Posted on 08/08/2020 6:08:23 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you.
If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located.
This thread is non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked.
It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread. Planting, Harvest to Table Recipes, Preserving, Good Living - there is no telling where it will go - and that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us! Send a Private Message to Diana in Wisconsin if you'd like to be added to our New & Improved Ping List.
NOTE: This is a once a week Ping List. We do post to the thread during the week. Links to related articles and discussions which might be of interest to Gardeners are welcomed any time!
Vanilla Almonds
ING 1 egg white, beaten 1 tsp pure vanilla 4 cups whole almonds 3/4 cup sugar 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp cinnamon
METHOD Beat egg white, vanilla extract, add almonds; stir to coat. Mix w/ combined sugar, salt, cinnamon.
Bake single layer on greased sheetpan 300 deg 20 min.
Remove to cool on wax paper then break into clusters.
Ha! I wish I had enough to even worry about. My squash is a bust this year. :)
Thanks!
per all the garden videos I watch, prepare your beds in the fall, including compost......
I believe and I hope that the squash will continue to grow a week or two more....because I don't think I can do any thing about the mildew now....
next season I hope to find some mildew resistant varieties to plant.
I decided to try some fall crops this year, in the north country....I had to order beet seeds which they always say can tolerate cooler temps....we'll see....
Now might be a better time to plant them. Whenever I plant them in spring, they get attacked by leaf minersand I get disgusted and yank them out.
Left the house Saturday morning to go fishing - rained out.
Left the house yesterday morning to pick up alfalfa bales for the horses - rained out.
It even rained on us yesterday when we took a break from doing chores and went swimming.
But I managed to get the yard mowed and the weeds whacked in the garden in between rains.
I’m befuddled at the tomato situation this year. You couldn’t ask for better weather to grow them, but we’re not getting many at all. I’ve got 20 plants out, well... I had 20 plants out. Two of the black cherry croaked, and one of the brandywine is trying to croak now. I should be picking five gallons three times a week. I’m not getting five tomatoes three times a week. It’s pathetic.
I like the idea of charring everything. Yum! :)
Today I am dealing with green beans, a cantaloupe from a local farm stand, sweet corn and zucchini.
I have various food-stuffs to process so Beau can take them up to Bear Camp this week. I thought he was going to be home longer this week, but they’re leaving tomorrow so I’m scurrying today! :)
I way over-bought at the grocery last week, thinking I’d be making more meals than I now need. Nothing will go to waste, though. ‘Head Cook’ Leroy will see to that! ;)
Hummingbird Moths are what those gawd-awful Tomato Hornworms turn into!
A shame, really, they’re so cool and huge! :)
I did not know that! What a bummer .... now I won’t be able to look at them without thinking “big, green, & ugly”!
I’m “ok” now ... did a little ‘looking up’ .... hornworms come from the Sphynx moth (sometimes called hummingbird moth). That is not what was on my zinnias - whew!!
Do you have any mild salsa on hand? I’d make the Medium batch, then add mild salsa to it, to dilute the heat to what you prefer, then re-can it all. I had to do that in the past because the first time I made the Medium it was too hot for us, too!
I now use the Mild mix - Beau doesn’t like much heat, either.
My Mom makes those at Christmas. I always beg for a jar because I like to grind them up and use to top ice cream. Yum!
Oh, good! Glad I was wrong. The Sphynx Moth is even larger - truly almost the size of a ‘Hummingbird.’ That’s the word that threw me.
You weren’t ‘wrong-wrong’ .... I think a lot of moths with that ‘shape’ get tagged with the hummingbird moth label. The moth I had also never landed - just kept those wings going and hovering.
The hornworm is just more specific to the Sphynx moth. I’ve had hornworms before (not this year - it’s army worms this year) & boy, can they munch your tomato plants down in a hurry!
BTW, the zinnia seeds I planted Friday are up already! These were ‘bought’ seeds .... the ones I took off of spent zinnias in the garden aren’t up yet. I’m worried they weren’t ‘mature’ enough to germinate. I’ve got my seed rows labeled so I can tell what is coming up.
I love Zinnia, too. A new one for me this season was ‘Oriole’ which is a bold orange and very fitting as the ‘younger’ generation of Orioles are still hanging around, eating jelly from the feeders.
They’ve become one of my favorite birds, other than your everyday Robin (which is really a Warbler; hence their singing abilities) and is Wisconsin’s State Bird.
I’ve been stocking up on canning lids for months now. I have a several year supply.
I also managed to find two cases of wide mouth quarts at a local supermarket. They were definitely over priced, but after checking 7 other places, I figured I’d grab what I could find.
Funny thing is, on the way out to do the shopping, not 1/4 mile from my driveway, I saw a box on the side of the road that had a sign on it that said *FREE*, and I saw glass. I backed up and someone was tossing a whole box of cruddy looking canning jars.
But I have some industrial strength oven cleaner I got at Sam’s years ago and that’s take care of anything on them no problem. It was like God telling me that He’s more than capable of supplying what I need without me even worrying about it.
Where do you plan on getting your vanilla beans? Do you have a source for a good price?
The beans in the store are about $8 per and I am not spending that much money on them.
I have been hearing for years how you are not supposed to refrigerate tomatoes cause it ruins their flavor.
But what about freezing?
I grow only sauce tomatoes. I would eat tomatoes every day for every meal if I could but alas, they are off limits for me with these food allergies, so I grow only sauce tomatoes. Mr. mm dislikes fresh garden tomatoes (SMH) but loves sauce.
So I grow them just for canning. I know freezing would affect the texture but I suppose it doesn’t make any difference if you’re only going to make sauce of it. The big question is, does freezing affect the taste?
Would I be better off freezing the ripe ones rather than refrigerating them for canning?
I’ve always frozen them, which gives me more flexibility for later canning.
I, personally, haven’t noticed any lack of flavor. I mean, I’m making Salsa or V-8 juice or using them in the dead of winter for a warm bowl of Chili. Adding spices and other ingredients. I have never ONCE concentrated on the flavor of the tomatoes, just the end product.
Never occurred to me that flavor was an issue. I mean, I use commercially canned tomatoes in a pinch, and pasta sauce is cooked down even more. I could eat uber-processed Tomato Paste right out of the can, and I think it’s Da Bomb, LOL!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.