Posted on 09/01/2025 4:39:33 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
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I agree. I even broke down and bought some salmon filet this week. Frozen, but natural, not farmed. Looking forward to it!
We woke up to 69 degrees AGAIN...so tired of heat, but today is supposed to be beginning of cool down. High of only 81 today...woohoo. May finally plant some fall veggies.
I don't remember his lead dog's name but when he lost that dog the pack and bear hunting completely ended.
Noted. What I thought were mislabeled Golden Jubilees, last year, would top my list, but then I’ve not tried Grandma’s Pick or Chef’s Choice Orange. I tried Cherokee Purples one year, but made the mistake of trying to let them ripen until all the “greenish” near the stem was gone.
Apparently, the CCO’s are a hybrid of heirloom Amana Orange toms crossed with something for faster maturity. Do you know what the 2nd half of the cross was? I didn’t find it in a quick search.
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My Golden Jubilee fruits (I think) on plants from seeds from last year’s fruits continue to grow and are still green: Now they are much bigger than the fruits from the Bonnies Golden Jubilee plants I bought this year. The latter still match up with my Cherry Falls: Color, taste, size, and interior structure. I took these latter 4 supposedly Golden Jubilee plants right from the 4” pots to into the ground, and used the original labels, doing no other tomato planting that day, so it sure looks like Bonnies made a mistake.
The real mystery is my super-vigorous solitary volunteer-from-the-chicken-guano/bedding. The fruits are still green and growing. If these turn out tasting good, I’m definitely saving some seeds. I suppose there is a slight chance it came up from last year’s “Golden Jubilees” (scraps fed to the birdies).
Hahaha!
In truth, I already have a 6' step ladder out there to "manage" the Opo (as much as I can on that height ladder!) Apparently all the vigor of the Opo's I planted ended up in just that one plant. It's 2 more feet up into that Mimosa this morning (way higher than I can get on a 6' step ladder!)
In his later years, dad & mom would go to a stocked trout pond. The fish were bigger & you paid by the pound. Mom got carried away when the fish were biting on one trip & cost dad $75 LOL!
Dad’s hands were really bothering him & he wanted to go fishing SO bad, but said he couldn’t clean them. My brother & I told him to go fishing & we’d clean them for him, which is what happened. After cleaning, if you put the fish in a freezer ziploc & fill it with water (leave enough bag to close it) & then freeze, the fish keep really well. You have to keep the bags upright until the water freezes. We did 2 fish per bag so mom & dad each had one when she made fish.
I think that trip was the last one dad could make. He couldn’t walk up the hill to the pond any more & even if the ground was smooth enough for his transport chair, he was too heavy for mom to push.
Coffee does taste better on chilly morning, for sure!
My outdoor chores are mostly weeding, watering, and transplanting the things I want to keep, in preparation for the garden pathway and seating area that should start in a couple of weeks. I was hoping it would be next week, but apparently not.
Other than that, I am keeping a watchful eye on the Monarch caterpillars. Right now I have 10 in one habitat, 3 have turned into their chrysalis forms. The most recent one was yesterday and I got good closeup photos of that.
There are 15 more that aren’t in a man-made butterfly habitat. I ordered a larger one several days ago, and it should get here in a few hours. Several of those 15 are caterpillars that I “rescued”, meaning I moved them from the dead end stalks they were on, to healthier plants so they could keep munching. There were lots of aphids on those stalks, so I figured if I could coax them to healthier plants, they would have a better shot at surviving.
The temperatures the next few nights will be in the mid 40’s, so I know I’ll need to bring my most vulnerable potted plants indoors for a few days. Definitely will bring in my Grandma’s Gloriosa. It hasn’t bloomed, but it looks healthy.
I’m thinking to bring the monarchs up on to our deck where it’s pretty sunny. I *might* bring them into our sunroom for overnights only. I haven’t researched yet how they do in the cooler temps, but they’ve been lethargic in the mornings, and seem to “wake up” once it warms up a bit.
I also had a chance to catch one Monarch emerging from its chrysalis earlier in the week. It took several hours for her wings to dry out and fly off. That was cool!
Looking for a cold green bean salad to serve company (main dish is a casserole). I made this one the other day & it was OK, but I want just green beans & more flavor:
Green Bean Salad (with tomatoes, red onion & feta)
https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/balsamic-green-bean-salad/
I just found this one & it looks good to me - I love shallots & I can make it ahead:
Our Favorite Green Bean Salad
https://www.inspiredtaste.net/42587/green-bean-salad-with-shallots/
This is needed for the favorite salad:
Easy Fried Shallots
https://www.inspiredtaste.net/66065/crispy-fried-shallots/
DESSERT TOMORROW (I’m going ‘all out’ on this one!):
Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie
https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/caramel-apple-cheesecake-pie/
My Dad did that the whole time I was growing up, he froze them in old milk cartons with water.
PENNYSYLVANIA DUTCH STYLE GREEN BEANS / with bacon——you cant go wrong
3 strips bacon
1 small onion, sliced
1/2 cup beef broth
2 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
1 (16 oz) can cut green beans
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. vinegar
1 hard cooked egg, sliced
Fry bacon until crisp; drain all but 1 tablespoon of drippings. Add onion and brown lightly. Stir in 1/2 cup beef broth combined with 2 tsp. cornstarch. Cook, stirring until mixture boils. Add salt, dry mustard, brown sugar and vinegar. Add green beans and heat thoroughly. Transfer to serving dish and garnish with egg and crumbled bacon.Makes about 4 servings.
If you want to be successful at it, Bear hunting requires a LOT of dogs (which we have) as you need two ‘teams’ that are equally balanced and one can run bear while the others rest for the day - or week.
You need the dogs that can get a cold (old) track going, you need dogs that can run for miles and miles while chasing, you need dogs that can get a bear UP THE TREE where you want them (as in, they don’t run away when they see a bear, LOL!) and you need back up with all of those same traits.
We are in a re-building phase right now. We have some really terrific up and coming young dogs (1-4 years old) but our ‘stars’ are ‘aging out’ at about 9 years. You just don’t have the stamina that it takes as you age. Like anything, really!
Beau is now in partnership with a good friend and they are co-owning dogs, so they will each have less to care for. They hunt together most of the time anyway. It was getting ridiculous for them BOTH to have 12-14 dogs each.
This works for me, as I still get to raise all the puppies. Yay! :)
Beau got his first Black Bear at age 19 and has been hooked since. He’s 65 now and a lot of people he hunts with are even older than him and they are ALL slowing down. It is a younger man’s sport, for sure.
ITALIAN STYLE GREEN BEANS / serves 4-6
A delicious accompaniment to roasted chicken and crispy potato wedges.
1 (12 oz.) bag frozen green beans
1/2 to 1 cup jarred Alfredo sauce,
1/2 cup diced Roma tomatoes
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 teaspoon crushed basil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons grated Parm
1 cup shredded Mozzarella
1/3 cup dry Italian style bread crumbs
2 pats butter, melted
Cook green beans as per package. Drain; place into large bowl. Stir in Alfredo sauce, tomatoes, mushrooms, basil, gar/powder and Parm. Pour into sprayed baker. Top with Mozzarella and a sprinkle of buttered Italian-style bread crumbs. Bake 350 deg 35 min til bubbly, and lightly browned.
Cool about the Monarchs for you! I used to find them tucked here and there under tables in the Nursery Yard at work. We watched a number of them emerge over the years. :)
I got the greenhouse cleaned out somewhat - to the point where I know what’s in there now, though I need to do some condensing and organizing and de-cluttering, still. There are plenty of nice enough days ahead for that. I checked my calendar/garden journal and I have until September 13th to get salad greens planted in there, so I still have time.
Got more of the Landry Room/Pantry sorted. I need to get two small walls painted and I have some additional storage ideas for things I need, but don’t need often. Big baskets on upper shelves should do the trick. It used to be all ‘decor’ up there and quite the waste of space. I want things functional, pretty and HIDDEN. No one needs to see my laundry soap and OxyClean, LOL!
Mowing can still wait a few days. The grass is not leaping out of the ground as it has all summer, now that the rains have stopped.
I started some weeding on the first row, but got bored with it. :)
I’m happy with my progress for the day. :)
Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie
https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/caramel-apple-cheesecake-pie/
Great recipe.......thx for the link.
CONEY ISLAND HOT DOGS
Sauce Ing 1 tbl butter 1 1/2 lbs grnd beef (lean) 2 med onions, chp 1 crushed gar/cl 1 tbl prepared mustard 6 oz can tomato sauce 6 oz can water 4-5 wieners 1 tbl butter S/p 2 tbl chili powder
Method: Combine everything except wieners; simmer til thick. Grind wieners and add to sauce. Stir. Cook 15 min. (Do not brown ground beef first.).....if sauce is too thin for your taste, thicken it up.
Serve over grilled hot dogs in a bun.......add mustard, relish, chp onions, etc
Interesting story that may help a fellow gardener someday.
I’ve had these tiny blisters on my hands for some time now and I couldn’t for the life of my figure out what was causing them. They were bad only my palms, and some on the bottom of my feet (I’m barefoot a lot). I had concluded they were chiggers, but the steps I took to protect myself from the chiggers revealed the real issue. It was so bad I decided to wear nitrile gloves under my gardening gloves with different herbs and spices slathered all over me to prevent the chiggers. I kept on getting the “bites”. I put rubber bands on my wrist so no bugs could crawl in, and more blisters showed up. Mind you these nitrile gloves would be filled with sweat. It is very hot and humid here. It turns out excessive sweating inside of gloves (not just nitrile) can cause small blisters that resemble ant or chigger bites, primarily due to a condition known as prickly heat.
Prickly Heat (Miliaria Rubra) results from the clogging of sweat ducts. When sweat ducts become blocked, the trapped sweat triggers an inflammatory response. This response causes a stinging or prickling sensation, itching, and a papular or vesicular rash. A “vesicular rash” consists of small, fluid-filled blisters. This condition is most common in hot and humid weather or after exercise.
The only bugga boo is whether or not I can make the caramel sauce that goes on the pie. I bought a stainless pot just for this recipe! She says it’s easy & one of her most popular recipes, so we shall see!
Bugga boo #2 may be frying shallots. I am making the caramel sauce first & then frying shallots ... if these recipe components turn out, the rest of those recipes will be a ‘go’.
I like those green bean recipes you posted - thanks & I will save all of them for future reference. We have a list of relatives we plan on inviting for lunch after church & mom has invited probably 2 dozen people from our old church to visit. She doesn’t cook for company any more so it’s all on me - good thing I like to cook!
I like those green bean recipes you posted -
thanks & I will save them for future reference.
So glad you liked the recipes.
I like those green bean recipes you posted -
thanks & I will save them for future reference.
So glad you liked the recipes.
Highs in the mid to upper 80’s here. Humidity still stifling. Come on October! But it has been below 80 in the morning. That’s our first peek of “fall”.
Two weeks ago on the new moon is was a bonanza of planting melons, papaya, tomatoes, and even some flowers.
Melons:
Yellow watermelon
Orangelo watermelon
Sugar Baby watermelon
Kajari Melon
Tigger Melon
‘Ambrosia’ Cantaloupe (seeds saved from store bought)
Papaya:
Dwarf Maradol Red
Dwarf Hawaiian “Solo”
Red Kack Rahm
Maradol Caribbean Red
Tomatoes (in starter pots);
4th of July
Cherokee Black
Both are supposed to be able to grow in a salty environment. We shall see.
Flowers:
Zinnia
Cosmos
Today and tomorrow’s full moon is a perfect time for planting seeds. Today I put in Honey Select corn, Thai peppers, and direct sow of 4th of July and Cherokee Purple tomatoes. I threw in more melon and papaya where some babies got trampled. We also transferred some baby Barbados Cherries, Star Cherries and “Southern Home” Grape Plant (muscadine hybrid) to medium containers to mature until Spring.
Tomorrow
Sunflowers
Happy gardening!
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