2012 - What's Going On In Your Garden Today?

[texasrockgarden]

texasrockgarden wrote:
This is the first major 2012 tomato harvest. Rain, thrips, fungus, viruses, katydids, birds = plant disease and rotting or damaged tomatoes. Todays harvest yielded 2 1/2 gallons of bad tomatoes to the chickens.

Many, probably 30 - 50 % of the tomatoes in the photo have some kind of damage. Of the 70 tomato plants I have going I doubt I will get as much canned tomato products as I got from last years 40 plants.

There is enough at least for some home made salsa tonight...fresh from the garden cilantro/coriander, jalapenos, onions, garlic and tomatoes. And maybe one of last years dried Bhut Jolokia just to add a little kick to it.

[Lcottomsvcs]

Bad tomatoes or not.... I am still jealous, it will be a long time before Indiana tomatoes are ready. Enjoy your salsa tonight!

[texasrockgarden]

Originally Posted by Lcottomsvcs

Bad tomatoes or not.... I am still jealous, it will be a long time before Indiana tomatoes are ready. Enjoy your salsa tonight!

Hey, not to worry. Your turn will come. It's just around the corner.

When you start picking tomatoes we expect some of your picture too.

[Lcottomsvcs]

Originally Posted by texasrockgarden

Hey, not to worry. Your turn will come. It's just around the corner.

When you start picking tomatoes we expect some of your picture too.

So far my little plants are in the garden, putting on first blossoms, and needing their first tie-up to the trellis. It is a situation full of promise.

[texasrockgarden]

The 2012 tomato canning season is officially here.

[sprtsguy76]

Very nice harvest! Sauce looks good enough to eat from here!

Damon

[DogsandDirt]

Still a very nice harvest. Do you use pressure or water bath canning? I'm still too chicken to try canning, afraid I'll kill someone. Where's your helper? I love seeing her in your pictures.

[feldon30]

Originally Posted by texasrockgarden

Of three varieties I planted two, Texas Early White and 1015Y, did ok. Red Creole is one I will not plant again. It just didn't meet my expectations.

I pulled 1/2 my onions yesterday morning to lay out on the soil for 2-3 days to dry out and start curing. Last night it rained 1 1/4 inches.

Here is a picture of them on the ground after the rain and of them on 1" chicken wire racks. Hopefully they will dry enough this afternoon and tomorrow before the next big rain chances.

That is a crop to be proud of. Getting onions to bulb up like that is not easy.

[texasrockgarden]

Originally Posted by DogsandDirt

Still a very nice harvest. Do you use pressure or water bath canning? I'm still too chicken to try canning, afraid I'll kill someone. Where's your helper? I love seeing her in your pictures.

I use a steam canner. All my recipes call for cider vinegar or white vinegar. I am the only one who eats my canning products.

[texasrockgarden]

Todays gardening doings, 6 jars of fresh from the garden jalapeno jelly, 5 pints of salsa and about 3 quarts of brine pickles. Cukes were picked this morning.

[Tania]

texasrockgarden, you have a beautiful garden! Nice harvest too.

Thank you so much for sharing your success!

Tatiana

[Tracydr]

Lot of heat this week, 110, 4% humidity, now it's really, really windy. I'm afraid to go look.
My poor, poor sweet potatoe slips! I hope their alive underground because above ground there is nothing left!
No ripe tomatoes, Blush and some of the other cherries getting close.
Having lots of trouble with BER on the pastes from the horrible heat and dryness, despite trying to water evenly. (paste tomatoes only) spider mites seem to have left with a spray of Adams flea and tick shampoo mixed with a bit of veggie oil. Hoping daily water sprays will keep them away. Will spray again this weekend. Not getting much fruitset on big tomatoes, although seeing some on the Spud Purples, Gary O'Sena.

[Tonio]

Originally Posted by livinonfaith

Justin Wilson!

Always added wine to his food.......tasted it......and then added a little more.

He was the king of the cooking shows back when there weren't many.

Loved that man, "I gar-on-tee!"

A belated thats him LOL

[4tanks1]

Originally Posted by texasrockgarden

The 2012 tomato canning season is officially here.

WOW texasrock that's awesome, I am going to have to learn how to do that. That grinder in your picture is that a meat grinder? I have one of those for making my own ground meat.

[texasrockgarden]

Originally Posted by 4tanks1

WOW texasrock that's awesome, I am going to have to learn how to do that. That grinder in your picture is that a meat grinder? I have one of those for making my own ground meat.

The grinder you ask about is actually for separating seed and skin from the tomato juice and pulp. It is a Presto I bought in the early eighties. It does a good and has served me well over the years. Unfortunately it is no longer made by Presto. However, there are some other brands out there.