Today's harvest

[larry_stewart]

Pepper, I got another dehydrator question for you.
How long and at what temp do you dry tomatoes ( such as Roma sized) for ?
I have a similar dehydrator as you and curious what you've had success with.

 

[pepperhead212]

Larry,

I set the thermostat at 120°, and it stays between 115° and 120°. It takes 2-3 days, depending on the size, and I dry them to where they are sort of leathery, with no stickiness left on them. Usually 16 oz reduces to 1 oz. Here is a photo showing part of a tray of dried tomatoes, after starting with a fairly full tray.
Dried eggplant and tomatoes. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

As usual at this time of year, peppers are really ripening, though some of the new ones are slow.
Peppers, 8-17 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Thai Vesuvius peppers, 8-17 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

And the Thai Red Long beans are finally producing.
The Thai Red Long bean, finally started to produce. 8-17 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[pepperhead212]

Still getting a generous number of tomatoes, though the rain and humidity has brought on some fungal problems, which were pretty much absent in the early summer, due to the dryness. I can't complain, however! That Matina (1½-2") is back producing, after a brief delay, due to heat; this, and the splitting from the extreme rainfalls were the only problems I had with it, so I will grow it again. The Green Tigers were much better than the Lucky Tigers, which it seems replaced the Greens in the catalogs. The luckys split horribly after those rainfalls, while the greens split some, but not nearly as much. So I'll be saving seeds for that!
Tomatoes, mostly Matina and Big Beef, and a few Amish Gold Slicers. 8-18 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Over 3 quarts of Cherry Bombs, plus a few more Tigers. 8-18 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Mostly Green Tigers, a few Lucky Tigers, 8-18 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Still only 2 mature winter squash, from that large area with the 7 plants. I could probably get a few pounds of squash blossoms from all those male blossoms, but only saw 2 more baby squash.

 

[pepperhead212]

And while out there later on, I picked the largest bitter melon that I have grown - not sure how I missed this!
Largest bitter melon that I have ever grown - 12 inches, and 14.1 oz. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

And I left one green BM on the vine to ripen (they turn orange), and picked it today. Some of the seeds were turning red, like the photo of the white BM in Baker Creek. I've never seen any others turn red before. The red gel washed off the seeds, and I dried them - I'll see how they germinate.
Bitter melon, ripened on the vine, with seeds starting to turn red. 8-18 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Red seeds in ripening green bitter melon. 8-18 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

And here is a cucumber plant and a bitter melon plant growing from clones; no fruits yet, but both flowering.
Bitter melon (bottom) and cucumber plant (top) growing from clones. 8-18 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[Kathleen]

I finally got enough beans to make into a side dish. Today, I got four small tomatoes and a nice cucumber, which was enough for a salad. I also picked basil for the pasta sauce I was making for dinner.

 

[larry_stewart]

I finally got enough beans to make into a side dish. Today, I got four small tomatoes and a nice cucumber, which was enough for a salad. I also picked basil for the pasta sauce I was making for dinner.

Nothing better than getting dinner from your garden. I love this time of year.
The garden pretty much dictates my dinners for the summer. Whatever is ripe and plentiful is what's for dinner!

 

[Kathleen]

Agreed!!!!

 

[dragnlaw]

Went to get some basil, thought to check the cucumbers and...

this little puppy was wedged under the top edge of the box, had a hard time levering him out!

Also have 2 questions for anyone who might know..
1. Squash is call Autumn Frost, any one know this one? They are still green and I know they go sort of dusty beige when ripe but how big do they get? At the moment they look like an acorn squash. and for all the blooms on 4 vines only have about 10 maybe 12 squash. Is this normal?

2. I bought 2 globe eggplants, both are producing. They are still quite small, but one seems to be a pale purple and the other a traditional deep purple. Are they actually different plants? I cannot remember if they were in the same flat or separate pots.

 

[dragnlaw]

OK just googled Harvest Squash - didn't come up before but "poof" there are my answers. Except I still wonder if I shouldn't have gotten a lot more.

 

[Kathleen]

I am getting tons of okra and hot peppers every day. A few string beans along with an eggplant for this week will happen. Tomatoes continue to tease. A few cucumbers. The basil looks really nice right now!

 

[pepperhead212]

dragnlaw,

Years ago I tried out that Autumn Frost squash, since it was a moschata, which is all I can grow here. It was a hybrid - a butternut crossed with something else, giving that pumpkin shape. Same color as a butternut, when mature. About 3-4 lbs, one got to 5.5 lbs. It took longer to mature than many I've tried, so I didn't get the 8-10 squash per plant given in the description. It also didn't store for as long as some, but better than some, as well. And not as much flesh in it as most butternuts, with those large necks. A lot of seeds, to use in place of pumpkin seeds!

I just noticed some of my squash finally starting up, instead of just those male blossoms! Only had 2, before now, that are pretty much ready to pick, yet not another on the 7 plants until now! Of course, there is no way to see all of them, with all those leaves! I almost gave up on trying to control those vines. I only have 2 plants of my favorite Polaris butternut, plus 3 Yuxi and 2 South Anna butternuts, both new to me. Polaris is one of the longest storing varieties (I still have 5 from last season in the basement!), plus a good producer, and good disease resistance, but it is a hybrid, so I can't save the seeds.

 

[dragnlaw]

Pepper, think you've mixed up the squash varieties? Harvest Frost is like an Acorn not a Butternut. No neck.

But I like the sound of that Polaris! Long storage would suit me just fine.

 

[pepperhead212]

Pepper, think you've mixed up the squash varieties? Harvest Frost is like an Acorn not a Butternut. No neck.

But I like the sound of that Polaris! Long storage would suit me just fine.

Yes, I saw that it was Autumn Frost, not Harvest Frost.

The Polaris butternut seeds are available from Pinetree Garden Seeds. Maybe elsewhere, too, but I haven't seen them.

 

[larry_stewart]

Where do you guys get your seed garlic from ?

 

[pepperhead212]

This season and last season I got mine from keeneorganics.com since they had all that I wanted, and some of the lower shipping. I've gotten it before sometimes from groworganic.com, but they were out of Metechi, or maybe didn't have it in stock yet, since I ordered early, so I went to Keene.

 

[larry_stewart]

I usually get mine directly from a farm in Connecticut during their ' open farm day', but this year it has been cancelled, and. doubt ill get up there to purchase directly, so I looking for something reliable to be shipped. I usually plant a portion of my harvest, but this years harvest was a little questionable due to being water logged, so I definitely want something new, fresh and healthy.

That being said, everything I salvaged have been storing nicely and taste great. I amended the soil in the troubled bed for better drainage and I am hoping for a banner year next year.

 

[bethzaring]

This year I ordered my planting garlic from Keene and Johnny's Selected Seeds. I have an 18'x4' raised bed I plant entirely to garlic. It is not big enough to harvest enough for a years worth of fresh eating and to save for replanting. A few weeks ago DH built another 18'x4' bed and now I may finally have enough space for all the garlic I need!

 

[GotGarlic]

The grocery store [emoji2]

 

[pepperhead212]

Some peppers haven't even started ripening yet - those Aji peppers - but I have enough of those Hanoi Markets and Thai peppers to last until next year! That generic orange habanero is ok, but not as hot or flavorful as the chocolate habanero. But I got a lot, from just one plant, with many more still on it.
Generic habaneros, stray seed with chocolates. 8-27 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Top to bottom - Aji Dulce, Hanoi Market, and 2 Pepperdews. 8-27 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[bbqcoder]

Where do you guys get your seed garlic from ?

I no longer need to buy seed garlic as I grow enough myself. In the past, I did buy from Fedco, Maine Potato Lady, and Filaree plus a local farmer.