Posted on 10/01/2025 5:23:58 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
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Right - DEET seems to have little effect on gnats.
I don’t know who beyond Menards and Walmart sells the Trek repellent, nor which ingredient repels the gnats best. However, a web search should turn up sellers. I guess I’d rate the stuff as “80% effective” against OUR gnats and flies, but less so on mosquitos, for which DEET seems to be tops.
Trek makes, IIRC, 3 or 4 different repellents. I do know the kids’ version is not as effective - no surprise.
Well, I know how you feel. After all the ups and downs this year with my garden, and then finally in late August the tomato plants were looking so great — and then fungus hit ‘em towad the end of Sept., and most died in a week or less. Many plants left toms on the vine just days short of being able to complete ripening anyway. The Romas in particular were doing so spectacularly well, and then died almost before I realized what was happening. Much the same for some of the Mortgage Lifters, although small areas of most plants are still alive, but the slow developing fruits just STOPPED.
I have also noted the Lemon Boys generally seem pretty “tough” when it comes to heat and drought, but that was when I still had them in small pots - pre-garden. Ditto for the Mortgage Lifters, except they refused to flower in less than good conditions.
At least I managed to get 3 big Opo fruits, and, to my vast surprise, my Ichiban “eggplants in the shade” did very well. The Golden Jubilee tomato plants are only now “giving up”, with many fruits falling off, but, most did get to the point of ripening, and taste-wise, they are my favorite.
Next year I am going to try spray painting the exterior of at least a half dozen pots white or reflective “silver”, and use the lightest color mulch possible, and see if that helps plants in pots. Shading pots themselves really seemed to help this year, but, it may have exacerbated the fungus issue?
“”I have also noted the Lemon Boys generally seem pretty “tough” when it comes to heat and drought, but that was when I still had them in small pots - pre-garden.””
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I love Lemon Boy tomatoes, and Golden Jubilees, but my all-time favorite is the Orange Oxeheart. I grew one in Houston as big as a grapefruit and that was THE best tasting tomato I’ve ever had in my life. It had a sweet, almost fruit-like quality that I have never been able to taste again. It’s like the ‘sword in the stone’ quest now for me to achieve growing that same tomato again.
Ah, next year....I have plans (always) for next year, too. I don’t know about shading (I use green shadecloth) causing fungus, but I do know if the plants are water-starved and then there’s a deluge, if you don’t check the pots for proper drainage... the plants can and probably will die. I found that out ‘the hard way’ two years ago.
I love Chestnut trees in bloom. There was one down the road from my old farm where a schoolhouse used to stand (Historical Marker) but there's a house there, now. So glad they saved that tree!
'Under a spreading chestnut-tree The village smithy stands; The smith, a mighty man is he, With large and sinewy hands, And the muscles of his brawny arms Are strong as iron bands.' ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Can’t go wrong with a Land O’Lakes recipe! :)
I grew out ‘Puffy Pop’ popcorn last season - some of it may be turned into this for Christmas gifts for the neighbors. Thanks!
I'm not from Mexico, but my secret is composted mule manure. You just need a mule and all of life's problems will be solved. :)
I’m down to the last tube of pork sausage from the hog we got last year, and we have a glut of Butternut Squash (if it ever gets picked!) so I think both are going to go into this stew:
Spicy Autumn Sausage Butternut Squash Stew
Can’t go wrong with a Land O’Lakes recipe! :) I grew out ‘Puffy Pop’ popcorn last season -
some of it may be turned into this for Christmas gifts for the neighbors. Thanks!
Garden-grown corn? Perfect.
Recipe makes great gifts.........
Amen on mules. You have many blessings.
I made this soup on Saturday & it is now my go-to hearty could-be-vegetable soup. I have not been able to find a veggie soup I like, but you could easily add additional veggies to what is already in this soup (diced tomatoes, carrots, celery, onions, kidney & northern beans).
I do like the soup ‘as is’ with nothing extra added - will be making it for church potlucks when we have soup & sandwich night during Lent. There is ground beef in the soup, but one of these days I will sub that out for sausage & see if I like it that way.
The soup has ditalini pasta - I actually found it at Food Lion. The recipe suggests cooking separately, then adding when serving. I put the cup of dry ditalini in the soup about an hour before serving - it soaked up just enough broth to thicken the soup a bit & I will add it this way again next time I make the soup.
https://www.cookingclassy.com/olive-garden-pasta-e-fagioli-soup-copycat-recipe/
Just added links to Tree sources to my profile page - https://freerepublic.com/~pollard/index#trees
Fruit and nut producing trees and also fruit bushes. Mainly improved versions of native/wild, a few regular native/wild as well and some standard fruit trees and bushes.
Would really like to get some trees planted here asap but will need to exclude goats. I have room for some small trees near the tunnel.
A 330’ roll of goat fence is up to $420 now. I have half a dozen cattle panels and 14 more would make almost as big an area as the fence and would cost $420. More durable, less work and less posts.
There's not much left to finish up Howard's new domo. A bit of plywood on the front of the porch, stain the exterior, finish picking up the mess.
The spinach I planted in the greenhouse is up. Got a half-decent stand. Not great, but not terrible. Next time I might try sowing in starter cells then transplanting into the ground.
Farm service truck will be here Thursday or Friday to see if Nanner's tire can be repaired. I'm not thrilled by the thought of spending $500+ on a new tire for a 45 year old machine. If I do I do, but I hope I don't. lol
The little Kubota had a hydraulic hose spring a leak while I was using it on Sunday. I'll pull that off after work today and drop it off at the NAPA store tomorrow to have a new one made.
I always use Ditalini pasta in soups - it holds up well.
Printed! Thanks! :)
Thanks for the recipe! It looks good.
Nice doghouse. Being in Michigan I’m not a fan of dog houses especially with our winters, but you are I think in Missouri. Nice design.
I think I am going to try this one next:
https://www.cookingclassy.com/cabbage-roll-soup/
Soup is an easy dinner & I get a lot of veggies in a bowl without having to prepare individual servings.
I was looking at this one yesterday thinking it a good candidate for sausage - https://www.cookingclassy.com/cabbage-soup/
Has cabbage, green beans and red bell peppers. Andouille?
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It's a 'smoked pork' sausage, which sounds good .... but if you read how it's made, it doesn't appeal to me; however, as the saying goes "whatever floats your boat". For example: I love oysters (fried) & some folks won't touch them. I also eat fried scrapple which is an 'eeewww yuck' for many folks. I don't eat 'chitterlings' & thus we get back to what is in Andouille sausage:
In France, particularly Brittany and Normandy,the traditional ingredients of andouille are primarily pig chitterlings, tripe, onions, wine, and seasoning. It is generally grey and has a distinctive odor. Some andouille varieties use the pig's entire gastrointestinal system.
In the U.S., the sausage is most often associated with Louisiana Cajun cuisine, where it is a coarse-grained smoked sausage made using pork, garlic, pepper, onions, wine, and seasonings. Once the casing is stuffed, the sausage is smoked again (double smoked). Nicknamed the "Andouille Capital of the World", the town of LaPlace, Louisiana, on the Mississippi River, is especially noted for its Cajun andouille.
The country Cajuns west of Lafayette, Louisiana, make andouille similar to the French. They season the pig intestines with salt and cayenne pepper, soak them in a water and vinegar bath overnight, and then rinse them well before stuffing them one into another lengthwise. They cut and tie them into long links with string and hang them with the sausage in the smokehouse. They are not twisted into links because they are too dense. When a link is cut, the concentric rings of the intestines can be seen
I do think that soup is a good candidate for sausage of some kind :-)
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