Posted on 07/10/2009 3:59:55 AM PDT by Red_Devil 232
Good morning to all of you gardeners. Toward the end of last weeks Gardening Thread there was a short discussion about saving Heirloom Tomato seeds. Many of you might have missed the information so I thought I would start this weeks thread on that topic.
Yesterday I had picked a bunch more tomatoes and had set them in the basket under the carport. I now had two small baskets full of tomatoes out there. They are coming so fast I am having problems keeping up with them. Late afternoon I saw movement out on the carport and thought it was a squirrel or one of the chipmunks visiting just a little closer than normal.
It was a rabbit! Just setting there eying the maters. I alerted a sleeping Cashmere and opened the door. She saw the rabbit as it bounded off and just kinda said so what and lay back down. Hey, it was very hot out, and apparently the A/C and nap were more important!
Geees! Now I know it ain't rabbits she chases in her dreams!
I think... Feel around in the soil and find out the size of the cloves. Harvest a few larger ones, trying to do it in places where the crop will then be thinned out a little. Try *one* (clean it with no water, let it dry, wash just before using). In the fall, pull ‘em all, pick the ones you’ll be using during the winter, and replant the rest using (usually) the smallest cloves. (’: And double-check this advice against a *reliable* source. ;’)
Thanks. How much should the the foliage be brown?
It depends on where you live. All of my garlic is out of the ground and drying on the fence here in the far northcoast of Calif. You can dig garlic when the lower leaves start dying and turning brown plus leaving it in the ground too long can introduce rotting of the bulbs...
I’d say about a third of the bottom leaves are brown plus the plants are falling over.
That’s what made me think that they’re about ready.
You’re right about tomatoes getting mushier in a pressure canner. The down side of pressure canning is it takes time to vent the canner, then you count processing time, and then it has to cool enough to safely open it, and then you start all over.
With a hot water bath, the jars are pretty much in and out. You can start the next batch as soon as the previous one is out.
So I don’t think you save time pressure canning something you can hot water bath can. Hot water bath canning is easier. I only pressure can things that CAN’T be hot water bath canned.
I always keep an extra pot of water hot on the stove to add to the canner as the water boils off. That saves time as well.
Do you add and acid like lime or lemon juice to the tomatoes you can using the boiling water bath method?
Wow that is amazing ... once you live in urban america the Rabies thing never raises its head. Living on an Iowa farm growing up it was always an issue we looked for with cattle.
No. I never had any problem either.
Here. I’m being lazy, LOL! :)
http://www.garlicfarm.ca/garlic-harvesting-pospisil.htm
And FWIW, I absolutely LOVE cleaning garlic. It was one of my favorite chores when I worked for Seed Savers.
What a shame. Such beautiful animals.
I ordered four varieties, two hardneck and two softneck. One of the hardneck varieties is German Hardy based on your recommendation. I expect to plant after everything is killed back by first freeze, probably Late September or early October. I ordered from the source you cited. Do you have any planting or growing hints?
I would say dig them tomorrow and let them dry in the field or in fence but dry them on a porch or sheltered place if you get summer showers. You should record the date for reference next year and on as I suspect you are a little late. I have a spiral notebook in my shed that I record date planted, date harvested and the size and condition of the bulbs and wrappers...
You’ll get instructions with your order. Garlic likes sun, loose, rich soil, regular watering and a good layer of straw mulch.
Aside from your horrible soil, you should do just fine, LOL! ;)
Several years ago we had a outbreak of Skunks on our property and I trapped 14 of them in 3 months. I called our local animal control to dispose of them until she told me to dispatch anyway I wanted as she could not keep up with everyone calling her. She said the Foxes had been been decimated by Canine Distemper and that is why the Skunks flourished...
Thanks for the link. I still have a few days to go. Only the bottom leave or two are brown.
How do you clean them? Just brush the dirt off?
Let them dry with some dirt on them. When the dirt is crumbly, then it’s time to clean them up. But gently! Don’t bruise your garlic or it won’t store well.
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