|
Post by datgirl on Aug 28, 2024 8:44:06 GMT -5
Getting ready to start the down trees cleanup. A quick fierce storm blew thru yesterday around 6pm. High winds, rain, thunder and even hail. Storm took down 3 huge tree branches. One took out the corner of the gutter and the top branches landed on top of the greenhouse. Luckily no damage to the greenhouse. Wind gust in the neighboring suburb was clocked at 80 MPH. It was a crazy half hour or so.
|
|
|
Post by breezygardener on Aug 28, 2024 10:56:54 GMT -5
So you made me really sit down and analyze the flavor a bit. I often use it as a spinach substitute as it grows during the summer and doesn't cook down quite as much. It's a bit tougher than spinach as the texture doesn't disintegrate, but still tender. As for flavor, I actually like it better than spinach and it seems to have a hint of brassica flavor. Of course that may be because I harvested the flower buds too. Generally I harvest medium size leaves, but this late in the season I'm actually picking tender young shoots. This is the wild cultivar and I simply let a few seedlings grow every spring. They get quite large as I have one nearly 6' tall and another I chopped down a few days ago had a diameter of 2". Thanks! I've sometimes picked & eaten a few wild leaves while out & about & did like the flavor. Maybe I'll sow a few & see if I get some usable leaves - even if just baby - before our first frost (usually late October).
|
|
|
Post by desertwoman on Aug 28, 2024 11:47:22 GMT -5
Ticks are intense creatures, with the diseases they impose. Hoping Jesse is continuing to eat today lilolpeapicker, Was this a more recent episode for daughter #1 gardendmpls, or are the lingering neuro problems more long term?
|
|
|
Post by lilolpeapicker on Aug 28, 2024 13:02:15 GMT -5
desertwoman, yes eating a little offered many times through the day. I think as she takes the antibiotic she is improving. Lunch was hamburger medly!! Who could turn that down!
|
|
|
Post by breezygardener on Aug 28, 2024 14:23:36 GMT -5
I watered everything this morning & that was it & will be it for outdoor stuff. It's Tarzan/Africa hot out with a heat index currently sitting at 111 degrees. There is nothing outside that needs doing in this kind of weather.
|
|
|
Post by Mumsey on Aug 28, 2024 16:08:09 GMT -5
Still humid with dew point still in 70s. Not as bad as previous few days though. Vacuumed this morning. Did some laundry. Put 2 dutch oven pans full of tomatoes on to cook down for marinara. Reduced to one pan, now in the electric canner. Will end up with around 11 pints.
Went to the garden and pulled beets for pickled beets for Dad. Didn't get as many as hoped for but better than nothing. I'm into getting the garden cleaned out already. Tomorrow some of the tomato and eggplant plants are going away. Felt sleepy so went to the garden instead, trying to get out of the daily nap routine/habit.
|
|
|
Post by datgirl on Aug 28, 2024 17:50:37 GMT -5
Mumsey,Most of my garden has been pulled already. Humid here too, but only in the 80's today. After clearing the downed tree branches, I putzed around in the garden. Picked beans and a couple of tomatoes and cucumbers. Had to repot an ivy plant that got knocked over in the storm yesterday. Came in and flipped thru some more of the old gardening magazines. The box is from the 90's with a couple of newer ones mixed in. Funny thing I noticed. The ones from the early 90's don't have websites. These were all before websites. They have those little mail in cards and phone numbers. Remember those days?
|
|
|
Post by gardendmpls on Aug 28, 2024 19:51:07 GMT -5
Do they think the neuro trouble will be resolved as time goes by. They don't know. She was advised by her medically knowledgable friends to first present symptoms when seeing a neurologist and only mention the tick diseases later in the visit. Doctors in her area tend to want to "wait it out" when they hear about Lyme, but do actual tests and treatments that are helpful if that is not the focus.
|
|
|
Post by gardendmpls on Aug 28, 2024 19:55:34 GMT -5
I've sometimes picked & eaten a few wild leaves while out & about & did like the flavor. I've got plenty of lambs quarters in the yard and usually feed them to the chickens. Now I want to give it a try, especially after grocery shopping today. Can't beat tasty and free.
|
|
|
Post by gardendmpls on Aug 28, 2024 20:21:57 GMT -5
Was this a more recent episode for daughter #1 gardendmpls, or are the lingering neuro problems more long term? She had it very end of June 2023. Presented with 104 fever and "crushing" headache. After a few days got measle like spots on her abdomen at which point we convinced her to go to urgent care. She was seen on July 4th. Over a year later and she still gets the headaches and has other problems, but is functioning ok most of the time.
|
|
|
Post by gardendmpls on Aug 28, 2024 20:25:45 GMT -5
Felt sleepy so went to the garden instead, trying to get out of the daily nap routine/habit. I'm trying to get into the daily nap routine/habit. Soon as my head hits the pillow the doorbell rings or the phone or I remember something important I forgot to do that must be done now. As a result, I am a part time zombie.
|
|
|
Post by desertwoman on Aug 28, 2024 21:13:25 GMT -5
Did a marathon day outside. Started weeding the native grass in outer yard where the orchard is (4 fruit trees). Although I tended parts of that grass over the summer, the section furthest from the house got neglected. Masses of Siberian elm sprouts- some were a foot tall! But pulled out easily due to all the rain we've been getting (Roots were as long as the sprouts!) Worked on the bindweed too. Hand cutting each one at just below the soil surface seems to be having success. Slow process but I see a difference.
Also hand cut-back the Russian sage plants, to the ground, that have sprouted after weed whacking them all summer. I worked to get every bit of green leaves. Planting Russian sage was one of the biggest mistakes I've made. Too invasive. Cutting them way back like that is working too. I've completely killed off 4 of the 9 I planted along a long wall.
On the way in to the house, I picked the first of the KW green beans and a few Sandia NM chiles.
|
|
|
Post by desertwoman on Aug 28, 2024 21:18:10 GMT -5
datgirl, haven't forgotten your request for a pic of the floor. Just haven't gotten to it yet! Hopefully tomorrow.
|
|
|
Post by gardendmpls on Aug 28, 2024 21:21:57 GMT -5
Today was very hot. Watered the chickens, the cucumbers and the newly planted seed. Harvested pole beans. Northeaster is going like gangbusters with lots of long, flat large pods. Picked first cuke, a calypso-small gherkin sized pickling cuke. Will go in a salad. Been hand pollinating corn in the morning. Smaller tomatoes are taking off plus lots of large green ones are waiting to ripen. See peppers forming. Will harvest again on Friday. Now I smell rain. The scent is as good as fresh baked bread.
|
|
|
Post by reuben on Aug 29, 2024 7:56:54 GMT -5
Harvested peppers 2, 3, and 4. All of the plants are small. Some wilted and I pulled them, while others are valiantly fighting on. No idea what's going on there.
Harvested a lot of grape tomatos.
Speaking of grape tomatos, I found maggots or similar tiny white squirmy larval things in the kitchen yesterday, right where I had set the grape tomatos. A thorough cleansing ensued, and I scolded the grape tomatos this morning.
|
|