Pear predicament

Pears have to be one of my all-time favorite fruit, probably due to the fact that a really big tree was on the property for my entire youth. Momma would make preserves from them occasionally, but most were thrown at cars driving by the house by myself and my identical twin brother. (I can't even begin to tell you just how mean we were).

Fast forward to current times, and I now have 2 keifer pear trees that provide an ample harvest each year for preserving by whatever means chosen at the time. Here's a picture of the 2011 harvest - which weighed-in at exactly 30 lbs. They ripen one or two per day, so instead of all pears being the signature yellow color that ripe pears have, most of these are green. Actually, I prefer them to be very firm when making preserves, because ones completely ripe have a whole different texture - which turn color too fast for my liking....

Photo below - with the aid of my "Rotato" peeler purchased several years ago, all were prepped for an overnight bath of 5 lbs. of sugar. Doing this pulls all of the juice out of the diced pears, and some lemon juice sprinkled liberally over them keeps them from turning brown, of course. A couple of quart bags were thrown into the freezer before adding sugar - which will be used in cobbler this winter, I hope.

The rest were turned into preserves, although the rose-colored contents in the jars indicate over-cooking....In reality, it's supposed to be golden yellow, but I don't have Daddy to help me anymore. (He's still here, just can't stand or sit for a very long time).

Anyway, now you know what my weekend consisted of - lot's of work! My left hand is killing me, and standing while prepping them really takes a toll on my problematic back....However, it's definitely worth the time and hard work invested dealing with them.

Take care

EG

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Pictures from the garden

I'm feeling kind of burned out lately, and find myself spending less and less time in the garden each evening. Perhaps it's due to the extreme heat and humidity outside, and also the fact that several things in the garden have ran their course for the year....Who knows?
Birds are damaging the tomatoes, foliage is beginning to die, and basically - the garden just looks horrible.

Still, I took the opportunity to take a few photos of random things, and will briefly address each along the way...

Photo below - caterpillar eggs on the underside of a tomato leaf. These egg clusters are in high numbers on the tomato plants, but simply crushed between 2 fingers as each is located....




Photo below - these little things are found in the garden occasionally, and identification hasn't been determined by myself yet. If anyone knows, certainly speak up, because if not I'll have to just wait for the babies to appear later....



Photo below - I call this one "ode to dead squashbug", heh.



Photo below - I just can't seem to get enough pictures of female flowers for watermelons...They're just cute little things.....



Photo below - Hmmm....I imagine that Jude is thinking to herself "mister, you've got 'til the count of three to throw something into the air for me to catch, or the melon gets it!" Nah, she wouldn't do that.....



Lastly, the 12 oz. jars of salsa that were made the other day...It's really good, but definitely could have used a few more tomatoes added into the batch. Man, the flavor is intense - but so are college football Saturdays in the fall..Oh well, that's what I get for not measuring ingredients when making it...



In other news, the new plantings of squash have germinated already, and should be reaching a pretty big size just as the 2nd planting of corn gets harvested. That's interplanting if you will, and helps get consecutive crops from the same location throughout our pretty long growing season.

Also, all of the pears have been picked, and will be turned into preserves on Saturday afternoon. Man...that's some really good stuff, and I can't wait to use some on a biscuit or piece of toast on Sunday morning. I'll likely do a post on it if anyone would care to see how it's done, and should turn out very good when finished.

Take care, and happy gardening

EG

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Making salsa

With the overwhelming amount of tomatoes being harvested during the past few weeks, a person needs a plan for using them all. Personally speaking, I can't think of a better use than making homemade salsa, which can be enjoyed on college football Saturday's this fall....
Anyway, just as each tomato becomes fully ripe on the counter, they're simply put into the freezer whole, then thawed in a sink filled with water at a later time of my choosing.. I prefer to start the thawing process early on a Saturday morning (like 6 or 7 am), and peel each one late afternoon, and the skin comes right off....

Photo below - the start of the process....


,
Onions and jalapeno peppers harvested from the garden. Small ones go into making salsa, and the larger ones get used for burgers and such.....



Photo below - canned pinto beans dumped into a collander, the sprayed with the attachment on the sink until all juice and small pieces are removed.....



Photo below - canned whole kernel corn dumped on top, then washed the same way....



Then the diced onions and peppers added.....



I use Mrs. Wages salsa mix, and made a double batch on this day.



The directions on back of the package are followed, and it makes an easy homemade salsa that will be enjoyed by everyone. I'll show a picture of the finished product in the next post, because this stupid Blogger app on my phone won't let me add the picture of it since the others were already loaded......

EG

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Oppressive Heat

It goes without saying that summers are brutal in the deep south. Not only does the excessive heat take it's toll on us backyard gardeners, but the plants feel it too. July and August are always worst, and this year is no exception.....Some things don't like the heat very much, but others certainly do - like these flowers in the picture below.....They're really pretty, and sure do alot for the newest flowered on the property....



However, this watermelon didn't care for it too much - splitting wide open from both the heat, and thorough watering by myself. I sure do hate that, but luckily it wasn't very big just yet....



Photo below - the new planting of corn is really liking things, but growing at an accelerated rate...obviously, several plants won't produce any ears at all - especially by tasseling when only knee high. Still, the healthiest plants growing should provide a harvest during the last week of August, which is very quick in my experience.



With only weekly waterings, the sweet potatoes thrive in this kind of weather. It'll be interesting to see what kind of harvest comes from the 4ft x 4ft planting, and just 10-15 lbs. would be enough for our needs...Also, a few new slips were planted where a previous watermelon vine grew, and I really feel that a decent harvest will come from them just as the first frost appears in the second half of October.....



Oh-remember that watermelon that split open? Jude loved it.....

Take care, and happy gardening

EG

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Harvest - July 22

It's this time of year when the very image of a tomato makes me not want one. It's official - I'm tomatoed out......Oh well, it's my own fault, nobody twisted my arm or anything and made me grow 22 plants this year...Perhaps 12 will be enough? We might just do that next season....
Anyway, here's some harvest photos from last week....There's lots of peppers this time, too.



Photo below - several watermelon were ready to pick, and the largest one was only 15 lbs. - strangely enough....I would have bet the farm that a couple would have weighed at least 20 or more. However, there are still 18 more in the garden...



Photo below - here's a picture of the large Pineapple tomato harvested from the previous week....It looks really pretty, but tastes no different than an ordinary tomato to me....Oh well, it was fun trying it, at least....



In other news, beans are sprouting everywhere, and should assume their position on the trellises that the watermelon currently occupy. I figure it'll be another 2 weeks before the bean vines will need to attach themselves to something, and by that time the melons growing in the largest raised bed will have already been picked and plants removed...

Also, I'm sure some of you have noticed that blog posts are being done with my phone these days....That's because I can no longer tether my phone with the desktop computer. It seems Verizon wants to charge $30/month for that these days. Well, it really sucks - but not gonna happen......

Take care, and happy gardening

EG

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Jude's early morning wake up call

Jude loves terrorising the local chipmunk population. Apparently, it's all she thinks about while being in her pen, because it's the first thing she does when I let her out to play every morning and evening.
Anyway, I shot a video of what always takes place, and hope you enjoy the 30 second clip. You'll see her waiting patiently for the command to go after the chipmunks, then I just have to say "go get 'em" and she shoots into the woods like a rocket after them...it's pretty funny, and just one more thing that I've taught her to do.

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The fruit harvest yet to come....

I seem to forget about things growing in the orchard from time to time, and wanted to give an update on a couple of things that will be harvested in another 4-6 weeks. These late arrivals are always my favorite, because so many things can be done with them. I'm referring to the pears and muscadine grapes, of course, and both are coming along really good....

Photo below - grapes are about half-grown already, and it should be the best harvest to date, if things continue to go well. Other than pruning of new growth every 3 weeks, tending to them is quite easy.



Photo below - check out this branch completely loaded down with pears....It's the same branch with fireblight, and you can understand why I'm not wanting to deal with it at this time. I'd lose almost half of the harvest, and will just take care of it in February - when hard pruning is performed....



Photo below - the longest trellises are completely engulfed with melon foliage now, although fruitset is still not as plentiful as i'd like. Along with Mr. "googly eyes" over to the right, there are a couple of Honeydew coming along nicely, as well as a black diamond growing on the backside. One of Jude's frisbees sits on top of the post to the left, and that's what I do with them when she's getting on my nerves while trying to tend to things. However, I play with her when finished, of course.....



Photo below - here's the two newest tomato plants growing in swp's located in the yard. The tall one is Stupice, and the shortest would be Black Brandywine....I'm pleased with the progress so far, and really feel that the 7 gallon version on the right is much better than the standard 5 gallon setup. I'll likely continue to upgrade all swp's to 7 gallons in the future, and thankfully the materials to do so are already on hand...



In other news, more beans were planted where the marigolds were located in the largest raised bed, and the flowers were thrown into one of the compost bins. Of course Jude had to play with them first - as she does anytime something is removed. Speaking of Jude, I'm gonna have to post another video of the little stinker...she's pretty funny....

Take care and happy gardening

EG

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Farewell to the squash

Due to an abundance of powdery mildew and other factors affecting the squash plants, they were promptly removed the other day with the help of Jude. Yeah, as soon as a plant is pulled, she grabs hold of it and runs out into the yard. Haha...Now, if I could just train her to carry it to the woods.. :)
Anyway, Trail of Tears beans (shared by granny), and also Red Cranberry beans (shared by Dan) were planted, and should start to emerge in the next week or so.

Photo below - since the pile of leaves were finally removed from the 4x9 box next to the woods, some Kentucky Wonder beans were planted in the vacant spot. Yeah, i'm going all-out with this late season bean planting - and have found the second half of summer to be the best time for them...

Photo below - all of the contents were added to the already-cooking 3 bins, and around 50 lbs. of UCG's thrown in, as well. At least a full bin of finished compost should come from these 3 later - which will be just right for filling the garden again next spring.

In other gardening news, the newly planted corn is tasseling at only 2 feet tall. That's probably not good, and just as insurance some squash seeds have been sown right in the center of each swc. We really don't need any more, but just couldn't think of anything better to plant.

Also, caterpillar eggs are in abundance on the tomato plants now, and using some aggressive insecticide is mandatory to keep tomatoes from becoming damaged. I found a very nice black from tula with a tomato fruitworm inside, and something has to be done about it...

Take care, and happy gardening

EG

Harvest from last week - mid July

Harvests are at their peak now, and demands for water are very high, as well. The swc's have to be filled every couple of days, not leaving much time to do other things in the garden. On average, at least 50 gallons are hauled out there, and my back brace is a real lifesaver, as you might expect. Anyway, I wanted to show some pictures of the harvest - which consists mostly of okra, tomatoes, and butternut squash.

Photo below - Is that not alot of little Stupice tomatoes? Sheesh...We won't be growing that one next year, because a good way to use them fresh hasn't been identified yet. I just keep freezing them, and hope to use them for something such as stews or soups this winter..Those 5 green zebra sure are pretty, and most likely will be used for a green salsa later. Also, the jalapeno peppers in front were left a little bit too long before harvest, but were still stuffed with colby cheese, wrapped with bacon, then placed on the grill with other things being cooked. Although very good, they were pretty dang hot!!! They would go great with a few good cold beers, I bet...

Photo below - Here's the Pineapple tomato that grew really big, but shaped kinda weird. It measured 5" across at it's widest side, but i'm not sure about the weight. Although not ripe yet, I can't wait to try this baby sometime this week. Thanks again, Megan!

Photo below - Although not impressive in size, here's the 7 butternut squash and a couple of French Orange Canteloupe finally ready. Those canteloupe have been monitored daily for slip from the stem, then I finally found one laying on the ground the other morning. That's always a good indicator. Lol.

In other news, the ugly garden days are slowly arriving now - you know, when powdery mildew and other things set in? Anyway, the clock is ticking on getting the melons to maturity before all of the foliage on the vines die, and future fruitset will most likely be denied by my hand. I mean - why let one get established if you know that it won't turn out ok later? I'd rather have the currently growing melons receive all of the benefits of the photosynthesis remaining...

Take care, and happy gardening

EG

Honeydew happiness

I'd like to welcome any new followers of the blog, and hope you'll stay for a while. :)

A couple of years ago I grew a really nice honeydew melon in the garden that was almost as big as a basketball, and it easily became my favorite of all grown previously. This year I set out to do much better, and decided to have more than one planting of these sweet, juicy fruit...A total of 4 are well on their way to reaching maturity finally, and an update on one of the largest is definitely in order at this time. Because of it's awkward shape and hefty size, this one in the pictures below has caused some concern over the past few weeks. Not that it would necessarily become too heavy for the supports - but rather it's strange shape, causing it to become quite susceptible to falling due to the wind gusts as of late.






Photo below - this little cluster of caterpillar eggs was spotted on the underside of some watermelon foliage while taking pictures, and quite possibly was either the dreaded melon worm or pickle worm. However, they were quickly eliminated between a couple of fingers, and all is well once again. You really have to stay on your toes to find them....



Photo below - one of the largest melons in the garden right now is this fine black diamond growing next to the butternut squash. It's definitely in the 20 lb. range right now, and has really put the knee highs in a strain...However, they should handle the weight just fine - barring some violent act of nature doesn't move it around in it's support...




Since several followers have recently inquired about telling when a watermelon is ready to harvest, I decided to take this photo for reference. That little tendril my finger is on is what you're supposed to pay close attention to, because once it withers away and has turned brown, it's theoretically ready to pick. Of course you can thump them (and even smell for sweetness) sometimes for indication of ripeness, but I wait another week once this happens to make sure indeed, it's ready...





Photo below - here's a tendril that's already shriveled up on a smaller melon. I just simply keep an eye on every melon in the garden, then harvest when the tendril looks like this one.



Over the next few weeks, expect the harvest weight totals to increase substantially due to the melons reaching maturity. A couple will even be close to 25 lbs. each - I just hope they turn out sweet, like the little 7 pounder from the photo above that was picked on Friday. Here's a picture of it when cut open...

Also, I wanted to say that the mysterious green bug on the beans a while back was finally identified, after paying the regional extension agent a visit the other day. It turned out to be a green shield bug - which is closely related to the stinkbug.....The post about it has been corrected accordingly...

Take care, and happy gardening

EG

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Get your Jude fix here.......

Just a short video for all you Jude fans out there. Man, she sure does love that frisbee....

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The other melons...

*Warning - if seeing countless pictures of melons makes you want to impale yourself onto a sharp object sticking out of the ground, pour battery acid into your eyes so that seeing them isn't an option, or even chunder from the nausea created within the pit of your stomach from the very images of the sweet, juicy cucurbit wonders - you shouldn't read this post. However, if you have a laptop and a wireless connection, just plant yourself next to the toilet or garbage can, and continue reading. :) Haha...

Ok. As you can guess, this post has lots of melon photos...However, these are new melons, and haven't been shown on the blog until now. Feel any better? Anyway, the one below is a French Orange canteloupe...

.....and another.....

.....and 2 more....But wait! These two are special, because they are growing right beside each other as if they might be twins....Hmm...Are you thinking what i'm thinking?" Hey, it just might happen..Haha...

Photo below - a little black diamond watermelon that set fruit on top of the soil in the 4x8 box next to the blackberry patch. Danger of harm by wildlife is at the highest level with this little fella, because it's growing on the side of the box next to the patch itself....Maybe nothing will happen...

Photo below - here's a Crimson Sweet growing on the trellis next to Jude's pen, and continues to get bigger by the day. It's source of water and nutrients come from the 18 gallon swc at the end of the trellis, and i've really been fertilizing it alot lately to plump things up to their full potential...

Photo below - Congo watermelon being grown in the 16 gallon swc made from an old shopvac bucket. This thing sat for like 2 weeks with no growth at all, then decided to go bonkers on me....really weird - both in shape and growing characteristics....

Photo below - another Congo watermelon

Photo below - Jude seems to approve of the melon growing so far, but in reality they're probably only "round things" that can be thrown into the air for her to catch - which of course is what she lives for....Sigh...

In other gardening news, the squash is just about done for the year. Powdery mildew has set in pretty hard, and a couple of plants have been pulled already. That's ok, I'm sick of squash....

Also, the butternut squash is just about ready too, and the first 3 should be ready to pick by week's end. A total of 7 will be a good crop for me, and certainly all that we'll want to eat in the upcoming months...

Take care, and happy gardening

EG

Sweet potatoes and corn

Having never grown sweet potatoes in one of the raised beds before really presented new things to deal with - mainly keeping the vines contained within the confinements of the protective fencing. Every couple of days or so I'm faced with the task of removing new growth from the wire mesh, as indicated in the picture below. However, it's really nothing to fret about - just have to carefully pull each one out and direct it toward the center of the bed.....

Photo below - the largest tomato ever grown in the garden, and I'm pretty excited about it. It's gonna measure somewhere between 5" to 6" in diameter I bet, and is called "Pineapple". Seeds shared by Megan...Boy, I hope it makes it to maturity without insects bothering it....

Photo below - standing at 6'4" tall (as Ribbit can certainly attest), this is the view that I see when looking up at the top of the tomato plants. These particular ones are around 10 feet, I'd guess, but a couple would probably come in at around 12. Picking ripe tomatoes near the top can be challenging, but thankfully there's a 2 foot step ladder that helps tremendously..

Photo below - the new planting of corn is well on it's way to bigger and better things, and 2 applications of fertilizer have been applied thus far. For reference, I always fertilize corn 3 times throughout a grow cycle - when 8" tall, at knee high, and again when tassels begin to show. Anyway, we should get a decent harvest from this "Early Sunglow" in September, and I can't wait to try it....

Lastly, most of the makeshift compost pile created in the 4x9 box back last November has been relocated to the other bins, and I'll certainly be glad when it's finished. My back is bothering me again, and it's probably due to the difficult work involved with messing with this kind of stuff. However, once done - I'll be composing the lazy way from now on.

As a matter of fact, a trip to the chiropractor and also rheumatologist today will hopefully provide some much needed relief to this badly worn out body of mine. I sure hope so, because I'd hate to stop gardening all together - ya know?

Take care, and happy gardening

EG