We have brought in all Tomatoes with blush of red to finish ripening on the produce cart. Brought in another batch of red peppers for freezer or dehydration. These are really nice and currently selling for about $1.79 in the grocery store. We have already harvested and processed close to 100.
Time to get ready to plant the winter garden. Thinking of garlic, winter wheat, winter rye, maybe some carrots and arctic lettuce.
Hubby brought me the new Farmer's Almanac for 2015. The 2014 was a pretty accurate forecast so far. Here's a brief forecast for winter 2015:
1. Northeastern - Wintery white & wet southern end- central east - crisp and very stormy
2. Great Lakes/Midwest - Stinging & normal snowfall
3. Southeastern - Chilly and wet
4. North Central - Northern half - Frigid and Flaky Southern half - Bitter and Snowy - that's Missouri and contiguous states to the north and west.
5. South Central - Brisk & wet - that's Texas & contiguous states.
6. North western - Chilly, Normal Precipitation
7. Southwestern - Cool, Average Precipitation
Uncertainty over El Nino effects, which could impact the fore cast.
Here's a recipe for Homemade Carpet Cleaner: 1 cup Baking Soda 1 cup of cornstarch 15 drops of your favorite essential oil
Mix it all together, sprinkle on carpet and leave for 10 or 20 minutes. Then vacuum up. If you grow herbs or spices like lavender or mint, you can make your own essential oil.
My pantry has all the stuff needed to make this without going to the store, and I think a lot of us could say that. I'll try to remember to post some additional tips as we go along this year.
Have a great weekend. Stay safe and warm. God Bless.
Pinging the List.
Here’s a link from TIK gardeners mentioned on survival thread see #5 for TIK ping:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3202325/posts
Interesting comments and article.
My thanx to those who responded regarding my bamboo post.
Not surprised that most responses mentioned the generally held perception that bamboo is invasive, hard to manage, and leads to unimagined problems....true, I know but there is the other side of the coin, too.
The following link (w/pic) ...
http://waynesword.palomar.edu/pljuly96.htm
shows just what power bamboo can have, over a period of years, even when problems are anticipated...the bamboo in the pic is a clumping type bamboo too, not running bamboo as usually is the case when problems arise.
There are at least 1300 kinds of bamboo to choose from, but two basic types as far as growth is concerned...running bamboo, which is considered invasive boo; and, clumping boo, which is considered much less...”invasive.”
Dick Gaines
*****
Thanx for the “recipe”, and forecast. It is hot here. Front should be going through, but no rain here, and it’s hot and oppresively humid.
I look forward to the Brisk and Wet you mentioned from the 2015 Farmer’s Almanac.
Cold and clammy indeed it is.
I finally got my beets out of the ground yesterday evening. Needless to say some of them are a bit overgrown. I’ll be pickling what’s good this weekend and the horses and chickens will get the rest.
Tomatoes are just about done. Peppers are still looking good but I think I’ll pull them all up this weekend rather than let frost get them later. Brussels sprouts are loaded.
I need to plant some lettuce this weekend or it will be too late.
I’m going to be bringing another small building back from the old farmstead in the next week or two. It was originally used as a smokehouse. 8x12 with a high-peaked metal roof. With the addition of a couple windows I think it will make a dynamite potting shed.
Beautiful weather here in Massachusetts. We’re still harvesting tomatoes, jalapenos, parsley and beans. Everything else has gone by.
My husband was very happy with our tomatoes, so we’re growing the same selection next year.
It’s cold here finally, love it. I got some Okra from the garden today, this is about all that is left.
Here’s my Spicy Navy Bean recipe:
I scrub, rinse several times, and then soak 2 cups navy beans with fresh water overnight.
In the crockpot with water 2” over beans for 5 1/2 hours on high:
3 ounces of vegetable oil (Smart Balance Omega)
2 small okra (cut up)
3 small green onions (cut up)
7 or 8 small dried whole red pepper pods (Hot) or a teaspoon of red pepper flakes if you don’t have any
1/4 teaspoon Mexican chili powder (just for the beautiful golden color)
1 teaspoon seasoning salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper
After in the bowl I give it a couple twist of a Peppercorn Medley Grinder
What a lovely post!
I do not know where this summer has gone. Tomatoes did not do well for many folks here on this little spit of eastern Virginia, although the cat did produce prolifically!
I’m getting more maters now than I did through July and August, zucchini, summer squash and cucumbers are still going gang busters. Peppers are finally producing, but the broccoli was a total bust. Almost time to dig up the sweet potatoes and I still have small melons, called ice cream, coming on.
I’m working right now on designing labels for the 100 jars of jams, jellies, and pickles I have made so far this season and plan on spending most of next week restocking my non-existent supply of pepper jellies in anticipation of the inaugural of the first farmers’ and artists’ market in 15 years in a nearby town. It is starting the first Saturday of October and I am thrilled to have been asked to be one of the charter vendors. The whole family is excited.
Busy busy busy.
Built two more raised garden boxes - brings the total to 6. getting things set up for the fall crops. Watching the pomegranates, going to freeze the seeds and make some jelly later in the winter. Also looking to plant apple and pear trees this fall. Been a good summer learning how to do this the best way.
We got about 1.25 rain at the house last night. It didn’t rain a drop three miles away. The cell was parked right over our house.
I planted several varieties of the same veggies to see which specific ones grew better in my part of Texas. Since I hadn’t grown any food plants and certainly none from seed, I was in a learning stage and figured that was the best way to determine if I could grow from seed and make a choice of which ones to plant in the future. All were grown in containers as I detest the animals in the ground who eat my plants. Also, because I am 80, be 81 next month, I don’t do stooping to the ground.
These are the winner plants and I’ll be planting some of them in the spring. I won’t grow all of them but I know now I can do it. We do plan to travel around the country at various times so I don’t want a whole garden growing if we leave it for a month. There is an underground sprinkler system in the whole back and front yard and that can be set to water at certain times. I think we wouldn’t travel in the period the garden would be in high productivity.
Tomatoes:
Wow, I grew seven types of tomatoes from seed and they all produced well. They were:
Sweet Million
Fourth of July
Cosmonaut Volkoy
Better Boy
Mortgage Lifter
Tycoon
Cherry Punch
For the cherry kind, I’ll grow Sweet Million and Cherry Punch. When I left to move to north Texas, Tycoon was ready to grow tomatoes so I’ll grow that one again. I got those seeds from Sockmonkey. Fourth of July was very prolific as was Better Boy so I’ll grow those. I didn’t get to plant Sabre tomatoes and I’ll grow that one. I bought that seed as well as mom with hope sent me seed. The Cherry Punch has numerous blossoms now – it doesn’t want to quit growing tomatoes. Remember it has more Vit. C than other tomatoes. I didn’t get to plant Burpee Long Keeper tomatoes. Was going to plant those at the end of summer and the tomatoes keep for months wrapped in paper.
Sweet Banana Pepper from Burpee – that plant is still blooming trying to grow more peppers. I will grow that one again.
Tall Utah Celery from Burpee – I grew that well but when I moved it was left on its own and didn’t live, but I can grow that.
Parade Bunching Onion from Burpee grew well.
I’ll keep growing Egyptian Walking Onions and I brought mine from my house and they are in two long containers. Think I’ll get a four x four raised bed to put them in.
Homemade Pickles cucumbers won over all other cucumbers.
Sun King Broccoli from Burpee and Catskill Brussels Sprouts from Terroir Company grew well.
The only squash for me is Tromboncino Squash. The one I moved here is still growing up a trellis and has flowers.
The Deck Corn from Burpee was growing well when I moved but it faltered due to my not being there to give them enough water. I will grow them again.
Burpee Masterpiece and Snowbird peas grew fine.
Burpee Little Finger Carrots were growing when I moved and died after I moved. I’ll try them again.
I GREW GOLDEN BURLEY TOBACCO – seed from JRandomFreeper, Johnny.
I totally failed growing lettuce. As a result of further research, I bought zillions of Little Gem and Bronze Mignonette lettuce seed from Eden Brothers. Those grow in hot weather. I’ll try them in spring.
My orange tree still has those four Mandarin Oranges on it and they are still totally green. Does anyone know if the oranges will ripen if I take them off the tree? I also don’t know what to do with that tree when cold weather gets here. I guess it will go in the garage or maybe in the house but don’t know if in the house will kill it.
I brought my blackberry plants here and one died so I have three alive.
I want to grow blueberries and the ones to grow in Texas, according to Texas A&M, are rabbiteye “Tifblue”: “Some blueberry varieties require cross pollination so variety selection will be critical. However, Tifblue has been shown to be self-fruitful and is the most universally outstanding rabbiteye blueberry grown to date.”
I know this – I can grow food from seed because I did it. I plan to buy more of the seeds above and store them in mason jars in the freezer. Those are my prepper seeds.
I know there are moles here, see their holes in the area where I want the containers to be. What would kill them and not hurt my Yorkie?
Thanks to all of you who answered questions from me while I was learning to do this. I love all of you, even Johnny.