Posted on 10/01/2025 5:23:58 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
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I picked up a rex begonia last winter at a local craft market. There was one room with a few plants and I took pity on it and gave it a good home-and a clay pot.
It is the variety type that has a snail shell spiral pattern on rounded leaves. It is my first rex begonia. It is doing very well here.
I’ve tried carrots once or twice without much luck. Tiny pale things was all I got. Was a long time ago too though.
Since finding out that most of Japan has acidic soil, I started looking more at Japanese veggies since I have acidic soil too. Have no idea if they’ll do better. Could be different soil in every other way.
Good choice on the clay pot; Begonias like to dry out between watering.
‘Pegasus’ is in an old Guy Wolff pot. He’s very happy there. :)
Same goes for my geraniums and my long-lived Christmas Cactus, Miss Peach. :)
It’s been maybe 2 years since I have been to this channel. They are still going strong. Young couple homesteading, great videos.
https://www.youtube.com/@morethanfarmers/videos
Woolly Bear Facts: They can live in their 'larval' state for up to TWENTY years, and have been found as for North as the Arctic Circle. They are not considered a 'garden pest' so don't smoosh them! When they DO change from caterpillars, they become the Isabella Tiger Moth which was first formally named by James Edward Smith in 1797. I have never seen one as a moth in my lifetime so far, but moths are nocturnal and I really like to sleep at night versus playing, 'Moth CSI.' ;)
They are an awesome couple. So inspiring! Her storage ideas are great - and she really advocates for growing food that you do NOT need to ‘process’ in any manner and just store properly to make it through the winter months. Root crops: Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Onions, Carrots, Beets, Radishes, Horseradish, Garlic...
So VERY smart! :)
Metmom: See post #324.
Their cold storage rooms are impressive.
I found a *moderate winter* colored one the other day.
According to Ryan Hall, this winter is supposed to start out mild to moderate for us in the northeast but in Feb and Mar, the forecast is to be getting slammed with nor’easters 6-9, which comes out to about 1 per week.
*sigh*
We actually had to order firewood this year. The stuff we have is not quite dry enough to burn for this winter.
However, a friend was over the other day and saw a large ash tree come down so mr. mm and I went and cut it up and are in the process of hauling the chunks back to the wood shed.
The tree was still just barely alive, but the roots rotted out. We would not have chosen to cut that one down, but once it’s down, if we don’t get it, it rots. so firewood it is. Gorgeous wood too. Too bad it could not have been logged for the wood value, but no logging company wants to come in for just a few trees. So firewood it is.
Thanks for the links.
“Their cold storage rooms are impressive.”
Mine could be too IF I could get ‘someone’ to move all of his empty paint cans, random JUNK, abandoned tools, hunting and HS Football/Wrestling trophies from 1970 and raccoon boards (for tanning) out of there!
Seriously, that spot in the Field Stone Basement of this 1900 farm house was originally MEANT TO BE a Root Cellar! It is nothing but floor to ceiling shelving along three walls. Not sure why I can’t convince him of such. Grrrr!
Once I move up to ‘Management’ from my current position in ‘Day Labor’ there are going to be big, BIG changes around here. ;)
CHOCOLATE TOFFEE CARAMEL CORN / A nice gift.
Ing--Caramel Corn: 32 c plain popped popcorn 2 c br/sugar 1 c LAND O LAKES® Butter 1/2 c light corn syrup 1 tsp salt 1 tbl vanilla 1 tsp baking soda DRIZZLE: 1 c bittersweet choc/chips 1 c toffee bits Coarse grain sea salt
Method Place popcorn in large roaster; set aside. Combine br/sugar, butter, corn syrup, salt in pan. Cook/stir over med to a full boil (8-10 min). Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, 5 min. Offheat stir in vanilla and baking soda. Carefully pour hot syrup mixture over popcorn in pan; stir til well coated. Bake 250 deg 1 hour, stirring every 15 min til crisp. Immediately place on waxed paper. Cool completely. Drizzle w/ micro-melted choc/chips. Immediately sprinkle with toffee bits and sea salt Let stand to set. Yield: 34 (1 cup) servings.
Cooks Tip: Purchase popped popcorn in bags to save time. Store finished caramel corn airtight up to 2 weeks. Prep time: 20 minutes; Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes.
© 2011 and ®/™ Land O'Lakes, Inc., used with permission.
So is solid brown really a Woolly Bear? I did my homework:
Yes, a woolly bear caterpillar can be solid brown. According to folklore, an all-brown caterpillar suggests an overall mild winter with above-normal temperatures and insignificant snowfall.
This coloration is not uncommon and is attributed to the caterpillar's age and the length of the previous growing season; a wider brown band typically indicates an earlier hatching and a longer summer.
While the Isabella tiger moth caterpillar (the most common woolly bear) is typically black on both ends with a reddish-brown middle, variations in color, including solid brown, can occur.
PS: Speaking of bugs going to a very ‘hot place’ after a very hard freeze, I cannot wait for the cold to get the gnats around here! They have bedeviled me since May! Every time I go out to do anything other than mow (evidently they can’t keep up with the mower), I have to wear a bug net. Lately, they have really been biting - I got chewed up around the ankles Tuesday planting bushes .... had to change from capris to long pants after 15 minutes.
I was so annoyed I actually looked up what purpose gnats serve on earth. They do have an ecological purpose other than being annoying so I will have to temper my complaining, but I won’t miss them this winter ..... unless, per Mr. Solid Brown Woolly Bear, it’s so mild the gnats never go away (horrors!).
Yeah, I’m going to likely have that problem too, as I need to “rotate” my tomato garden out of it’s present location (gets partial shade which mitigates the heat), but the only other practical spot would be full sun in afternoons, and with a white building wall to the east of it...
My only other option is to somehow kill the fungi in the soil in the present spot, or, go to all pots and insulate / shade the pots themselves.
Have you tried Heatwave II tomato plants? They seem to resist heat better than other varieties. However, the fruits are pretty bland tasting.
How do the Mexicans grow tomatoes so well?
I would imagine an all-brown Woolly Bear would be similar to Beau’s finding a Cinnamon-colored Black Bear from time to time.
Or maybe an Albino Buck? Nature does some weird stuff out there, LOL!
Trek repellent works fairly well for me to repel gnats & small biting flies:
...Not 100%, but better than anything else I’ve tried.
It IS a bit pricey, but I got lucky and picked up 5 cans on clearance at Wally World, a few weeks ago, for $6.00 per can.
Thanks - I will keep an eye out for it. My brother had some smelly stuff with Deet in his golf bag that we sprayed on our hats when he was here to help take down trees last month ... didn’t work very well. The gnats were in ‘clouds’ that day - awful.
PUMPKIN TOFFEE CHEESECAKE w/ CARAMEL DRIZZLE
Fab flavors: cream cheese, shortbread cookies, pumpkin, crushed toffee, sweetened sour cream.
CRUST: Mix 1 3/4 c crushed Lorna Doone cookies, 1 tbl melted butter. Press on bottom, 1-inch up side of 9-inch springform. BAKE 350 deg 6-8 min (do not brown). Cool on wire rack 10 min.
CHEESECAKE : 3-8 oz pkg cr/cheese, 1 1/4 c br/sugar 15 oz can Libby's Pumpkin 5 oz can Evap/Milk 2 lge eggs 2 tbl cornstarch 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1 c crushed toffee candies (in baking aisle)
BEAT cr/cheese, br/sugar creamy. Add pumpkin, evap/milk, eggs, cornstarch and cinnamon; beat well. Pour into crust. BAKE 360 deg 60-65 min; edge is set; center moves slightly. Remove to counter; top w/ toffee.
TOPPING: 8 oz tub sour cream, at room temp, 2 tbl sugar 1/2 tsp vanilla Caramel ice cream topping COMBINE sour cream, sugar and vanilla; mix well. Spread over warm cheesecake. BAKE 8 min. Cool completely in pan on rack. Fridge 5-24 hrs. Remove sides of pan. Plate. Drizzle w/ caramel before serving.
© 2009 and ®/™ Société des Produits Nestlé S.A., Vevey, Switzerland, used with permission.
“”Have you tried Heatwave II tomato plants? They seem to resist heat better than other varieties. However, the fruits are pretty bland tasting.
How do the Mexicans grow tomatoes so well?””
The only tomatoes that seem to grow well for me are the beefsteak, Lemon Boy and a few others. I have tried a Heatwave type tomato, but it didn’t do much re: production. I’m hooked on growing the gold and yellow and beefsteak types now, with limited space.
I think the tomatoes grow well in Mexico due to different weather. They probably get more rain, more humidity and less extreme heat and drought, which is what happens here every year around mid-June through August... only this year the heat/drought extended through September-October. It’s like my house had a bubble over it with rain all around in other areas, but no joy in my garden. As it stands, my garden (while dead already) hasn’t received any rain at all for over a month now... with average temps of 90-95.
Usually, the peppers in-ground are still growing and producing, but not this year. This year they shriveled and died too, due to the high soil temperature and drought condition.
I dunno. It’s a small reward for a lot of work (a scant few dozen tomatoes). And the soil temperature just gets too hot, no matter how much shadecloth over the plants and how much watering the plants get. They simply need more rain and less heat.
I keep wondering... ie if it’s even worth it to plant the garden every year...and if I’ll even be able too do it in the future, still. But gardening is in my blood, like an addiction. So I’m afraid I’ll be out there doing the same ole planting...even if I have to be on a walker while doing it....lol.
Nevertheless... I’m planning to start four trays of tomato seedlings, 48 total, this February for next spring. The seedlings that do best by April will get planted in-ground in the raised beds. The rest will get potted or planted in other areas around the yard. And as always... the hope is... “maybe next year” it (the weather) will be better.
With winter fast approaching it was time to get rid of the old doghouse and replace it with something that wasn't falling apart. Finding a high-quality, all-weather doghouse to purchase is almost impossible. There's a mountain of junk on the market and none of it suitable for a Hound as fine as Howard, so I went to the lumberyard, bought some materials, and built a new one from scratch. With Nanner out of action due to the flat tire I used the little Kubota to haul off the remains of the old one.
It was getting dark by the time I finished so I didn't get any pics of his new domo. I've got a few finishing touches to complete but Howard didn't seem to mind. He was completely buried in fresh wheat straw when I went out this morning to give him breakfast.
The lone chestnut bur split a couple days ago so I picked it. The seeds feel pretty light for their size, but these being the first I'm not quite sure what to expect. I'll peel one of them later and see if there's any meat inside.
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