind
A bunch of cat owning friends have said the same thing.Quote:
Originally Posted by rosarugosa
That sounds fab!Quote:
Originally Posted by Simplemind
Have actually been trying to eat out of the pantry the last week or so. Saw that some of the canned goods were approaching expiration dates. Need to restock on a bunch of stuff, but haven't sat down and done an actually inventory-like accounting of needs and wants. This thread is a good reminder - thanks.
That is a wonderful crop of tomatoes. We have a nice amount coming in and I’m freezing several bags of them, but nothing on the level you’re doing. DH is busy working on our house these days so his gardening efforts are minimal. It’s not been a good year for peppers. We have excess cucumbers.Quote:
Originally Posted by Simplemind
I take an hour or so each week and go through ads and coupons. It has to be something we definitely use to buy a few for the pantry. I’m experimenting with a small hydroponic unit because it is too hot all summer for much to survive outside. This afternoon we will be cleaning and organizing the pantry.
this may just be the beginning of a water crisis everyone has known for years was coming with all the desert construction and subsequent water needs.
maybe many of us will be as ambitious as you and plant our own victory gardens which helped many people survive during WW2Quote:
Originally Posted by Simplemind
Very impressive harvest!Quote:
Originally Posted by Simplemind
I’ve seen a number of people report online that their gardens were a bust this year due to heat or drought.Quote:
Originally Posted by flowerseverywhere
The strange weather here this year really impacted our gardens' productivity.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tradd
I am having more instances than usual of bacterial rot in my Iris beds. I guess the cause is wet, hot, then cold, then wet weather.
This is disappointing since these iris get the best of everything: best site where they get 100% sun. Nearly $1000 of Turface to amend the soil. Endless love and attention and careful hand weeding.
ungrateful brats they are.
"How sharper than a serpent's tooth..." :~)Quote:
Originally Posted by iris lilies
While several of our plants did "produce", it wasn't the bounty I was hoping for.... but it was SOMETHING, so I don't want to complain! Still watching the squash plants start to grow bigger, as I think the weather is finally more to their liking. Hopefully we will do as well with them this year as we did last year.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tradd
This lingering awful heat and drought is really making me think about food supplies in the future. We have taken so much for granted that there will always be plenty of what we want at the grocery. The only thing I successfully grew were cherry tomatoes, lemon cukes and way too many yellow egg squash. I wish there was a good way to preserve the squash. One can only eat so many squash casseroles. I read somewhere that tomatos and tomato products will be hard to come by so we have been buying a few xtra cans when we shop. Interesting times ahead.
Spent the afternoon organizing my stock up shop from yesterday. Ended having to put some under my bed. Cupboards are full and warms the cockles of my heart to have this much set aside. Think I’m good on toiletries, but should probably get some winter cold remedies.
OK, IL, that was very funny!Quote:
Originally Posted by iris lilies
I hadn't heard that about tomatoes. I will get some extra the next time when I go shopping. Stew and soup season will be upon us soon, and I use a lot of tomatoes for that!
My lettuce garden has thrived due to the excellent monsoon season we've had here in my corner of New Mexico. I also had pretty good luck with collard greens, kale and swiss chard. However, I CANNOT grow beans here to save my life! Been trying different ways for three years and barely ended up just with a handful of green beans...
I cubed, blanched, and froze the last of the summer squash and terminated the plant. My neighbors were starting to avoid me and I just could eat anymore. Tomatoes have produced pretty well, but no where near like the OP. I will get some to process and freeze soon and have been eating tomatoes at least daily for a few weeks. I've had a bumper crop of three or four varieties of eggplant and need to process to freeze or cook soon. I've not grown tired of them but it's just been too hot to do much cooking and some may go to waste. Peppers have been slightly below average, but decent. Timing of the season change is about right as garden care and food processing are getting a little tedious. I will miss the fresh produce but have frozen quite a bit.
I forgot to mention my bountiful peach tree. The limbs are so heavy with fruit this year that we propped them up with boards. Last night, one just snapped off and we collected a boxful from that one limb. I rarely water it but think iso I guess it is sucking up moisture from the nearby sewer pipe. They still need another week or two to be primo.