eG Foodblog: Shelby--The Everlasting Garden...Canning...Canning...Canning...

[scubadoo97]

Loving you foodblog Shelby. The bounty from you garden is amazing and your meals look and sound wonderful

[KennethT]

I know, right?  That was Ronnie's purchase  (sorry to throw you under the bus)....but honestly with the peach juice it was just fine.

 

 

Well, I hope it's awesome.   (thank you for the support)  

I agree - once you add the peach juice, using a more expensive sparkler is just a waste (just as long as the one you've got isn't faulted, which most mass market products never are).. next time, try some peach puree rather than peach syrup... even better! 

 

Thanks for taking us along this journey with you... it's been fascinating!  Love it!

[dcarch]

I think I may not be reading this thread anymore.

 

This blog is making my cooking seem very boring.     

 

 

dcarch  

[Shelby]

Thank you so much, everyone!

 

Uh, Dcarch, I HATE posting pictures of my meals after you've posted.  I'm not even in your same stratosphere!  But thank you for the compliment.

 

 

It's Saturday!!!  

 

I have so much to do it's not even funny.  I have to can tomatoes.  And, I have a crock of of pickles to put up.  Also going to make some pickled eggs.  And....much more if I can fit it in.

 

By the way, if it's ok with upper management Monday night will be the end here.

 

We went out to the field to take a few pictures this morning.

 

Field corn.  The deer have been gorging on this stuff.

 

 

 

Today's blossom is the soybean.  These were planted like the end of June/first of July so they are just now forming.  They are a very delicate purple color then later they look white.

 

 

Beans juuuuuuust starting.

 

 

 

(are you bored yet?)

 

I also needed some grape leaves to put in my crock for a new batch of pickles.  Ronnie usually does this for me because there is poison ivy everywhere, but I braved it to take pictures this morning. 

Here is the huge grape vine.  You probably can't see from the pictures but it climbs clear in to the trees.

 

 

Weren't some of us talking about this plant some time ago?  Or is this a different one?  Ronnie says the berries are poisonous.  I didn't test one out.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Breakfast this morning.  Breakfast of champions.

 

Leftover fried fish and a grape pop.

 

 

 I LOVE grape pop.  My Grandpa used to work at a large newspaper here in Kansas (he used to own a smaller one here, too) and when he would take me to work with him he would always let me stop at the pop machine and get a pop.  And it was the BEST pop machine.  The kind where all the pop is in glass bottles.  Then you insert the bottle in the opener on the machine, pop off the top and take a long drink of icy, cold grapey goodness.

 

Ronnie got me that can yesterday.  He says to tell you that although it says that it was 50 cents on the can, he actually got it for 10 cents.  The man loves a bargain.  

 

Pickage today:

 

 

 

Ronnie made the handle of that basket out of some of the grapevine pictured above.  He's a handy guy. 

 

 

[FauxPas]

Your dinner looked delicious. And your produce and your fields look lovely. I bet it would be easy to get lost in that corn! 

 

How warm is it there now? How early do you go out to do your picking? 

 

How do you store your pickling cukes until you are ready to pickle? 

[Deryn]

My tomato harvest today (of which I won't include a picture - but I assure you it was just magnificent!) ... one cherry tomato. I don't expect many more bountiful days like this this summer. (Normally I do better than this but I was too late back here from the south this year to get plants and seeds would not even have produced this much by now.)

I am in awe of all you are growing on your farm, Shelby! I am devouring your 'blog' and savouring it.

Hope you have a good stock of Tecnu in case you got any poison ivy juice on you when you braved the grape vine wilds.

[Shelby]

Your dinner looked delicious. And your produce and your fields look lovely. I bet it would be easy to get lost in that corn! 

 

How warm is it there now? How early do you go out to do your picking? 

 

How do you store your pickling cukes until you are ready to pickle? 

 

Thank you!  Yes, I have gotten lost in the corn.   Years ago (I think I documented it here) I went through a phase where I pickled and canned baby field corn.  I've since recovered from that madness.  Anyway, I got lost picking baby corn and went clear to the west end.  My house is at the east end.  I had to keep reminding myself that I wasn't really lost since I was on my property but I did have a bit of a panicky feeling.

 

It's hot.  Not as hot as past summers, but hot.  Highs are 95-100.  I try to get in the garden before 8 a.m. but sometimes that doesn't work because I like sleeping.  I'm always sorry if I sleep late.

 

I keep the cukes in the fridge.  Nothing fancy

My tomato harvest today (of which I won't include a picture - but I assure you it was just magnificent!) ... one cherry tomato. I don't expect many more bountiful days like this this summer. (Normally I do better than this but I was too late back here from the south this year to get plants and seeds would not even have produced this much by now.)

I am in awe of all you are growing on your farm, Shelby! I am devouring your 'blog' and savouring it.

Hope you have a good stock of Tecnu in case you got any poison ivy juice on you when you braved the grape vine wilds.

  That made me laugh out loud.  You sound just like my mom.  She harvested two tomatoes the other day.  I know she savored each bite.

 

Thank you for coming along with me

 

I had to google Tecnu.  Thank you for telling me about it.  I'm going to get some.  I'm always looking for poison ivy treatments.  Poison ivy loves me.

[rotuts]

it seems you are close to done w the blog

 

 

I know these take great effort.

 

thank you for showing us around.

[Shelby]

it seems you are close to done w the blog

 

 

I know these take great effort.

 

thank you for showing us around.

I'm sticking around until Monday evening if you guys will have me.  And thank YOU for being here.  Wouldn't be any fun to sit here and talk to myself.

[Anna N]

I'm sticking around until Monday evening if you guys will have me. And thank YOU for being here. Wouldn't be any fun to sit here and talk to myself.

Shelby I have nothing but admiration for you. I know why I don't garden now from watching you! It is quite obvious who's the boss. To try to keep up with all that the garden produces I would be a basket case (without the lovely grape-vine handle!).

Edited to make somewhat better sense.

Edited August 15, 2015 by Anna N (log)

[rotuts]

BTW  How do you plant your tomatoes and how many do you have?

 

after planting, when does the night 'warm-up' so the blossoms set ?

[Shelby]

Shelby I have nothing but admiration for you. I know why I don't garden now from watching you! It is quite obvious who's the boss. To try to keep up with all that the garden produces I would be a basket case (without the lovely grape-vine handle!).

Edited to make somewhat better sense.

Aw, thank you.  My husband does a lot, too.  Trust me, I'm tired.  I'd love to have a little nap about now.  The garden is definitely the boss.  I just remind myself how much we enjoy what we've saved during the winter months.  If I had to give everything up except for one, the tomatoes would win hands down.  I can't not have Kansas tomatoes every summer.

 

BTW  How do you plant your tomatoes and how many do you have?

 

after planting, when does the night 'warm-up' so the blossoms set ?

I just draw a straight, long line with my hoe in our tilled up garden area and with a little spade I dig holes about 5-6" deep about a foot apart.  I think I have mostly 10 per row this year.  I planted 57 tomatoes, 10 of which were cherry or grape.  A couple of plants didn't make it.  Then I planted a few more from the our greenhouse that were ready a bit later.  I think we have around 60 total? 

 

I used to plant right around May 10th to make sure a late frost wouldn't kill everything (I don't have enough buckets etc. to try to cover everything) but the past few years it's been so warm.  I think I planted at the end of April.  The ground was 60 degrees or so according to my Thermapen  The nights warm up by the end of May/first of June.

[rotuts]

do your early blossoms set or simply fall off ?

[Shelby]

do your early blossoms set or simply fall off ?

Good question. I've never noticed them falling off, but I'm not saying they don't.  I know one of the plants I bought from the greenhouse already had a little tomato on.

[heidih]

Can we see your greenhouse?

[Shelby]

Can we see your greenhouse?

Sure!  I'll take pictures in the morning.  It's definitely NOT fancy.

[heidih]

But clearly functional

[ElainaA]

 

I just draw a straight, long line with my hoe in our tilled up garden area and with a little spade I dig holes about 5-6" deep about a foot apart.  I think I have mostly 10 per row this year.  I planted 57 tomatoes, 10 of which were cherry or grape.  A couple of plants didn't make it.  Then I planted a few more from the our greenhouse that were ready a bit later.  I think we have around 60 total? 

 

I used to plant right around May 10th to make sure a late frost wouldn't kill everything (I don't have enough buckets etc. to try to cover everything) but the past few years it's been so warm.  I think I planted at the end of April.  The ground was 60 degrees or so according to my Thermapen  The nights warm up by the end of May/first of June.

I second that request to have pictures of your greenhouse. We are putting up one from a kit this fall to use next year so I'd love to see what you have. Do you have issues with blight (early and/or late blight) or is that mostly an east coast thing? I am also curious as to the type of irrigation system you use in the garden. We put in a drip tape/ drip emitter system 3 years ago and I love it.

I do admire all you do.

 

Did you make your pickles today? That's what I am doing now (well, no - I'm typing this while the jars sterilize). 4-day brined sweet pickles - they go into the jars today.

 

Elaina

Edited August 15, 2015 by ElainaA (log)

[Shelby]

I second that request to have pictures of your greenhouse. We are putting up one from a kit this fall to use next year so I'd love to see what you have. Do you have issues with blight (early and/or late blight) or is that mostly an east coast thing? I am also curious as to the type of irrigation system you use in the garden. We put in a drip tape/ drip emitter system 3 years ago and I love it.

I do admire all you do.

 

Did you make your pickles today? That's what I am doing now (well, no - I'm typing this while the jars sterilize). 4-day brined sweet pickles - they go into the jars today.

 

Elaina

Oh I bet your greenhouse will be wonderful!

 

No blight problems ....knock on wood.

 

We had a drip system for many years, but this year it's just sprinklers set up on stakes for height.  My husband does all that.   We have 4 of them in order to reach everything.  Honestly, I've only had to water a few times this year.  The rain has been perfectly timed.

 

I'm still canning tomatoes.  I'm waiting for my jars to be sterilized too  After I'll do pickles.  I can't believe it's already 3 p.m.!

 

Take a pickle picture and show us

[cyalexa]

The berries are pokeberries and yes, they are poisonous. The young leaves are apparently safe to eat if boiled twice but I have no intention of trying. 

 

http://www.poison.org/poisonpost/aug2012/pokeberries.htm

[cakewalk]

The garden is definitely the boss.

That's an interesting statement.

 

I'd also love to see the greenhouse. In fact, I want you to do a blog for all seasons! What do you do with the garden when the harvest is finished? And during the winter? And when you're ready to plant again? I can't imagine the amount of work involved. It truly is awesome.

[Okanagancook]

I refer to myself as the "garden slave"

[Shelby]

Good evening!  Ok so, I just got done with everything and I'm just not worth a plug nickel (as my Grammy used to say).  I will be here bright and early to post todays adventures.

 

Sweet dreams, everyone

[FauxPas]

Get a good night's rest!

[gfweb]

Yup. That's pokeweed. A poison if you eat it and a PITA in the garden.