Jason closes his journal... Thanks!! I love you!!

[Holachicka]

Red currant tomotoes! There are so many it takes forever, and it's such a jingle of vines and cages that I end up having to do some sort of acrobatics to get to them! Oh, and half the time the skin peels right off while I'm picking them. *sigh*

Zucchini because the vines are crazy and I end up so scratched up that I'm itching for hours!

But hey, seeing how some haven't been able to harvest anything makes it that much more worthwhile!

 

[kcsunshine]

ZUCCHINI !!!




I made the mistake of letting 3 plants have their way. I tried to keep them picked at smaller size. I'm the only one that eats it at our house. After several meals & freezing I pulled them up. I found several more. Tried to give em to the chickens. They looked at me with that 'you expect me to eat THAT?' and ran the other direction. Then I found a couple of whoppers under the massive leaves...2 the size of baseball bats and 1 the size of a Buick......I'll have plenty of seed if anyone wants some.....and lots of bread & cake to open a small bakery

Your chicken won't eat zucchini? I cut mine (the zucchini, not the chicken) down the middle length-wise and all they leave is the dark green shell. They especially love the round ones after they've gotten too big - bigger seeds.

 

[modern_pioneer]

Hi KC, I hate when I miss a Zuke, I know right!! I will slice and dice those things all day long. I given the pulp centers to the girls, and make dehydrated squash mess with the others!!

Doing skettie sauce tomorrow and did a couple in the sauce, wonderful!!!

If I could just get someone to send me some Okra, I could test those suckers out too!!!

I also will be doing Ketchup as well, I suspect some salsa is coming up to!!!

 

[PamsPride]

I have been known to run my zukes through my food processor and shred it. My chickens inhale it that way!!
I never have enough garden produce so I am not sick of harvesting yet at all.

 

[gettinaclue]

Yes Please! I would LOVE a good sauce recipe!!!!

 

[kcsunshine]

This year we grew 3 different zukes as well as 3 different round zukes. We also grew straight neck and crook neck yellow squash and yellow and white patty pans. Wehn they were all coming in, I'd pick almost a bushel twice a week. I just wish I had a picture of how pretty they looked on our market table. We ate them fried, stewed, stuffed, grilled and baked. And had such a good time telling others how to fix them. But, you're right - those stems are horrible. My arms would get scratched until I looked like I'd been in a knife fight. Hubby had some kinda of allergy - his arms would break out in a big rash. I know - long sleeves, right?

MP, I'd love to send you some okra, but I fear it is now kaput! That stuff itches like crazy. Plus, I had a bird build a nest in the green okra, so I had to tiptoe past it every time and peek at the babies. She built it in a spot where a big leaf sheltered it from our non-existent rainfall. They all left the nest this week.

I'm off to the market this morning. I had big hopes of planting some lettuces for fall, but the seed packet says it won't germinate in temps over 75*, so I dare not in our 90+ temps. Good Saturday, everyone.

 

[modern_pioneer]

Nikki, I'll post a recipe for you tomorrow....

I went to the garden to harvest the last of the maters before I started canning this morning, sheesh the air was already heavy. I started and completed my harvest and went to the kitchen where little J and I started to clean them up, while the other bags of pulp defrosted. Joshua has taking a real liking in the canning department and likes to share samples with his friends. I know that seed is planted and one day, he will d it with his son.

So from plant to jar, the ketchup maters were less than an hour old. Fellows didn't have time to ask what the heck was going on. They were processed and in a boil bath before noon. Than it was on to the spaghetti sauce.... When I do a day of canning, I will save and can a product until I have enough to process a whole years worth if not more. I have 7 pounds of maters ready for stewed maters, I will need 21 more pounds. I also have salsa to make, which the peppers are just about ready!! I leave my jars out overnight to cool off and will put them in the root cellar tomorrow.

All this dampness has made our doors swell, so I finished this evening shaving down the doors so they will close properly.

I have grapes this year, yippie!! I look forward to some grape jam. I haven't had grape jam in years.

My new office is looking pretty nice, oh I forgot to mention I got a new desk!!!!! I am working on the main office for the girls and doing everything they want down there part of the day, and a little on mine.

The new shop is 4 times the size of my old one, I will continue to use that building for other things or rent it out. No doubt it is a dream of mine come true. A real milestone in fact. There is a reason for all this, and in the near future, well you will know.

I also got a new flag pole for the shop!!! WOOHOO!!!

 

[Marianne]

 

[modern_pioneer]

This is a collage that I had been working on, and now its done. Each photo tells a story about the subject and it relates to me in some way. The boy in the center, sitting in the hay field is looking up, and the rest of the photos are things he is pondering or thinking about. See now why I am a Modern Pioneer? lol

Last of the harvesting, and last batch of maters being canned, green beans, and carrots.

First Day of Fall, and my message for you this Fall is:

"Through my love for you, I want to express my love for the whole cosmos, the whole of humanity, and all beings. By living with you, I want to learn to love everyone and all species. If I succeed in loving you, I will be able to love everyone and all species on Earth... This is the real message of love." Thich Nhat Hanh Understandings of true love.

 

[dragonlaurel]

Very nice collage.