Garden updates.

[GSF]

I've seen cucumbers hanging from limbs, kinda cool, definitely creative.

[bwallace23350]

Now I got to try something like this next year.

[GSF]

Well, the birds have beat me to the Elderberries. I got my grapes in early Sunday morning. Now I'm harvesting gala apples. Folks don't know what an apple tastes like until they pick it from a tree. I have Gala, Granny Smith, & Arkansas Black. Gala's are an early apple, Granny Smith's are probably September-ish, and Arkansas Black brings up the rear in October.

If I didn't have bird netting I wouldn't have any apples or grapes. I guess I'm going to have to rig up something for my elderberries as well.

We (my wife) put up 15 more quarts of tomatoes yesterday. I helped pick them but I wasn't able to do much of anything else due to time constraints.

I don't know why but the birds don't mess with the scuppernongs, and they are dang good.

[bwallace23350]

My garden is done except for pears now. It is done because I have just given up on it. I could harvest more pepper, tomatoes, and okra but I just don't feel like it now. I am on to expansion in my fruit production.

[GSF]

Chomping on my gala's now..,

[bwallace23350]

I should try some gala's in the near future. I am also fixing to get ready for my winter garden. Nothing like fresh collards, radishes, arugula, broccoli, and cabbage.

[jalentour]

Grew some pickling cucumbers and now that they are in my frig I need a good recipe for pickling, cold and long term.
Any suggestions.
As you can tell I am not an experience canner. 

[GSF]

My wife has a recipe. I'll try to remember to ask here when she gets home.

[divemaster1963]

I made 4 qts and 4 pints of b&b Spears and chips. I just used the recipe on the ball jar mix. Has everything in it and just added vinegar. Use hot water bath and good for year.

John

[GSF]

Well the scuppa-nines (scuppernongs) are coming in full force. We've done produced 17 quarts of juice. We'll pick them, wash, put them in the steam juicer, put the juice in quart jars then hot water batch the juice for 15 minutes.

This product is awesome. During the winter if I feel a little bug coming on I'll start chug a lugging on a quart. It pretty much kicks the bug in the but.

[bwallace23350]

I have no been able to grow scuppernongs yet but I do gather them wild.

[GSF]

Some of them require another type to pollinate. An example; some of my bronze/purple requires the either a like variety or the other color to pollinate. I say this every year, next year I'm going to take pictures.

[bwallace23350]

Thanks for that tid bit of information. I will look more into it now.

[BeeMaster2]

I just found  scuppernongs growing on my front fence. I did not know what they were other than some kind of grapes. My wife was the one that knew what they were. I tasted them and they are a little sweet. We did not have time to collect them, maybe next week.
Jim

[GSF]

That reminds me, While harvesting "some" of them I noticed something I've seen before but a little different. A lot of them had a long cut down the side, others somewhat a little tare, and some had a perfect little hole. I've seen sugar ants coming and going out of these small holes so I presumed they were the guilty parties. It has been very dry around here everything's wilted, leaves falling early, and the grass is brown. Maybe because of all this but I'm not sure, anyway I noticed bumble bees, honey bees, a butterfly, and a couple of yellow jackets working the fruit. I'm wondering if they are the reason for all the damage. They were serious about working it too.

[BeeMaster2]

That reminds me, While harvesting "some" of them I noticed something I've seen before but a little different. A lot of them had a long cut down the side, others somewhat a little tare, and some had a perfect little hole. I've seen sugar ants coming and going out of these small holes so I presumed they were the guilty parties. It has been very dry around here everything's wilted, leaves falling early, and the grass is brown. Maybe because of all this but I'm not sure, anyway I noticed bumble bees, honey bees, a butterfly, and a couple of yellow jackets working the fruit. I'm wondering if they are the reason for all the damage. They were serious about working it too.

A lot of fruits will split when there is a sudden increase in rain while they are growing. Did you have a good rain fall a couple of weeks ago?
Jim

[GSF]

We had a pretty decent rain around two weeks ago. I knew tomatoes would split but it never entered my mind that scuppernongs would.

[bwallace23350]

We have also been dry but not nearly as dry as you. Our grass is still a little green and nothing is wilted. Although I was lazy today and did not water my new blackberry bushes I planted.

[GSF]

Pomegranates coming off now. 

[bwallace23350]

I got two pomegranates but they are only 2 years old but growing really well. How old are yours?