Posted on 07/18/2014 12:31:17 PM PDT by greeneyes
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The Trombetta necks are really ‘quality’ squash - I’ve gotten so I cut the bottom rounded part off and just use the necks. The Cucuzza definitely has more of a seed issue - my baseball bat sized one was really too big - should harvest them smaller (assuming I ever get another one - two ‘babies’ have appeared, one bloomed, but not sure if it was pollinated).
You would have gotten a laugh seeing me chase that squirrel who was doing his best to make off with a very large tomato. He was a ‘cheeky’ fellow .... dropped it, overran it a bit, came back and picked it up again! Once he got in the apple tree, he immediately started eating green apples - I didn’t scare him at all. The squirrels we get are truly ‘wild’ ones that filter up from the woods - generally, if they see you, they’re gone in a hurry. This one .... must have been hanging out at a neighbor’s bird feeder or something because he didn’t run when I walked by - just kept munching that apple. I’ll see if I can post you a picture - got a pretty good one of him.
That tomato thief is so cute. I couldn’t shoot him. Something is knocking grape tomatoes off my one smart pot which is on the end of a row of smartpots, and about 20 feet from a big hackberry. I thought it was birds, but it’s probably squirrels.
I am guessing that is why my cats flop out under the overhanging tomato plant branches. I haven’t seen any partially eaten tomatoes. just knocked off ones, and not that many..maybe five or six.
That’s looking really nice. Meanwhile, we’re lucky to have corn “ankle high by the Fourth of July”.
With the new greenhouse, next year I’ll try starting some for transplanting, and see what happens.
We use three varieties, all relatively early, and open pollinated: Painted Hill; Golden Cross Bantam; Mandan Sweet (AKA Mandan Red Flour). The two Indian types are also cold tolerant. While I still had seed from JDB, I also planted Serendipity.
Quite a harvest of zucchini, yellow crockneck and patty-pan this morning. Still have lots of wax beans, gonna pull some beets and cut some greens. It’s getting pretty dry over here, tho - and I’ve got a summer cold and just don’t feel like doing much more than what absolutely has to get done now. Weeds can wait a few days. So emphaisis this weekend is harvesting the zukes before they grow to weapons-grade size and water, water, water.
Thank you, for the address and the baking soda information. I’ll check out the address and get rid of the mushrooms.
We have been getting quite a bit of rain lately. And of course, in between the rains, I’ve watered. Thanks for the information.
Starting my corn in the greenhouse gives me a leg up on my neighbors plus I get 100% stand. Perfection is a 70 day super sweet hybrid from Harris Seed.
WOWZER! Thanks for the pictures. It’s looking great. Hubby’s corn is delicious, but he can’t remember what it is. He just goes to the feed store and asks them what’s the best tasting corn seed you have?
Is Perfection the one you always plant, because for some reason I thought that the one’s you have sprouted before started with an R?
That would have been a disaster for sure!
Better late than never.LOL I was beginning to feel a little like the Maytag Repair man.
That sounds kinda like my Saturday. Yesterday Daughter, grand daugter and I left early, swung through the drive thru, and headed to the neighboring “big city” of 8000 people. LOL.
Visited the farmer’s market checking it out. We got honey, muscadin grape jelly, elderberry jelly, eggs, grassfed beef ground burger meat, some herbs in pots, and salted caramel.
Visited a new store in the town organic produce only. Free range chickens(no corn in feed)and grass fed beef. We got some butter, another dozen eggs, chicken, granny smith apples, and honey with the comb. I think daughter will definitely be visiting that store again.
I am interested in the eggs from free range chickens and butter from grass fed beef, because of the vitamin K2 content. The industrialisation of agriculture has led to a decrease in this nutrient in our food supply.
New research has revealed that K2 is needed for the body to regulate, and allow the calcium to be absorbed in the bones, instead of clogging up arteries.
The best source is Dutch style Gouda Cheese. Eggs from free range chickens and butter from grass fed beef are also good sources, but even a little corn in their feed can reduce the value, or so I’ve read.
Then late lunch at Shogun’s, and back to our little town. I had only been home about 30 minutes, when Grand Daugter called and asked if I could baby sit.
So I took a nap, then headed out again. Picked up the 11 year old grand daughter and went to baby sit with the great-grand kids ages: 5,1, and 6 months. What a blast.LOL Just a little worn out today, but have lots of stuff to do.
Hubby proposed harvestin beets for another batch of pickled beets. I told him I already have black berries and cukes, and I also have a long list of to dos that have to get done.
The earliest time I can possibly work in beets is Wednesday night. I do wish he’d learn a little about succession planting so all our produce doesn’t mature at the same time.LOL
I have done cuttings before. Enough of them worked out that it was worth the effort.
Hitching a ride is a likely scenario to be sure.
When you get squash, it is often the gift that keeps on giving.LOL
Sometimes I pickle it with onions to eat in the winter time.
We rarely eat bacon, since we are both watching cholestrol. However, I do buy it when we have fresh maters just because it’s such a great taste.
That’s a good plan. If the local chefs like that variety, then I’m definitely gonna have to try some.
That’s so great. Lots of good flavoring there in just one braid.LOL
If they come back like that again, it’ll be a silver lining for sure.LOL
Have you ever pickled any zukes? I cut some up last year in a spear shape (did not include middle where seeds are). They were the larger ones, and they made great pickles.
In fact, they tasted better than cuke pickles, and had a nice crunch to them.
I went out and purchased a soil testing kit. Figured I might as well see what my PH, Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium is.
On a good note. PH matches perfectly with the chart for 7. Nitrogen, phosphorous are next to nil and potassium looks to be too high. Then I had a thought. Last year I used Mel’s mix. I wondered if it was possible that with the soil compacting and just egg shells and veggies as additional compost maybe it is time to say screw it, add the fertilizer, till under everything and start fresh.
This will probably be next weekends activities for me. Any suggestions?
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