Posted on 06/29/2018 6:57:26 PM PDT by greeneyes
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I've spent a lot of time sweeping up mud dropping off of hubby's boots. The humidity is really bad, so as we have worked outside, we have to take frequent time to escape back to the air conditioning.
We've been getting 15 gallons of water from the air conditioner this week. The volunteer squash that came up next to the compost bin is larger than any we've ever grown. It has taken over the paved pathway and part of the adjacent raised bed.
The volunteer tomato is blooming and has a few tiny fruits setting-it appears to be one of the grape type tomato plants.
Wheat has been harvested-birds and squirrels got more than half. So much for waiting till the heads turn down - next year will have to do something different.
The patio project using pavers is nearly finished. Hubby estimated a couple of days before he has the raised beds put back together - going to plant some little giant corn and maybe some lettuce etc. in the shady spot.
Next project is a storage shed at the end of the patio to put patio table, chairs, and rakes etc. in out of the weather.
I had planned to plant some triticale, but hubby put all of his project supplies and bags of mortar mixes etc. in the bed that I was going to use for that. So I didn't get that planted.
I just processed 14 pints of dill green beans, and a batch of regular green beans - quarts. Hubby says we have carrots ready for something. First year we've ever had a crop-not sure what is the best way to process them, so I'll be reading my ball book of preserving food to see what I want to tackle.
The canning process has actually been pretty good this year, since we had the cooler weather spell.
Hope you are all doing well. Prayers up for all. Have a great weekend. God Bless.
Pinging the list.
Ball has a new book that has a lot more and different recipes too.
That’s on my Santa list for this Christmas.
Along with an electric water bath canner I can put on my porch and not steam up my kitchen in July/August.
Love this!
We’re overrun with tomatoes.
Giving away a half dozen every two or three days—can’t eat em fast enough.
Huge number of Marconi peppers and cucumbers.
I think we’ll start seeds a bit later in 2019...
On Monday night it got down to 37F overnight. Whew, no frost damage here in the cold Colorado Rockies. Everything looks OK, but tomatoes and beans are slow due, I think, to cold temps at night.
I bought ball’s most recent book last year for hubby, so that he would quit borrowing and losing mine. LOL I actually don’t like the way it’s organized and it takes up way too much space on the book shelf. I do like additional recipes.
I’ve been thinking about getting a gas BBQ grill to use, but your comment made me stop and think about those portable electric burners that I’ve seen advertised - we have several outdoor electric outlets that I could use to do that. So thanks for helping me think that through.
Glad to hear it.
We don’t have any tomatoes yet, except for the ones from the farmer’s market.
Most likely. You need temps of around 50 degrees at night for tomatoes to continue to grow and mature. You may need to do something about getting some warmth somehow.
Get a dehydrator and make tomato powder.
https://thesurvivalmom.com/10-uses-tomato-powder/
https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/2017/09/tomato-powder/
I leave the seeds in mine for the dehydrator part and sift them out once I’ve ground the dried maters up.
It’s REALLY good sprinkled on the top of a roast in the crockpot. Makes its own tomato gravy.
I tried to heat my water bath on one of those double eye hotplates from Walmart but no dice. Just didn’t have the mojo to do that.
I’ve been trying to think of ways to get cooking outdoors while it’s 96F here.
I bet a rocket stove would do it, but you would need to protect the base of the canner from smoky build up, you’d also have to feed the fire.
So I wonder if a gas grill would work? I know some have extra burners for cooking stuff. Since we are all electric, I have been thinking about getting a gas BBQ just for a backup cooking source, but also something to use for canning outdoors in the summer heat.
I have two holes in the ground near my 5 blueberry bushes. Probably one or more rats. Do you have any advice?
I put mirrors on an old satellite dish and it reaches 600+ degrees in about a minute. I’m looking for a 10 inch cast iron pipe to put food in for cooking.
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/rid-rats-organically-vegetable-garden-90062.html
A couple of links with articles. I got some sort of poison that I used for voles - it came in a cone shaped box. I don’t remember the name. I think hubby bought it at wall mart.
Hubby is going to fire up a propane burner he’s got to do the water bath canning.
What I like about the electric waterbath is you can use it for soup/stew and as a steamer too.
We’ll see if I still think I need it this fall when I’m done with canning.
Wowsers.
I’ve seen plans for a solar cooker floating around the net somewhere. That’s on my to do list actually. Another way to heat food that doesn’t involve a fight with my A/C in the summer.
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