[greeneyes]

Greetings from Mo. It's been chilly nights, cool mornings, and moderate afternoons this week. Due to a combination of Dr. Appts. and Tests along with computer not working, I missed posting on a couple of Fridays. Apologies.

Going forward, if anyone else wants to start the thread on Friday-go ahead-the ping list is on my profile page.

Hubby harvested some carrots, peppers, a few tomatoes and finished digging the potatoes. He's almost finished with the front yard landscaping, just needs to plant something there and put the birdbath in the center.

He is in the finale stage of putting up a Garden shed to store many things including the chipper, generator and garden tools. That should leave plenty of time for planting the winter rye, wheat, and vetch, as well as garden and yard cleanup.

I'll be dehydrating carrots, peppers, and cherry tomatoes later today. It's cool enough to can some beef that is on sale this week. In addition I'll be restocking the pantry and reviewing preps for emergencies, which I didn't get to this month.

I also have to do some taxes and investments/required distributions from IRAs. The withdrawals will be reinvested in Am. Silver Eagles.

Hope all is well with you. Prayers up for all. God Bless.

[greeneyes]

pinging the list. Posting a link to seed saving - hat tip and thanks to Black Agnes.

https://www.seedambassadors.org/wp-content/uploads/pdf/seedzine4handout.pdf

[yesthatjallen]

Can people who make their own compost explain their process?

Also, has anyone used ammonia as a fertilizer or add to their compost to accelerate composting?

[Califreak]

I started canning this year. I finally got the nerve to do it. I don’t know what I was so afraid of. I canned a roast and a beef dish, a variety of dry beans, some corn, green beans, peach preserves, blueberry jam and corncob jam.

It’s a lot of work but once you get started and get into a routine, it’s not difficult or intimidating at all.

I really want to get somewhere where I can have a real garden that I am able to can out of and not just the perimeter of my little urban backyard.

[Oshkalaboomboom]

Since this is the time of year when everyone is picking their vegetables, canning, pickling, making sauces, etc., let me share a cautionary tale that might save you some pain.

One recent morning I decided to make Sriracha Sauce. I picked my peppers, got together all of my ingredients and got to work. The sauce looked, tasted and was coming along beautifully when I missed one important step in the recipe: Let the mixture cool for 5 minutes then transfer to a blender.

Since I didn't cook it on a high heat I thought it would be cool enough to transfer to the cup of my smoothie maker right away, and it seemed like it was. I put it in the cup, scraped the excess out of the pot and into the cup, put the cutting blade on and put it in the mixer. It blended beautifully but when I went to take it out it was stuck. Because it was a Magic Bullet style smoothie maker instead of a standard blender there was no way for any built up pressure to be released. Instead of walking away and trying again in a few minutes I tried to force it, and it blew up in my face.

Luckily for me I had worked around chemicals for many years and knew what to do in an emergency. My wife had been sitting at the kitchen table doing some paperwork so she was right there. I asked her to lead me to the shower because I couldn't open my eyes and I stripped off my clothes as she led me in. Once I got in the shower I first rinsed my head off with cold water so no more sauce would run down into my eyes, then I opened my eyes and let the water flush the sauce out for about 15-20 minutes. The hurt like Hell but I could still see and the more I rinsed them the less it hurt. I finally stepped out of the shower, looked in the mirror and my eyes were blood red. I went back in for another rinse and started feeling better so I got out again, dried off and went out to the kitchen. Sauce was everywhere from floor to ceiling so we spent the good part of a day cleaning up and then we had to get a painter in to repaint the ceiling and back wall, but I got off cheap. My chest and arms have burn spots all over them but I have my sight.

Do yourselves a favor and learn from my experience. Take your time and work safely. No food product is worth getting hurt over.

[Redleg Duke]

Duckulation explosion, here in southern New Hampshire! One of our Blue Runners has hatched ten ducklings this past week. Cute little so and sos. Two other Runner hens are on nests as well. Late in the season, but welcomed none the less. Don’t miss our chickens at all!

I gave the one active hive a mite treatment last early in September. After two weeks, the bottom mite board was loaded with dead mites. Hopefully, this colony will winter over.

[Geronimo]

Thank you for the ping greeneyes...I’ve been too busy travelling this year to do any gardening but always enjoy reading this thread...🌻🌾❤️

[tob2]

Better weather here in Virginia. Many fall tomatoes in varying stages of ripening. My one and only marigold plant has surprised me. After producing only one glorious flower, there are many buds and a new flower bloomed this afternoon!

[Randy Larsen]

I rarely post but do read.

I recently got into vermicomposting and have tons of red wiggles, European night crawlers and a big batch of African night crawlers...

Spring time will bring me full circle with my shredded and sifted leaf mulch, and massive amounts of used coffee grounds, that will be added to my raised beds that are being built as the leaves hit the ground.

come on springtime, I can hardly wait

[tubebender]

Welcome back greeneyes. You were missed! Started digging our Yukon Gold potatoes this week. This is from 10 hills with many many rows to go of 3 different varieties, including Yukon Gold, Crayola and red skilled Deseree…

[Augie]

We made it home in one piece from sunny Florida. Had a couple close calls on the road.

Caught a rock thrown by a hiway mower south of Hattiesburg on the way down. It busted the windshield and sprayed glass chips all over the inside of Mrs. Augie’s RAV4. Sounded like a bomb went off in the car when it hit us. Tried to schedule SafeLite to replace it while we were in Pensacola, but they sent the guy to Panama City. Then once they got it straight where we were they sent the wrong windshield. By that time it was too late to get it done before we had to head back. Local glass shop went to Mrs. Augie’s workplace this morning with the right part and installed it in the parking lot.

Successfully dodged a loose trailer wheel that came from the opposite side of the interstate going through Wentzville on the way home. The guy two cars in front of us ate it in his grille, then it went under his car and flew out the back side. I was paying attention and saw it fly over the jersey barrier so was able to avoid the tire and all of the other vehicles who were shucking and jiving trying to miss all of the shredded parts that came off the car that hit it.

Vacation was great, but it’s nice to be home. Going back to work on Thursday so I can get some rest.

The garden is pretty much kaput at this point. Okra is still going nuts, but the tomatoes are shot.

I uploaded pond work photos to tinypic this morning. I’ll post those on the next thread.

[MomwithHope]

Hi Diana I finally got to posting those pictures I promised you. First is my American Larch bonsai - about 16 years old. And the other is the spirea I told you about. No telling how old. It got a severe pruning this spring and needs to grow a new full crown. Next spring root trimming it should look fabulous. Pretty pretty pink blooms were faded by the time I took this.