Posted on 07/31/2021 6:31:55 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
(Sorry about the double post above. Computer froze up for a second there.)
Got Blackberries?
Easy Blackberry Jam Recipe Low Sugar with Canning Instructions
https://melissaknorris.com/blackberry-jam-recipe-low-sugar/
There are also low sugar links for Spicy Peach Jam & Strawberry Jam.
Been getting peppers cakes pickling cakes and kyoto eggplants. Tomato plants are setting fruit. Things are looking good.
Whatever she had in the fridge.
It was a one time treat.
Goat cheese is one suggestion.
Woah!
Thank you! Goat cheese is a good suggestion! (I suppose some minced shallots salt and pepper if you want to go that far!)
I will have to start watching for excess blossoms!
Idiot that I am I just found out that Irises need to be divided- or thinned.
Article on thinning: https://garden.org/thread/view/16376/1-000-Thanks/?offset=20
Presently picking a quart a day of ripe Blackberries. Flash freezing what I can’t eat (which is a lot!).
A good sea view, a pool, retired! Good things.
If you think about it you have very little time on this Earth to spend on yourself. The first 18 years or so you are either helpless, dependent upon others or busy. Then you spend the next 30-40 or so years working and on family obligations. Even with today's health kicks and medical care you see few vibrant, active people over 80 and even fewer over 90. You may be alive but your body doesn't react, your reflexes start to go, you heal more slowly and once again you start becoming dependent upon others. So you could be lucky to have a sweet spot of 10 to 15 years where you have the time, health and resources to actually enjoy life for your own sake. My wife, the lady in the pool, has lunch every Friday with a woman whose husband is having serious health problems and he just hit 70. They moved to Spain the same time we did so they only had 5 really good years. My wife is having health problems but so far they have knocked us down but not out. We're going to Bruges in September if the Covid Gods let us and we have already booked a week in Gran Canaria for next March in order to get a break from the harsh Almunecar winter :-) I've seen too many people spend their entire lives working only to end up so sick they can't do a thing. We are determined to enjoy the few good years we have.
Try this Filling:
Mix cup goat cheese, teaspoon ea chopped fresh chives, parsley, tarragon Roll into 12 teaspoon-size balls to stuff.
This Tempura Batter is light and delicious:
Whisk cup ea flour, soda water, 1 tablespoon vodka, 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Final: Open up 12 blossoms and remove stamens. Place one goat cheese ball into each blossom and squeeze closed. Dip the blossoms into the tempura batter, and then fry in batches until crispy on all sides, without browning, about 5 minutes. in 350 degree canola oil.
Transfer to paper towels.
I recently came across a recipe that calls for brining the cukes for 12 hrs, and after packing the jars, you place them in a water bath for 30" but not to boil....only to maintain 180 to 185 degrees....apparently it leaves the pickle crunchy.
*GASP* Another close call!
I scored more Georgia Peaches the other day from our local guy, but I’m eating them fresh! Nothing better! :)
‘Spicy & Peaches’ DOES sound good, though!
Pretty Kitty! :)
6a according to the zone map. My place is 1.5mi south of I-70 ~6mi east of 63/70 interchange in Columbia.
I’ve been kicking the idea. Can’t hurt to try it.
So envious of your lifestyle, though I have no complaints with mine.
And here I thought leaving Wisconsin for Tennessee for MY retirement years was going to be scary, LOL!
That WAS my plan until Beau came along. ;) I’ve been retired 5 years and he’s been retired 4, but he still does some jobs for his brother from time to time. He loves playing with those big Earth-movin’ machines - and who can blame him?
I am happier than I’ve ever been on, ‘Abandon All Hope Farm’ and I, too, highly recommend planning for and getting OUT OF The Rat Race as soon as you can. You are SO right that LIFE is too short!
‘89 trips around the Sun and it’s STILL not enough for me!’ ~ Grandpa Elmer, on what would be his final birthday
Iris thrive on being divided. When they’re too crowded, the stoop blooming properly and are more prone to disease and those awful Iris Borers.
I have a clump of ‘Cat’s Eye’ Iris that I got as a freebie with an order from Jung’s one time. My ‘clump’ is now a ‘mass’ and needs thinning, so that’s on the To-Do list in late Summer.
An easy Rule of Thumb for moving or dividing just about ANY Perennial is to do it opposite of it’s bloom time. So, Iris bloom in Spring, so they should be thinned and/or transplanted or shared in late summer to give them time to get established before a freeze. This varies by Zone of course; if you have a longer growing season before frost, you can do it in the Fall.
When to Harvest Vegetables and Fruit
Find how when your veggies and fruit are at peak flavor
How do you know when a vegetable or fruit is ripe and at the peak of flavor? Whether you are harvesting in the garden OR you are picking produce at the market, find out when to pick a pepper—or tomato, cucumber, bean pod, melon, ear of corn, eggplant, pumpkin, and all your common veggies and fruit!
You’ve watered, fed and nurtured your garden. Now…when can you start enjoying the fruit of your labors? 5 Tips for Picking
Remember, bigger is not always better. Many vegetables taste best before they grow too big. For example, zucchini are best picked when they are 6 to 8 inches long. They’re still good later, but they have hit their peak ripeness and their flavor will start to deteriorate.
Not all fruit and vegetables are harvested the same way. For example, pears are picked when they are still hard! Watermelons must be fully developed before being picked. Tomatoes can ripen on or off the vine.
Be very gentle when you pick. For example, take care not to yank the fruit or vegetables. Stems and branches are easily broken. Use two hands to pick; hold the stem in one hand and pick with the other. If the crop is ripe but doesn’t easy pull by hand (such as eggplant), use pruning shears.
Once a crop starts producing, check the garden every day! Picking vegetables as soon as they are ripe often encourages the plant to produce much more! Otherwise, many vegetables will bolt and flower as they “think” they’re done. Pinch or cut back herbs frequently to keep them productive (and to keep them from flowering).
You can always preserve an overly-abundant harvest. For example, green beans can be blanched in boiling water for one minute, cooled in ice water, and frozen. Zucchini and squash can also be frozen or made into zucchini bread!
Have more questions about specific crops? Click on the linked crops below to go straight to the plant page with growing and harvesting tips!
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