Summer Gardens 2015 Part 4

we had the smaller one that i picked this morning to go with dinner, let me say that they are meaty, and VERY juicy, expect soggy bread if you try to put some in a sandwich, lol!

Those cukes made my mouth watering!!! I gotta grow some next spring.

Have a pickle ---

Oh yumm! Good going brendak. :))

Here is another great harvest from this morning.

I will definitely save some seed from those big guys, i assume they are stable seeing as i received them from a trade with another DG member

Those are some nice looking yellow tomatoes.

Please post a flavor profile. Are they;
Sweet?
Schwangy? (sweet/tangy)
Tangy?
Are the skins tough or thin(ner)?
Meaty or Juicy?
Lots seeds or not a lot of seeds?
Did any Stinkbugs gravitate to these fruits vs. other tomatoes you're growing? (Stinkbugs preferred Azoychka tomatoes over all others in my garden one year. I grew them as a trap crop, and let 'em have 'em...)

Thanks!

I have been very busy harvesting tomatoes.
i am harvesting every day now as soon as the bottom of the fruit will turn color.
I am very excited about some new varieties for 2015.
The birds stopped to pick on the tomatoes as soon as I put out my plastic snakes.

My cucumbers have stopped producing. I just don't see any bees around and the flowers don't get pollinates ... or it is so hot for them.
Peppers are producing and the plants are loaded with green peppers.
Eggplants are waking out with the heat now. I might have quite a few fruits by the end of the week.

Long beans are getting bigger under the tomatoes, as well as the okra plants (this year I planted okra later due to my extense traveling ... but also I still have freezer and pantry full of okra!!)

I just transplanted out my Malabar Spinach and they will be great for the summer greens.

Off course I have been spending my weekend in the kitchen.
I have reached my goal on the roasted tomatoes in the freezer ... so yummy !
I am so proud of myself, this year I have learned how to make and canned: basic tomato sauce, Marinara sauce and roasted salsa.
Now with all the rest of my tomatoes I will experiment more sauce and preserving recipes.

Congratulations, drthor!

Hey Guys,
My dehydrator should arrive tomorrow. After it does, I'm heading to the Farmer's Market for any sales I can find on fruits/veggies nearing their expiration dates. Should be able to cut some deals, then practice dehydrating this weekend. I wanna do strawberries and bananas for my kale smoothies.

I need to find some of those oxygen? absorbent packets to stick in the jars, since I don't have a vacuum sealer ------ YET!

LOL!

Hugs!

DING, DING, DING, DING, DING!!!! WE HAVE A WINNER!!!

jmc1987,
Please put me on your seed distribution list for the "Old Kentucky" tomato! Lemme know when they're ready, and send me a dmail for a swap!

Hugs!

Jmc-that's why I grow (prefer) medium to large fruited varieties. You may not get as many tomatoes but you get more lbs worth of tomatoes. Stephanie has picked 10lbs+ a few times this season. I only grow a couple of Cherry tomatoes and Gymgirl has been growing some huge SOO. It looks like you have a winner!

Here's today's harvest. Sorry for the poor picture quality, but I'm thankful he thought to take pictures! Again, more than 10lbs of tomatoes.

Great harvest everyone. drthor, did you sow seeds for the Malaba spinach? I'm trying to root some and ready to put them into the container in the garden as well.

I'm envying all of you with your nice ripe home grown tomatoes. I'm still waiting on mine, and in the mean time eating tiny little cherry toms from a hanging basket I have down out back. My REAL tomatoes I started from seed in mid or late March in jugs set out in the elements. I had never done the winter sew before and I'm happy to say it worked. Though - I planted too many seed per jug and I planted them a little late. Otherwise, they are doing fine but it is taking a little longer than if I had bought the plants and set them in the garden in mid April. I'm trying to be patient and I can practically taste you guys nice ripe tomatoes. One of the ones I planted is called Krim - an heirloom. New to me. Anyone familiar with that one?

My tomatoes are just starting to really set. But I got a late start and then there was the rain....

Brenda-Black Krim is one of my favorite tomatoes definitely my favorite black.

Black Krim is on my top ten list. First homegrown tomato I ever grew OR ate.

As I vividly recall, I picked that tomato exactly 150 days from dropping the seed. And, it was at least a whole pound.

Dark purple-y meaty flesh with little green seed pellets.

Do yourself a great favor and taste your first thick slice with your eyes closed. NOT to avoid looking at it, but, to focus entirely on the amazing flavor profile.

This message was edited Jul 2, 2015 5:36 AM

Thanks for the heads up on Black Krim. Can't wait.

brendak654,
If you are growing Black Krim it is a fantastic tomato.
I grew it for a few years until I finished my seeds then I decided to stop.
The problem in my climate was that BK cracked in the upper part of the tomato. Then I decide to plant something else.
Right now I am very happy because all the varieties I have planted do no crack.

Radial cracking is a characteristic of certain varieties. Black Krim is one of them. As long as the tomato is not "weeping" it is perfectly good.

Yes, BK does have a tendency to crack but I still love it. It's a huge, firm tasty tomato.

and here is todays little harvest. :)

Looks good. Do you know what the name of the purple peppers is?

http://www.rareseeds.com/midnight-dreams-bell-pepper/

its been raining at least a little almost every day for the past few weeks, and my pepper plants, one of my tomato plants, and my eggplant are really being stressed by it all, i havent had to water ever since june started.

Some of the plants are yellowing up at the bottom thanks to all of that rain, and even more rain is predicted every day for the next 10 days. The pepper leaves are yellowing up and dropping off at the bottom.

Thanks, I have the catalog here. Yes, I understand the rain...I must say my long beans are loving it and producing like crazy. It's amazing how fast the pods grow. By your pictures it looks like you are doing ok. : )

My harvest today was my very first Tromboncino squash and blackberries - what a mix. Can't wait to give the squash a try.

Emptied the rain gauge this morn and there was another inch and a half. Adequate rainfall here. I can't see that it is having a negative affect on any of my gardens - just having a negative affect on me getting in the gardens. I say gardens because I have lots of flowers. Gee in 2012 we were parched in late June/July/August.

oh yeah they have only started showing excess water stress within the past week. One thing for sure, it has caused the wild blackberries around here to go nuts, big fat juicy berries, compared to many years where they are no bigger than your fingernail.

Oh brendak, the squash looks great. Tromboncino especially. Have you found some recipes for it yet?

Here is mine today. :) The little round onions are ornamental onions, I am pretty sure they're not edible. :)

Lily - the tromboncino is almost history. I did not peel it, I cut it up along with a small zuck and the couple of pattypans, that I had and put them in boiling water. When tender, I seasoned them with salt and pepper and a little butter and topped the squash dish with sharp chedder cheese. It was yummy. I'm sure what little bit was left will be feasted on tomorrow.

I'm not familiar with the produce you have pictured? It looks a lot like a gourd?

Yes, it's a gourd or Calabash as they're known. The skin is hard shell, I'll have to peel it and cut the fruit in thin slices or cubes and make soup with them. They're very popular in the Orient.

Yumm, your squash dish sounds so good. Congrats.

This message was edited Jul 2, 2015 6:56 PM

More tomatoes and cukes today! :)

Watermelon, and cantalope on the vine are getting bigger every day

And another view of the whole garden in general :)

Got tomatoes on the 4th of July! Also harvested some cucumbers, okra, jalapenos, pickling cukes, and tomatillos.

First watermelon of the season just hanging out with a cuke.

Pike cantaloupe

This is why you need to check the garden every day!

Everything looks fantastic. Not only is your harvest beautiful it's also bountiful!

Great harvest, Steph!

Hey, y'all.

My dehydrator came. Soon as I finish in the yard, I'm gonna dress the fruit and put them on.

Great looking bounty for the 4th of July!

2" of rain yesterday and this morning. Finally! And more expected tonight. We needed this deep soaking.

Indeed, we do need the deep soaking. Just hope it will stop temporarily while we are out for the fireworks tonite. Happy July 4th everyone.

I know everyone in Texas will hate me, but we could use a good soaking again. I don't want a drowning rain, but a nice soaking.

I agree we could use another round of rain. Got so use to it but I like not having to water.