*Things I Would've Done Differently
In years past I lived under pine trees too big to adequately describe and grew cherry 100's as best I could. I was happy with my lot but didn't learn a great deal about tomato cultivation.
Last year we moved to a house that had 27 tomato plants in full swing and merely reaped the harvest of someone else's hard work. I learned to stagger the plantings so they didn't all ripen at the same time. ("So, how's that working out for you there, C?" Not so great due to the transplanting fiasco, remember?.......yeah ......thanks for mentioning that!)
This year everything that started out so very fine has hit a downward spiral and largely due to my incompetence. Let's revisit.
1. The transplant fiasco I have already posted about.
2. I mixed up a solution of soap and oil to rid the plants of aphids with a disastrous result..
3. I staked with poles but not securely enough to keep the plants from sagging once the tomatoes grew in size, BIG MISTAKE there.
4. I attempted a mostly organic pest control and have lost a great number of fruit due to the plant sag to earth.
5. Early Blight is rampant out there and most of the green leaves are gone which:
6. has cost me the shade needed to keep the tomatoes from bleaching out before they ripened.
So, next year I shall do the following:
1. Stagger plantings BETTER
2 Cage every plant and support the cage with the stake.
3. Plant fewer Cherokee Purples which, while they taste fantastic, are heirlooms, fussy and not the best for sauce. Great fresh though
4. REMOVE EVERY FIRST FLOWER CLUSTER and keep the lower leaves from EVER TOUCHING THE GROUND!!!!!!
5. Spray every 10 days for pests. I DON'T CARE if it isn't organic.... I don't do this to feed to bugs of Louisiana, darnit
6. Wrap a piece of aluminum foil around the stem near the ground. Wives tale? perhaps.
7. And this one is really going to test me...... remove half the fruit that sets.
So, while I can't complain that I haven't been harvesting a lot of tomatoes, I confess to having lost probably a third of what was out there due to the issues I listed above. I am leaving you now to release the chickens, set out the hoses in the lower garden and return to continue peeling and freezing tomatoes. I have close to 40lbs in the freezer now and lots more to come.
Once I harvested them all I shall begin to make sauces and can chopped tomatoes for the pantry.
And since Heinz catsup is >$2.00 a bottle, I may NOT make my own. (well.... maybe a tiny amount to see what it's like!)
Morning Up-date: I just returned from watering all the Lower Tomatoes and am so pleased to report that the new green growth above the Blight appears to be gaining in strength. There may be hope yet for half of the plants yet.
I harvested yet another gallon of romas and these have friends out there beginning to turn so it's going to be a big harvest. The cherry 100s show no sign so slowing up and the razzleberry tomatoes are so pretty. We haven't eaten one yet but will at lunch. Check back for a report!
Friday, June 11, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Who's A** to Kick?
I have purposefully stayed away from mentioning the BP Oil Spilling. No one paying attention needs more opinions.
HOWEVER!!!!!! This morning I read several pages in reference to booms stored in a warehouse in Maine that has been REPEATEDLY offered to help contain some of the devastating spread.
Govenor Bobby Jindal has repeatedly asked for millions of feet of boom. For assistance from the Federal Government. For them to just get out of the way and ALLOW a STATE to do it's job and has been repeatedly ignored or rebuffed by this Administration.
President Barack Obama has chastised "Big Oil" and BP specifically, has had talks and talks while saying he doesn't want to talk; rather he wants to see some action. He has demanded that BP be charged and fined and excoriated for this while saying he isn't going to rest until the job is done. He might take a few vacation days or planned State dinners and nights at the opera and rounds of golf but he isn't going to rest!
The Gov. of Maine and both Senators and the owner of the company have ALL reached out to make this available and so far, NOTHING from the White House, which we all know is spending every waking hour wringing their hands trying to stop the spill and contain the mess.
He gives billions of dollars to every bank, lobby, politician and country he thinks is worthy but nothing to purchase boom that HIS COUNTRYMEN have been begging for while it sits languishing in a warehouse in Maine and the Gulf of Mexico is turning into a sea of sludge. The fishermen losing their jobs and soon their lives. The oil field workers will be left jobless. The boat companies will go under. The entire industry is being compromised and to say the least, the sealife and birds dying. Heck of a job, Barry!
But he won't state that this oil spill is a disaster and offer anything beyond photo-ops and words.
And he wants to know who's a** he needs to kick.
May I suggest: Your own would make a great start.
And oh by the way, May I ask where is the Sierra Club and WWF? Where are all the outraged environmentalists HOWLING for the head of the President!!!!!! Oh right.... they wouldn't want to waste their gas on this one.
HOWEVER!!!!!! This morning I read several pages in reference to booms stored in a warehouse in Maine that has been REPEATEDLY offered to help contain some of the devastating spread.
Govenor Bobby Jindal has repeatedly asked for millions of feet of boom. For assistance from the Federal Government. For them to just get out of the way and ALLOW a STATE to do it's job and has been repeatedly ignored or rebuffed by this Administration.
President Barack Obama has chastised "Big Oil" and BP specifically, has had talks and talks while saying he doesn't want to talk; rather he wants to see some action. He has demanded that BP be charged and fined and excoriated for this while saying he isn't going to rest until the job is done. He might take a few vacation days or planned State dinners and nights at the opera and rounds of golf but he isn't going to rest!
The Gov. of Maine and both Senators and the owner of the company have ALL reached out to make this available and so far, NOTHING from the White House, which we all know is spending every waking hour wringing their hands trying to stop the spill and contain the mess.
He gives billions of dollars to every bank, lobby, politician and country he thinks is worthy but nothing to purchase boom that HIS COUNTRYMEN have been begging for while it sits languishing in a warehouse in Maine and the Gulf of Mexico is turning into a sea of sludge. The fishermen losing their jobs and soon their lives. The oil field workers will be left jobless. The boat companies will go under. The entire industry is being compromised and to say the least, the sealife and birds dying. Heck of a job, Barry!
But he won't state that this oil spill is a disaster and offer anything beyond photo-ops and words.
And he wants to know who's a** he needs to kick.
May I suggest: Your own would make a great start.
And oh by the way, May I ask where is the Sierra Club and WWF? Where are all the outraged environmentalists HOWLING for the head of the President!!!!!! Oh right.... they wouldn't want to waste their gas on this one.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Creature of Discomfort
We had a terrific storm blow through here yesterday, the second in as many days and I was curious to see what damage it did to the gardens. So, dressed in my jimjams (velour long pants and a tunic top) and with a cup of coffee in my hand, I sashayed out for a quick recon. That was my first mistake.
Picture, if you will, Louisiana. In June. 82 degrees, overcast skies and 94% humidity. Me: long hair loosely tied yet cascading down my back. Dressed for a winter night in Boulder, CO. Hot cup of coffee to add the final insult and before me: nothing but panic, chaos and disorder.
2 hours later: I may have finally lost a pound or two of weight. I've propped up all the tomato cages that keeled over and picked perhaps 45lbs of veggies. I have stretched before me a sea of slightly ripened tomatoes and our first eggplant, all glossy and black. I am wet, sticky, dirty, peevish and tired.
It's not even 8:00 am.
Picture, if you will, Louisiana. In June. 82 degrees, overcast skies and 94% humidity. Me: long hair loosely tied yet cascading down my back. Dressed for a winter night in Boulder, CO. Hot cup of coffee to add the final insult and before me: nothing but panic, chaos and disorder.
2 hours later: I may have finally lost a pound or two of weight. I've propped up all the tomato cages that keeled over and picked perhaps 45lbs of veggies. I have stretched before me a sea of slightly ripened tomatoes and our first eggplant, all glossy and black. I am wet, sticky, dirty, peevish and tired.
It's not even 8:00 am.
Mango Chutney
Because I just don't have enough to do, right? I must be some kind of a nut!*
We stopped off at the grocery yesterday and saw they had crates of mangos on sale, 10 for $3.99 and where I live, that is one heck of a good price. I love mangos but I relish (Bah!) chutney. I made Butter Chicken last week and opened my jar of store-bought Major Grey's only to discover it had that slightly moldy scent to it so boo...... out that went and I ate curry straight. (now that I think about it, I should've opened a jar of pepper jelly.. dern)
How coincidental to stumble across another (yet another!) canning project. It's really too bad I didn't look far enough into the future and grab some gingerroot at the time I hefted the box to the checkout counter. It was right there! Now it's 4 miles away and I have to make a return trip to the store before I proceed. I intend to try Alton Brown's recipe because it sounds delish and I like his show.
I intended to pickle more jalapenos yesterday but two things transpired that threw me off my rails. First, I forgot about our annual Home Owner's meeting and we raced over (late) and got there right when the juicy stuff was being discussed. I won't bore you the details because it isn't interesting to anyone except those who live here. The skies have been threatening for days here and we have had quite a few good drenchings for two days. We had planned to go pick berries and had to postpone that for a time. Then I remembered we needed to go pick up some plants to plant sit for their owners til they can retrieve them in the future and that took an hour.
So even though I did process a goodly amount of vegetables, my dance card is going to be fuller today than I anticipated.
* My next-door neighbor at the old place use to use this word a lot. Let me first say her stories about people she has known or met or had interactions with are hilarious to say the least and we used to sit on our porches for HOURS talking. Without fail, anytime she used this particular word it was in reference to some individual who went well beyond rationality or simple human common sense or sheer insanity. She said it, in her delightful New Orleanian accent, in such a manner as to mean everything it could possibly imply. "....... I mean, he was a nut!" And I'd fall over laughing. Her use of it was like it's own punctuation mark.
We stopped off at the grocery yesterday and saw they had crates of mangos on sale, 10 for $3.99 and where I live, that is one heck of a good price. I love mangos but I relish (Bah!) chutney. I made Butter Chicken last week and opened my jar of store-bought Major Grey's only to discover it had that slightly moldy scent to it so boo...... out that went and I ate curry straight. (now that I think about it, I should've opened a jar of pepper jelly.. dern)
How coincidental to stumble across another (yet another!) canning project. It's really too bad I didn't look far enough into the future and grab some gingerroot at the time I hefted the box to the checkout counter. It was right there! Now it's 4 miles away and I have to make a return trip to the store before I proceed. I intend to try Alton Brown's recipe because it sounds delish and I like his show.
I intended to pickle more jalapenos yesterday but two things transpired that threw me off my rails. First, I forgot about our annual Home Owner's meeting and we raced over (late) and got there right when the juicy stuff was being discussed. I won't bore you the details because it isn't interesting to anyone except those who live here. The skies have been threatening for days here and we have had quite a few good drenchings for two days. We had planned to go pick berries and had to postpone that for a time. Then I remembered we needed to go pick up some plants to plant sit for their owners til they can retrieve them in the future and that took an hour.
So even though I did process a goodly amount of vegetables, my dance card is going to be fuller today than I anticipated.
* My next-door neighbor at the old place use to use this word a lot. Let me first say her stories about people she has known or met or had interactions with are hilarious to say the least and we used to sit on our porches for HOURS talking. Without fail, anytime she used this particular word it was in reference to some individual who went well beyond rationality or simple human common sense or sheer insanity. She said it, in her delightful New Orleanian accent, in such a manner as to mean everything it could possibly imply. "....... I mean, he was a nut!" And I'd fall over laughing. Her use of it was like it's own punctuation mark.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Work Ethic
I wanted to plant blueberry bushes last year and went to a source of information for all things Blue. I am fortunate, again, to live within 20 miles of a local legend and spent a good portion of an afternoon learning the requirements of blueberry shrubs for maximum results.
We live in an exceptionally acidic earth where blueberries thrive. But they still are alittle fussy with their tender feet. The fellow explained the process of ploughing deeply and adding what they want and raising the hills etc. We talked about all he had planted over the years and how he had large peach orchard out back as well but they were alot of work. (that warning won't stop me) This was in early September and I wanted get busy immediately but even at that time, we were constructing the coop and raised bed areas and fencing. Blueberries would have to wait til we finished what we had started there.
I whined and relented. And plotted. I envisioned around 15 bushes. Or maybe 25. I don't remember exactly. I only knew you need to plant enough for you and the birds. I wondered how much they could consume. I KNEW how much we would.
Then for my 50th birthday I received my first 5 bushes from my very good friends and fellow berry pickers. Ah ha! well at least we'd have 5 in the ground!
But Christmas came and went and still they sat in the pots. And I'd stew and wonder when we'd get busy planting them. We talked a lot about where. We argued about how many. And we discussed HOW. Should we rent a digger or buy a tractor? Which tractor? So more research.
You know what it is like to want to buy a car? Try deciding on a tractor. Seriously. Because unlike a car, chances are you aren't going to trading it in anytime in the next 2 decades so you better choose wisely the first time!
Two Words: John Deere
And John got busy with it; he tackled the project one day when I was at work with his new tractor and cultivator and I returned home later that to find 5 beautiful beds. We plunked them in that evening and watered well. It was very early spring and the flowers were just starting to appear so talk about nick of time.
They were doing very well and popping out blueberry buds everywhere and watched with pride until one day I thought I noticed them looking a little empty. But that had to be my imagination. The berries were tiny and green. But a few days later I noticed it again mentioned it to John who said he thought the same thing and darn if the birds weren't eating tiny green berries! And a caterpillar was going to town on the leaves! What the heck!
So we caged and covered and sprayed. And they continued to grow. We planted thornless blackberries and found a Dorman red raspberry as well and stuck them in the ground. Raspberries in Louisiana? Well, yes these were promoted as able to grow here so why not?
Here's why you would:
Fresh picked this morning for breakfast with yoghurt. Why WOULDN'T we want to try and try and try alittle more?
Back to the idea of "it's a lot of work!" Yes, gardening is work but it's work with rewards. Rather immediate rewards as well. You do weeding and you see immediate results. Plant a squash plant and you have veg in 3 months. You plant potatoes and in 4 months you have secret location filled with spuds. Plant asparagus this year and next year you can eat a few. The year after that, they return and you eat lots. You spray peach trees a few times a year and if the birds don't get 'em first, you'll have fresh peaches in 2 years after planting.
I'd rather be doing this than buying them all every week at the grocery. Talk about work!
Do I have to say the 5 gift blue berries are the only ones out there? So far, that is.......
We live in an exceptionally acidic earth where blueberries thrive. But they still are alittle fussy with their tender feet. The fellow explained the process of ploughing deeply and adding what they want and raising the hills etc. We talked about all he had planted over the years and how he had large peach orchard out back as well but they were alot of work. (that warning won't stop me) This was in early September and I wanted get busy immediately but even at that time, we were constructing the coop and raised bed areas and fencing. Blueberries would have to wait til we finished what we had started there.
I whined and relented. And plotted. I envisioned around 15 bushes. Or maybe 25. I don't remember exactly. I only knew you need to plant enough for you and the birds. I wondered how much they could consume. I KNEW how much we would.
Then for my 50th birthday I received my first 5 bushes from my very good friends and fellow berry pickers. Ah ha! well at least we'd have 5 in the ground!
But Christmas came and went and still they sat in the pots. And I'd stew and wonder when we'd get busy planting them. We talked a lot about where. We argued about how many. And we discussed HOW. Should we rent a digger or buy a tractor? Which tractor? So more research.
You know what it is like to want to buy a car? Try deciding on a tractor. Seriously. Because unlike a car, chances are you aren't going to trading it in anytime in the next 2 decades so you better choose wisely the first time!
Two Words: John Deere
And John got busy with it; he tackled the project one day when I was at work with his new tractor and cultivator and I returned home later that to find 5 beautiful beds. We plunked them in that evening and watered well. It was very early spring and the flowers were just starting to appear so talk about nick of time.
They were doing very well and popping out blueberry buds everywhere and watched with pride until one day I thought I noticed them looking a little empty. But that had to be my imagination. The berries were tiny and green. But a few days later I noticed it again mentioned it to John who said he thought the same thing and darn if the birds weren't eating tiny green berries! And a caterpillar was going to town on the leaves! What the heck!
So we caged and covered and sprayed. And they continued to grow. We planted thornless blackberries and found a Dorman red raspberry as well and stuck them in the ground. Raspberries in Louisiana? Well, yes these were promoted as able to grow here so why not?
Here's why you would:
Fresh picked this morning for breakfast with yoghurt. Why WOULDN'T we want to try and try and try alittle more?
Back to the idea of "it's a lot of work!" Yes, gardening is work but it's work with rewards. Rather immediate rewards as well. You do weeding and you see immediate results. Plant a squash plant and you have veg in 3 months. You plant potatoes and in 4 months you have secret location filled with spuds. Plant asparagus this year and next year you can eat a few. The year after that, they return and you eat lots. You spray peach trees a few times a year and if the birds don't get 'em first, you'll have fresh peaches in 2 years after planting.
I'd rather be doing this than buying them all every week at the grocery. Talk about work!
Do I have to say the 5 gift blue berries are the only ones out there? So far, that is.......
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Harvest Spring?
We have been so fortunate to have exceptional weather these past four weeks..... the garden has exploded with growth and veg and I have begun in earnest the picking and pickling and canning.
All the tomato plants are heavy with fruit and I really anticipate a terrific return on the Romas... so much so that I am researching ketchup recipes online. The Cherokee Purples are weird beyond description but so sweet and meaty, it is a bite of heaven. Nothing makes me think of youthful summers like tomato sandwiches, unless I think of sand sandwiches which are a WHOLE other memory, and we have been snarfign them everyday . True confession: ok, I have been snarfing them daily.
I have picked the last of the spring beets and pickled them. The batch before this I pressure cooked and so much of the color leached out I don't think I want to repeat that at all. Next year, I will freeze simple beets for borscht. I mean, c'mon! Who wants to look at an anemic borscht?
Potatoes are all in now and I hazard a guess that we hauled in in excess of 175lbs. No kidding. We have given alot to friends and neighbors and stowed the rest in a secret undisclosed temperature regulated location. I like the Adirondack Blues roasted but not boiled. They had a slightly bitter taste, to my way of thinking. Not everyone agrees with me and that's cool. The yukons grew enormous and that last day I dug potatoes, I realized that ants had moved in to feast. Who can blame them? So I lost around 4 to predators and two to a miss-placed fork in the soil.
Tomatillos have begun to ripen and we have four jars of salsa sitting on the shelf. It is delicious and I found this recipe online: Tomatillo Salsa
I will look into adding a sidebar tally...... I'm gonna need it!
All the tomato plants are heavy with fruit and I really anticipate a terrific return on the Romas... so much so that I am researching ketchup recipes online. The Cherokee Purples are weird beyond description but so sweet and meaty, it is a bite of heaven. Nothing makes me think of youthful summers like tomato sandwiches, unless I think of sand sandwiches which are a WHOLE other memory, and we have been snarfign them everyday . True confession: ok, I have been snarfing them daily.
I have picked the last of the spring beets and pickled them. The batch before this I pressure cooked and so much of the color leached out I don't think I want to repeat that at all. Next year, I will freeze simple beets for borscht. I mean, c'mon! Who wants to look at an anemic borscht?
Potatoes are all in now and I hazard a guess that we hauled in in excess of 175lbs. No kidding. We have given alot to friends and neighbors and stowed the rest in a secret undisclosed temperature regulated location. I like the Adirondack Blues roasted but not boiled. They had a slightly bitter taste, to my way of thinking. Not everyone agrees with me and that's cool. The yukons grew enormous and that last day I dug potatoes, I realized that ants had moved in to feast. Who can blame them? So I lost around 4 to predators and two to a miss-placed fork in the soil.
Tomatillos have begun to ripen and we have four jars of salsa sitting on the shelf. It is delicious and I found this recipe online: Tomatillo Salsa
I will look into adding a sidebar tally...... I'm gonna need it!
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