Ducks ALIVE in 2025!

[Gardening with Rabbits]

I had to show you what my neighbors did for me. I thought that they were done, but when I was about to drive off and drop them the double batch of brownies, they were finished the east fencing. Take a look!!:
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Very nice! You have a duck on your dashboard and so does DS. lol

 

[Marie2020]

@Shades-of-Oregon , Hey, Lady!!
I was reading through another thread where you mentioned a really good cheesecake recipe.
Spill!!

I second that @Shades-of-Oregon

 

[ducks4you]

Yesterday, I spent inside, doing as many PT exercises as I could handle.
This morning I woke up in pain and Treated myself to an oxycodon, so...pretty happy now that it's kicked in.
I also processed Alaska Snow Peas and Garlic.
For Newbies, if you haven't saved seeds yet, Check out @heirloomgal 's thread.
SHE is our resident expert!

A Seed Saver's Garden

In my experience sunflowers have been one of the trickier seeds to save because the plant tissue on the back of the seed head holds a lot of water, and can be difficult to dry down. If you decide to try saving sunflower seeds take measures to quickly move the moisture out of the spongy white...

www.theeasygarden.com

Re: peas, I grabbed as many dried out vines as I could manage on a field trip recently after surgery, so I had to be "babysat" and quick about it.
I stored them in a labelled paper lunch sack.
Yesterday was the time to unshuck the pea pods!
I discovered that:
1) largest #peas in one pod--8
2) smallest #peas in one pod--3
3) one pod of 4 peas had 3 duds
4) I took a picture of my collection of duds, and 1 largest and 1 smallest pea
Dud seeds are being composted.

All viable peas are in a container. I am disappointed bc they aren't as smooth as I thought that they would be, instead, slightly wrinkled. No matter, this is my first try, and I might get more, since there is another vine that I hadn't captured, and I need to ressurrect, de weed, and amend this same bed for garlic planting in a few weeks, AFTER my left leg bones have set (which is 8 weeks after surgery.) My "left leg is still broken" has been the POT rallying cry to "be careful" and to "not fall."

 

[ducks4you]

I also started to process my garlic, and I started with the Great Lakes Porcelain Garlic bulbs.
They and the German Red Garlic were harvested in early July.
I had to pitch 3 bulbs bc the garlic had rotted. I don't believe this was storage since they were in a dry location drying in the barn. I am pretty sure it was my handling prior to harvest, so I'll have to do some studying.
I picked bulbs to cut and dehydrate that didn't look good enough to plant. I was surprised that the outsides didn't reflect the insides on all of the cloves, but once you separate the cloves they should immediately be planted, so no going back.
I had at least one clove that was a goner, but about 3 of them just had tiny portions that needed trimming off.
Most of the cloves looked lovely outside of their paper wrappers and I filled 1/6 trays for dehydrating.
Since the object is to "dry out", and I wanted to fill more trays this week, I have this single tray in the dehydrator, doors open for air circulation. When I have filled up enough trays I will start the process.
I still have cloves that I dehydrated last year. I need to encourage Eldest DD (the Chef) to use these in cooking.
I went through all of the first paper sacks of bulbs, and most of the 2nd paper sack. I harvested 41 Great Lakes Porcelain Garlic bulbs and about 23 German Garlic Bulbs.
I will let you know if they have different flavors.
My plan is:
1) Process all bulbs
2) dehydrate bulbs and separate those for planting
3) AFTER planting, process excess cloves, perhaps dicing with a press and storage in olive oil

 

[flowerbug]

...
I had to pitch 3 bulbs bc the garlic had rotted. I don't believe this was storage since they were in a dry location drying in the barn. I am pretty sure it was my handling prior to harvest, so I'll have to do some studying.

for me the results have mostly varied because of soil conditions and diseases which come from too much moisture at the wrong time and not getting it lifted when it is ready.

the size of bulb has a lot of factors, but overall sunshine, competition, nutrients, water, spacing all play a role.

I picked bulbs to cut and dehydrate that didn't look good enough to plant. I was surprised that the outsides didn't reflect the insides on all of the cloves, but once you separate the cloves they should immediately be planted, so no going back.

i've not had any problems storing garlic as separated cloves for quite a long time (6-12 months) just make sure it can breathe (i.e. don't store it in a plastic or glass container) and is at room temperature.

I had at least on clove that was a goner, but about 3 of them just had tiny portions that needed trimming off.
...

at first, when you peel some cloves they may look perfect, but come back in a few months and some will show spots. i just trim off what doesn't look right and use the rest.

 

[ducks4you]

YOU @flowerbug , are our resident garlic expert, and I agree, " too much moisture at the wrong time and not getting it lifted when it is ready."
I am very confused--I have two trains of thought re: garlic handling.
1) plant cloves from harvested bulbs one month after harvest
This would Not have worked this year. They were ready waaayyy earlier than I thought, having been planted a few days before my surgery on Halloween, 2024, by middle DD.
2) plant cloves 2 weeks after 1st average frost which is, for Me, 2nd week of October
I don't think I can wait that long to put these cloves into the ground.
As you mentioned, "when you peel some cloves they may look perfect, but come back in a few months and some will show spots."
I noticed, and you can see in my photos the green that suggests that those cloves Want to go into the ground right Now.
What is Your advice?

 

[flowerbug]

very much dependent upon variety but also remember that in the natural environment where they developed they were not lifted and replanted and i've grown garlic here where i've not lifted it and just left it to grow as a big clump.

so the whole lifting and dividing and replanting is purely for the desire of having larger bulbs and larger cloves.

my limited experience (yes, i'm not an expert) is that the different varieties of garlic may have their own prime dividing and replanting times. the type of garlic i sent you has been fine planted as late as the day before the ground froze. to the other extreme planting it way early just means that you may see some green growth in the early winter if your season isn't very cold and the coldest weather may knock it back. i've had it remain green under the snow for several months.

 

[ducks4you]

So, you might agree that my plan for planting both types of garlic in 2025, which is after my 8 weeks of bone healing, around September 4th, would be okay?
I want to feel safe pushing my foot down on a shovel, you see.

 

[ducks4you]

While I await @flowerbug's answer, I am proud to say that I had a small harvest--a Jalapeño!!
Pretty near 9 inches long, from one of the whiskey barrel planter peppers.
Dunno how I missed this since I have been pulling grasses and weeds out of this planter, BUT I kept looking at one of the peppers developing a funny looking inch long seed pod and decided that it was a weed, and I sent it to the lawn to die. So, I have only 6 peppers growing in this pot, kind of like a peck of peppers.
I have harvested Jalapeños before and I know that even the green part is spicy. I intend to cut it maybe tomorrow, and dehydrate it.
Here are two different views.
I am also happy to say that one of the pepper plants is a sweet pepper. Maybe I can get some seeds from it for next year?

7 Surprising Health Benefits of Jalapeños

Jalapeños are better known for being spicy than nutritious, but they also have several surprising benefits. Here are ways that jalapenos can improve your health.

www.healthline.com