Today I’m cooking down the tomato purée I made by whizzing my leftover tomatoes — after saving their seeds — in the Ninja blender. I usually use my electric meat grinder to grind tomatoes for salsa. But as there are only a couple of gallons, I used the blender as it’s quick clean-up. We went out to the Wolf Garden, where our tomatoes are this year and harvested some more onions, green bell peppers, and some new-to-us yellow tomatillos, Chupon de Malinalco, from Baker Creek. I’m a new fan! Boy are they ever crisp and sweet. I put them in our salsa, along with onions, bell peppers, and a few jalapeños. Now it’s cooking down in the oven, with the door cracked open at 250 degrees F. When it gets thick, I’ll can it up. (Oh, I also added half a pint of Cowboy Candy syrup. I tried that last fall with a few half pints of salsa, and we really loved it!
While we were out there, I dug a small hill of potatoes, just to get a feel of how they did, considering how dry it’s been. We were very pleasantly surprised. There were several large potatoes, a few medium ones and some small ones. We’re very happy as we have four 100-foot rows. We can share our harvest again this year! Sarge went out with us and when we went in the gate, he suddenly started sniffing in the air and looking very concerned. I’m not sure if it was a bear, cougar, or wolf in the woods, but he was not liking it. When we went back, he was totally unconcerned. So, it must have gone away, whatever it was.
The North Garden was pretty much a bust this year. The only thing that’s doing well is the pumpkin crop. The corn got drowned out. We replanted and the wire worms got it all. (No more corn in there until they’ve given up!) and the beans I planted twice never made it. First, too much water, then none. The clay soil turned to chunky concrete. Oh well, that’s homesteading. Stuff happens and we just keep on keeping on. Last night, Will took the brush hog down there and chopped up our wonderful, three feet plus high pig weed before it matured its seed crop. Then, today, he went out and tilled it under with the Kubota and tiller. While he was out there, he pulled the two rows of bean trellises. Boy, were the T posts hard to pull by hand. I felt sorry for his back! I’ll go out in a few days and till it again to get the soil loosened up some as it’s still kind of chunky. I’m hoping we can get a big bunch of manure hauled out and tilled before winter.
Today, Will’s busy hauling hay while the (supposed) rain comes our way tomorrow. We’ll see… We could sure use a good, all-night rain! — Jackie
My garden is pretty well finished for this year. It has been very hot with no rain lately, then a couple of days ago we got almost 4 inches. It has been a strange year. I am interested in the yellow tomatillios. I grew regular ones and they have done quite well. What do you do with them besides make green sauce? My butternut squash has done well and they are drying a bit more before I pick them. Tomatoes were a bust due to possums. That’s life as a gardener, lol. I bet Will had a sore back after taking out those posts. Nothing on the homestead is easy, no matter what it looks like from the outside. Your tomatoes and peppers look lovely!! Sending prayers for rain for you and a blessed week.
I tossed them in my salsa. They are fruity tasting, and I think they’d make a great relish as well as adding them to salads as they’re really good, alone. We got a little rain but the soil is still very dry. Like you said, that’s life.
Yep, Will’s back is sore, but he went out and picked a 5-gallon bucket full of Dragon Tongue beans for me to can up today.
Thanks for your continued prayers!!
Today is Day 19 without any rain. The summer garden here is long gone except for a few holdovers that I have to keep watering (okra, cow peas, sweet potatoes). But the light shelves are full of fall broccoli, cabbage, kale, collard, cauliflower, etc plants that will be planted out in about ten days.
If I remember right, the last time I added a few new beds to the garden there were wireworms in it for about two years before they got gone. What a disappointment to have beautiful potato plants one day and wilting plants the next and potatoes riddled with wireworm holes! All that manure you’re going to till in will really help.
This year we grew the sweetest watermelons I’ve ever tasted. Wilson Sweet, an old timey round one I’d never heard of. We got 11 from one hill, averaging 16 lbs each. And the rind is thick enough for making pickled watermelon rind, which I did. My search for a great watermelon is over!
Yep, I like Wilson Sweet too, but they won’t make it here. Leelanau Sweetglo and Sweet Dakota Rose always make it and we’re so happy to have added them, years ago. We love our watermelon pickles too.
We’ll keep tilling in the North Garden as they say that really helps kill off wire worms. Ugh, I hate them so much!!
We’re pretty dry here too. Got rain yesterday and last night, but only about 1/4 inch so it may have helped a little, but not what we really need. The gardens are amazing us though, with their productivity despite crazy weather.
My husband said this is the first year he can remember growing fried green beans on the vine. Garden was a bust this year. Thank heavens my pantries and freezers were still full from last year so I just had to fill in the holes this year. Eight weeks of 100+ temps and no rain then TS Debby dropped 10+ inches of rain then got another 14 inches of rain over the next three weeks. We’ve been 2 weeks now with no rain. Finally got the yard dried out enough this week to finally mow. I’m ready to move on to fall!
Wow, you really got hit!! So glad to hear you’ve got plenty in your pantries and freezers. That’s why I always can up all I can as you never know what next year will bring. It doesn’t have to be the zombie apocalypse, either!!
That Sarge is a good boy!
I never thought to put tomatillo in my tomato salsa! Thanks for the great idea!
I sure had trouble with my snap beans this year also. It’s my favorite crop. I’m gonna miss it.
And I just can’t understand how people get overrun with zucchini. I have three plants and barely get enough for my use. I’m scratching my head Lol
I didn’t have enough tomatillos to do much else with them and hey, it worked!! Our snap beans are running us out of the house!!! I gave away 2 pickings of both varieties and today, Will went out and picked a 5-gallon bucket full, plus a plastic bag full. Guess what I’m canning today???
Try planting a different variety of zucchini. Some just don’t like certain gardens.
My sons use the tractor or skid steer bucket and a chain to pull out t posts. It goes faster with 2 people, of course. One on the bucket and the other operating the chain.
No fun to do this alone!
Yeah, I tried to ask Will if we could do that, and he just rolled his eyes and kept pulling them.
Well, if he insists on doing it the hard way, there’s no point in arguing with him.
Actually, my husband and I also use the chain and tractor’s front end loader to pull up the T posts. We had used it to push them into the ground to hold up the snow fence as well as put the posts in for fencing around young trees; it works well with me holding the post (or hooking up the chain) and he in the tractor.
That basket full of produce looks WONDERFUL.
I was so tickled too! Today I get to go out and pick a ton of tomatoes to seed and can. After I get the beans canned…..
Take care.
Always!! We’re clicking right along now. Thank God!!