Saturday Gardening Thread: What's in a name? [KT]

Good afternoon, gardeners and friends of gardeners!

Riffing off today's Thread Before the Gardening Thread, if you were in marketing, which of the common names of the flowers above would you choose? If you were NOT in marketing, which would you choose? Or would you maybe make up a new name?

The cotton season is coming to an end here in the San Joaquin Valley, but okra is still producing. Do you think you could increase okra consumption by re-naming it? There's a challenge for Cornell.

Paper Moons, Star Flowers

I think the reason for the two common names above for Scabiosia stellata are pretty evident in the photo below.

What you see here is the seed head that forms after the blue-white flower fades, before it is fully dried (when it turns brown). S. stellata is also known as Drumsticks or Drumstick Scabious.

Scabiosa is a genus in the family Dipsacaceae, or teasel family. Many of the species have common names that include the word scabious; however some plants commonly known as scabious are currently classified in related genera such as Cephalaria, Knautia and Succisa.

The genus name 'Scabiosa' derives from the word scabies, which comes from the Latin word scabere meaning 'to scratch'. In medieval times species of scabious the plants were believed to relieve the itch of scabies and other afflictions of the skin including sores caused by the Bubonic Plague. In the 17 century Nicholas Culpepper prescribed its root as an ointment for the cure of wounds, swollen throats, snake-bite and the plague.

The most common seed strain is Ping Pong. This plant can be sown early (fall or spring), allowed to mature, then replaced with warm-season annuals.

Note

The really British site linked above also has some interesting information on other Autum-sown flowers. Last week we mentioned cornflowers (bachelor buttons) as a good cut flower for direct sowing, in case you were inspired by Illiniwek's flower border.

I had forgotten that cornflowers are edible. Though they probably make a better garnish than an entire salad. This is Emperor William, an old-fashioned, tall single type.

But back to Paper Moons. Here's Ella Fitsgerald:

Mourning Bride, Pincushion Flower, Sweet Scabious

Don't you think Ella's hat in the video looks something like Snowmaiden?

Here are Florist's Blue and Florist's Pink:

Scabiosia atropurpurea comes in red, pink to salmon, creamy yellow, lavender blue, white and almost black. The dark one in the photo at the top of this post is "Back in Black". This species of Scabiosia is taller than the wonderful perennials you usually see sold everywhere, though there are some shorter cultivars. It is perennial only in the mildest climates, annual elsewhere. It flowers later than S. stellata.

The most common creamy yellow cultivar is Fata Morgana, an interesting name for a flower. A "Fata Morgana" is also a specialized type of mirage, named (in Italian) after King Arthur's Adversary, Morgan le Fay.

I had not known that this this legendary, malevolent sorceress or fairy has been associated with Sicily, sirens, and Etna.

The mirages have been associated with the legend of the Flying Dutchman. Then there were the discoveries of two landmasses that didn't exist:

Croker Mountains

In 1818, Sir John Ross was on a voyage which was an attempt to discover the long-sought-after Northwest Passage. Ross's ship reached Lancaster Sound in Canada. The Northwest Passage was straight ahead, but John Ross did not go in that direction because he saw, or thought he saw, in the distance, a land mass with mountains, which he believed made going any further simply impossible. He named the mountain range of this supposed land mass "Croker Mountains". He gave up and returned to England, despite the protests of several of his officers, including First Mate William Edward Parry and Edward Sabine. The account of his voyage, published a year later, brought to light their disagreement, and the ensuing controversy over the existence of Croker Mountains ruined his reputation. Just a year later William Edward Parry was able to sail further west, through those non-existent mountains. . .

Crocker Land

During a 1906 expedition 88 years after Ross's expedition, Robert Peary gave the name Crocker Land to a land mass which he believed he saw in the distance, northwest from the highest point of Cape Thomas Hubbard, which is situated in what is now the northern Canadian territory of Nunavut. Peary named the apparent land mass after the late George Crocker of the Peary Arctic Club. Peary estimated the landmass to be 130 miles away, at about 83 degrees N, longitude 100 degrees W. . .

The Crocker Land Expedition

In 1913, Donald Baxter MacMillan organised the Crocker Land Expedition which set out to reach and explore Crocker Land. On 21 April the members of the expedition saw what appeared to be a huge island on the north-western horizon. As MacMillan later said, "Hills, valleys, snow-capped peaks extending through at least one hundred and twenty degrees of the horizon."

Piugaattoq, a member of the expedition and an Inuit hunter with 20 years of experience of the area, explained that this was just an illusion. He called it "poo-jok", which means mist. However, MacMillan insisted that they press on, even though it was late in the season and the sea ice was breaking up. For five days they went on, following the mirage, until on 27 April, having covered some 125 miles (201 km) of dangerous sea ice, MacMillan was forced to admit that Piugaattoq was right. Crocker Land was in fact a mirage, probably a Fata Morgana.

So this subtly-colored flower is either a fairy, a sorceress, a mirage or a mist.

Nigella damascena, or Love-in-a-Mist is a good plant to direct-sow with Scabiosia stellata. They are both about 1.5 feet tall. Nigella resents transplanting. They can both be ripped out and replaced after their big performance. Both make excellent, unusual specimens for bouquets, fresh or dried. Nigella is great cut as either a flower or fruit (seed capsule). Flowers of S. stellata are not as good for cutting as other species. It's the seed structures that are the main attraction.

When I first looked up "Nigella" on the intertubes, I didn't get anything about plants. I got a bunch of links about a cooking guru. Interesting flower to name a kid after. If you are thinking about naming one of your offspring "Scabiosia" or "Scabious", maybe we should have a talk.

Anyway, N. Damascena has a number of common names, some more attractive than others.

Love-in-a-Mist

Devil-in-the Bush

Love-in-a-Puzzle

Fennel Flower

Love Entangle

Jack-in-the-Green

Ragged Lady

Why so many nics, do you think?

Here are photos of Miss Jekyll Blue and Persian Red. The blue one was named after Gertrude Jekyll who designed over 400 gardens during her career. The rose that David Austin named after her was named England's Favorite twice.

Seeds of this species have been used medicinally and as a condiment over the centuries. Said to somewhat resemble nutmeg in flavor. There are rather non-specific references to toxicity, though. So don't over-do it.

Decorative cultivars have also been developed with different colors of seed capsules. Chiltern's sells Albion Black Pod and Albion Green Pod. Outside Pride combines these and calls them 'Marbles'. Selected Seeds sells Cramer's Plum. Which common name do you think fits this photo?

There is also a species of Nigella that produces a seed used in cooking, and a few others used in the garden.

Gardens of The Horde

Just starting on my fall/winter garden here in the San Joaquin Valley. Still picking Sungold Tomatoes.

As you may recall from last week, the "cutting flowers from seed" theme was inspired by Illiniwek's exuberant flower border. He has sent some new photos from the border (plus some others I am saving for later).

Here are some of the flowers that have made it through September in his border. He says that some of the flowers in his border have gotten 7 feet tall, and a few have flopped over. But I think they are still looking pretty good for a free-sown border:

Here's a Monarch butterfly on a Sulfur Cosmos. He's getting lots of Painted Ladies, too (photo later) and bumblebees:

The foliage of Sulfur Cosmos is still looking good in his border, considering its reputation for looking weedy late in the season:

For comparison, this is the foliage of its cousin, Cosmos bipinnatus:

Illiniwek is getting ready to plant a bunch o' snow peas under plastic. Hope to learn more about how that goes.

Anything going on in your garden?

If you would like to send information and/or photos for the Saturday Gardening Thread, the address is:

ktinthegarden
at g mail dot com

Include your nic unless you want to be a lurker.

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Good Afternoon greentumbs

Posted by: Skip at September 30, 2017 12:23 PM (ghofu)

2 Hi, Skip.

Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 12:28 PM (BVQ+1)

3 Anybody think that last photo of Nigella, with the seed pods, could have inspired the name, "Love Entangle"?

Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 12:29 PM (BVQ+1)

4 Croker looks kinda like Sam Elliot.

Posted by: Vic We Have No Party at September 30, 2017 12:30 PM (mpXpK)

5 Did some reading on tips to get my peppers to rippen butfounnd there isn't any. But did prune off new buds figuring they are not going to get far anyway as well as some leaves, wondering if I went far enough. The reason I am thinking this is the plant that has produced the first Anaheim peppers had a large branch break off during a storm so it was a little smaller than the others with less branches. I am slowly getting more but it will be a race between them and frost now and hopefully another month before that.
Tomatoes are almost done,

Posted by: Skip at September 30, 2017 12:31 PM (ghofu)

6 Vic We Have No Party at September 30, 2017 12:30 PM

That's Robert Peary.

Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 12:31 PM (BVQ+1)

7 cornflowers are one of my favorites, and the crayola color also got a workout when I was little.

Posted by: kallisto at September 30, 2017 12:32 PM (7l5V0)

8 6 That's Robert Peary.


Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 12:31 PM (BVQ+1)


Ok he looks like Sam Elliot.

Posted by: Vic We Have No Party at September 30, 2017 12:33 PM (mpXpK)

9 Skip at September 30, 2017 12:31 PM

Removing the smaller peppers is probably a good idea.

Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 12:33 PM (BVQ+1)

10 Its a beautiful day today. Kittehs are perched up in the windows enjoying the outside.

Posted by: Vic We Have No Party at September 30, 2017 12:35 PM (mpXpK)

11 Love Illiniwek's Monarch photo.

Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 12:35 PM (BVQ+1)

12 Anything going on in your garden?

That little gray bar that followed fairly illustrates my garden.

Posted by: t-bird at September 30, 2017 12:36 PM (kuiuS)

13 My nether regions are like a truck farm.

Posted by: Sandra Flook at September 30, 2017 12:37 PM (Tyii7)

14 Im having a nice imposing Sonobi sign printed so I can stick it right in the middle of my herb garden. It seems like something is missing without it.

Posted by: Cicero (@cicero) at September 30, 2017 12:37 PM (J2oJa)

15 I am wondering if there are any perennials (other than grass) lurking in Illiniwek's border. The annual/perennial mix is one of the challenges of wildflower mixes.

Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 12:39 PM (BVQ+1)

16 I have some flowers and I like them but don't spend hardly any time with them. I should dig up my Iris beds and fix them up.
Of the above I like the Emperor William Cornflowers

Posted by: Skip at September 30, 2017 12:41 PM (ghofu)

17 i like to come here to see the lovely flowers

Posted by: happyfeet at September 30, 2017 12:43 PM (mLfQi)

18 Cicero (@cicero) at September 30, 2017 12:37 PM

The Sonobi ad seems perennial, doesn't it? I note that on my computer I can highlight the text under it. Wonder what the phone experience is like?

Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 12:44 PM (BVQ+1)

19 As I said I should cut more out of flowers and foliage.
I had a couple of sweet pepper plants but only 1 grew and have had 1 golf ball size pepper off it.
I should go out now and poke around in it.

Posted by: Skip at September 30, 2017 12:44 PM (ghofu)

20 Got a nice surprise this morning. I looked out the kitchen window and saw areas of red in the garden. Turns out we had a bunch of cherry tomatoes, and some standard ones, that came ripe over the last few days. I thought the weeds (cough bindweed cough) had completed their hegemony. Combined with the leaf lettuce that self-sowed and is taking over one of the Earth boxes, we have a nice salad to enjoy tonight.

I love these kinds of surprises from the garden.

Posted by: JTB at September 30, 2017 12:48 PM (V+03K)

21 Skip at September 30, 2017 12:44 PM

Skip, this time of year, take ALL the flowers off your peppers.

Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 12:49 PM (BVQ+1)

22 JTB at September 30, 2017 12:48 PM

The best kind of garden surprises.

Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 12:50 PM (BVQ+1)

23 Paper Moon, Star Flowers

That is cool. Never saw one before.

Posted by: Gumdrop Gorilla at September 30, 2017 12:53 PM (GXwGP)

24 Skip at September 30, 2017 12:41 PM

I think the Nigella look good from a little distance - kind of hazy and dreamy. The scabiosias I like in separate colors. I like the salmon ones and the blue ones.

Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 12:54 PM (BVQ+1)

25 I should have used the okra photo with the blossom. Follow the link. They look like cotton and hibiscus flowers.

Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 01:07 PM (BVQ+1)

26 Picked all of the tomatoes, green and red, afraid of a possible frost. Had a pretty good crop this year. Would have liked them to be a little more acidic.

Posted by: Ronster at September 30, 2017 01:08 PM (fC+mL)

27 We don't do much with flowers. But I have some surgery coming in a couple of weeks and will need some time to recoup. Mrs. JTB got a couple of hanging baskets so I'll have something to look at in the backyard while sitting and letting the dog romp. One basket has violets, which are usually good until around Thanksgiving around here. I love the little 'faces' on the blossoms and might try to sketch them. The other basket is sweet alyssum; a cascade of white flowers that are pretty on their own but glow when the sunlight hits them.

Posted by: JTB at September 30, 2017 01:09 PM (V+03K)

28 JTB at September 30, 2017 01:09 PM

Hope all goes well with your surgery and recovery. Does your basket contain violets or violas?

Sweet alyssum is a great little flower. And it smells good. Should attract some insects for you to watch, too.

Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 01:14 PM (BVQ+1)

29 "I am wondering if there are any perennials (other
than grass) lurking in Illiniwek's border. The annual/perennial mix is
one of the challenges of wildflower mixes. Posted by: KT

My late start on the flower border perhaps allowed the annuals to dominate more than usual, not sure. There are a few coneflower and daisy in there, maybe others I just don't recognize. In my woods some trails I mowed in the spring are blanketed with black eyed susans that volunteered.

The birds can pick through the flower border over winter ... then I guess I'll mow them about a foot high with the tractor mower, and see what comes up through the "mulch". I can remove some of the thick stuff. The annuals should reseed I suppose, weeds should be much less. That's the tentative plan at least.

Those flower arrangements are nice. I only brought one coneflower in, it lasted a long time in water. Should have been making arrangements the whole time, concentrated flower power. Bring the garden inside for longer hours of enjoyment.

Posted by: illiniwek at September 30, 2017 01:15 PM (yKAUL)

30 Lovely pix, today.

Does anyone know about tree age?

I have a free that's 10.5 ft. In circumference and wanted to know how old it might be.

I don't know for sure what kind of tree it is...The kind that throws down the withered cigar things in the fall and has tiny confetti leaves.

Have to run to buy asters and mums! TIA and will check back later!

Posted by: Gem at September 30, 2017 01:15 PM (uaHyk)

31 Hey there!

I'm black thumbish - couldn't maintain a fake houseplant. Our front porch potted plants garden is the somewhat slap-dash doing of the wife and daughter.

We've enjoyed some-not-many-but-tasty tomatoes, strawberries, peppers, and herbs, and a few but pretty roses throughout the summer.

We raised a couple of cantaloupes for a raccoon or maybe it was a squirrel. Next year: better fencing.

Mrs's websearch on a black-and-yellow parsley-munching caterpillar revealed it grows up to be a Black Swallowtail. Recommended treatment: plant more parsley.

KT #21: this time of year, take ALL the flowers off your peppers.

Read this to Milady and she said, Ooo, good idea! Probably the tomatoes, too?

Posted by: mindful webworker's aphid farm at September 30, 2017 01:20 PM (GvEen)

32 illiniwek at September 30, 2017 01:15 PM

Sounds like you have a plan for that border.

I would have difficulty with grass around here.

One advantage of picking Cosmos, for example, for bouquets is that it stimulates more flower production and keeps your plants shorter.

You have lots of Cosmos.

Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 01:22 PM (BVQ+1)

33 Anybody think that last photo of Nigella, with the seed pods, could have inspired the name, "Love Entangle"?

+++

Facehugger eggs from Alien

Posted by: Bigby's Typing Hands at September 30, 2017 01:22 PM (z2W2E)

34 So, Crocker Land was a crock.

Posted by: Steven Cold Bear at September 30, 2017 01:23 PM (/qEW2)

35 We've had more than 4 inches of rain and one hour of sun in the past week and no temperature above 64F. This is in Texas, if you can believe it. Tomatoes did not split as badly as the first time we had 3 inches of rain, perhaps because of the cool temps, but nothing is growing and nothing is getting ripe. Hopefully, it will clear in the next few days and warm up a bit before the freeze.

Posted by: huerfano at September 30, 2017 01:24 PM (Dp2K8)

36 28 ... KT, I am reliably informed they are violas. And you're right about the scent of the sweet alyssum. We have the first real autumn weather today, cool, sunny and breezy. I was downwind from the baskets and that aroma got my attention.

Posted by: JTB at September 30, 2017 01:27 PM (V+03K)

37 How do you know when pomegranates on your tree are ripe? Seems early to me but mine look ripe but I'm not sure.

Posted by: keena at September 30, 2017 01:28 PM (RiTnx)

38 Went and cut off more little peppers , some leaves and flowers, picked one just starting to rippen as its really feeling like fall. Picked 2 handfuls of wax/ green beans.

Posted by: Skip at September 30, 2017 01:30 PM (ghofu)

39 I'm not a gardener at all, but I need some advice about some daylilies growing next to the driveway of our condo. The plants are on the north side of our building; we're in the Cleveland, Ohio area, only a couple of miles from the lake, which does affect temperature quite a bit. I'm not sure what the soil is like, but if it's anything like the bed next to our home, it's probably mostly clay.

The problem is that the plants look like they're dying. The plants lost their blooms about a month ago, and the leaves are mostly brown. One of the plants is especially in trouble because a weed got in the middle of the leaf clusters and started to take over.

These plants aren't mine; they were put in when the condos were built, and there are daylilies all over the condo development, some in much better shape than ours. Is there anything inexpensive that I could do, either now or in the spring, to make these plants healthier? Or are the growing conditions just not optimal where these plants are? The plants aren't cared for at all by the condo association; they'll just let them die.

I'll check back later to see if there are any answers. Thanks in advance!

Posted by: Barb the Evil Genius at September 30, 2017 01:30 PM (FQKBL)

40 mindful webworker's aphid farm at September 30, 2017 01:20 P

Yes, the tomatoes, too.

Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 01:33 PM (BVQ+1)

41 Gem at September 30, 2017 01:15 PM

Do you have a Honey Locust? If so, it is a fast grower.

Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 01:39 PM (BVQ+1)

42 Love the flower type named after Miss Ella's chapeau. It's a little early, and not really a gardening topic, however....a great holiday song is "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve" sung by Ella Fitzgerald. What a voice. What presence and what grace.

Back to gardening: my neighbor asked me if I liked potatoes, I said yes. She said, "You want some, we have too many." Sure. Then I wondered where she was growing potatoes since our yards are small. She came back to my house with her hands full of tomatoes. (She speaks English as a second language, I thought it was cute, reminded me of my mom)

Posted by: kallisto at September 30, 2017 01:39 PM (Iz8Py)

43 Steven Cold Bear at September 30, 2017 01:23 PM

Yes, and Croker mountains croked (sp). And the guy named them after some bigwig. Heh.

Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 01:42 PM (BVQ+1)

44 "One advantage of picking Cosmos, for example, for
bouquets is that it stimulates more flower production and keeps your
plants shorter.
You have lots of Cosmos. Posted by: KT

good point ... never even considered that. I have a lithium battery hedge trimmer ... could have gone through them swashbuckler style and kept them lower and probably thicker flowers.

Barb, my day lilies are mostly brown now also. I think that is fairly normal for a lot of the bulbs that come up early. Daffodils/tulips were brown a long time ago here. But KT is much more informed on these things than I am.

Posted by: illiniwek at September 30, 2017 01:42 PM (yKAUL)

45 Bigby's Typing Hands at September 30, 2017 01:22 PM

I envision a Halloween display, along with almost-black Mourning Bride (Scabiosia)..

Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 01:44 PM (BVQ+1)

46 I have a free that's 10.5 ft. In circumference and wanted to know how old it might be.



I don't know for sure what kind of tree it is...The kind that throws
down the withered cigar things in the fall and has tiny confetti
leaves.



Have to run to buy asters and mums! TIA and will check back later!
Posted by: Gem at September 30, 2017 01:15 PM (uaHyk)

It depends on what the tree is, where it is and what the soil is like. I could check but I need more information. A dawn redwood or one of the poplars could put that growth on in 15 or so years, an oak would take 40, and a bristlecone could be a thousand.

Also where you are at is important since trees are like tomatoes, they do better some places than other

Now, I have an incremetal borer to settle these sorts of questions, but that is not something everyone had chucked behind the pickup seat.

Posted by: Kindltot at September 30, 2017 01:44 PM (6KB54)

47 keena at September 30, 2017 01:28 PM

They generally look ripe before they are ripe. Opening one is the only way I know to tell if they are ripe.

Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 01:45 PM (BVQ+1)

48 huerfano at September 30, 2017 01:24 PM

Good luck. What strange weather.

Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 01:47 PM (BVQ+1)

49 Does anyone know whats Presdent Oblama's favorite flower is? We wants to sent him and Micheal flowers for Halloweeen. We still love him and miss him !!!!!

Posted by: Mary Clogginstien from Brattleboro at September 30, 2017 01:49 PM (WmgTn)

50 It is time to harvest my Indian corn. It rained last night but it is supposed to be sunny next week, so I will pick about Thursday. With luck I will avoid mildew

I pulled several off to look at how ripe they are, they turned out very well this year.
KT, I will see about sending you a pic.

I love Indian corn, it grows ten feet tall and the leaves tend to have deep red color at the bases--at times the stalk is also deep red. I keep trying to give the stalks away for Halloween decorations but I get no takers ever. I don't use the shucks for anything since I neither need to make frontier dolls or cook with them, but I have tried twisting them into cords. That can be fun for a while. A twisted double strand rope is surprisingly sturdy, and more pliable than I expected.

Posted by: Kindltot at September 30, 2017 01:52 PM (6KB54)

51 Just got done pretty much decimating my front yard flower bed. Whatever was in there that wasn't a day lily or rose bush is gone. My 14 year old grandson helped - which is to say, I probably have fewer day lilies than I did when I started, but that's OK.
Anyway - suggestions for something attractive (but not high maintenance) to plant for the fall? I live in coastal North Carolina, my soil is kind of sandy by nature but the flower beds have been doctored up over the years.

Posted by: antisocialist at September 30, 2017 01:52 PM (W2wn0)

52 Barb the Evil Genius at September 30, 2017 01:30 PM

It could be that because they are north of a building they are cooling off faster than other daylilies nearby. Some daylilies lose their leaves earlier than others. A few are evergreen in some climates, but should be whacked back in winter.

Daylilies are tough, but they have limits. You might try thoroughly moistening the one with the weed growing in it, digging it up, removing the weed roots and replanting with some soil amendment. And you could dig in some amendment around the others.

Good luck.

Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 01:55 PM (BVQ+1)

53 Kindltot at September 30, 2017 01:52 PM

Maybe you could send a photo of the rope, too.

Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 01:58 PM (BVQ+1)

54 antisocialist at September 30, 2017 01:52 PM

Sun or shade? Annual or perennial?

Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 02:01 PM (BVQ+1)

55 42 ... Love the story about your neighbor. It reminds me of some things I heard about my Lebanese g-g-grandmother whose English was a VERY distant second language. Most of the neighbors were Irish and Portugese immigrants in the same linguistic situation. Must have led to some 'interesting' exchanges.

You are absolutely correct about Ella. I was lucky enough to see her perform live several times. Just a wonderful artist and gracious lady.

Posted by: JTB at September 30, 2017 02:04 PM (V+03K)

56 54
KT -
Afternoon sun. Annual or perennial, doesn't matter to me.

Posted by: antisocialist at September 30, 2017 02:07 PM (W2wn0)

57 This week the wife did some pickles and made applesauce. Previously froze sweet corn. That's a lot more than we've put up in yrs.

Very dry in N IL, hardly any rain since early Aug. In fact we haven't had to mow the lawn since then. That almost makes up for all the time spent watering the gardens.

Fall peas are starting to blossom hopefully they will beat the frost since I have a cover for the VegTrug to help them along.

Posted by: Farmer at September 30, 2017 02:08 PM (lfXAE)

58 57 ... For future reference, what are you growing for fall peas? Sounds like something to try after the hot weather crops are done.

Posted by: JTB at September 30, 2017 02:11 PM (V+03K)

59 kallisto at September 30, 2017 01:39 PM

Great story. And you are right about Ella.

Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 02:15 PM (BVQ+1)

60 I have a great wheel (spinning wheel). The bearings for the spindle are braided corn husks. That was standard back in the 1800s, when this was made. Works pretty well.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at September 30, 2017 02:20 PM (Lqy/e)

61 The first photo, are those dahlias? I've never seen star flowers. They're very pretty.

I love the butterfly photo.

I had a monarch flying around a strawberry tree a few days ago, it wouldn't let me get close to it. The same with the humming birds.

I don't own a camera, maybe that's the problem. I need a stalkerazzi lens.

Posted by: CaliGirl at September 30, 2017 02:21 PM (Ri/rl)

62 antisocialist at September 30, 2017 02:07 PM

For plants, there are always chrysanthemums. And calendulas, snapdragons, primroses where there is a little more shade, Iceland poppies, sweet alyssum, violas and pansies. And maybe some wildflower seeds. Including cornflowers. Maybe something native where you are. There are others.

Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 02:22 PM (BVQ+1)

63 Notsothoreau at September 30, 2017 02:20 PM

Wow. We have a neighbor with a loom. But that is really going back in time.

Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 02:24 PM (BVQ+1)

64 Posted by: JTB at September 30, 2017 02:04 PM (V+03K)

I'm Portuguese, I don't speak or understand any Portuguese. But I know it when I hear it. My aunts always sounded mad until they spoke English to me. They were loud.

Posted by: CaliGirl at September 30, 2017 02:24 PM (Ri/rl)

65 Antisocialist: How about 'Autumn Joy' Sedum?

It's perennial, not fussy about soil, tolerates some shade, will multiply well but not invade. Mine survive drought in a gravelly soil and still bloom nicely. (Better soil will produce fuller plants with brighter, larger blooms.) Bing has nice pics.

-----------

Cool weather is probably here to stay now... I should pull out the tomato plants and replace with some pretty mums.

Will be awhile yet before it really freezes, and those pots get to stay out front if they're still attractive... hmmm. Bbl!

Posted by: JQ at September 30, 2017 02:26 PM (yD/Pf)

66 CaliGirl at September 30, 2017 02:21 PM

The pink ones in the first photo are dahlias.

"stalkeratzi lens". Heh.

You could grow some of those starflowers. Maybe even now.

Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 02:27 PM (BVQ+1)

67 JQ at September 30, 2017 02:26 PM

Autumn Joy Sedum is a great suggestion. Might not make much of a show this year. There are some similar ones, too.

Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 02:29 PM (BVQ+1)

68 Farmer at September 30, 2017 02:08 PM

Thanks for the report. Let us know how the cover works. And how the pickled stuff works out.

Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 02:31 PM (BVQ+1)

69 Thanks, KT! Not a big fan of mums, but the other suggestions are great...I have four raised beds out back that have played out for the season, might put some wildflowers out there, too.

Posted by: antisocialist at September 30, 2017 02:33 PM (W2wn0)

70 I've been getting a metric crapton of pomegranates. I have so many I've been giving a lot to the chickens.

We've had a lot of figs too.

It is starting to feel like fall here. It's been cold in the morning.

Posted by: CaliGirl at September 30, 2017 02:34 PM (Ri/rl)

71 Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 02:29 PM

Some of the bigbox stores have potted Autumn Joy right now-- would be simple to plant and just let 'em go.

Same for the many lovely 'Mums. I had mums at the old house, but didn't bring any to the new one. (Shame!) They seemed to like a good shearing around March or April, again in June, to make them bushier. They would get very leggy and fall over if I neglected that... even with Full Sun. Maybe it was the cultivar (? unknown) that I had there.

Posted by: JQ at September 30, 2017 02:38 PM (yD/Pf)

72 My mom gave us some Autumn Joy and called it Houseleak. Anywhere I plant it in the ground, it gets eaten. So we have a few very crowded pots of it that the squirrels love to sit in & eat acorns. Must be comfy.
The blooms are just getting some color on them now.

I will say goodbye to summer today by cleaning and storing the hummingbird feeders.

Posted by: OldDominionMom at September 30, 2017 02:42 PM (GzDYP)

73 64 ... CaliGirl, Same here. Some of their descendents, four generations later, were my classmates. None of us knew any of the old languages except for some food names. (Thank goodness for our grandmothers who kept the old recipes.)

Posted by: JTB at September 30, 2017 02:43 PM (V+03K)

74 JQ at September 30, 2017 02:38 PM

I have read that mums need to be moved every few years or they poison themselves.

Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 02:46 PM (BVQ+1)

75 CaliGirl at September 30, 2017 02:34 PM

We have pomegranates. Don't have figs. Gophers. Darn.

Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 02:48 PM (BVQ+1)

76 Still have some nasturtiums, marigolds and zinnias blooming.
I don't think the fall planting of radishes are going to have enough time to mature.

Posted by: Ronster at September 30, 2017 02:51 PM (fC+mL)

77 I have read that mums need to be moved every few years or they poison themselves.

That's interesting-- never heard it before.

Posted by: JQ at September 30, 2017 02:52 PM (yD/Pf)

78 I forgot the galardiolius(sp)

Posted by: Ronster at September 30, 2017 02:53 PM (fC+mL)

79 Okay, now I *really* need to get going.

Great thread, KT. Thanks for hosting!

Posted by: JQ at September 30, 2017 02:54 PM (yD/Pf)

80 60 ... Notsothoreau , Keeping this on a gardening theme, I've run across mention of colonial and early American uses for what we would consider garden waste these days. Your spinning wheel (cue Blood, Sweat and Tears) bearings, corn husk and rushes for rugs and insulation, fibers for twine, etc. Necessity and ingenuity combined. Interesting stuff.

Posted by: JTB at September 30, 2017 02:55 PM (V+03K)

81 Ronster at September 30, 2017 02:51 PM

You might have to stir-fry the leaves.

Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 03:00 PM (BVQ+1)

82 Good Lord.
I drop off for a few hours to run the grandkids around and the first thing I see coming back...??? Picture of okra.
OMG!!!
I cannot unsee it.
A waste of time renaming it. Okra by any other name is still vile!

Posted by: Diogenes at September 30, 2017 03:02 PM (M+MSn)

83 pets up

Posted by: Vic We Have No Party at September 30, 2017 03:03 PM (mpXpK)

84 KT at September 30, 2017 03:00 PM

The plants are still so small that there is not much leaf to stir-fry.

Posted by: Ronster at September 30, 2017 03:04 PM (fC+mL)

85 I have read that mums need to be moved every few years or they poison themselves.

Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 02:46 PM (BVQ+1)

I guess that's why all my mums disappeared. I used to have probably 15 or 20. Now all gone.

On my tomato front -- they took until mid-September for first one, but they've been producing consistently since then and the plants look like they'll be healthy until first frost in about five weeks. Weird cold and wet spring, mild summer.

I've re-seeded my putting greens, in hopes of returning them to their former glory next spring. If you're into landscaping like me, a putting green or two is the ultimate show-off accent. But on a scale of 1-10 for care and maintenance, they're somewhere around an 11. I completely understand why 'greens fees' are so high for golfers. But the sight of that brilliant green area of short grass, with bright red flag flapping in the wind, cheers even the bleakest winter day. I see why so many people desire to live on the border of a golf course.

Posted by: Slippery Slope Salesman at September 30, 2017 03:08 PM (EgwCt)

86 Hi evryone!

I haven't checked in on the gardening thread for a while because, despite the drought, we have been busy canning (and still have a ways to go.) But I have made a few comments on other threads, so if anyone is wondering:

I had carotid artery surgery yesterday (right side 70% blocked) and I got home today at 1:00. Everything went better than than I could even hope for (e. g., I have a noticeable improvement in my vision (though my typing hasn't improved, yet) and my tinnitis, which was almost painful, is completely gone. I feel great, and I don't think I have been any happier since our wedding day. And, no, I am NOT on any pain medication.

Posted by: bergerbilder at September 30, 2017 03:13 PM (lIZQs)

87 I had a monarch flying around a strawberry tree a few days ago, it wouldn't let me get close to it. The same with the humming birds.

I don't own a camera, maybe that's the problem. I need a stalkerazzi lens.

Posted by: CaliGirl at September 30, 2017 02:21 PM (Ri/rl)

You've never seen the (perhaps) inspirational poster?

(paraphrase) Happiness is like a butterfly, if you chase after it - it will always elude you, but if you sit quietly it will land on your shoulder.

It's something worth pondering. Gotta go.

Posted by: Slippery Slope Salesman at September 30, 2017 03:15 PM (EgwCt)

88 86 ... bergerbilder, That is wonderful news about your surgery! Congratulations.

Posted by: JTB at September 30, 2017 03:17 PM (V+03K)

89 Posted by: JTB at September 30, 2017 02:11

I just planted the same peas as I did in spring. Don't know the variety as they were from seed I saved from last yrs crop. The challenge was the recent hot weather. We had more 90 degree days in Sept than the rest of the entire summer.

Lots of watering and they survived. Short, but they are now blooming.

Posted by: Farmer at September 30, 2017 03:19 PM (lfXAE)

90 Great news bergerbuiler, congrats.

Posted by: Farmer at September 30, 2017 03:21 PM (lfXAE)

91 A shorter than usual report from Idaho's Treasure Valley: First, we were gone for 2 days, to Bruneau Dunes, for what's likely the last trailer trip of the season (just got back this morning). And second, things are moving more slowly now that it's so much cooler.

Despite that we haven't had an actual frost yet, the cantaloupe and Roma tomato plants continue to take cold damage - they're worse off today than when we left on Thursday. There's very minor damage on the end of the pumpkin vines now, too, but those are orange and hard-skinned already, so all I'm waiting for is the browning and withering of the stems, to harvest them. I don't yet know how ripe the butternut squashes are - I'm waiting for either the vines to die, or critters to start nibbling the squashes, so I'll know they're ripe.

I've been cutting down green bean plants. Assuming no rain tomorrow, I'll be cutting the rest down and stuffing them in the trash. Hopefully I'll finish digging up the parsley in the blueberry bed as well.

We'll do our harvesting tomorrow as well - see whether we get more tomatoes, red raspberries, or final green beans. I did grab a zucchini today, and one cantaloupe - those are all splitting, so I'm not sure how much more good fruit we'll get. I do have 3 one-gallon bags of frozen chunks in the chest freezer.

Pretty soon, the potatoes we already harvested will be hardened off - I should brush the dirt off them and weigh them. Definitely nowhere near as much of a crop as last year. This year, we did Yukon Golds (all harvested already) and Red Norland (2 bags still to go).

This last bit comes under "gleaning", not really harvesting - while we were geocaching near the Mountain Home Air Force Base, we noticed potatoes lying by the side of the road. So husband circled back around, and I threw a bunch of them in the back of the truck. Probably just Russets, and we'll be eating them up ASAP, but hey, free potatoes!

Posted by: Pat* at September 30, 2017 03:29 PM (3etCS)

92 Little Snow Pea Purple from Vermont Bean is what I'm planting today. I'm really late, but enjoy the challenge, and will try to cover them to get more "growing degree days" out of the next 50 days or so. they are 55-60 day maturity, so it will be a push.

they're combining my corn today ... have to go mow so the trucks in the field don't catch something on fire. Just say the firetrucks go by, and see smoke a mile away. My combine guy is volunteer fire dept, but didn't have to go. has been really dry.

Posted by: illiniwek at September 30, 2017 03:44 PM (yKAUL)

93 89 ... Framer, Thanks. Something else to check into for future gardens.

Posted by: JTB at September 30, 2017 03:49 PM (V+03K)

94 Framer = Farmer. Dang big fingers and little keypad.

Posted by: JTB at September 30, 2017 03:57 PM (V+03K)

95 Just made another Chili Rellino with one of my Anaheim peppers, having chicken burritos and thought it would be a great side dish.

Posted by: Skip at September 30, 2017 03:59 PM (ghofu)

96 95 Just made another Chili Rellino with one of my Anaheim peppers, having chicken burritos and thought it would be a great side dish.
Posted by: Skip at September 30, 2017 03:59 PM

Um: YUM. Can I ask how you prepare your rellenos, and if Anaheims are the best kind to use?

Posted by: Shopgirl at September 30, 2017 04:13 PM (IlyKZ)

97 sounds like another awesome year of gardening up there for you Pat. congrats ...

Posted by: illiniwek at September 30, 2017 04:15 PM (yKAUL)

98 I have grilled them over gas and charcoal but today put it in a black iron pan with just a little olive oil so wouldn't stick and very low heat. Turn often so ouside blisters a little all the way around. When done take out and let cool. A knife to pierce the skin and peal it off all the way around. Slice lengthwise carefully ( it is going to be soft) and scoop out seeds and will need to cut the fibers that hold them in. Open up fill with cheese holding them closed with toothpicks. Going to put under a broiler but have also put them back in grill to melt cheese.

Posted by: Skip at September 30, 2017 04:35 PM (ghofu)

99
My bumper crops of Goldenrod and Queen Anne's Lace are in full bloom.

At least the insects love them!...

Posted by: Spun and Murky at September 30, 2017 04:38 PM (4DCSq)

100 My Anaheims are big , 8 inches long .And have had them anywhere from pretty hot ( once) to mildly hot ( mostly) to very mild ( couple of times). Never sure how they will turn out, if its cross pollination or what. I usually have 4 plants growing every year.

Posted by: Skip at September 30, 2017 04:41 PM (ghofu)

101 I should dig potatoes today. They are probably safe in the ground for a while yet but the tops were dying two weeks ago and the area is overrun with bindweed. They are along a fence so locating the spuds in the dirt won't become impossible.

What is this harden off procedure for dug potatoes? My mom probably did this, used to grow taters and we ate them thru the winter. I always figured my storage issues were from keeping them under the sink where its too warm but perhaps I'm also missing a prep step.

Posted by: PaleRider at September 30, 2017 04:44 PM (84F5k)

102 Slippery Slope Salesman at September 30, 2017 03:08 PM

That's inspiring.

Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 05:04 PM (BVQ+1)

103 Thanks Skip! I'll keep this in mind for this week's shopping & report back on next week's gardening thread.

Posted by: Shopgirl at September 30, 2017 05:05 PM (IlyKZ)

104 bergerbilder at September 30, 2017 03:13 PM

Wow. That is amazing news. So glad to hear it turned out so well.

Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 05:05 PM (BVQ+1)

105 We have pomegranates. Don't have figs. Gophers. Darn.
Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 02:48 PM (BVQ+1)

We put chicken wire around the base of the fig trees and they are planted in chicken wire but I know the wire disintegrates.

The gophers chew the bark at the base of the fig trees. The guy that works here has the patience of a cat. He floods them, and hits them with a shovel, pellet gun, those snap traps on chains. I feel like he's a smarter version of Carl Spackler. He hates the gophers and I won't let him use poison. We have Ag poison and it's strong.
I'm worried about non target species.

Posted by: CaliGirl at September 30, 2017 05:06 PM (Ri/rl)

106 It's something worth pondering. Gotta go.
Posted by: Slippery Slope Salesman at September 30, 2017 03:15 PM (EgwCt)

Good point.

Where all the butterflies and humming birds are there isn't a chair and I chase everything trying to get a picture. I have no patience.

Posted by: CaliGirl at September 30, 2017 05:08 PM (Ri/rl)

107 Um: YUM. Can I ask how you prepare your rellenos, and if Anaheims are the best kind to use?
Posted by: Shopgirl at September 30, 2017 04:13 PM (IlyKZ)

They also use pasilla/poblano chilis. You can use anything you like really. My husband calls those chilis pasillas but they may be called poblanos. I don't know.

I've never made them. I know they fry them with a type of egg batter with Mexican cheese inside. They are yummy.

Posted by: CaliGirl at September 30, 2017 05:12 PM (Ri/rl)

108 Posted by: bergerbilder at September 30, 2017 03:13 PM (lIZQs)

I'm glad it went well and follow Dr's orders. Take care of yourself.

Posted by: CaliGirl at September 30, 2017 05:14 PM (Ri/rl)

109 Pat* at September 30, 2017 03:29 PM
Congrats on a great season. Making green tomato mincemeat?

The potato gleaning story? Well, you do live in Idaho. Heh.

Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 05:19 PM (BVQ+1)

110 Skip, your dinner sounds delicious!

Do you pickle anaheims? I have sliced and pickled them using cider vinegar and they're good in salads and on sandwiches.

Posted by: OldDominionMom at September 30, 2017 05:28 PM (GzDYP)

111 I was out watering and had to come in to warm up. Where in the heck is that global warming?

Posted by: OldDominionMom at September 30, 2017 05:32 PM (GzDYP)

112 PaleRider at September 30, 2017 04:44 PM

I've never grown potatoes for storage, but look up "curing potatoes".

Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 05:44 PM (BVQ+1)

113 The tree description ("The kind that throws down the withered cigar things in the fall and has tiny confetti leaves") sounds like Kentucky coffee tree. They get pretty big and the Maryland champion is in the yard of a local rose and dahlia expert. A 10.5 foot circumference (3 foot diameter) is probably not ancient but I hesitate to guess more than that.

Posted by: Henry at September 30, 2017 06:02 PM (FJosX)

114 I was out watering and had to come in to warm up. Where in the heck is that global warming?
Posted by: OldDominionMom at September 30, 2017 05:32 PM (GzDYP)


Here near Akron, Oh. it went from a high of 90 on Thursday (the 6th day in the 90's) to a low this morning of 48, currently 58. The forecast for next Thursday through whenever, is for highs in the 80's.
As the saying goes, be careful what you wish for...

BTW, Home Warranty owes me $14 for a new fuse in the AC unit, plus credit for saving them the cost of a service call.

Posted by: bergerbilder at September 30, 2017 06:20 PM (lIZQs)

115 And, we still have not had a signicant rainfall at our home since Memorial Day weekend. I guess we are in what is called a "micro climate."

Posted by: bergerbilder at September 30, 2017 06:27 PM (lIZQs)

116 Gem at September 30, 2017 01:15 PM

Do you have a Honey Locust? If so, it is a fast grower.
Posted by: KT at September 30, 2017 01:39 PM (BVQ+1)

From researching images it does look like a thornless honey locust! Okay, that's good to know. So probably not that old, then!

Posted by: Gem at September 30, 2017 06:27 PM (uaHyk)

117 Hit post too soon.... thanks, KT!

Posted by: Gem at September 30, 2017 06:28 PM (uaHyk)

118 Canning and canning. Tomato soup, salsa, pasta sauce, pickles of cucumber, beets and jalapenos. Go buy more jars, sugar, vinegar. Still picking tomatoes and cukes, and big honking beets, and a few strawberries.

I remember walking into a hardware store in the central valley about this time of year and they had a box of pomegranates, with green leaves on the stems, for a buck each. Perfectly ripe avocados, 4/$1. Y'all have some amazing food out there.

I am still considering how to insulate the porch enough to keep stuff alive through the winter.

Posted by: Gordon at September 30, 2017 06:28 PM (/UHsW)

119 It depends on what the tree is, where it is and what the soil is like. I could check but I need more information. A dawn redwood or one of the poplars could put that growth on in 15 or so years, an oak would take 40, and a bristlecone could be a thousand.

Also where you are at is important since trees are like tomatoes, they do better some places than other

Now, I have an incremetal borer to settle these sorts of questions, but that is not something everyone had chucked behind the pickup seat.


Posted by: Kindltot at September 30, 2017 01:44 PM (6KB54)

The tree is in Northern Illinois, and is probably a thornless honey locust. KT says it grows fast.

An article I read said they are often planted in cities because they absorb a lot of pollution and aren't fussy about soil conditions.

An incremental borer... I've known a few people who fit that description!

I really would like to know how old it is. Is an incremental borer an expensive/hard to use type of thing?

Posted by: Gem at September 30, 2017 06:40 PM (uaHyk)

120 General gardening information, from planning to harvesting and storing/canning, is generally available for free from your local county/university extension office (Most are on the web now, offering free PDFs of popular topics!)

Some even have "To Do This Month" garden chore lists, which are good reminders....

My favorites are:

Utah State University-- http://extension.usu.edu/

Clemson, SC-- http://www.clemson.edu/extension/

Washington State Univerity-- http://extension.wsu.edu/

Search your state + "extension" and have fun!

Happy gardening to all.

Posted by: JQ at September 30, 2017 06:52 PM (yD/Pf)

121 The tree description ("The kind that throws down the withered cigar things in the fall and has tiny confetti leaves") sounds like Kentucky coffee tree. They get pretty big and the Maryland champion is in the yard of a local rose and dahlia expert. A 10.5 foot circumference (3 foot diameter) is probably not ancient but I hesitate to guess more than that.
Posted by: Henry at September 30, 2017 06:02 PM (FJosX)

Well, now I'm confused, because the Kentucky coffee tree also looks like the one in the yard and it IS native to the Chicagoland area. Hmmm. Okay. Having read more, and by comparing pictures of the bark and the flowers of each tree, I think I can confidently say it is a thornless honey locust, although they are incredibly similar.

Well, that at least is good to know. They say honey locusts live a relatively short life - 120 - 150 years. That would make some sense in this area.

Thanks for the suggestion, Henry!

Posted by: Gem at September 30, 2017 07:14 PM (uaHyk)

122 "The tree is in Northern Illinois, and is probably a thornless honey locust. KT says it grows fast."

It is called "Shademaster Locust." Many are planted here near Akron, Oh. as ornamental and shade trees on city streets.

Posted by: bergerbilder at September 30, 2017 07:29 PM (lIZQs)

123 Oh, the gardening, harvesting, and canning season is definitely NOT done here in Idaho's Treasure Valley! (For anyone who's new, that's the valley Boise is in - metro area population about 600K, out of Idaho's 1.6 million.)

We still haven't turned the frozen strawberries into jam. We're going to wait until the entire season of Romas is done before we make and can the final batch of tomato sauce (so we don't have tomatoes taking up freezer space this winter). The other 3 types of tomatoes, the red raspberries, and the zucchini are still producing. I still have herbs I can harvest. We still have 2 bags of potatoes to harvest, and the pumpkins and butternut squash. I forgot to mention that I still have (attempts at) fall crops of shelling peas (questionable), radishes (good), carrots (questionable), lettuce (only 2 seeds germinated), and spinach (only 3 seeds germinated).

And we still have apple season to go!! Husband's built his own grinder and crusher, version 3, so we'll have to test those - and if they work, we'll freeze half-gallons of cider. Maybe we'll also try hard cider. And we have a book called "Drink the Harvest" that has a recipe for spiced apple syrup that looks delicious, but making that, depends on whether I can figure out what to store it in.

Generic yard work, of course, will continue - the leaves haven't fallen yet, so there's raking in my future. There are still places to profitably dig weeds out, and husband is currently still mowing the grass. And there will be final garden cleanup after the frost hits, like getting rid of tomato/squash vines.

We're nearly at the point when the friendly neighborhood guy will come around and offer to blow out the irrigation lines - irrigation water usually cuts off about October 15th.

Posted by: Pat* at September 30, 2017 07:48 PM (3etCS)

124 PS: Forgot about all the peppers still to harvest, too. Jalapeno, poblano, and bell peppers.

Posted by: Pat* at September 30, 2017 07:49 PM (3etCS)

125 Honey locust makes sense. Forgot about that possibility. Glad that's figured out.

Posted by: Henry at September 30, 2017 08:21 PM (FJosX)

126 Gordon at September 30, 2017 06:28 PM

Happy canning!

Even extending the season on your porch might be worthwhile.

Posted by: KT at October 01, 2017 10:38 AM (BVQ+1)

127 Kindltot sezNow, I have an incremetal borer to settle these sorts of questions, but that is not something everyone had chucked behind the pickup seat.

They don't? I have a big ole bag of improbable tools, kludges and whatnots in a battered leather plumbers tool bag that fits under the back of the pickup seat and hangs on a hook on the Gator.

It looks like the Central Valley will have a few more days of low 90's later in the week..figures since I planted the cole crops out.

I am so bummed out, I tipped out 3 potato buckets and "harvested" a whopping total of 11 potatoes. Last year I was giving them away. I suspect the seed taters weren't sound...or the potato trolls et them all.

Anyhoo I have a ton of Maui purple sweet potatoes and Jewel yams so there's that.

My tomato plants are shutting down too...I picked about 20 lbs of all types and baked many sheet pans of tomatoes today...tomorrow into the food mill and then the freezer. Still have lots of peppers turning red.

Okra...yum...if you don't like okra then you're not cooking it right. The Israelis make version of Shakshuka, an okra and tomato stew that finishes with poached eggs floating like jewels...sort of a Mideastern Huevos Rancheros one scoops up with chunks of pita.

Easy recipe here: http://preview.tinyurl.com/ycqucles

I have a wide perennial bed that runs the length of the southern side of the veggie garden. It's planted with the usual suspects including asylum that has self-sowed into drifts and mounds. The honey scent reminds me of torrone, the wonderful soft nougat they make in northern Italy.

Yeah, everything is about eating well which is one of the reasons I garden.

bj

Posted by: Shanks for the memory at October 01, 2017 11:01 PM (TdCQk)

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