I'm reading this in Melbourne, Australia so completely opposite time of year for us down here being the 1st day of Spring today. I love knowing how other gardeners are going, I hope to have the same success as you with tomatoes and beans. Last year's season was a bust for us with all the Summer rain. I suspect we are going to have the opposite problem this year. ☹
We have some zinnias doing very very well. Planted them a little late. Early July/ late June I think. Just to see if they would do well in the ground and they have thrived. They’ve invited many bees and butterflies so it’s been great to watch.
The blueberries were great but also lost most of them to crows… that was all we really tried this year. It was our first garden at our new home AND with a newborn so I didn’t have a ton of time to commit. But very encouraging for the upcoming seasons.
Happy September! I have raw packed tomatoes in the method you describe and I wasn't very happy with the outcome. They really turned to mush and got watery and needed a lot of care and doctoring afterwards to bring them into any kind of tasty state. What do I like doing though is freezing whole raw tomatoes in large freezer bags. When you thaw them the skins slide off easily and the flesh is mealy but not disintegrated like in the raw pack method. The mealy flesh doesn't matter once you make them into whatever and I have frozen many pounds this way and then later made them into marinara, ketchup and even cooked salsa which I then subsequently canned (even 6 months to a year after freezing) hope this is useful! 💙💙
I always love to see what's happening on your land. Your young tomato farmer looks to be doing an A+ job! You must be an inspiring role model for your kids, Erin. I live in a forest so my "garden" is a wild, mossy place of ferns and fungi. But thankfully we have a thriving local food community and really good farmers' markets.
Which variety of elderberry are you growing? I don't know about the European types, but our native elderberry is safe to eat if you stick with the berries and flowers. Did you read the collaboration between me and weedom? Here: https://www.brunettegardens.com/cp/135962997
I've also dried them to put into tea, and I've heard that folks batter and fry the whole flower umbels. Also, I've kept elderberries in a bag in the fridge for as many as 3 days without any sign of fermentation.
I'm reading this in Melbourne, Australia so completely opposite time of year for us down here being the 1st day of Spring today. I love knowing how other gardeners are going, I hope to have the same success as you with tomatoes and beans. Last year's season was a bust for us with all the Summer rain. I suspect we are going to have the opposite problem this year. ☹
We have some zinnias doing very very well. Planted them a little late. Early July/ late June I think. Just to see if they would do well in the ground and they have thrived. They’ve invited many bees and butterflies so it’s been great to watch.
The blueberries were great but also lost most of them to crows… that was all we really tried this year. It was our first garden at our new home AND with a newborn so I didn’t have a ton of time to commit. But very encouraging for the upcoming seasons.
Looking forward to a wet and mild winter.
- Derek from Georgia
Happy September! I have raw packed tomatoes in the method you describe and I wasn't very happy with the outcome. They really turned to mush and got watery and needed a lot of care and doctoring afterwards to bring them into any kind of tasty state. What do I like doing though is freezing whole raw tomatoes in large freezer bags. When you thaw them the skins slide off easily and the flesh is mealy but not disintegrated like in the raw pack method. The mealy flesh doesn't matter once you make them into whatever and I have frozen many pounds this way and then later made them into marinara, ketchup and even cooked salsa which I then subsequently canned (even 6 months to a year after freezing) hope this is useful! 💙💙
I always love to see what's happening on your land. Your young tomato farmer looks to be doing an A+ job! You must be an inspiring role model for your kids, Erin. I live in a forest so my "garden" is a wild, mossy place of ferns and fungi. But thankfully we have a thriving local food community and really good farmers' markets.
Which variety of elderberry are you growing? I don't know about the European types, but our native elderberry is safe to eat if you stick with the berries and flowers. Did you read the collaboration between me and weedom? Here: https://www.brunettegardens.com/cp/135962997
I've also dried them to put into tea, and I've heard that folks batter and fry the whole flower umbels. Also, I've kept elderberries in a bag in the fridge for as many as 3 days without any sign of fermentation.