Saturday, July 23, 2016

Let Your Love Grow Tall


 The garden as a whole has done very well this year Some things, like the squash and zukes, have about pooped out at this point and are not as full as this photo shows anymore.  In fact, I've pulled up about half of them.  The corn there is much, much taller though.  The corn in the new expansion has not done as well but that soil is new and very lean, so that's not unexpected.  I am getting some corn to eat but it's not real full.

 The stuff in the concrete block is still doing well but must be watered often.  We were in a bit of a drought there for a while and were watering practically every day.  Fortunately we have gotten some relief lately and are not having to water as much.

 The cukes have slowed way down but are still producing some.  Maybe I should have staggered their planting a bit.  They have been very tasty though, not bitter at all and I've heard a lot of folks complaining that a lot of the cukes from the farmer's market have been very bitter.  Lack of water I guess.

 So, we have been getting a great harvest this year, especially with the blueberries. They have been fantastic! and I've kept them all to myself!  haha!  Actually, we have given some to my mom and other family but I have frozen a bunch.  The cucumbers are Marketmore btw.  I'll grow them again I imagine.

 The tomatoes have been a mixed bag, literally.  The Snowballs are great! (that's the cream-colored ones). Very tasty, mild flavor and I don't seem to react to them badly.  The Golden Jubilees are great also but I've grown those before and knew I liked them.  In fact, I've been so happy with these because they are from seeds I saved.  The Green Zebras....well...I'm not even sure if I got the correct thing.  What I think is the Zebras taste okay but I'm not real impressed with them either.  The Black Cherries are great as usual (old favorite) and I have some other red ones that honestly...I don't even have a clue what they are.  Every plant (that's red ones) looks totally different.  The tomatoes I mean.  One plant kinda looks like Cherokee Purples or Black Krim, one looks like giant Black Cherries and then one other is just a nondescript red tomato.  Who knows?

Anyway, they're pretty!  So, social media to the rescue!  Facebook certainly has it's drawbacks but I have found it's great for selling stuff.  So...I just put the word out on the weekends and so far I've about sold out every Saturday.  I'm not making a ton of money by any means but it's paid for some of the stuff I bought to improve the garden this year.

Of course, I am keeping most of the fruits of our labors for ourselves. In fact, tomorrow is a big canning day.  I've got peas, beans and salsa ready to go, so tomorrow morning will see the ol' pressure canner in action once again.  We still have a fair amount of jams left from last year so I don't know that I'll do much more of that but I might make some pickled okra to give away.  Sadly, I really can't eat it anymore but I know several people that enjoy it and we are getting a good bit of okra this year, so...!  It's an easy gift.
How goes your garden this year?  Or do you depend on the farmer's market?

8 comments:

JO said...

It all looks great to me since I can't grow more than weeds here. It has been so horribly hot here I haven't even been to the farmers markets. But we have a .99 store here that has better produce than the grocery stores.

Anonymous said...

Your garden looks great! I love the golden jubilees also. We had so much rain and standing water this year that most of our stuff rotted in the ground or fell victim to fungus. Ironically, our cucumbers were extremely bitter also and we blamed all the flooding. Hopefully we'll get a fall garden planted soon so we'll get some things stored for winter. Oh, one thing that did well was acorn squash! We had a bumper crop, best ever! We had lots of blackberries and peaches too.

Vonne

ErinFromIowa said...

Your garden looks delicious! Looking at the photos I identified with the woman who craved rampion. :) http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/lfb/re/refb29.htm

MamaHen said...

Hey Jo! it's turned horribly hot here also! I only go out in the garden in the early morning or late afternoon. Spend the other part of the day trying to keep the girls cool!

Hey Vonne! thank you! Hopefully our luck will continue and I'll get a lot put up this year too. I sure hope you folks in Texas get a break with the weather soon. Ya'll have had one thing or another for the past 2 years or more.

Hey Erin! Well, I have been called a witch (or something similar) on many, many occasions....lol! But I assure you, I'm not looking to snatch anyone's kids!

ErinFromIowa said...

Haha! No, not the witch part for you. I myself identified with this part...

One day the woman stood at the window overlooking the garden, and saw there a bed full of the finest rampion: the leaves looked so fresh and green that she longed to eat them.

ErinFromIowa said...

My inquisitive nature got the best of me. I always assumed rampion was similar to romaine.
From Wikipedia:
Campanula rapunculus, common name rampion bellflower,[1] rampion, or rover bellflower, is a species of bellflower (Campanula) in the family Campanulaceae.[2]

This species was once widely grown in Europe for its leaves, which were used like spinach, and its parsnip-like root, which was used like a radish.[3] The Brothers Grimm's tale Rapunzel took its name from this plant.

MamaHen said...

Hey Erin! haha! just teasing.! Actually, I don't mind if someone did compare me with a witch. Not that I aspire to that or anything. It's funny though...because I have had an usual amount of folks, over the years, suggest that I use magic or some such because so many things work out in my favor. lol! I think some have been fairly serious. :P

ErinFromIowa said...

I DO believe in magic. :)