The 2014 Get Dirt Under Your Fingernails Thread

[mom45]

all picked this week. I am about to tell friends to come pick some.

Throw them in a ziplock and freeze them. I love freezing those little bursts of goodness and then I just chop them and add them to things I am cooking or run them through the blender when I need puree or juice to add to chili or soup or whatever in the winter. They are wonderful that way! I love freezing the little ones like that because I can put them in gallon size bags and only take out what I need since they don't freeze into a big clump like cut up tomatoes do.

 

[bwframe]

...I am about to tell friends to come pick some.

I still share a lot myself, but I really push myself to put up everything I grow. It's a rare recipient who truly appreciates the effort put into growing a good harvest. Eventually this all sinks in, after you realize one too many times that you are working your ass off for others to take for granted (or the compost pile.)

 

[88GT]

I still share a lot myself, but I really push myself to put up everything I grow. It's a rare recipient who truly appreciates the effort put into growing a good harvest. Eventually this all sinks in, after you realize one too many times that you are working your ass off for others to take for granted (or the compost pile.)

I hear that.

My mom is really the only one who does and that's because she tries to grow herself (she has a poorly located garden and doesn't get enough sun, but next year it will be in a better spot after we clear it and prep it this year, so fingers crossed). Even many of my other garden buddies lack the appreciation for a "survival" garden. (Not that we could live on what we grow; we have to supplement with grocery bought items. A large part of our efforts, though, are geared towards being prepared to hit the ground running if the reliance on the garden increased significantly.) But our garden efforts go beyond the salad plate and salsa bowl (though I do love my salsa). If the lack of appreciation for the garden work wasn't enough, I think most of them are completely clueless about what it takes it preserve that harvest. Tomatoes don't make themselves into sauce. Green beans to vacuum seal the jar with the help of peas.

Having said that, this is a bumper year for me. I have successfully grown sweet corn finally!!!!!!! I will be busy this week picking and preserving as the peppers and tomatoes have pretty much reached the peak of productivity.

 

[bwframe]

I canned my first large batch of salsa yesterday. A good half of the Romas had to go to the compost with internal rot. Red ripe tomatoes with open space inside starting to rot.

No internal rot in the round varieties, but they showed signs of less than fully developed insides. More than normal shoulder cracks and rotting (outside/in) caused a few of these to get into the compost also.

 

[88GT]

I am gearing up to can tomato sauce. I have about 50lbs of tomatoes, about 60/40 split between Romas and Salsa varieties. I'll pull some of the salsa variety aside for....salsa, to can on another day, probably tomorrow. I should be finishing up around midnight tonight.

 

[hooky]

We did a couple hundred pints of sweet corn the weekend before last between the 4 families. We thought the next batch planted would be ready this weekend, but with the cooler weather it's not happening. It's tassled out, but barely blistered. Maybe the last week of August unless we get a hot spell.

 

[bwframe]

We did a couple hundred pints of sweet corn the weekend before last between the 4 families. We thought the next batch planted would be ready this weekend, but with the cooler weather it's not happening. It's tassled out, but barely blistered. Maybe the last week of August unless we get a hot spell.

I was gonna ask how long to plan on roadside spots selling sweet corn? The place I've been going (outside of Trafalgar) has excellent fresh corn. It's a half hour away, so not a quick run to check them out. I'd like to play with canning some corn relish before the season is gone.

 

[UncleNorby]

I saw some emntion of pickle-making. Does anyone make pickles - the kind that are fermented to produce the sour taste? I've been amking them the lst few years with good results. Just tried a "sunshine" pickle recipe, they came out awesome, in much less time than crock-brined pickles. Does anyone know if sunshine type recipes can be processed after they are brough in from outside? Thanks.

 

[hooky]

I was gonna ask how long to plan on roadside spots selling sweet corn? The place I've been going (outside of Trafalgar) has excellent fresh corn. It's a half hour away, so not a quick run to check them out. I'd like to play with canning some corn relish before the season is gone.

We were freezing it. Just shuck and silk it, then cut it off as close to the cob as you can into a big bowl. Flip your knife over and run the back across the cob to get all the milk off. Scoop it into pint or quart freezer bags and get as much air out as you can.

Some people blanch it before cutting, but we've stopped doing that.

 

[mom45]

I was gonna ask how long to plan on roadside spots selling sweet corn? The place I've been going (outside of Trafalgar) has excellent fresh corn. It's a half hour away, so not a quick run to check them out. I'd like to play with canning some corn relish before the season is gone.

We usually have corn available in our area until about Labor Day. This year, it may be longer since it has been so cool and it hasn't been ripening as fast.

I saw some emntion of pickle-making. Does anyone make pickles - the kind that are fermented to produce the sour taste? I've been amking them the lst few years with good results. Just tried a "sunshine" pickle recipe, they came out awesome, in much less time than crock-brined pickles. Does anyone know if sunshine type recipes can be processed after they are brough in from outside? Thanks.

I am making dills in a crock for the first time this year. I make a sweet pickle that is a refrigerator pickle and keeps in the refrigerator for several months if they aren't eaten before that. I've never tried the sun type but have a friend that does. I don't think she processes them though.

 

[bwframe]

We usually have corn available in our area until about Labor Day. This year, it may be longer since it has been so cool and it hasn't been ripening as fast.

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. I had a week or two of driving past the folks selling corn a few weeks back. Now it's a dedicated trip to check. I'll get a biz card or phone number to call ahead next time I catch them open.

We were freezing it. Just shuck and silk it, then cut it off as close to the cob as you can into a big bowl. Flip your knife over and run the back across the cob to get all the milk off. Scoop it into pint or quart freezer bags and get as much air out as you can.

Some people blanch it before cutting, but we've stopped doing that.

I put twenty pounds in the freezer a couple weeks ago.

I'm a pretty big fan of old style corn relish (Nances) on sandwiches. I want to work on my own fresh variety with my own ingredients. A few jars of that put back and maybe I can forget about buying ketchup and mustard for good?

The best cheeseburger ever is topped with corn relish, fresh Vidalia onions and fresh Hungarian peppers.

 

[hooky]

I'm a pretty big fan of old style corn relish (Nances) on sandwiches. I want to work on my own fresh variety with my own ingredients. A few jars of that put back and maybe I can forget about buying ketchup and mustard for good?

The best cheeseburger ever is topped with corn relish, fresh Vidalia onions and fresh Hungarian peppers.

I've never had it, but now you've got me wanting to try it.

 

[CindyE]

I hear that.

My mom is really the only one who does and that's because she tries to grow herself (she has a poorly located garden and doesn't get enough sun, but next year it will be in a better spot after we clear it and prep it this year, so fingers crossed). Even many of my other garden buddies lack the appreciation for a "survival" garden. (Not that we could live on what we grow; we have to supplement with grocery bought items. A large part of our efforts, though, are geared towards being prepared to hit the ground running if the reliance on the garden increased significantly.) But our garden efforts go beyond the salad plate and salsa bowl (though I do love my salsa). If the lack of appreciation for the garden work wasn't enough, I think most of them are completely clueless about what it takes it preserve that harvest. Tomatoes don't make themselves into sauce. Green beans to vacuum seal the jar with the help of peas.

Having said that, this is a bumper year for me. I have successfully grown sweet corn finally!!!!!!! I will be busy this week picking and preserving as the peppers and tomatoes have pretty much reached the peak of productivity.

I finally grew some good organic sweet corn this year, too! I have never done very good with it before. Some of my stalks have several ears each, and the rows are all filled in.

 

[UncleNorby]

I am making dills in a crock for the first time this year. I make a sweet pickle that is a refrigerator pickle and keeps in the refrigerator for several months if they aren't eaten before that. I've never tried the sun type but have a friend that does. I don't think she processes them though.[/QUOTE]

Thanks. I'm sure you're following some directions for your crock pickles. All I'll say is to keep an eye on them and to deal with them as soon as fermentation stops, or if a white scum starts to form on top of the brine. For me this year, fermentation has been complete in 2 weeks, and this is at temps in the low 70's. In earlier attempts, I was looking for a more intense sour than can be attained by this method, so I let them stay in the crock too long. Various molds ruined the pickles. My best variation of this type uses a brine of 14 cups water, 2 cups vinegar, 1 cup salt, as much pickle spice as you like, additional hot peppers (fresh or dry), a head of smashed garlic, and dry mustard (Coleman's). I like them spicy, so I go heavy on the peppers and mustard. I use 5 gallon crocks with 2 gallons brine, then fill with cukes. Good luck with yours!

 

[CountryBoy19]

Tomatoes...I fasten the cages on either side of a fence panel to keep them staked up.



Tomatoes on one side and cucumbers on the other where they can vine up the fence panel.

Suggestion for you (for next year), take it or leave it, just thought you might like to know. I did away with tomatoe cages a couple years ago and I'll NEVER go back to them. I've tried everything from staking, tying, cages, etc. The best thing I've found so far is a slight variation of what you did above with the fence panel. I use 2 panels to form a sort of linear cage. Plant your tomatoes in a row. Place 2 fence panels about 4-6" apart at ground level and angle them out to about 12-16" apart at the tops. If you have a problematic plant that wants to fall over within the "V shaped" created by the panels just string a couple strands of string between panels to support it. I've never had any problems with this method. You can always get to the tomatoes, the "cage" is never falling over or collapsing, and it's cheaper than buying a bunch of the larger, heavy-duty cages.

 

[mom45]

I am making dills in a crock for the first time this year. I make a sweet pickle that is a refrigerator pickle and keeps in the refrigerator for several months if they aren't eaten before that. I've never tried the sun type but have a friend that does. I don't think she processes them though.

Thanks. I'm sure you're following some directions for your crock pickles. All I'll say is to keep an eye on them and to deal with them as soon as fermentation stops, or if a white scum starts to form on top of the brine. For me this year, fermentation has been complete in 2 weeks, and this is at temps in the low 70's. In earlier attempts, I was looking for a more intense sour than can be attained by this method, so I let them stay in the crock too long. Various molds ruined the pickles. My best variation of this type uses a brine of 14 cups water, 2 cups vinegar, 1 cup salt, as much pickle spice as you like, additional hot peppers (fresh or dry), a head of smashed garlic, and dry mustard (Coleman's). I like them spicy, so I go heavy on the peppers and mustard. I use 5 gallon crocks with 2 gallons brine, then fill with cukes. Good luck with yours![/QUOTE]

I've been skimming the top of the brine as directed in the recipe. This is one that is supposed to allow the pickles to remain in the crock for 4 to 6 months so we'll see.

Suggestion for you (for next year), take it or leave it, just thought you might like to know. I did away with tomatoe cages a couple years ago and I'll NEVER go back to them. I've tried everything from staking, tying, cages, etc. The best thing I've found so far is a slight variation of what you did above with the fence panel. I use 2 panels to form a sort of linear cage. Plant your tomatoes in a row. Place 2 fence panels about 4-6" apart at ground level and angle them out to about 12-16" apart at the tops. If you have a problematic plant that wants to fall over within the "V shaped" created by the panels just string a couple strands of string between panels to support it. I've never had any problems with this method. You can always get to the tomatoes, the "cage" is never falling over or collapsing, and it's cheaper than buying a bunch of the larger, heavy-duty cages.

I have about 80 cages and have been doing it this way for quite a while. This year, I have been pruning my plants and that has helped a lot. Tomatoes seem to be bigger and healthier (less disease and bugs) with less leaves in the way and more air circulating around the tomatoes. I'll have to keep your tip in mind though.

 

[bwframe]

...The best cheeseburger ever is topped with corn relish, fresh Vidalia onions and fresh Hungarian peppers.

I've never had it, but now you've got me wanting to try it.

Just hollar.

 

[hooky]

That looks like it's right up my alley.


Finally got a couple of tomatoes out of the garden tonight.

 

[bwframe]

I discovered that the Kroger branded Yukon Gold potatoes I bought last week had started spouting eyes quite noticeably. I decided to dedicate 6 of them to sacrificial planting. I reached them under the 18" of hay mulch row left from the late spring potato planting that was 100% failure.
We will see...
Late freeze?
Frost cover?
Thanksgiving fresh potatoes? Peas, already sprouted, right next to them. Ooh, worth the trouble.

 

[hooky]

We put up 54 pints of corn this afternoon. That will be the last of it for the year. The heat this week really pushed it from being just blistered last weekend to probably being too tough by midweek.