Today's harvest

[pepperhead212]

The death spirals are starting to ripen more. I don't know what I'll do with them, though maybe I'll take some to the Mexican grocer, and warn him about them - maybe someone in his kitchen will like them!
3 ripe Death Spirals, plus a few others. 8-17 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The weird thing is most of the flowers, and eventually the fruits, were up above on the death spirals - mine and my friends. About the lower foot or a little more are bare (except for the long branches going out, and the ends of those are getting some, though covered with leaves.
Even more in the future! by pepperhead212, on Flickr

My friend's mom just told me that his plant is taller than she is, and she's about his height!

I got a few tomatoes and tomatillos today, before it started raining - only .1", so it was enough to wet everything, and make it even more disgustingly humid!
Some tomatoes, and 18 tomatillos. 8-17 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Cherry tomatoes still doing well, and I had to stop, because of the rain. 8-17 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[pepperhead212]

Those Thai long red beans are starting to kick in! I really don't have many plants, but the vines are crawling about 10' down from their plants, and I'm seeing the skinny beans forming in several others.
Thai Red Long bean, starting to produce very well. 8-19 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Bean harvest, 8-19 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Besides the beans, all that I harvested yesterday was the remaining few kohlrabi, and those greens - the Misome, planted in March - that still hadn't bolted, which is unheard of, given the heat I've had.
Mosome, and some kohlrabi, 8-19, pulled up to clear the raised bed. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I cut the leaves off most of the stems, and got much more than what would fit in a 1 gal bag, so I put it in a 2 I got it finished, while my dinner was on slow cook mode! And it rained some overnight and today, just over .25" by now, so it's wet out there, but not enough to really water the plants.

 

[taxlady]

That misome looks a lot like tatsoi. Are they related?

 

[pepperhead212]

taxlady, Yes, misome is a cross between tatsoi and komatsuna, and I was surprised to see that it did not bolt at all in my high heat, since tatsoi usually one of the first to bolt, in my garden. The other komatsuna cross I have grown, and is usually my last to bolt is senposai - a cross with cabbage, that gets even larger, and usually starts to bolt in late July (what happened this year), or early August, but I never had it last like the misome. Both are "cut and come again", and just keep growing back!

Here's a photo I took on 8-5, showing the misome from the top - that dark, shiny leaf definitely looks like tatsoi, but it's much larger!
Komatsuna, still not bolting on 8-05! by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[taxlady]

Is the misome similar tasting to tatsoi? What about the komatsuna?

 

[pepperhead212]

It's a little stronger than regular komatsuna, due to the tatsoi, but not as strong as the tatsoi. The senposai is still my favorite of the various greens, with some cabbage flavor in with the komatsuna. Komatsuna is often referred to as "mustard spinach", since it is a mustard green, but so mild that it is often substituted for spinach.

 

[bethzaring]

this mornings harvest....well, most of it. Also found several calabacitas lurking in the patch. Usually I compost them, but dh has a friend who stuffs the large ones. He will get several on Monday! The carrots are for a chocolate carrot cake with cream cheese frosting for dh's birthday coming up.

 

[pepperhead212]

I didn't do much out there today, due to the wetness, though the pepper plants dried off early, so I picked about 4 c of Thai peppers. Still at least as much on the same 3 plants, mostly green, but some turning a little brown. I might go out and pick all of them tomorrow, and freeze the greens for Indian and Thai foods - they are sort of like determinate tomatoes, and all are pretty much the same size, and no flowers, and once most are off, flowering will start again.
About a quart of ripe Thai peppers from 3 plants, 8-21 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[larry_stewart]

Nice harvest everyone. Nice carrots Beth. My carrots did better than usual, but not as nice as yours.

Pepper, you must have a stomach of iron with all those hot peppers you grow and are in your diet.

Yesterday picked a bunch of stuff prior to the hurricane which was moving as if it was a directly aimed at my house, but seems to have shifted slightly east. Still strong winds ( up two 80 mph gusts) and significant rain ( like up tot 8 inches). Any half ripe or riper tomatoes came off. Picked the watermelon I have hanging on a trellis to avoid the hurricane picking it for me. It was ripe, and actually the only successful watermelon Ive ever grown., While I was out there, I picked , French cut, blanched and froze some string beans. I portioned some of the tomatoes for future tomato soup, They'll go into the freezer. Also dried a bunch of tomato slices . I already have 28 quarts of tomato strained puree in the freezer.

 

[GinnyPNW]

this mornings harvest....well, most of it. Also found several calabacitas lurking in the patch. Usually I compost them, but dh has a friend who stuffs the large ones. He will get several on Monday! The carrots are for a chocolate carrot cake with cream cheese frosting for dh's birthday coming up.

Oh, Chocolate Carrot Cake, that does sound yummy! Lucky hubby!

 

[pepperhead212]

Larry, Seems you have the same success with watermelons that I do! Unless, of course, that's just your first plant. lol Watermelons and other melons just don't like my area.

I don't eat all of those peppers. A few I give to a couple friends, though I did get that one kid into gardening, esp. peppers, and that family won't need much of mine any more!

I was hoping that this hurricane would spare you and the garden (and others in its line), as much as possible. Stay safe everyone!

Another 1.10" rain here overnight, so 1.55" total, with more coming; light, compared to other areas, and it was a soaking rain, not the usual runoff type, so it was good for the ground. I got as many peppers frozen as I'll use until next season (except for the green types), so the rest get dried. Got 3 trays in the dehydrator this morning. Still too wet out there to work, due to the dew! (Sorry, I couldn't resist).

 

[larry_stewart]

The only other melon I had that was successful was one that self planted by the mailbox, when the garbage can tipped over. it was a cantaloupe. I compost everything, but a seed must have made its way into the garbage and the raccoons did their thing.

Now that I got a watermelon, Ill chalk it off as a been there done that. Wont waste time, space and effort again. Although, I do say that about beets every year, and I still keep trying to grow them.

Storm kinda had a more easterly path than expected , so no direct hit. Raining all day, but as of now, the winds have been minimal. IF I didnt know there was a hurricane off the coast, I would have just thought it was another crappy rainy day. From what I can see the garden looks good. Even the 8-10ft sunflowers are still standing ( expected them to get tipped over). Saw 2 humming birds earlier. Ill go out tomorrow to assess the damage.

 

[pepperhead212]

Glad to hear your garden survived, with little damage.

Those 3 plants I harvested all of the red peppers from yesterday, had a bunch of those brown peppers, I left on them, ripened quickly! I pulled every pepper from all 3 plants - only one was smaller than the rest, around 1 1/2". I'll separate the green ones from the rest, and freeze them quickly.
Over 5 more cups of Thai peppers, 8-22, from the 3 plants that all of the red ones were picked from yesterday. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

And here's even more peppers, that paper lantern being the most productive habanero this year.
Peppers, plus a few okra and eggplant, 8-22 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

And I got more beans - the Blauhilde (purples) and the Kentucky wonder poles are the ones getting overgrown quickly, with the beans forming early, while the Withner (sort of flat beans) and Blue Lake pole beans are doing well, even when a little large. And the Thai red long beans are doing well, without hollowing out in this heat.

Pole beans, 8-22 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[Bitser]

Post-breakfast, shelled Sienna peas while eating Sugar Ann pods.

Thence to the greenhouse for tomatoes. Pruned the Sun Gold and Sakura plants back in late June and they're bearing more and larger fruit than the first set.

The mid-size slicers are ripening 3-5 per day with a bunch on the verge. Tomato heaven! These are Bolseno from Johnny's.

Finished digging the potatoes yesterday, and brushed off the dirt today.

Got them sorted into greenhouse flats, with plenty of air circulation, and cellared.

The reds will last into April. The Yukon Golds into June.

 

[pepperhead212]

I have 3 of these Thunder Mountain plants out front, where I put peppers more for ornamental purposes, but I picked a few today, just to let the others grow.
Thunder Mountain - more of an ornamental pepper, with these weird shapes. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I have to do more in the back, but I'm waiting for the shade to get there - that sun is wicked today, and not a leaf moving out there! Already in the 90s, and next 2 days are supposed to be worse.

 

[pepperhead212]

I got more peppers today, and those Paper Lantern habaneros must be on steroids! They are definitely a keeper. As I've noted before, the flavor is similar to Scotch Bonnet - not as hot as some other habaneros (around 200k, if I were to guess), and also with some other pepper flavor with the habanero flavor, so it would probably be good as a substitute when Scotch Bonnets are called for.
Habanero and Thai peppers, 8-27 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Early yesterday I harvested just under 2 lbs of cherry tomatoes, 24 oz to use in that pasta dish, and today, there was another 6 cups or so ready to pick! There was even more, on just one plant, but it started raining, so I had to quit!
About 6 more cups of cherries, in about a day and a half, 8-27. Mostly Weetang Shebang golds. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I harvested the first butternuts today - small ones, though 2 more larger ones on the second plant. Many more on the two Polaris vines, as usual, and also 5, so far, of the Tetsukabuto, on just 2 plants.
Butterbush - small butternuts, 8-27. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

And more beans! After freezing the 56 oz of them yesterday, I went out and picked even more than this, and this many today. It's letting up some, except for the Thai long red beans, due to the heat wave. Today's the last day of that, so they will rebound.
One days worth of beans, 8-27 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[blissful]

I've reached ultimate capacity for canning in my 18 qt electric roaster. For tomatoes and apples. Apples have so much air, an over filled roaster yields 11 quarts and 1 pint. Tomatoes, filled into the roaster, cooked down, than I add more, continue cooking, ends at 11 quarts and 1 pint. I've been doing alternate days, tomatoes, and apples. Pears are just starting to be ready to pick but not ready to can, not soft, not sweet yet.


I have buckets of red sweet peppers, for small dicing and freezing. Yesterday we smoked them with hickory, then in to the dehydrator, for smoked pepper seasoning. The serranos are not ready yet, those will get smoked and dried too, and some tomato-pepper hot sauce.


My sauerkraut is delicious but I'm not going to can it. I'll just give a lot away to neighbors and then some for the fridge to eat fresh.


I have more sweet red peppers to dice, and I can make white tomato salsa tomorrow, and our weather is hot and humid, I'm sweaty and HOT. It's all good.

 

[skilletlicker]

I've reached ultimate capacity for canning in my 18 qt electric roaster.
...

I have an 18-quart Nesco roaster. Never occurred to me that it could be used for canning.

 

[larry_stewart]

9 + Months after inoculating these logs with Shiitake spawn, I finally have something to show for it. ( last time it took only 6 months Temp and rainfall are key )
At this point, each mushroom is about $15. Hopefully the logs produce more.

 

[blissful]

I have an 18-quart Nesco roaster. Never occurred to me that it could be used for canning.

I use one or two big roasters, each for cooking down tomatoes (about 40 lbs) and apples (about 3.5 gallon buckets of small apples). A 6 quart roaster will hold about 10 lbs of cleaned fruit for jams or purees. Just fill it, cover it to soften and cook, take the cover off to reduce it, like the tomatoes, and that takes 5-6 hours, but low maintenance.


It's already very humid here, cooking down apples and tomatoes makes it more humid, canning in the waterbath adds to the delight.