Aww, isn't he cute? (Freshly hatched baby King Cobra)
Posted on 08/28/2021 6:13:03 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you.
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Easy Kale Pesto:
https://www.loveandlemons.com/kale-pesto/#wprm-recipe-container-54611
I found the recipe last year - liked it so much I’ll never make it with Basil again. Well, NEVER say never, ‘cuz I have a ton of Basil, too. Maybe a combo?
I also bought their latest cookbook. Some really good recipes in there and their blog is very well done, too. Husband and wife team.
https://www.loveandlemons.com/
I just discovered Tomato Powder a year or so ago. Not sure how I lived without it all this time!
OK. I guess I’ll have to look at some on-line recipes to see what I can find.
Quick down and rity rundown of current status here in the Pacific Northwest.
Tomatoes going gangbusters.
Beefsteak, Chelan Heirloom, White Tomasol, Indigo Rose, Brandywine, Black Krim, Black Icicle and a couple of other varieties all have fruit set (zone 8b so we are behind a lot of you folks) and some are beginning to ripen.
Brussel sprouts starts and popping but nowhere near ready. I have to thin them out.
Rainbow chard, flat leaf Italian kale, collard greens all kicking ass now. Collard greens were sad and doing nothing but I cut them waaaay back almost down to nubs and they loved it.
Volunteer broccoli from.last year growing line crazy but no heads forming yet. (Taking suggestions.....if you know how to fertile to get those broccoli heads to start forming let me know.)
Eggplants aplenty. Took a 5 gallon home depot bucket to work for the coworkers. Still have another half bucket to blanch and freeze.
Bell peppers, Poblano, Jalepenos, Giant Marconi, Caperino, and Round of Hungary all doing quite well....Shishito are a little behind the 8 ball.
Greetings from Charleston, WV! I am in the middle of that road trip. I have delivered my son’s wood shop equipment to their new home outside of Atlanta, GA and did a couple of errands, using my now empty box trailer. I am half way to my sister’s in Punxsutawney, PA. I have to make a stop there to do a few things, like changing storm doors, etc, and then on Tuesday, I will drive home, to get caught up on all of the Johnny-Dos that I didn’t get done.
Household Six bought me another John Deere 318 with some attachments, including a 3-PT hitch. This will give me a machine with the loader and another with rear PTO, 3-PT hitch and clear to run grass cutting and snow removal. Also with the 3-PT, I can get a 2” hitch adaptor and a sleeve hitch adaptor to use the sleeve hitch implements from our long in the tooth Craftsman garden tractor.
Of course, I am already planning a cattle panel hoop house for this equipment!
I love fresh grown basil.
Now that the prime growing season for WEEDS is winding down, and we had a good long rain yesterday, I was out in the garden yanking some of them up.I didn’t get too far but it felt good!
I saw some of the tomato plants - through the weed growth - and though not very productive, they look pretty nice! The issue is I have to make a path through the six foot tall dense weeds to get to them. One of the bush beans I planted turned out to be a pole bean, and has a half dozen beans up too high for the deer to get - so I’ll get those and do them up in butter and garlic.
Quite pitiful, but at least I got that damn fence up finally. It looks like a Frankenstein fence, but it should ward off darn near anything but a bear!
We have a brown turkey fig .... the bush is huge this year because the winter was mild enough it didn’t get killed back to the roots. Some folks put chicken wire or burlap around them & then stuff with with leaves to give them some protection from freezing, but we have never done that. We’re Zone 7.
This year, we had one batch of really early, huge figs which was very unusual since we generally have only one crop .... the little ones that were also coming on at that early time are now ripening up, about 2 months later.
An “aunt” always makes ‘pickled figs’ and boy, are they good. I got her recipe (can’t find it now when I need it, of course!), but looked up some online that are similar. Pickled figs are a good bit of work (process over 3 days for most of the recipes), but delicious. An example of a 3-day ‘pickled fig’, canned:
https://www.newlifeonahomestead.com/pickled-figs-recipe-canning/
You can just search for “pickled figs” and find a recipe you like - not all are 3-day.
Something else you could also do is make fig jam ... I love that stuff, too! Some recipes don’t require cooking/canning (freezer jam). You can also combine figs with other fruits like strawberries, blueberries, white grapes,even rhubarb - then there’s honey/walnut fig jam! Here’s a link with some of those recipes:
https://www.allrecipes.com/gallery/fig-preserves/
Despite both of us having had COVID last week, we’ve pretty much recovered this past week, and have at least been harvesting.
Spousal unit sat next to a gal at our Legion/Legion Auxiliary meeting on the 9th, who subsequently test positive; also her husband, a Legionnaire, was hospitalized on a ventilator; he died Thursday.
We developed respiratory symptoms late the next week, but chalked it up to the heavy smoke in the air. Mrs. AR went in for a scheduled procedure, and tested positive; I wasn’t tested, but was definitely infected. She’s been issued an official release letter by the state health dept this past week. I’ve been using Ivermectin all week. I’m still a bit weak, but basically over it.
ITMT, the garden has only minimally suffered. Yesterday, we pulled & stripped about 1/2 of the black seeded green beans that were drying on the vines. Last night & this afternoon, we shelled them. The pods had half filled a 5 gallon bucket. There’s also an equal amount of white seeded vines.
The corn got canned, though it was a few days past prime, but still sweet.
Squash has kept the food bank supplied, but then had to be neglected: several giant stuffers out there waiting to be picked. Also need to pick cukes; it’s been about a week since they were last picked.
Potatoes are dying back; dug one totally dead Yukon: got 3 huge spuds from it, and some little ones. So far, these are the best taters we’ve had in years.
The Fall peeas are up & growing.
Awesome.
Oh, No! So glad you’re both OK. Hope you don’t end up with any lingering effects. :(
Glad you were able to get back to gardening this week. :)
I love that picture and saved it. I am sure someone here knows the answer to this question. I have a 5 lb bag of russet potatoes from the store and I do not have any kind of cold storage in the house. Question is I know you can’t freeze raw potatoes but how about if they are baked whole first then put in a foodsaver bag? Thanks in advance.
I have some of the Knorr brand. Very good but not just tomato powder. Love it sprinkled on a deviled egg.
I you are looking for an easy pathway just lay some roofing shingles on top of the flattened weeds. Hat tip to Diana.
“Snakes. Why did it have to be SNAKES?” ;)
She DOES look like James Bond’s Miss Moneypenny! ;)
I had a bunch to use up so I made the Garlic Mashers and froze them in ziplock portions. They thawed beautifully and tasted and looked like I had just made them, once re-heated.
I’d use the foodsavers if you’re going for longer term storage.
Can’t see why baking them whole and ‘saving’ them wouldn’t work.
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