Grasshopper Menu

Innocent looking little thing, isn't it?  Add about a thousand more of these and they are quite the eaters.  They especially like squash,

and corn.

So far the cantaloupes (cantalopes?) haven't been touched.  Look how much this baby has grown in a week!

The mesquite trees on the side of the garden look like they have yellow beans on them, but are filled with grasshoppers just waiting for their turn to attack.  If only I could figure out a market for grasshoppers I might be rich before this summer is over.

Invasion

of the grasshoppers in the garden.  They sure are a hungry bunch!  Wednesday afternoon the black eye peas were almost ready to pick.  Yesterday, they had already been eaten.

We bought a small freezer earlier this year to be sure to have enough room to "put up" our harvest.  Don't look like we're going to need it.  That's what I get for planning ahead!

Hopefully next year will be better!

Garden News

Pulled the carrots yesterday.  They are a very pretty plant with their fern like leaves.  Not yesterday though...all you could see were stems covered in grasshoppers.  The grasshoppers have attacked the garden.  Just hoping they don't entirely wipe it out!  Maybe these birds need to move to our garden and have a nice dinner!

Garden Update

Beans are blooming, weeds need pulling, something is nibbling on the leaves.

Squash are blooming!

Watermelons sprouting up!

We planted sweet potatoes Monday.  Won't be long until I will be picking beans and squash!  Remind me in a few weeks how excited I was about picking these!

Garden News

We have carrots, radishes, onions, yellow squash, zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, & green beans all growing now in the garden.  Only 4 potatoes survived the winter.  Can't wait until we can start harvesting those fresh veggies again! 

I love looking for the new growth bursting through the ground.  I don't really like seeing the new growth of weeds though.  Just like life, you have to have some trials to appreciate the rewards.

Garden Update

We plowed the garden under a few weeks ago. With all the rain we've had, we have black eye peas growing again! Don't know if they'll make it to harvest before it gets too cold and not really sure I want them to.

Garden's End

Empty baskets and full freezer! August 31 was the last day I picked anything out of the garden. It is now plowed under waiting for next February. I had many hours of labor, bug bites, back aches, tanned legs (for the first time in years), and tons more pleasure and satisfaction than I thought I would. It was a good thing!

Wiped Out!

I went to the garden yesterday to pick tomatoes. Here's what I found!



These blister bugs have wiped them out and are working on the peppers now.



There were several worms on them too.



We picked all the green and ripe tomatoes, 3 squash, and the okra is gone also. It's been an enjoyable summer of picking & eating fresh vegetables. Only 5 or 6 more months and we can start all over again!

Okra

Sometimes it takes a while for the light to turn on in my head. My okra plants were losing their leaves. Every day I watered them, but they kept going bald. The plants at the end of the row were still full of leaves and looking good. I still kept watering them thinking it would help. Finally the light came on...I was watering them too much. Now I have bald okra plants. On the bright side, it is much easier to see the okra that needs picking.

Burning Up!

The 100+ temperatures last week is burning up our garden. We've been trying to save it by watering every day, but it looks like a losing battle. We're just focusing on saving the okra, black-eye peas, & tomatoes now.


Green beans, now brown.


Droopy cucumbers.


Naked corn stalks.

Behm picked 3 rows of corn this week-end. Only 1 more to go. I had read in one of my gardening books to put corn oil on the silks after they first formed to prevent worms. Brilliant me sprayed about half of them because I was afraid it might kill them & at least we would still have half a crop left. About half of the ears had worms and half didn't. Note to self: next year mark which ears you spray so you know if it works or not!


Peaches and cream corn on the cob = delicious!

Squashed

If you want to feed an army, plant squash. Our squash plants have been blessing us with lots of squash. I have frozen it, baked squash bread, fried it, given it away, and still have squash. Funny thing is, it is the only thing I thought we might not have enough planted.





We had all vegetables from our garden for dinner the other night: fried potatoes, squash & okra, green beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, banana peppers & onions. Behm said I needed to call Sonya and tell her he had turned into a vegetarian.

Perils of Veggie Woman

What do these 3 things have in common?

One reason I was reluctant to plant a garden was because of snakes. I could just imagine all the snakes hiding under the plants, waiting to bite me.

I always wear my orange cap in the garden, mainly to keep my hair out of my eyes & away from my face so I will have a clearer path of vision so I can see the snakes before they get me. I always try to look before I reach in to pick the squash.

Tuesday afternoon was cloudy & I reached in to pull a squash & I hear a noise. I immediately jerked my hand back, said a few choice words, stood there shaking like a leaf, looking for a snake. Not finding one, I moved on to the next plant, still shaking, and hear that noise again. This time I realized it was the bill of my cap rubbing against the squash leaves! I'm still looking for snakes, but I am now wearing a bandanna!

Soak Your Troubles Away

After working in the garden all day, there is nothing more refreshing that getting into a good old hot tub to soak the aching back.






Actually it's our new watering system for the garden, but one day it might be just perfect to relax in! We won't have to share either!

OCD

As you can tell by all my posts about the garden, I am obsessed with it. I love it! Even my garage sale purchases have been garden related.



Rabbit wind chime to go in garden.



Big cooking pot which Behm originally bought for his cooking trailer, but now used to blanch vegetables.



Brand new Black & Decker food processor I bought, in freezing cold weather at an auction, to slice cucumbers for pickles.



Another small basket to gather vegetables in.



Vegetable gardening books.

I'm even writing a journal of our gardening to refer to for next year. I may have to change the title of this blog to Veggie Woman!

I'm Such a Hoer

Our garden is full of



big beautiful squash plants



with pretty yellow blooms



green beans



and weeds. We have been hoeing & tilling daily to attempt to keep them out. I've worked so hard I broke my hoe. I thought maybe I wouldn't have to use it anymore, but Behm fixed that. He bought 3 more at an auction Saturday. I guess I'm back in business.

Pickled Beets

Sunday was a learning experience for me. I pickled beets! Daddy got Grammy's recipe from Neenie. Thanks Daddy & Neenie!

Beets fresh picked in my basket I bought at a garage sale for $1.00. Can't have a garden without a wooden basket can you?

Tops chopped off, washed & waiting to be cooked.



Finished product!



They were really easy to do & I hope they are good. I have to wait a week before I can taste them.

Lessons learned:

1. Next year we need to plant more beets. 3 pints weren't quite enough, but I'm glad that was all there were for the first time.
2. Pickling salt is hard to find in a small town. I read if you used regular salt, it would make them cloudy.
3. Patience. Waiting for water to boil was a test of my patience.
4. Thin plants, so the beets will grow bigger.
5. A jar lifter is a wonderful utensil! I don't know how I've lived this long & never used one. It might be because I've never canned or made jelly or pickles.
6. Fresh cooked beets are good even before pickling them. Sonya, I might have to try them on a salad. Gourmet red neck mama.
7. I never knew canning could be such fun.

I hope Grammy approved of my method.