Better Be Planting This Year. 2022+ And Up MEGATHREAD

[enbloc]

Digging out the taters and found a bunch of these little buds attached to the roots
Think they will work as seeds for next season or no?

Hit or miss with the pipsqueaks. The spud-seed is the source of the nutrients that feeds the potato plant's growth when starting out.
Too small and you may get undersized/underproducing spuds that are a waste of space/time & water.

You can, however, take one from the top group and induce chitting by putting it in a brown paper bag with a moist paper towel. (not dripping wet though)
Keep out of light in a warm (not hot) place. Check it for chits once or twice a week and re-wet the paper towel. Once you see chit growth, that will be a good indicator that the rest of that group will be viable. (or a percentage thereof)

IMO, it is still best to buy known-good varieties from professional suppliers. I use and am extremely happy with the Maine Potato Lady...
Maine Potato Lady - Your Source for quality Maine seed potatoes - The Maine Potato Lady

 

[Gidge]

Forget the variety as my wife picked it up at a farmers market. I'm told they ripen to a nice golden yellow. I think we've pulled six or seven thus far.

Amana Orange

 

[flippinfleck]

Amana Orange

That sounds about right. Amana for sure.

 

[flippinfleck]

Ten more pints of sauce in the canner. We have enough large maters to do more salsa, something we don't eat a lot of. Been eating a lot more sammiches lately, with two slices of tomato of course.

We don't typically use a lot of the larger 'slicer' style tomatoes. Those are doing quite well this year. Any recipe suggestions outside of sauce, salsa, or freezing?

 

[flippinfleck]

Shame this one split. To be expected with the weather we've been having, but still. Amish paste has definitely been showing as a plant we'll be doing in the future.

 

[enbloc]

Ten more pints of sauce in the canner. We have enough large maters to do more salsa, something we don't eat a lot of. Been eating a lot more sammiches lately, with two slices of tomato of course.

We don't typically use a lot of the larger 'slicer' style tomatoes. Those are doing quite well this year. Any recipe suggestions outside of sauce, salsa, or freezing?

Not sure if you meant storage or recipes...

I like making a caprese salad. Tomato, basil, fresh mozzarella and a good Balsamic.



You can try drying as a storage method. Slicers aren't best though. Roma/Paste tomatoes. Maybe the Amish?
I've never dried, but youtube has quite a few vids on it. I do like the flavor of a sundried tomato...

 

[Sauer Grapes]

Ten more pints of sauce in the canner. We have enough large maters to do more salsa, something we don't eat a lot of. Been eating a lot more sammiches lately, with two slices of tomato of course.

We don't typically use a lot of the larger 'slicer' style tomatoes. Those are doing quite well this year. Any recipe suggestions outside of sauce, salsa, or freezing?

Fresh Bloody Mary mix? This recipe is just as good for Virgin Mary’s.

The Trick to Making Bloody Marys With Fabulous Flavor

Use fresh ripe tomatoes to make the best bloody mary mix you've ever had. It will be filled with garden-fresh flavor.

www.thespruceeats.com

 

[flippinfleck]

Not sure if you meant storage or recipes...

Yes?

We've still got our sauce maters coming in so that end is covered. Looking for something to do with the slicers and larger tomatoes. Found a tomato soup recipe that I think I'll try. In the Ball book.

Fresh Bloody Mary mix? This recipe is just as good for Virgin Mary’s.

Intrigued. Have you tried this recipe?

 

[flippinfleck]

Oh, and today's haul.

 

[Sauer Grapes]

Yes?

We've still got our sauce maters coming in so that end is covered. Looking for something to do with the slicers and larger tomatoes. Found a tomato soup recipe that I think I'll try. In the Ball book.




Intrigued. Have you tried this recipe?

I made this, or one very similar, last year. I tried searching for it and this looked very much the same. The mix was like drinking my garden. I added a handful of my basil and if I remember correctly I used my scallions(the whites)instead of the shallot. Taylor it to your tastes..

 

[flippinfleck]

I made this, or one very similar, last year. I tried searching for it and this looked very much the same. The mix was like drinking my garden. I added a handful of my basil and if I remember correctly I used my scallions(the whites)instead of the shallot. Taylor it to your tastes..

Was it something that could be made and stored (fridge or shelf, does not matter), or a day of kind of thing?

Haven't read the recipe you shared. I'm lazy tonight.

 

[Sauer Grapes]

Was it something that could be made and stored (fridge or shelf, does not matter), or a day of kind of thing?

Haven't read the recipe you shared. I'm lazy tonight.

It needs to be thoroughly chilled before drinking, a few hours or so. It keeps a few days in fridge, but you could probably can or freeze if you wanted to try. Now I’m thinking I may make a batch this weekend

 

[Boarder700]

I tried to weed out the watermelon plants over the weekend and accidentally ripped this guy out. Not quite ripe, but still one of the best watermelons I have ever had. I have another two this size that will hopefully fully ripen.


Should have enough tomatoes to process in the next day or two.




Rest of the garden is a bit of a mess. I’m letting lots of stuff go to seed. Eggplants are now massive and I have lots of fruit growing. I’m hoping we can freeze enough baba ganoush for the year.



And some pretty pictures from the wife:

 

[enbloc]

Rest of the garden is a bit of a mess. I’m letting lots of stuff go to seed.

Now, I've never used this, but I find it might be useful to lower the temp in the garden and hopefully retard bolting.
I may pick some up to have on hand because future supplies could become impossible if Global trade becomes... disrupted.
(not being paranoid, but I'd rather be ready, and this cloth is reusable.)

May also be useful against pests and birds...

50% shade cloth.

 

[flippinfleck]

A few chonky boys on their way to the canner.

 

[Boarder700]

A few chonky boys on their way to the canner.

That’s pretty incredible.

 

[flippinfleck]

That’s pretty incredible.

We had about a bakers dozen within that weight range. Some with more brown spots (I've read it is 'cat facing') on the bottom that we cut out. 8 quarts of crushed tomato is fine by me.

 

[Boarder700]

Picked a bunch this morning for my wife to can today. I had some huge guys hiding in there too!

 

[flippinfleck]

@enbloc

Hey Matt, come get your girls under control. They're getting a little freaky...

 

[enbloc]

@enbloc

Hey Matt, come get your girls under control. They're getting a little freaky...

I LOVE twins! Thank you!

 

[SpaceCritter]

What to do with those zucchini that hid and grew into monsters? Stuff 'em!

 

[SpaceCritter]

Next tray of stuff started:


These four will be a gift to a fellow gardener (who is also the bookkeeper of one of my customers):

 

[Gidge]

More from the garden ...

​

 

[enbloc]

More from the garden ...

View attachment 652592​

I love cold cukes and tomatoes in a little Balsamic and oil with salt & pepper... sometimes a few cubes of cheddar.

 

[BarnBuilder]

Sunday Harvest of God's Blessings

Onions (red, yellow)
Red Norland
Yukon Gold
Yellow Bean (seeds for next year)
Cabbage (Copenhagen)
Sunflower ( mammoth)

The potatoes were only a 10' row and 90' more to harvest

 

[Uzi2]

Shame this one split. To be expected with the weather we've been having, but still. Amish paste has definitely been showing as a plant we'll be doing in the future.

Don't discount the splits, They're great for dicing and canning. Just prep them up, cutting off any bad spots.

Waste Not, Want Not.

 

[enbloc]

Looks like you have already been sharing that Sunflower...

@Uzi2 is our Sunflower Guru. He has a few threads about it somewhere around here. I enjoyed reading them.

 

[413guy]

Had this huge bell pepper who finally turned yellow, a purple pepper seen in the background, and my first two onions grown from Mousegunguy onion seedlings, with some seasoned chicken. Made for some great fajitas with fixins! So good no photos were even thought of!!
Enjoying the beautiful bounty of the seasons. The work, planning and forethought are well worth the rewards.

 

[Gidge]

Had this huge bell pepper who finally turned yellow, a purple pepper seen in the background, and my first two onions grown from Mousegunguy onion seedlings, with some seasoned chicken. Made for some great fajitas with fixins! So good no photos were even thought of!!
Enjoying the beautiful bounty of the seasons. The work, planning and forethought are well worth the rewards.

I've never had good luck with bell peppers (maybe because I'm comparing them to the extra-large peppers sold at the grocery store). Hot peppers - no problem. Here's a tip : use an epsom salt (magnesium) solution (roughly a tablespoon of epsom salt per gallon of water)every couple of weeks and watch your peppers thrive (still does not work for my bell peppers - maybe I just have crappy soil).

 

[413guy]

I've never had good luck with bell peppers (maybe because I'm comparing them to the extra-large peppers sold at the grocery store). Hot peppers - no problem. Here's a tip : use an epsom salt (magnesium) solution (roughly a tablespoon of epsom salt per gallon of water)every couple of weeks and watch your peppers thrive (still does not work for my bell peppers - maybe I just have crappy soil).

this is the first year Ive gotten "grocery store" sized peppers. Im very pleased. had a lot of 'corking' on all my peppers. something about growing faster inside than out. not usually seen in the store like that, but no degradation of flavor at all, the jalapeños actually seem spicier. I am looking forward to some of the jalapeños I still have growing, as I only recently learned they will turn red. I always only see them green.