Harvest Time Knives!!

[313 Mike]

Pulled up the tomato plants today...all brown and wilted, so another season comes to an end. Sofia helped pull up the plants and chucking the rotters out into the field. Harvested a few baby onions, a ghost pepper, and a few chicken eggs as well. Still have Chard and hot peppers hanging in there yet....

[jerryd6818]

Mike that's about what mine looks like but I'm going to give it a bit more time before yankin' the vine outta the ground. Maybe I'll get one or two to turn on the vine.

[TripleF]

Love this thread!! Thanks for updating us Mike! Much appreciated!

Thank Sofia for all her hard work!

Now, it's time for hunting season 'eh Mike!

[313 Mike]

Jerry, I thought about doing that too, but I don't get many days off so we had to yank 'em when we had the chance. I did set aside some of the maters that looked like they had a chance of ripening up off the vine so we will see.

Scott, yessir, hunting season is almost upon us! The days are getting shorter and the nights cooler...I don't usually get out in September, still too buggy and green, but October is right around the corner. ..

[bighomer]

I got to get mine pulled up,but the morning glories and humming bird vine has covered them up reckon I'll wait till frost.

[Berryb]

I was out pulling turnips this mornin' and pulled this knife out of my pocket to top 'em. We took a sack of turnips, among other things from the garden to my friend's Oktoberfest party- today is the first day of Oktoberfest. I pulled it out of my pocket again to peel 'em, because beer and turnips, with a little salt is a classic. The knife is a 2007 Winchester, I assume it was Asian made but its a good knife anyway.

[Berryb]

The pic is upside down, but for some reason it goes right side up if you click on it.

[treefarmer]

Bruce,
Y'all didn't throw the turnip tops away did you? Turnip greens by them selves are great, mixed with sliced turnip roots is even better. Of course you must have some pepper sauce to pour over the greens that have been boiled with some salt pork, along with a bunch of fried corn bread . Isn't it interesting how we use the same vegetables in so many different ways depending on location and customs?
Treefarmer

[Berryb]

Thanks Phillip, I never thought of it.Still got lots of tops out there. I'll try the recipe tomorrow.

[jerryd6818]

I was out pulling turnips this mornin' and pulled this knife out of my pocket to top 'em. We took a sack of turnips, among other things from the garden to my friend's Oktoberfest party- today is the first day of Oktoberfest. I pulled it out of my pocket again to peel 'em, because beer and turnips, with a little salt is a classic. The knife is a 2007 Winchester, I assume it was Asian made but its a good knife anyway.

I must have a touch of OCD. Mis-oriented pictures just scream at me to be righted. I can't resist.

[Paladin]

I was out pulling turnips this mornin' and pulled this knife out of my pocket to top 'em. We took a sack of turnips, among other things from the garden to my friend's Oktoberfest party- today is the first day of Oktoberfest. I pulled it out of my pocket again to peel 'em, because beer and turnips, with a little salt is a classic. The knife is a 2007 Winchester, I assume it was Asian made but its a good knife anyway.
IMG_2893.JPG

I must have a touch of OCD. Mis-oriented pictures just scream at me to be righted. I can't resist.

Jerry,
That is an obsession we all enjoy so it is a good thing.

Ray

[TripleF]

Thank you Jerry!!! Thank you Bruce!!

Looks like a good time....

[bighomer]

T farmer my wife kinfolks are from southern Illinois I've noticed that they throw away the best part of turnip, although I like turnips raw or cooked, the greens are my favorite het I was raised on on them and beans and corn bread. Her family raises hundred of acres of corn but hardly ever make cornbread.

[jerryd6818]

T farmer my wife kinfolks are from southern Illinois

Where in Southern Illinois?

[bighomer]

Newton, Greenup surrounding country mostly, some a little farther north, some over around Terra Haute.

[jerryd6818]

Ahh, gottcha. The very northern edge of Southern Illinois.

[bighomer]

Yep.

[treefarmer]

Today I picked 5 gallon bucket almost full with sweet banana peppers along with a dozen Bell peppers. Going to give them away, Miss Joy says we have enough jars of pickled peppers to last a season or two. Only have one bush of Giant Jalapeños and will get them in a few days. They are soooo good, stuffed with sausage and creamed cheese and wrapped with bacon!
Here's the banana peppers along with a great little carbon Opinel, a gift from r.redden, that accounted for their harvest.
Treefarmer

[btrwtr]

The tomatoes are starting to peak. Here is some of what I picked today. It's always nice when there is enough to share with neighbors. The only zucchini we got this year is from a volunteer plant that's as big as my truck. It's up front in the old garden and the deer haven't messed with it. The zucchini are just starting to come on good.

Knife is a recent EDC. I don't usually go for the new tech type knives but the ceramic blade in this G10 handled Stone River knife is sharp as a razor and hasn't rusted a bit. Hope I can figure out how to sharpen this thing when the time comes.

[313 Mike]

Great looking batch of peppers Phillip, you really had a heck of a crop this year, mighty impressive. Your stuffed jumbo jalapeno recipe sounds real tasty, wish I was close enough to come over and try one. ..or two

Wayne those tomatoes of yours got my mouth watering...my plants are all done and I am tomato-less for the first time in a while...kinda sucks...guess that's why we have to enjoy them while we can. That ceramic knife is a looker...never tried one of them, I heard the edge is fragile, but plenty sturdy for food work I'd imagine.

Thanks for sharing gents!

[TripleF]

Man, I'm glad there's a fatmers produce shop right down the road.....you guys have made me stop there quite frequently this year!!

[treefarmer]

Did a little different harvest activity today. I did use my Case 6275 with the reprofiled main blade help in shucking the corn today . Shelled out the small patch of red corn seed that we planted back in the spring. It didn't do very well due to about 1/2 of it being washed away or sanded by the big rains. The deer got two rows before I picked it.

This is a project we started in 2012. An elderly Mennonite farmer rented a field from us to plant field corn. During the harvest he would occasionally come across a solid red ear. He said at the community corn shucking/shelling, back in the day, if you found a red ear you got to kiss your sweetheart. He picked several rows by hand and then had a man come in with a corn picker and gather the rest. I picked up all the ears that were knocked down on the ends of the rows to feed the deer.

I found several red ears and had enough red seed to plant the next season (2012). I shared some seed with a friend and he too separated the red corn from other corn and we call ourselves developing a solid red corn . I don't recall the approximate percentages the 1st season or so, but at one time it came out at 50% red and this season it was 76% based on an actual ear count because the harvest was so small.

We have had the red corn made into corn meal and grits in the past. I may have enough this year for a small amount of meal after I select seed for next season. I'll store it in the freezer till next spring.

Here's a few of pictures of today and an old one showing Mr. Smoker, the farmer with some of his hand picked ears. His corn was yellow, white, some yellow and white mixed with blue kernels and the occasional red ear.
Treefarmer

That's a David Bradley corn sheller

Miss Joy claimed these for Fall/Thanksgiving decorations

Mr. Raymond Smoker - Gone but not forgotten!

[FRJ]

Really nice pictures, Phillip and Wayne.

Phillip, I don't know anything about the corn growing. Could you save some of the blue kernels and actually grow blue corn?

[jerryd6818]

My cousin brought this Cushaw Squash up to me this past weekend. He got it in Carmi, IL at Browns. I've tried growing them up here but haven't had much luck with it. The neck is not as thick as I like 'em but it has good length. I like a long thick neck because you don't have to fight for the meat in the neck like you do in the bowl. Already looking forward to candied squash on Thanksgiving.

[treefarmer]

Joe,
I would venture that you could develop a blue corn by doing as you suggested, it would probably take several years and have the ability to keep it separate from other corn as cross pollination from regular white or yellow would not help the development of a blue ear. There are some specialty seed companies that sell some colored seed corn. I was looking at some of the sites after you asked about blue corn. There is available seed for blue corn, a beautiful dark blue, according to the picture! There was also pictures of the traditional Indian corn with the multicolored kernels along with some bright orange seed, some solid black seed and one that was actually black and white on the same kernel, like a Holstein cow . Some of the technical writing says that the red color is a recessive gene and has to be manipulated, maybe like what we are doing in a non-scientific way? The red is unique, at least in our area, we call it Smoker Corn in honor of Mr. Raymond Smoker.
Treefarmer