Harvest Time Knives!!

[313 Mike]

Dang Jerry, that is a solid looking cage there, very impressive! You think it is wide enough to accommodate the spread? You will have to keep an eye on it when it takes off so a main beam doesn't escape outside the perimeter...

[jerryd6818]

As long as I can identify and keep the main part of the plant guided up the middle, I think it'll do just fine. The plant isn't likely to fall over.

The best part is, I built it for less than three dollars. The re-rod at the corners cost more than the two 2x4s the cage is made of.

[313 Mike]

Well very well then Marine, be sure and post pics as she climbs the ladder! Nice work.

[TripleF]

Lovin' every post in this thread.

Them radishes look mighty tasty Mike!

[treefarmer]

The garden is starting to look more promising, everything in the raised beds is doing well.
The 2 rows of yellow straight neck squash are just beginning to produce. Here is what I picked before noon today and included in the picture is my SS Case Moose I got from 313 Mike a year or so ago.
There will probably be bell peppers mature enough to stuff in a few days.
Was also able to plant 8 rows of Zipper Cream field peas Saturday, it'll be about 70 days till mature.
Treefarmer

yellow straight neck squash

Zipper Creams waitin' to sprout

[313 Mike]

Looking good Phillip, glad to see ya putting that Case Moose to work as well! ...so what is the plan for all of those yella squash? Eat em fresh, stuff em, roast em , grill em....do you preserve any? Perhaps freeze some? I love the zipper peas too, up here though they grow better as a cool weather crop, we plant them as soon as the ground is workable for a spring crop, then again later for a fall crop.
Only thing I am harvesting yet is more radishes! I do have my chile peppers and tomatoes in the ground now though. I am planting a couple new varieties of chiles this year, superhots.... Smoking Ed's Carolina Reaper, and Trinidad 7 Pot Peppers. Supposed to be so hot that one chile will season 7 pots of stew! We will see....they both need really long growing seasons, so hoping for a long hot summer. Also have Chocolate Habaneros going as well, those are a longtime favorite.

[treefarmer]

Mike, my favorite way to prepare the squash is fried, however Miss Joy doesn't allow that very often . We usually slice the squash cross grain and add them to a sliced and sautéed Vidalia onion, small amount of water, low heat, a little salt and a bunch of black pepper. They make their own liquid and when the squash are all gone from the pot, the "pot liquor" in a mug is mighty fine! Sometimes we slice the larger ones length wise 1/4 - 3/8 inch, season and grill. Little ones can be sliced cross grain and added to a fresh salad. We've even pickled them, similar to cukes. Frozen squash just ain't as good as fresh, but we have put some up for use in a casserole when they are not in season.
While all this is going on we share with our friends and neighbors. We usually plant 2 rows, 100' long, 2 seeds dropped every 2' in the row.
There are 2 varieties of yellow squash grown here, the crooked neck and the straight neck. We plant the straight neck, it gets much larger before the hide begins to get tough.
The Zipper Cream peas have become a necessity with our fried venison meals. The hulls are very tough and they afford a lot of protection from the bugs that sting the growing peas (laying eggs). This pea allows us not to use too much pesticide and probably the best part is the built in "zipper". When just right, they are very easy to shell if done properly.
Treefarmer

[Hak1911]

Nice

[313 Mike]

Good looking little tomaters there, and a fine old knife as well!

My Swiss Chard is coming up nicely now, beets as well, thinner them out a bit so we have some tasty greens to munch on anyway...

[313 Mike]

Chardin' in the garden....

[jerryd6818]

Okay Mike. I took your advice and pinched off the first couple of bloom clusters from my tomato plant. We'll see.

[313 Mike]

Well Jerry...how is that working out for ya?

Here's a couple baby carrots and a crusty old Case

[treefarmer]

Mike, carrots are something I've never tried to grow. Worked for a big Florida farm that grew carrots almost 50 years ago, quite a production, hundreds of acres. They had carrot diggers similar in action to the old corn pickers, instead of the pulling chains there were closely fit opposing rubber belts that lifted the carrots from the dirt. The carrots were all graded by hand and there were literally truck loads of culls that were used as cow feed every day during the harvest season. As I recall the harvest was during the late winter in Central Florida and the carrot top would be lying on the ground when there was a frost. After the sun warmed things up, the tops stood back up and they started digging or pulling the carrots with the machines.

Today I went out to harvest the 1st of the pepper crop. They were planted in raised beds. I started out with my 6275 Moose but soon went to a pair of garden clippers to cut the stems . Enough Bell peppers to stuff with venison and rice and enough sweet banana peppers to do a few bottles of pickled peppers.
Treefarmer

[TripleF]

nice haul Philip!

[313 Mike]

Yes indeed, good start to the pepper harvest Phillip. Good story about your time on the carrot farm too! I have never seen carrots harvested mechanically before, must be tricky work. Pulling them by hand can be a challenge in itself sometimes if the soil is too dry. There is always that moment of hesitation and anticipation while tugging,,,is it going to pull out before the top breaks off?

[313 Mike]

A bouquet of baby carrots....and my faithful 75

[313 Mike]

Red beets...golden beets...carrotss...and Swiss Chard. Along with a Case and a Sofia Rose

[bighomer]

The veggies and knife are nice but the Sofia Rose is outstanding in her field, of course she'd be outstanding anywhere. A real beauty.

[TripleF]

The veggies and knife are nice but the Sofia Rose is outstanding in her field, of course she'd be outstanding anywhere. A real beauty.

I second the motion by bighomer!!!

[jerryd6818]

Yes sir. She would be a fine looking young lady if you hadn't stuck that nasty Green Bay cover on her poor innocent head. Ruins the whole effect. Sofia, I feel for ya darlin'. Your daddy is just a mean old man.

[313 Mike]

Thanks Gents, (except Jerry of course, most of those south of the border Illinois types have trophy envy when it come to the Packers, so I am accustomed to that!)

As to the Sofia Rose, she helps me with the planting, weeding, and harvesting every year, I am one lucky poppa indeed.

[treefarmer]

!
Treefarmer

[jerryd6818]

Woo Hoo baby. I just noticed yesterday, I got me a mater on. Only big as a quarter but it's a start.

[wlf]

Red beets...golden beets...carrotss...and Swiss Chard. Along with a Case and a Sofia Rose

I have to say Mike,you grew one extremely cute little tomato..

[313 Mike]

Jerry, glad to see you have some tomato growth in action! I am still harvesting beets up here.....separating the greens and eating them too!