How much can I get in disaster relief for 3 corn stalks blown down by Sunday night's storm?
What's growing? The garden thread.
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Welp, found squash vine borer in my zucchini for the first time. Lost one plant, the other looks good but had signs around the base. Cut it open and took out five grubs 
. Reburied it in dirt so we'll see if it makes it. Not sure I got all the grubs but it's hard to tell. It has a couple half grown zukes on it so even if I get 48 hours I should have another 3-4 shredded cups. Think I'm seeing the first signs of blight on the tomatoes -which oddly I think came from the zucchini. I've noticed one having yellowing leaves and a few spots but didn't realize it was borers. Have to try and get in today and trim up tomato leaves and get ahead of it. With all the rain, I told myself if I made it to August 1st without blight I was doing ok. Problem is I haven't had very many tomatoes yet. Notice some of the recent blooms turned brown so I lost some fruit there too.
. Reburied it in dirt so we'll see if it makes it. Not sure I got all the grubs but it's hard to tell. It has a couple half grown zukes on it so even if I get 48 hours I should have another 3-4 shredded cups. Think I'm seeing the first signs of blight on the tomatoes -which oddly I think came from the zucchini. I've noticed one having yellowing leaves and a few spots but didn't realize it was borers. Have to try and get in today and trim up tomato leaves and get ahead of it. With all the rain, I told myself if I made it to August 1st without blight I was doing ok. Problem is I haven't had very many tomatoes yet. Notice some of the recent blooms turned brown so I lost some fruit there too.Ahhhh, Dr Kline. I really enjoyed that guy and the classes he taught. Old school.
Picked over 50 dozen ears of sweet corn the other day. Froze 40 quarts of corn yesterday friend did over 60 gave some away to friends and neighbors. Thankfully had a nice easterly breeze in the morning but the last 30 minutes the temp increased. Took me 2.5 hours to pick it all. Will go back in a couple weeks to get a couple totes full, of the next patch but only a tote full not a eleven totes.
Brings back memories of childhood! Somehow my dad got connected with a grocery store one year and we we provided them with 50 to 70 dozen ears. EVERY. FRICKEN. MORNING. RAIN. OR. SHINE. BY. 7 AM.
This was before there was a vendor on every street corner.
Wish I knew more on this subject. I have gone to a "preventative" approach to the blight rather than a "rescue" plan. My understanding is that once you experience blight you can slow its affect to the plants but never make the plants fully recover. Since you mentioned the spots you're probably spot on, but many confuse the yellowing leaves (especially on the lower part of the plant) with the natural dying off of the older leaves. My regimen is to spray (Daconil?) on the young plants shortly after the transplants become established and every 7-10 days or two weeks throughout the season. I am not of the mindset that chemicals whether pesticides or herbicides are the answer to every problem but sometimes they are just necessary.Welp, found squash vine borer in my zucchini for the first time. Lost one plant, the other looks good but had signs around the base. Cut it open and took out five grubs
I've had good luck with some kind of copper something or other spray but I never keep up on it. And really making sure to trim lower/ground touching branches, create airspace as the plant grows, and never water close to dark/well mulched so dirt doesn't splash up. That all helps.
Those things are rat bastards. For whatever reason I often have all kinds of problems with them but haven’t this year and I’ve used less sevin than I ever have trying to keep them at bay. My understanding and experience of those is that if you get even one more zucchini out of there, you’re lucky. Your Zuch’s might be nuked.Welp, found squash vine borer in my zucchini for the first time. Lost one plant, the other looks good but had signs around the base. Cut it open and took out five grubs
Yeah I'm not super hopeful. I planted just a bit earlier this year than I normally do so lessen learned. Back to June next year.
I'm in So. Minn., and here, the Japanese beetles are thicker than ever on the trees. They eat between the leaf veins, leaving a webbed remnant of the leaf. They seem to prefer the newer growth. Haven't killed any trees yet, but they do set the growth back...
I'm going to be making a batch of spicy fridge pickles. What type of peppers and how many should I use for a medium hot quart jar?
My regular pickles are
Vinegar
Kosher Salt
Sugar
Water
Coriander Seed
Mustard Seed
Dill Sprigs
Garlic Cloves
A small dab of Red Pepper Flakes
I've got a 5 gallon bucket of cucumbers that need something done with them.
My regular pickles are
Vinegar
Kosher Salt
Sugar
Water
Coriander Seed
Mustard Seed
Dill Sprigs
Garlic Cloves
A small dab of Red Pepper Flakes
I've got a 5 gallon bucket of cucumbers that need something done with them.
I don't think the temperature of the jar will affect the flavor much
.The level of heat and the flavor of the pepper is kind of a personal preference thing. Jalapenos can be the right heat but the wrong flavor and cayenne's can be the right flavor but too much heat (depends on how many you use). The hotter (habinaros, scotch bonet, etc.) have their place but are probably overkill if you are not looking for intense heat. I raised serrano's one year and although hotter than jalopenos seemed to be MY perfect fit for taste and heat with one per quart in pickles or pickled asparagus. Make sure you let the pickles "age" because the flavor will become more intense than when you first try them, especially when adjusting your recipe in future batches.
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I don't think the temperature of the jar will affect the flavor much
The level of heat and the flavor of the pepper is kind of a personal preference thing. Jalapenos can be the right heat but the wrong flavor and cayenne's can be the right flavor but too much heat (depends on how many you use). The hotter (habinaros, scotch bonet, etc.) have their place but are probably overkill if you are not looking for intense heat. I raised serrano's one year and although hotter than jalopenos seemed to be MY perfect fit for taste and heat with one per quart in pickles or pickled asparagus. Make sure you let the pickles "age" because the flavor will become more intense than when you first try them, especially when adjusting your recipe in future batches.
Ended up doing 3 of the 11 quarts with 1.5 Serranos and a little extra chili flake to give it a try. Thanks for the suggestion.
There must be some pickles being made in Ankeny. I got the last jar of coriander seed in Ankeny (went to 4 stores to find it and got the last one) and ended up having to use freeze dried dill instead of fresh.
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You're welcome and I hope that combo hits the sweet spot for you. They look good enough to crack a jar open and rip into them. My tastes have changed over the years and although I used to enjoy pushing the limits with the heat--not so much anymore. I still like a little tabasco in my homemade chicken and noodle soup and hot sauce on eggs along with kickin' up the heat on tacos and fajitas, but no longer grow the Habaneros, Bhut Jalokia, and Trinidad Scorpions. I never did master the art of pickle making... I could get the flavor close enough but never the crispness of store bought especially with the sliced dills. Tried different water sources, etc. but never got there. Also eliminated "vine crops" downsizing the garden. When (If) I walk through the pearly gates pickle making will not be on my resume.
Dug one of 5 rows of Yukon Gold potatoes
(about 24 pounds) and pulled 10 pounds of beets. I was pleasantly surprised by the size and yield of the spuds. Last year we baked a good amount of the harvest in a large roasting pan to near done, thru them in gallon ziplocks and into the freezer. Individuals could be removed and finished in the microwave or air fryer to be used as baked potatoes or in potato salad or cut up and fried. It seemed their taste and texture held up surprisingly well. The beets made 10 pints of pickled beets. The remaining beets will be eaten as harvested and excess will be canned plain. View attachment 132565 View attachment 132565
(about 24 pounds) and pulled 10 pounds of beets. I was pleasantly surprised by the size and yield of the spuds. Last year we baked a good amount of the harvest in a large roasting pan to near done, thru them in gallon ziplocks and into the freezer. Individuals could be removed and finished in the microwave or air fryer to be used as baked potatoes or in potato salad or cut up and fried. It seemed their taste and texture held up surprisingly well. The beets made 10 pints of pickled beets. The remaining beets will be eaten as harvested and excess will be canned plain. View attachment 132565 View attachment 132565
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oooo we dug all ours this weekend too - yukon gold and german butterball was the 2nd I think. I should go weigh them. I probably need to thin my plants in the spring so I get larger ones but eh.
I plant my spuds 8-9" apart in hills of pure compost. I never heard of anyone thinning them. I would guess that variety and rainfall has more to do with size--and we had plenty. Yukons aren't the variety to plant if size is your goal, but you can't beat the flavor.
I do them in old landscaping pots they get kinda tight lol. 16lbs between six varying sized pots!
I have a question for those that can their own produce: Do you reuse the lids? Not many years ago they were considerably less expensive and not much thought was given to tossing the used lids and purchasing new the following year. I know the universities and manufacturers suggest we follow this mindset but for probably 10 years I've refused to follow their instructions and after careful inspection of the lids if they pass my eye test they get reused, and many have been reused up to 3-4 times with no adverse effects. If the rubber is in good shape and and the enamel show no flaws they are good to go in my book. My wife generally pops them off the jar with a can opener and even the bent edges on the outer side of the metal can be reformed by rolling them on the countertop. They now offer reusable lids but the price limits me from investing (with my labor) an end product that is available on the shelf for less. Besides controlling what goes into the jar my reason for canning has been for economics. Even with using new lids occasionally a jar doesn't seal properly and gets regulated to the fridge for immediate use so what am I missing?
