What Did You Do Today?

[Pappy]

Sounds like yall are doing way better than me, my little garden is supplying enough to eat but not near enough to put up.  I don't have much of a green thumb and probably don't work as hard at it as yall do. 
 Pappy

[Eric Krewson]

I took a weedeater to my beans to keep me from canning any more, I have already canned more than a years' worth.

For those of you that put up cane or wood trellises for pole beans, this is the easiest way to go and lasts a lifetime. I bought a 16X5 cattle fence panel at the farm store for about $20 along with four 6' metal T posts. I cut the 16' panel in half with a bolt cutter so the 8' sections would be easier to handle. A few fence clips to hold the panel to the T post and I am good to go. I put the panels on the T post so they will be about 12" off the ground and train the beans to climb up to the panel so I have a higher panels for the beans to climb. I have enough panels and posts to put up multiple rows like this for beans and cucumbers depending if it is a bean canning or pickle making year. I usually can enough for 3 years so I don't have to plant beans or cucumbers every year.

I just used 3 T posts this year and zip tied the sections together at the middle T post



I planted 5 jalapeno plants for my neighbor to have some to can; he is often a no show so the ripe jalapenos just sat there. I am well stocked with pickled jalapenos but these were so huge and pretty I decided to can a few jars to use as decoration on my hutch with all the other colorful things I have canned. These will be scorchers with so many red ones in the mix, they are garlic onion pickled jalapenos.





Then I witnessed a miracle: three different people actually came over to pick my excess tomatoes and peppers out of the garden, this is a rarity, usually everyone wants stuff until I tell them to come over and get it, they want it delivered and won't stop by.

[PaulN/KS]

Last year we smoked some of our jalapenos whole then the wife put them in the food dehydrator. They have been a nice addition of heat and flavor to many dishes over the past year. We fire roast the anehiems and poblanos then she peels and freezes them for use later.

[JW_Halverson]

I have ONE snow pea pod about an inch and a half long, and two clusters of cherry tomatoes the size of small marbles. Eric killing off his pole beans because he's done picking and processing grinds my corn! GRRRRR!

Yeah, we are a little behind ya'll with our growing season here in the frozen north.

Eric, that description of fried squash sounds pretty danged good! I wonder if it would translate to grilled squash? Some hickory shavings to add smoke might go well with the squash and balsamic vinegar. Thanks for the tip, much appreciated, sir.

[Eric Krewson]

My nephew Wes and his wife came over to pick the peppers I grew for my no-show neighbor, I knew there were a lot but didn't know how many they took home. They are building a house and didn't have time for a garden this year so I told them to pick whatever they wanted out of my garden, they loaded up on tomatoes and peppers, they said they loved butternut squash so I gave them three nice ones to take home.

Wes sent me a picture of the 9 quarts of pickled jalapinos he had put up, he said he kept a two gallon bags full of fresh ones for him and his son to eat, they will make poppers out of them.



I am in the process of putting together a care package of canned garden goodies and jam to send to my citified son in Austin, he is a gardener but can't grow a garden where he lives.

I have been picking smaller okra pods to pickle in pint jars to send to his family, I make onion, garlic, jalapino pickled okra, very tasty stuff. They love it.

Then it hit me, I had just given away every single jalapino pepper that my 5 plants held, I told Wes to take them all, I didn't have any to put in my okra, I would have to go to town to buy some.

Later in the day I was picking the last few butternut squash and noticed a clump of low hanging pepper leaves with something shiny in the middle. Thank goodness; one mature and one smaller jalapino, Wes missed them, just the right amount for my pickled okra, I don't have to drive to town after all.



 

[mullet]

I pickled 9 pints of okra yesterday and 10 pints of salsa. I also ended up with 9 quarts of pork from the hog I cut up.
 I use the Bull wire fencing also for my beans, muscadines, and tomatoes. I have 12' of wire loaded with giant speckled Lima beans right now and another section with Aunt Bea speckled Pole beans. Getting ready to make a bunch of Cowboy Candy with my Jalapenos. 

[PaulN/KS]

When Mitzi Gaynor sang about "being as corny as Kansas in August..." she was singing about field corn. July is the month for sweet corn around here and the local sweet corn growers have been picking. If the flags or banner is waving by the gate the sweet corn is in. Picked up a couple dozen while I was heading to Leavenworth yesterday. They give you a good amount too as I got 27 ears for my 2 dozen. 

We'll freeze some but right now it's corn on the cob time...