Catching Up

While the storm could have done more damage, I think I am at the end of the season of taking care of the garden. Most all the tomato plants are down from the wind. The pole beans are totally toppled over. I might still get some eggplant. The squash has produced it's last healthy squash. I need to spend time drying out the basement  and I go back to teaching this friday.

I have been canning when I can (no pun intended) but have a long way to go before I get to the perfection of some of my fellow bloggers. Just made a nice batch of green tomatillo salsa.

I've added to more butternuts to my harvest total making 8.

Wrinkles, Warts and Irene

Trying to prepare for the worst and hoping for the best.
Tomatoes would have been happier on the vines for a little longer. I have twice as many left on the vine that are just not worth picking at this point. I hope they make it through the storm. Most of these are Brandywines and Pineapple tomatoes

Some of the Tomatoes have wonderful character.

Any clue as to what would make a tomato grow a wart?

Watch Pot Never Boils

The garden stalled for a little and I had other things to do on my schedule but I continued to go out to the garden inspecting whatever there was for harvesting. And as the saying goes, "watch pot never boils" we went away for a few days and came back to a few oversized vegetables. I like to pick all my vegetables small especially okra. I guess I am going to have to come up with a few different recipes now.

Waiting

The garden has stalled.
Not sure why but I have plenty of green tomatoes on the vines, about a dozen baby eggplant, picked a few peppers - the plants are gigantic and healthy but no baby peppers, Bush beans are done - the pole beans must be thinking and cucumbers have succumbed to bacterial wilt.

I guess I will have to report back in a few days.

Canning some more tomato sauce with the ripe tomatoes that we can not eat before they go bad. It is  OK since we are going away for a few days. OH and a bunch of tomatillos are ripe and making green salsa.

: )    : )                 : )   : )                : )  : )

Thank You

This post is dedicated to all my gardening friends who have, through your posts, encouraged me to start canning. Hopefully this has worked. I heard all of the lids pop, they are all concave and I think I like this.
Special thanks to Robin from The Gardener of Eden - you gave me the extra push I needed to buy the canning pot.

3 jars of Caponata
7 jars of tomatoes (stewed)
1 jar of green zebra tomatoes stewed (as an experiment)

Another Week, Many Tomatoes

I keep forgetting to take pictures of the harvest before I put things away or start cooking with them.
This is what I have on the camera but don't forget to look at Wednesday's post for total harvest for butternut squash so far. Stop by Daphne's to look at some other harvests for the week.

 

Bowling Anyone?

Six Squash from two plants. 

There is a second wave of female and male flowers 

so I might get a few more - but wait!

This is the first time I have ever spotted squash vine borer eggs but here is the question. Isn't it too late in the season for them and what are these little spider like guys? I read that they are the first stage of the larvae. Could this be true. Click on the picture to enlarge.

Got to Love the Variety

Another wonderful week of harvest. Still getting swiss chard which is pretty good given the warm temperatures. My first two butternut squashes weighing in at 3.5 lbs each. WOO-HOO

The Tomates in this batch can be seen in detail here.

The two first Brandywines

Carrots, cucs and basil .

 An heirloom, seeds compliment of Ana Vitlarica. 

She has not posted in a while and I miss those posts. 

This tomato is 5" in diameter and weighs about 20 oz.

Two more butternuts, zucchini squash 

and a few more tomatoes to add to the mix.

 The summer tomato salad. Everyone should have one.

See some other harvest at Daphne's for Harvest Monday.

They're Here

I have my first Brandywines. They were doing real nicely but split when the rain came in. I picked them out of fear that something would get them but will wait a day or two before I slice. The larger one is about a pound. Those are 4" tiles underneath.  Looking forward to the great taste.

Tuesday After the Rain

A delayed Harvest Monday.
I caught 4 more tomato horn worms. The patty pan that I threw behind the fence is producing and the rain made the plants happy.

Another Week

You can check out a few more harvests at Daphne's and Harvest Monday.

Odds and Ends

 The rare occasion when the "she" cat is interested in the vegetable garden. She is usually hiding in the flower bed.

The first stir fry vegetables 100% from the garden.

The death of the pattypan squash by none other then the vine borer.  I thought it might be saved when I went out this morning but this evening it looks worse. She was a good producer. Not too sad to see it go since I still have the stripped zucchinis. I will use the space to plant some carrots and beets for the fall.

Wordless Wednesday

A Continuous Harvest Week

 

There was a lot of to harvest this week but the squash surly overwhelmed me. If you count, there are a total of 22 for this week alone. I did a lot of cooking with squash this week but enjoyed all of the produce. Peas are done and pulled.

  

My first carrot was pulled. It is a little ahead of the rest of them but a good 5" long. Juliet tomatoes are coming in and cucumbers. It is nice to still be getting greens. I have them planted in a more shady spot in the garden. Click on the smaller pictures to see them bigger. Check Daphne's for more Harvest

Squashed Out Already

These are the squash from today's harvest. Thank goodness for my neighbor who is happy to unload some from my hands.