Garden thread 3; The harvest.

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Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

In spring I started a garden thread, I was wondering how all the interested parties fared. We had weird weather here in Minnesota and the tomatoes are late to ripen. We canned our first batch today. I also added a bonus picture of Joe Mauer, we went to the ball game the other day. Wink

Today's harvest...

The assembly line to remove the skin...I had the easy job of dropping them into the boiling water, take a sip of beer, and plunge them into ice water. The bride removed the skins and core.

Today's finished product, 12 (one is missing from the picture) quarts of tomatoes. We will do another 12 quarts in a few days as they ripen.

Bonus picture of Joe Mauer.

Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 9:36 pm

Ha! How strange I should pop back tonight PF.

All I have left in my garden is sweetcorn, onions, parsnips and brussels. There are a couple of hand-fulls of tomatoes in the greenhouse.

I'll not be bothering with brassicas next year because the amount of effort is not worth the results. Maybe half a dozen greyhound, but that's it.

I've got a couple of jars of pickled beetroot left in the fridge.

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

Hi WP! We also froze a bunch of corn today. All I have left in the garden is pumpkins, garlic, tomatoes and sweet & hot peppers. I also have a second crop of lettuce growing as the weather cools down.

Not quite a Newb Joined: 09 Sep 2009 Posts: 44

Very nice tomatoes. Growing some myself this season, hoping to make some soup out of them. Also have an Apple tree which some nice winter puddings can be made from. However I do envy your garlic, sweet peppers and hot peppers. Very Happy

Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 10:07 pm

I know that it is off-topic but the two sockets in the first photo

look like

as if they want to say "Great harvest, Pastor Frank! Pass me the pepper, please!" Very Happy

Not quite a Newb Joined: 09 Sep 2009 Posts: 44

FrumpyBB wrote:

I know that it is off-topic but the two sockets in the first
look like
Surprised

as if they want to say "Great harvest, Pastor Frank! Pass me the pepper, please!" Very Happy

Now you mention it they indeed do. Laughing

. I must say though that does look like one hell of a batch. I can only hope mine are as good. Laughing

.

Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 11:58 pm

Those are some nice looking tomatoes PF!

I just picked a ton of tomatoes today. It looks like they are starting to slow down a bit now. Though they were late coming in, I've had a very steady harvest this year. Last year I got them all at once and then little else for the rest of the season.

Also I picked much of the basil today and made another big batch of pesto. That goes well on the tomatoes and just about everything else it's put on.

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

Captain Hollister wrote:

However I do envy your garlic, sweet peppers and hot peppers. Very Happy

Welcome to Eater CH, you certainly have a memorable start date, 09/09/09.

I like to use some of the hot peppers to make a hot pepper jelly. The bride thinks I am crazy but one of my favorite winter snacks is a dollop of hot pepper jelly on a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

I have about 30 peppers planted, the sweet bell's are about done, but the hot varieties are still maturing.

Here are links to the past garden threads this year, if you are interested.

http://forum.419eater.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=161564&highlight=garden

http://forum.419eater.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=168530&highlight=garden

Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2009 6:56 am

Nice size veggie patch you have there PF. A lot more space than I've got.

Next year I'm planning a Bee Hotel and will be planting lots of plants (like lavender) to attract them. I've noticed a bit of a decline in numbers over the years, but nothing like the decimation they are experiencing in the countryside. It's turning into a serious problem.

I tried some peppers and chillies but they didn't do too well. If I had as much space as you, I'd think about a poly tunnel. Have you considered that?

Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2009 1:34 pm

For some reason all our tomatoes died. We did get some cauliflowers, beetroot, courgettes (a couple of which grew to HUGE proportions), spuds, broad beans & various berries. Pride of place goes to the scotch bonnet chillis in the back window.

Not quite a Newb Joined: 09 Sep 2009 Posts: 44

Thanks for the warm welcome Pastor. Also I shall have a look at these links and post up some pictures of my own tomatoes... When finally picked and my lovely Apples. Very Happy

. If you guys don't mind..? Very Happy

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

windypops wrote:

lots of plants (like lavender) to attract them.

Try Bee Balm It is a perennial and virtually maintenance free. The bees and hummingbirds love it.

Captain Hollister wrote:

post up some pictures of my own tomatoes... If you guys don't mind..? Very Happy

Please do!

Edit:

iMike wrote:

courgettes (a couple of which grew to HUGE proportions)

We also like to let a few grow out to see how big they will get... And a few more garden pics, remember, I am no Ansel Adams.

Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2009 4:18 pm

^^^ nice crop. Our courgettes were about that size. I did ask my wife if she had any batteries to fit them. She hit me. Sad

Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2009 5:35 pm

Awesome, PF and bride! Cool

windypops, there is a serious problem with bees and it is very sad.

http://queenbeejan.com/beeprob.htm

I still get excited over this: Laughing

Front:
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm155/eater_photos/100_1074.jpg

Back:
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm155/eater_photos/100_1075.jpg

I have a few tomatoes on the vine and a bowl of red ones on the counter. I'll have to take a pic later. Very Happy

Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2009 8:25 pm

hmmph.

I've had a reasonable yield of tomatoes from my balcony garden, but unfortunately, my largest crop lately has been of the Japanese beetles that showed up 2 weeks ago and decimated my thriving basil--I didn't know there was a Japanese beetle problem, as they've never touched my other plants, so I was very unprepared.

Not quite a Newb Joined: 09 Sep 2009 Posts: 44

Well no tomatoes... appear to ate them all. However, here are the Apples, Rhubarb, peaches- frozen for cooking at christmas and grapes.

Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2009 8:48 pm

@PF: Nice crops, lovely pumpkins! With the arrival of bohigal jr., all we managed this year were the heirloom tomatoes. Hideous as heck, but yummy yummy! The recent heat caused a wave of ripening down here in nordeast.

Mr Bo went to Gophers vs Air Force on Saturday. He said the stadium was awesome, but with his creaky joints he fears the al-fresco games later in the season.

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

bohigal wrote:

He said the stadium was awesome

In have driven past it a few times but have not been inside, it looks great.

Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 7:13 am

PF,

Here down south Louisiana, we like to slather a cracker with cream cheese, then top it with pepper jelly. The jelly is also great to paint on porkchops that are grilling.

The world's a better place with pepper jelly in it !!

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

nonon wrote:

The world's a better place with pepper jelly in it !!

Amen! On Christmas day we do a similar thing, we warm cream cheese so it is soft, pour a pint of pepper jelly over it and serve with crackers. Along with a snifter of cherry bounce.

Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 9:37 pm

<. Along with a snifter of cherry bounce<>>

Holy moly! I ain't had cherry bounce since I was a kid. I remember it knocked me to my knees. Around here, the bounce was made with tiny wild black cherries. I dunno if they were strictly fermented or if alcohol was added. All the old ones I could ask are now gone.................

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

A bit of a necro, but this is the official closing of the 2009 Northern Hemisphere growing season.

Last night they predicted a hard frost here in Minnesota, and we got it. I picked everything that was suseptible to the cold that I had left in the garden. I have have ripe and green tomatoes (and about 50 pounds more of the green variety left out there), a ton of hot peppers, some late season zucchini and a few straggling heads of garlic.

I have used up all but 12 quarts of canning jars. What should I fill the last 12 with? I found a recipe for sweet and spicy pickled green tomatoes, so that is the leader so far. I plan to make the ripe tomatoes into sauce and freeze it.

Any other ideas?

Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2009 4:11 pm

The peppers got attacked by white fly while we were on holiday.
The tomatoes all died.
The last 2 cauliflowers got eaten by caterpillars while we were on holiday.
For the 2nd year running, the artichoke turned into a thistle.
Crying or Very sad

On the other hand:
We got some nice spuds.
The brussels sprouts should be ready for xmas.
Although the plant doesn't look too well, we do have a small crop of Scotch Bonnets.
Very Happy

Anyone fancy chillied sprouts? With guiness?

Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2009 9:57 pm

Cool a gardening post...

We like to grow our own veg too. We also keep records of what we harvest and when, so that we can try to beat it the following year.

Most of what we have grown/harvest can be seen here.

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

Here is what I did today. I did 12 quarts of hot&sweet pickled green tomatoes and 12 1/2 pints of hot pepper jelly. I am going to make sauce of the ripe tomatoes in the morning and freeze it. Any ideas on what to do with the 20 pounds of hot peppers I have left over?

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