Pickles, onions and finally...CORN

[MontyJ]

I'm very disappointed with the Picklebush cucumbers. I did manage to put up 12 pints of dill spears, but from 9 plants, that's atrocious. I found some Homemade Pickles seeds that I'm going to start today. They are from 2008, so I don't know if they will come up or not.



I pulled the onions the other day. They are drying on the picnic table still. These are Walla-walla, and I have never grown them before. I have no idea if they are a good storage onion or not.



And finally, the corn is ready! Man, what a season for growing corn. Knocked down three times, brutalized by hail, heat waves, excessive rain, then cooler than normal temps, I'm surprised to get any at all. Today I harvested 87 ears. This represents about 40-50%. With any luck, I 'll end up with 200 ears. I was hoping for over 250, but at this point, I'll take what I get and be happy.

 

[vfem]

Given everything you've been through that is excellent!

I've been happy with 3 Dozen ears this year. My whole garden just looks sad and dead. I'm surprised anything came out of it edible at all some days.

We're growing the Blonde pickling cukes this year, my first planting didn't produce a lot but they held up to the terrible rain, cool temps and downy mildew and just kept on producing. They tasted delicious, never bitter even though they stayed pretty small the whole time. I was so happy with how they held up I did a second planting in a raised bed I put those seeds in the 2nd week of July, and they are covered in blooms and 10x hardier looking then the first planting. My first 8 plants only got us 6 pint jars of sliced pickle chips. I'm hoping for a dozen or so jars of spears from the 2nd planting. Even our second planting of pumpkins are doing AWESOME in the raised beds.

I'm way impressed with those walla walla onions, I think of all things the weather was perfect for onions this late in the summer!

 

[897tgigvib]

That's all looking pretty good Monty.

Not sure if the bush variety was meant to be a heavy producer per plot of land.

Well cared for Cucumber seeds should be good for 5 years easy. Not jostled much, cool room temperature, kept dry.

 

[digitS']

Walla Walla are not known for storage quality.

I can get a few to about the first of December. It may be that the higher the brix (measure of sweetness), the shorter the onion storage life.

Anyway, Walla Wallas are sweet and you should just start to enjoy them at your very first opportunity !

Steve

 

[baymule]

Good looking harvest Monty! After all the attacks from weird weather, I think you've done pretty good!

 

[Collector]

Your corn is looking great for all the trouble that it had. Walla Walla sweets are great tasting, we only grew about 25 this year the rest are yellow onions that we use for storage. Those pickles look very edible ...

 

[thistlebloom]

Yeah, Walla Wallas are really tasty, had some on our grilled burgers tonight!

 

[MontyJ]

I usually plant yellow spanish for storage, but I didn't get my plant order in this spring because of work and other things. I had to settle for what I could find. Thanks for the info Steve. Maybe I'll try to dehydrate some of them for longer storage.

 

[bj taylor]

monty that's beautiful corn! it's a great harvest after all the weather set backs you had.
my onions are storing well. they're just sitting on a metal mesh topped table under an oak tree. I went out there for a couple of them tonight. I use a Texas A & M variety 1015Y, a yellow granex, and I forget what the red one is. the 1015y is by far my favorite. hubby does like his red onions though

 

[Ridgerunner]

I chop onions then freeze them using the vacuum sealer. I keep one bunch in the refrigerator freezer in a zip-loc bag to use as we need them. When that runs out, open another vacuum bag and put those in the zip-loc. That way Walla Wallas can store a long time and you have chopped onions with no ice crystals ready to go.

When they freeze, they freeze in a solid clump. I have a hammer and the top of a vertical 2x4 that works to un-solid that lump. Just nick the vacuum bag to break the vacuum and apply the flat of the hammer somewhat vigorously but under control.