Journey11's Garden Journal 2014

[ninnymary]

Safe travels and I'm so happy for you that you are going on that well deserved and much needed vacation. Nothing like spending time together.

Mary

 

[journey11]

I woke up in the wee hours of this morning to the cat torturing me in my sleep like he does from time to time. Then he peed on me! I'd like to think it was an accident, but he may be punishing me for giving him his meds. (Have to laugh it off if I'm gonna survive getting out the door today.) So I was up at 6am washing the bed sheets.

I am waiting now for the vet to fax the dog and cat's vaccination records to the kennel so they will let me drop them off. The cat is shut in the bathroom because he's running around and throwing himself at the front door. He's indoor/outdoor and doesn't like me messing with his routine. The kids are in the playroom with the door closed, for the sake of my sanity. I hope to be on the road by 5pm at least. Just gonna go with the flow. I guess I'll get there when I get there!

 

[baymule]

WHY do cats do that?? We had one that would do that if he got mad or he would go poop on something that belonged to you..... #$#$%^&@ cat!

Pull your sanity back and go have a good time!

 

[journey11]

Now that the garden is coming to a halt, I am keeping busy with foraging. Been picking pawpaws, fox grapes and persimmons lately (found enough for jam this year!!)

This is a Chicken Mushroom (Laetiporus sulphureus), a choice edible. This is not the first one I've ever found, but it is the first one I was able to get to! I spotted it driving down the road a couple days ago, on a vertical fallen oak maybe 10' from the roadway. So I put on my muck boots and orange reflective safety vest and had DH drive and drop me off so I could get it. That's a half-bushel basket full and there was much more, but it was actually quite fresh and heavy to carry, so I left some for someone else.

Don't know if anyone else around here hunts more than just morels, but maybe they were clued in by the crazy lady in the orange vest.

 

[Jared77]

At least you had on a vest for safety!

 

[journey11]

At least you had on a vest for safety!

Yes, I could feel the wind off of the passing vehicles, but I was far enough over in the ditch to be fairly safe. It can be a thrill-seeking sport sometimes, ha.

I ended up with 9 quarts of mushrooms to put in the freezer. I haven't cooked any up yet, but it is supposed to taste like chicken.

 

[Jared77]

Just glad you made it home safe with a good haul.

 

[catjac1975]

A few garden pics from yesterday... Can't believe how green everything is for the end of August! It's just now heating up here. The hottest days we've had all summer have been the past few and Saturday's supposed to hit 96. The kids' pool sprung a leak, so I went and bought them another on sale today. It will finally be warm enough to get in it!

We're off to the beach next week. This might not have been the best time of year to go, but I've done a lot of canning, so I think I'll just let my mom come up and pick whatever she wants to can/freeze. We usually stop at the roadside stands in NC to buy produce for the week when we go, but this year I think I'll be bringing my own! Cantaloupe at least. 20 cantaloupe aren't just going to sit around that long and wait for me to come back.

The leaves are starting to die back in the pumpkin patch and reveal the goodies that have been hiding. I had written down what all I planted in there, but now I can't find the list. If I remember right, there was 'Big Moon' Pumpkins, Waltham butternut squash, Cushaw squash, Jumbo Pink Banana squash, Galeux d'Eysines ("peanut pumpkin") squash, Athena and one other type of cantaloupe, Crimson Sweet watermelon (don't think they did anything, overshadowed by the pumpkins) and Ananas D'Amerique A Chair Verte Melon (freebie from Baker Creek order, kinda like a honeydew) and there is one other green melon in there that somebody gave me and I forget now what it was.

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Second planting of corn and mixed sunflowers in that blank spot I was holding have grown so fast, literally before my eyes. The Painted Mountain corn and the sweet corn of course tasseled at the same time and I was forced to cut the tassels off the PM. Felt like a betrayal. But the sweet corn will be more useful for us.

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The sweet potato vines have run 6' or more in all directions. They are worse than weeds! I hope there is something tasty going on underneath all of that mess. It's been awfully cool this summer and I hear they don't grow well unless it's hot...(first time planting them.)

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Ava's Button Box zinnias...
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Peppers are finally getting down to business. I have Sheepnose Pimentos, Giant Red Marconi and the paprika peppers starting to turn red. Here's what I plant to do with the Pimentos...roasted red peppers preserved in EVOO.

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Beauty Pod, a pole dry bean, sure lives up to it's name! (Thanks again, @marshallsmyth ) So pretty.

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I don't know how I miss all of this bounty! Fantastic!!!! And I love that warty pumpkin!

 

[journey11]

I don't know how I miss all of this bounty! Fantastic!!!! And I love that warty pumpkin!

Thanks! I'm saving those two warty ones as long as I can before eating them because I just love to look at them. I am going to make it a point to learn how to save squash seed next year for sure.

 

[catjac1975]

You have to hand pollinate and cover the flower to prevent cross pollination. Let me know how it tastes.I have had no luck growing any of those weird pumpkins. Fantastic!