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Post by handmaid on Nov 11, 2021 21:36:27 GMT -6
Today was spent caring for grandma and her errands. Tomorrow I hope to sort through all the green tomatoes. Has anyonemade mock apple pie (made with green tomatoes)? My mother used to make a pie filling similar to mincemeat from green tomatoes and raisins to can. It was delicious but I have not canned it. My husband des not like mincemeat. I love it. Such is life..... What a great idea!!! Though I should probably see if my husband likes mincemeat... Lol!
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Post by DirtDiva Admin on Nov 12, 2021 5:54:23 GMT -6
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Post by handmaid on Nov 17, 2021 21:06:46 GMT -6
Well I figured my biggest failure this gardening season is the green beans. I know I have said it before, but it is so hard to get my schedule to work with the continuous picking and processing. We always plant pole beans because they keep producing all season and look so pretty climbing up the trellis. Historically I just clean, destring and freeze them. This year I planted purple podded pole beans and Cherokee Trail of Tears Black beans. Each one had its own cattle panel trellis built as an arch from one raised bed to another.
This week I was determined to pick all the many dried pods before pulling the dead vines off the trellis for composting. So yesterday I did just that. Figured maybe I would get a cup or two of seeds to store for next year. However! From just the Cherokee trellis, with all the neglected pods, I now have 2.5 pounds of beans! Totally flabbergasted. I have yet to de-pod (is that the term?) the purple podded. I can get several soups from the black beans, and maybe a hefty batch of black beans for Mexican food. Honestly, I think this might be the most useful end product for us, as we arent big green beans eaters. I would love to be able to harvest enough green beans at once several times during the season for canning or trying leather britches. (Anyone done that recipe before?) And then I could just let the plants grow grow grow for dried beans at the end of the growing season. Best flop in the garden ever. Yay!
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Post by handmaid on Nov 17, 2021 21:10:29 GMT -6
That is perfect!!! I have boxes upon boxes of green tomatoes to use. Think I will work on this on Friday. Thank you DD!
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Post by handmaid on Nov 18, 2021 21:45:37 GMT -6
Only 1.4 lbs of dry beans from the purple podded pole bean trellis. Bummer. I originally bought the seeds because my hope was the purple pods would make picking easier. But the yield per pod was drastically lower than the black beans. There is less flesh per pod. The skins are tougher as well. Definite thumbs down.
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Post by DirtDiva Admin on Nov 19, 2021 7:56:05 GMT -6
Well I figured my biggest failure this gardening season is the green beans. I know I have said it before, but it is so hard to get my schedule to work with the continuous picking and processing. We always plant pole beans because they keep producing all season and look so pretty climbing up the trellis. Historically I just clean, destring and freeze them. This year I planted purple podded pole beans and Cherokee Trail of Tears Black beans. Each one had its own cattle panel trellis built as an arch from one raised bed to another. This week I was determined to pick all the many dried pods before pulling the dead vines off the trellis for composting. So yesterday I did just that. Figured maybe I would get a cup or two of seeds to store for next year. However! From just the Cherokee trellis, with all the neglected pods, I now have 2.5 pounds of beans! Totally flabbergasted. I have yet to de-pod (is that the term?) the purple podded. I can get several soups from the black beans, and maybe a hefty batch of black beans for Mexican food. Honestly, I think this might be the most useful end product for us, as we arent big green beans eaters. I would love to be able to harvest enough green beans at once several times during the season for canning or trying leather britches. (Anyone done that recipe before?) And then I could just let the plants grow grow grow for dried beans at the end of the growing season. Best flop in the garden ever. Yay! My personal experience with green beans is that climbing green beans produce throughout the season but for me rarely enough to can at one time and if you don't have enough plants even for a decent size cooking. I think that climbing green beans would be great to plant to have small batches to maybe eat throughout the season but to can I find I have much better luck with bush beans. And as EVERYONE knows I love my Jade beans. I find with bush beans you may not get crops throughout the season but you get a large crop at once and for canning that is the ticket. It always works for me because in 60 to 75 days they are ready and I get them in jars, pull the plants and move on to either another crop of green beans or something else I want to can. Dried beans for me present more of a challenge because of the humidity and rainfall on the top of this mountain. I can grow the beans fine but drying anything in a climate where it rains almost everyday sometimes is a pain. Maybe pull the plants and hang them in a shed and allow them to dry. Wish the property would have had an old tobacco barn as that would have been perfect!
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Post by DirtDiva Admin on Nov 19, 2021 8:00:52 GMT -6
For those of you that plant okra remember I tried a new variety called "Heavy Hitter" this year. Thumbs up on the variety. Great production and big healthy bushes. Note though you do not cut anything or trim the bush in any way other than the okra pods. In years gone by I have always grown my okra the traditional southern way by starting at the bottom of the plant as it produces and removing limbs bottom to top as they produce. With this variety you allow the plant to form side branches that produce as well increasing your fruit producing plant structure. Thumbs up on "Heavy Hitter". And I saved lots of seeds for myself for years to come.
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Post by DirtDiva Admin on Nov 19, 2021 8:02:39 GMT -6
Remember my ton of carrot seeds that I saved this summer. Well I planted some for the fall and enjoyed my first picking in my stew the other day. They are fertile so I am set on carrot seeds for a couple years.
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Post by DirtDiva Admin on Nov 19, 2021 9:54:30 GMT -6
That is perfect!!! I have boxes upon boxes of green tomatoes to use. Think I will work on this on Friday. Thank you DD! No problem! let me know how it turns out. Hugs DD
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Post by handmaid on Nov 19, 2021 15:20:35 GMT -6
i femembered your Jade recommendation. They are on my list to order for the next season. Do you know roughly how many beans each plant produces? My space is limited, so wondering how much room I would need and yield I would get. For some reason, this time it all clicks in my logical brain. Plant the Jades for a quick canning session, while the pole beans grow for a dried bean harvest. Lol
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Post by DirtDiva Admin on Nov 19, 2021 16:19:45 GMT -6
i femembered your Jade recommendation. They are on my list to order for the next season. Do you know roughly how many beans each plant produces? My space is limited, so wondering how much room I would need and yield I would get. For some reason, this time it all clicks in my logical brain. Plant the Jades for a quick canning session, while the pole beans grow for a dried bean harvest. Lol My jade beans make really well. I can make about 2 to 3 cookings of quarts from a 20 foot double row. Double that because you will get one picking and then they will rebloom if you are lucky for a second bloom and picking. If you are canning something you want enough to come in at one time to make atleast a cooking. Thus bush beans.
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Post by DirtDiva Admin on Nov 22, 2021 5:27:40 GMT -6
Today cleaning the kitchen good before I get started with Holiday baking, up early and already got the oven cleaning. Want to go over the house good as well. Dusting is a priority. Will take the turkey out to defrost. Busy, busy and busier
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Post by handmaid on Nov 24, 2021 21:43:50 GMT -6
Getting ready for in-laws to arrive tomorrow. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
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Post by DirtDiva Admin on Dec 1, 2021 5:44:01 GMT -6
On my agenda today raking leaves, burning gooseberry clippings and paying bills
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Post by handmaid on Dec 11, 2021 1:30:53 GMT -6
Excitement at our back fence tonight. Nearly three hours of tornado warnings for our area, with confirmed touchdown a couple miles away. Grateful we and our friends are ok, however sounds like there are casualties at a local warehouse. Our garden hoophouse we just finished this afternoon came out unscathed. Somewhat bittersweet to feel both grateful for our safety while knowing others did not fare so well.
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