Gardening 2020

MoochNNoodles

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I'm thinking of trying to make a corn salsa with our corn. The cobs might be too small for a good one though. I might have to get a few ears from a farm stand. It sounds really tasty right now.

The new freezer is up and running. I just need to decide what method I'm going to use to put away the corn for winter. I'm HIGHLY tempted to freeze it unblanched and still on the cob. I've read pros and cons. If it cools off some (right now it's melt your face hot) I want to shuck it all outside.
 

Winchester

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I'm thinking of trying to make a corn salsa with our corn. The cobs might be too small for a good one though. I might have to get a few ears from a farm stand. It sounds really tasty right now.

The new freezer is up and running. I just need to decide what method I'm going to use to put away the corn for winter. I'm HIGHLY tempted to freeze it unblanched and still on the cob. I've read pros and cons. If it cools off some (right now it's melt your face hot) I want to shuck it all outside.
Oh wow, MoochNNoodles MoochNNoodles corn salsa does sound good. As for blanching/not blanching, I tried not blanching the corn one year and stuck it in the freezer. We didn't like the taste of the unblanched corn. I can't explain, but, to us, it had a funky taste. And I've blanched ever since.

Our latest bounty from the garden. Rick brought them to the house yesterday.

Tomatoes and peppers. (That covered bowl contains rising pizza dough) I want to wait until the shoulders of these tomatoes redden more before using them, hopefully on Sunday, I can either make more tomato sauce or just stew them. I'd like to roast the peppers; people have said that these are wonderful roasted!

Yes, I do complain about the tomatoes from the garden, but honestly, it's all in fun. Believe me, I am more than grateful for our garden and what it's producing for us. And I really don't mind the work; in fact, I enjoy it. So please don't think I'm serious when I whimper about tomatoes. I am grateful! In fact, we're thinking about increasing our garden space next year to include more veggies. Our garden is definitely not the prettiest garden around, far from it. But it does produce the food.
TomatoesPeppers.jpg


The grape tomatoes will put into the dehydrator tonight. I now have two pints of tomato powder in the fridge, so the finished tomatoes will get thrown in the freezer.
Tomatoes.jpg
 

MoochNNoodles

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I think you get a lot more from your garden than we do Winchester Winchester . Of course I don't have much help. DH does the grass and trimming and things; but I do the flowers and veggies. I'm getting lots of green beans; but some other stuff was a bust. I bought a big bag of frozen limas today to supplement what I've grown. Its always work; but it is rewarding work.
 
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posiepurrs

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Oh wow, MoochNNoodles MoochNNoodles MoochNNoodles MoochNNoodles corn salsa does sound good. As for blanching/not blanching, I tried not blanching the corn one year and stuck it in the freezer. We didn't like the taste of the unblanched corn. I can't explain, but, to us, it had a funky taste. And I've blanched ever since.
"Blanching

Blanching (scalding vegetables in boiling water or steam for a short time) is a must for almost all vegetables to be frozen. It stops enzyme actions which can cause loss of flavor, color and texture." a quote from the National Center for Home Food Perservation website.

I am about ready to pull out most of my garden. Just didn't do well this year. The tomatoes and first crop of green beans are definitely going. I planted a second batch of green beans, but didn't have enough for an entire row so I supplemented with great northern beans. Anyone know if you can pick them as green beans and eat them or do they have to mature and dry? Either way is okay - just wondering.
 

MoochNNoodles

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I blanch everything else; but I read the corn you can do either way. One site said they do different things depending on what they will do with the corn later.

But it turns out it didn’t matter. The corn was not good. :sniffle: What I did get was tasty. There were brown spots on a lot of it. Dark mold on some. And a lot of unpollenated kernels on other. Some looked beautiful on one side; but the other was awful. Instead I’m going to order a few dozen ears from a local orchard and freeze that. They do a pickup location close to me once a week.

It was fun to grow though.
 

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We salvaged what we could with our corn. I think I had posted a picture of some of ours. Very small cobs, not filled out. We did find a few that were nice enough to eat and I froze what I could.

There's a farm stand in town that sells corn. I've been thinking about running in to see what they have and buying some, freezing it just to enjoy on the cob later on. I buy peaches from them, too, to can, so I could get both. I have no idea how expensive the corn would be, and I have a feeling, the price is going to be high. The corn did not do well around here without the rain. My BIL, who has quite a nice garden, had the same trouble with his corn.
 

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I don't think I've posted any garden pictures.....I walked around this morning and just clicked.

This is Rupert; he lives in the flowerbed in the front yard.
Rupert.jpg


A view of the garden, such as it is.
GardenOne.jpg


The corn that's left yet to be pulled
Corn.jpg


Butternut squash. We are big butternut fans. The squash on the ground lie on crumpled plastic gallon jugs with holes poked in them to drain water. This will help the squash avoid spots and mold.
BSquashOne.jpg


Some of the squash has been trained to grow up the fence. We put those in slings to help them. We actually have quite a few slings along the fence, although most of them are in the back. Rick says he thinks we have a good two dozen butternuts in the garden, with more flowers coming on.
BSquashSling.jpg


More corn and squash pictures.
BSquashThree.jpg


BSquashTwo.jpg


She shed from up in the back of the yard. It's well-shaded with the trees. The pool is to the right, inside the fence.
SheShed.jpg


We have three raised beds: for green and wax beans, for peppers, and for strawberries. Next year, we'll add a fourth bed. I think I had posted pictures of them before. In addition, we're also trying our luck with sweet potatoes. We had asparagus this year to pretty much see us through spring. Now, it's bolted and we're letting it go. We have a small bed of horseradish, too. The zucchini and summer squash are planted in amongst the corn.

Next year, I'd like to grow white potatoes, a ton of onions, some garlic, and some red beets. Enough broccoli to see us through the summer (I don't freeze it). We're going to increase the space by about 10 feet or so.
 
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About 10 years ago, Michele planted a ground cover in the front bed. She decided that she wanted it removed, so I had to dig it all up by hand, as there also were tulip, daffodil, and larkspur bulbs present. It took me 2 days to complete the job, as the whole area has been invaded by the roots of a tree that the locals planted between our sidewalk and the road about 6 or 7 years ago- some of them were almost 2 inches in diameter. What a mess it was. Also, she wanted 2 of the hostas relocated, as well as her snakeroot that wasn't doing well in it's previous location, but is a little more shaded now.
I think that I'm getting a little too old for this kind of stuff.
 

MoochNNoodles

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My DH decided to cut down a big tree by himself this weekend and then modify our wood shed; because we need to do something with all that wood. I told him he probably worked harder all weekend than he does at work. And he is on the move constantly at work. :lol: At least it was all his idea! He can't blame me! :angel3:
 

NY cat man

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Several years ago- I don't remember how many- we had a big wind and rain storm, and ended up with trees from 2 of our neighbors in our back yard. One was a Norway maple over 2 feet in diameter, and a tree service cruising for business wanted $1,100 to remove it. Instead, I borrowed my brother's chain saw and cut both of them up myself. It came to something like 2 cords' worth of wood, that a co-worker hauled away for his fireplace. It wasn't a whole lot of fun, but it didn't cost $1,100 either- but I was younger then, too.
 
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posiepurrs

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Next year, I'd like to grow white potatoes, a ton of onions, some garlic,
You don't have to wait until next year for garlic. Garlic should be planted in the fall and harvested usually around midsummer. For best results be sure to get the correct type (soft neck or hard neck) for your growing zone.
 

MoochNNoodles

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Several years ago- I don't remember how many- we had a big wind and rain storm, and ended up with trees from 2 of our neighbors in our back yard. One was a Norway maple over 2 feet in diameter, and a tree service cruising for business wanted $1,100 to remove it. Instead, I borrowed my brother's chain saw and cut both of them up myself. It came to something like 2 cords' worth of wood, that a co-worker hauled away for his fireplace. It wasn't a whole lot of fun, but it didn't cost $1,100 either- but I was younger then, too.
The best offers we got were $1500 for that tree and to thin the other silver maple. We haven’t had that done in 11 years so it’s time. We were trying to get the neighbor to go in with us for a huge pine that sits almost on our property line; close to our house. There used to be 2; one came down about 5/6 years ago. DH doesn’t like the tree there. The tree companies said its healthy; just not an ideal tree to have in that spot. The neighbors don’t want to pay for it... but they gave us permission to have it taken down. :rolleyes3::nono: Its expensive; so I get it. That was going to add $1,000-$1,500. So I said no. They need a bucket truck; so I get it. Its huge. But oy. The last tree guy told me how to force their hand if its dying; but its healthy.
You don't have to wait until next year for garlic. Garlic should be planted in the fall and harvested usually around midsummer. For best results be sure to get the correct type (soft neck or hard neck) for your growing zone.
My garlic always starts sprouting in the middle of winter. It must mess with it developing because I never get a decent bulb; even if I get a good flower. I’ve been buying freeze dried garlic. Its really good in most recipes. It has a lot more flavor than the jarred stuff.
 

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MoochNNoodles MoochNNoodles could you tell me what the tree guy said about forcing the issue of the neighbors tree was dying?
my neighbors have a 2 trucked pine tree and half of it is dead.Neighbor refuses to cut it down and if it falls it will most likely land on our house we rent.
 

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Evening primrose. I don't often get a chance at pictures of these, as the blooms are gone shortly after sunrise.
20200818_072405.jpg
 

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When we lived in Connecticut I was coordinator for the community garden. Half mile or so from our house, full sun meadow. Wonderful situation. Now we are in New Jersey. Nowhere to have a vegetable garden unless I turn over the front lawn. So instead of vegetables I cultivate friends with vegetable gardens. Yesterday I visited one with a huge, very productive vegetable garden. As you can see
Grillo Vegetable Garden_2020-08_vegetable generosity.jpg
she sent me home very well provisioned. Can we say ratatouille? It will be in my near future.
 
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