2015 journal of the gardens

[catjac1975]

11/22/15 update.....
yesterday was able to enjoy a warm afternoon to wash out buckets/pots/trays and the cooler. need the cooler to brine the turkeys next week and the trays need them for the kiwis.
View attachment 10118
spoke too soon there's a yankee cold front coming tomorrow morning with lows in the mid 20's so set up my southern redneck hoop houses in the raised beds..
have quite a few baby lettuce, baby carrots, beets out there that would hate to lose early on...
View attachment 10119
and now for the 2015 kiwi weigh in.... was an respectable 41 pounds.
View attachment 10120 \
the best averaged 3 oz, not including this 6 oz mutant.. yeah we had a chuckle as well.
View attachment 10123
here's the break down over the past years of them producing......
2014... 57 lbs lost everyone of them..
2013... 63 lbs
2012... 33 lbs
2011.. 15 total

this year determined not to lose a single one, so they are going through a 4 stage bath and dry system...
step 1.. soak for a couple moments in a dilute clorox bleach mix .. to help remove any bacteria that might they may received while growing....
step 2.. soak for a couple moments in a diluted hydrogen peroxide mix..remove any pathogens that the bleach might have missed...
step 3... raised everyone of them with clean water..
step 4... dried everyone one of them thoroughly before putting into trays washed the day before, want to give most of them away as an thank you present to certain vendors that i deal with...

How did your preservation process work? Did you consider jelly or preserves? Look so yummy.

 

[majorcatfish]

How did your preservation process work? Did you consider jelly or preserves? Look so yummy.

turned out really good, very nice taste....

tossed out the last 2 dozen this morning, they went south....

 

[catjac1975]

turned out really good, very nice taste....
View attachment 10474

tossed out the last 2 dozen this morning, they went south....

Looks yummy.

 

[thistlebloom]

I want to know what your carrot inspector thought of the white carrots. Did she think the flavor was more nuanced than the orange?

 

[majorcatfish]

I want to know what your carrot inspector thought of the white carrots. Did she think the flavor was more nuanced than the orange?

she reported that there was only subtle taste differences between the 2....

 

[Beekissed]

Major, was looking back through this thread and the pics of your gardens are just amazing. You are some kinda gardener! I'm amazed at the sheer production from your raised beds.

 

[catjac1975]

update 10/4/15
after over 7" of rain in the last 10 days figured it was time to play in the mud and pick things down before they start to rot....
View attachment 9479
our one and only cucumber and the twins....
View attachment 9480
checked the 10 day looks like i might be pulling everything in the next couple weeks... there are about 15-20 eggplant and a good couple buckets of different types of peppers still to be picked.....
as for the winter squash ripening have 50/50 chance.... 2nd pic lower left
View attachment 9484
View attachment 9485
we have peas........
View attachment 9483
View attachment 9481


as for the raised beds.........................
the lettuce is doing well
View attachment 9487
1st round of fall beets are getting close to be pulled and canned.
View attachment 9488
sad sad looking bok chio...
View attachment 9489
same goes for the brussel sprouts
View attachment 9490

Man! No weeds! Wow! How do you like the white eggplant? They have not been successful for me.

 

[catjac1975]

Major, was looking back through this thread and the pics of your gardens are just amazing. You are some kinda gardener! I'm amazed at the sheer production from your raised beds.

Send me some of that rain. We are in a severe drought.

 

[majorcatfish]

Man! No weeds! Wow! How do you like the white eggplant? They have not been successful for me.

we and everyone who we give them too really like them, some like them big we prefer them medium size. we have to agree with them it's one of the non bitter type.
so it's a main staple here but love trying new types...

 

[majorcatfish]

Send me some of that rain. We are in a severe drought.

we have not had rain here for about a month. it's starting to get a little crispy around here.
been watering almost every day....