My raspberries are in full swing. They're in a low spot in the yard, and every few days we turn the hose on them and give them a good soak. Still, the berries are looking a little shriveled compared to previous years.
My nephew and I picked some crab apples yesterday. There's a variety that the city planted just around the corner from my parent's house, in a median strip on a quiet road. This variety has apples that are almost as big and sweet as Red Delicious, and since no one picks them except me and the raccoons, they're free for the taking. They looked red enough to be ripe when I was driving past, so I thought that, like most fruits this year, they might have ripened early due to the early spring. I could tell the moment I touched one that they weren’t ready, though. Unfortunately I have no voice, and my nephew does this stream-of-conciousness thing where he talks non-stop about anything that passes through his head, and he was very enthusiastic about picking apples. As a result of those factors, it took me long enough to grab ahold of him and get his attention that, by the time I got him to stop picking, he had stripped 3 branches already! He's going to be great help when they actually are ripe! I didn't like the idea of wasting food, so I cooked them up as a pie filling and canned them. We got 2 quarts out of it. With enough molasses, brown sugar, and cinnamon, even green apples can be pretty good!
107° yesterday here in Central Missouri. The highest temp ever officially recorded for the month of June. 2” of rain since May 5. In spite of that my garden is thriving (thanks to copious irrigation). Sweet corn is coming in, blackberries are coming in, nectarines are done, peaches getting close, summer squash coming in, tomatoes just around the corner.
Our native sunflowers are blooming early, and at only 6-18” tall! Never seen them do that before this year.
It hit 106 a few days ago.
Yesterday, used grass clippings & shredded paper to do the final ‘hilling’ on about half of the potatoes. I’ll be getting another trailer load of clippings, as soon as they’re available, to do the rest; I get them from the State Veterans Home in town. 600’ of Yukon Gold, and they are already starting to bloom. There is NO straw, which is what I had planned on using, available within 50 miles; everyone is totally out & can’t get any.
I also hand weeded between the stalks of 6-25’ rows of Serendipity corn; then ran the tiller between the rows. Today, I’ll give them, as well as the okra, a side dressing of 10-10-10.
The broccoli, Brussels sprouts, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and onions all got a shot of manure tea.
The owner of the restaurant that saves me all her coffee grounds has also retaken over a coffee stand she built then sold a few years ago, and I’m now getting those grounds, too.
The heat is starting to do in the peas; the coriander is blooming, so we’ll be getting the seed soon.
The surviving strawberries, especially the 2 that were least affected, are putting out runners like crazy, and appear to be healthy; best guess is they were hit by verticillium. The daughter plants should have better resistance, according to Mr. Darwin.
Winter wheat is starting to ripen.
I love pie season.. and miss it too.. My yout’ was spent in Minniesoda,, we had all kinds of pies to feast on when harvest time came around. I never ate so good or worked so hard in my life.. I never tried making jams and preserves and such.. I had 4 sisters to do that.. now’s its the kids doing it. bon appetit!
The tomaties are doing OK , the pear and apple crop will be light as is so I’m seriesly keeping an eye on squirrels.. so far they are eating over at the neighbor’s fruit. slingshots is at the standby. ;-]
Thanks for the thread!
I think our high temp has been 74 here in Benderville this year. Our amended soil retains moisture well and everything is lush and green. Kohlrabi is coming on and I have suddenly run out of FRiends to give it to. We now return you to Nascar qualifying at Kentucky Speedway...
