Weekly Garden Thread - September 18-24, 2021

September 18, 2021 | Diana in Wisconsin/Greeneyes

[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.

If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located.

This thread is a non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked.

It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread. Planting, Harvest to Table Recipes, Preserving, Good Living - there is no telling where it will go - and that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us! Send a Private Message to Diana in Wisconsin if you'd like to be added to our New & Improved Ping List.

NOTE: This is a once a week Ping List. We do post to the thread during the week. Links to related articles and discussions which might be of interest to Gardeners are welcomed any time!

[Oshkalaboomboom]

That's actually more for my wife and our cleaner/wife's companion to share. My tastes tend to go towards the more practical. This was my great find, a handheld razor strop that I found at a Sunday morning flea market in Bruges. Practically new and a bargain price.

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Here you go Oshk! And what is the flavoring for Absinthe?? (I know YOU know, but in case anyone does not, its wormwood!)

Specially bred Sweet Wormwood plants active agains Coronavirus!

snip..."Artemisia Annua: German biotech researchers and chemists from the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces (Potsdam, Germany) in close collaboration with virologists from Freie Universität Berlin have shown in laboratory studies that aqueous and ethanolic extracts of specially bred sweet wormwood plants (A. annua) are active against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that has caused the COVID-19 pandemic. https://www.fu-berlin.de/presse/informationen/fup/2020/fup_20_107-beifuss-corona/index.html"

Make what you want of it! Not sure I would take up absinthe in place of Horse paste! (More at link!)

(Nice label on the "Traditionale" bottle! The artist undoubtedly was using the product!)

[Albion Wilde]

[gymbeau]

So I heard.

[Oshkalaboomboom]

Wormwood growing was never banned in the United States. In fact it grows wild in the USA and Canada. Absinthe itself was banned in most of the world (but not Spain) but now there are Americans making some pretty decent stuff. There is even a television show on Discovery Channel in a format similar to Forged In Fire where people compete to make their own whiskies and one of their episodes featured Absinthe: Moonshiners Master Distillers - Absinthe

[LibWhacker]

The “Black Crack” along Utah’s White Rim Trail, a natural fissure in the rock a few feet wide and deep enough to kill you.

Known to glassmakers for centuries, Prince Rupert's drops can withstand the impact of a bullet on the bulb end but will completely shatter at the slightest touch on the tail end.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Oooo! That is a deal! Will come in handy for a number of things.

[JerseyDvl]

Great post.. Thanks.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

LOL! Pretty much! :)

[Oshkalaboomboom]

Absinthe? Isn’t that the stuff Edgar Allen Poe was doped up on, when writing his fantastical tales? ;)

Absinthe was banned for a long time because they though it was psychoactive and poisonous, neither which turned out to be true. What is definitely true about Absinthe is that it's strong stuff, some of the strongest liquor in terms of alcohol content out there.

There is no direct evidence that Edgar Allen Poe ever drank Absinthe. But he was an alcoholic and if your aim is to get very drunk then Absinthe would have been his drink of choice. Most of history's most famous Absinthe drinkers: Vincent Van Gogh, Oscar Wilde, Ernest Hemingway, etc., were also alcoholics. Absinthe would draw them like moths to a flame.

Personally I only have the ocassional glass and one will last me an evening.

[null and void]

I would have gone with:

I garden so I don’t
artichoke people

[Pollard]

Researchers at the University of California-Riverside are working on a way to grow edible plants that carry the same medication as an mRNA vaccine.

Thanks to a $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, researchers are now looking accomplish three goals. First, the team will try to successfully deliver DNA containing mRNA vaccines into plant cells, where they can replicate. Next, the study authors want to show that plants can actually produce enough mRNA to replace a traditional injection. Finally, the team will need to determine the right dosage people will need to eat to properly replace vaccinations.

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3996101/posts

Yet another reason to grow your own food

[ApplegateRanch]

G’mornin!

I finally had to buy a Salad Spinner.

It’s the only way I can really shake the snot out of my okra.

[gymbeau]

Must be a bad seed.

[FamiliarFace]

Sounds delish! Can you tell me about freezing basil? I’ve never done that.

[FamiliarFace]

I had the multi focal implants with my cataract surgery done one week apart. Best decision I’ve ever made, next to marrying my husband. NO MORE GLASSES! Not even readers!

I wish everyone who has worn glasses since they were children (like I did) could have an experience with multi focal implants like I have. I know hey can’t accommodate every situation. I am exceptionally happy!

[MomwithHope]

Great looking harvest!

[MomwithHope]

Take just the leaves and chiffonade them. Stuff in a quart ziploc freezer bag pretty full. Add about 1/2 cup light olive oil Smush around to coat the basil. Flatten and freeze. Great when you want some in the middle of the winter.

[Qiviut]

‘Habanada’ Peppers. Habanero type without the heat. Going to become ‘Cowboy Candy’ when enough of them are ripe.

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OMG ... habaneros??? I made ‘Cowboy Candy’ out of mere jalapenos .... my brother ate half a jar in one sitting (they WERE delicious if you like ‘heat’) & was in such bad shape (trembling from pain, chest on fire, sweat pouring off, laying on couch) that my SIL thought she was going to have to take him to the ER! She pumped him full of her heartburn meds & he recovered.

I also gave a jar (or two) to my niece - her hubby pulled my brother aside & said to please tell me NOT to give them any more Cowboy Candy. He said they were delicious, however he was ‘shooting fire out of his butt’ and thought they’d given him hemorrhoids! I believe he also made the mistake of getting carried away & eating more than a ‘couple’ at one time. I’m sorry for all his pain, but I laugh ‘til I cry every time I think about him describing his experience this way - having my brother deliver the news/request is part of the reason why it cracks me up ... the personal details were evidently too embarrassing to relay to me directly.🌶️🌶️🌶️

[Qiviut]

Habanero type without the heat.

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Ok, all I saw was “habanero” & I was off and running with my previous post ... totally missed the part ‘without the heat’ LOL!