Harvest Time Knives!!

[bighomer]

Looking good fellers.

[bighomer]

Ripe maters before the 4th is always my goal,been having cherry maters for a couple weeks now.

[313 Mike]

August 1st marks the first vine ripened red tomato of the year! Wisconsin 55 variety....

[FRJ]

Nice tomato and knife, Mike. Great photo too.

[313 Mike]

....and what do we have here? The first ripe chocolate Habanero of the year making its appearance on August 1st as well, very nice!

[TripleF]

Kniiiiiiiiice Mike!!

[jerryd6818]

You guys are killin' me here. Mine have the size and there are plenty of them on the vine but not even a blush of pink on any of them. Sure would be nice if they would get it in gear. Summer's half over with already. Let's go Big Pink.

I just noticed, I planted it on 5/20/16 and here it is 8/2/16. 74 days so far. Burpee says 75 Days To Maturity.

[313 Mike]

Hang in there Jerry, you just know they are all going to turn at once, and you will be feasting on 'maters day and night!

[bighomer]

We had plenty of squash and peppers and cherry and romas, but my big maters have not fared to well, to much rain I guess . I've never seen a July as wet as we've had this year.

[treefarmer]

Not much need for a knife at this stage of the game, but I did lay out my Case 6275 SS that I got from the originator of this thread, the Honorable, 313 Mike.
Here are 16 pints of Zipper Cream peas, ready for the freezer. There are several steps getting to the freezer, picking, shelling, washing, blanching, cooling and finally vacuum sealing.
The peppers are the only other things growing at this time, they are doing well, love them stuffed Jalapeños !
Treefarmer

[313 Mike]

Quite the colorful display of veggies there homer! Those peppers look outstanding, I have never had much luck with sweet peppers, only the hot ones.

Philip that is a fine mess of zipper peas you have there, I appreciated reading through your tutorial, very informative and educational!

[TripleF]

You trying to trick me Philip? Those look like Lima Beans

[jerryd6818]

You trying to trick me Philip? Those look like Lima Beans

They do until you look closer. I'm not crazy about English Peas (except School Days brand) but those are different and cooked properly (with a dab of bacon grease) and the help of a big glass of milk, I might be able to choke 'em down.

[bighomer]

Mike the peppers are great. The boss planted these in big flower pots the ones we planted in the garden (3 times) became deer food. The quash is golden zucchini I was supposed to buy green zucchini but mistakenly got these and I don't think ever raise anything else.

[treefarmer]

Scott, look close, expand the picture, you see those long dark green things? They are called "snaps", they are immature Zipper Cream cowpeas, just like green beans that are called "snap beans" or "string beans". Green beans, when mature become things like the beans in Pork & Beans or they are dried and there you get Kidney beans, Great Northern beans, Red beans, etc...The hull, the green part is edible up to a point, when the strings become tough and stringy they turn into a thing the old timers called "shellies", which were dried beans. They were cooked or saved for seed.
Jerry, there is a world of difference in cowpeas and English peas. When we were kids we called English peas "frog eyes", we don't mind eating them and actually have tried growing them a few times. Not much success as the rabbits got more than we did. I'd sure like to have a 'mater sandwich with you when those Big Pinks turn pink, 'course we'd have to lather up the bread with Dukes to make it right!
Treefarmer

[jerryd6818]

Jerry, there is a world of difference in cowpeas and English peas.
Treefarmer

Don't I know it. I love cow peas/crowder peas. Sorry I didn't make that clear. In fact, that entire post was a little muddled.

A little research shows the only English Pea (green pea) I could eat without hiding them in a pile of mashed potatoes have gone the way of the Dodo bird. Sometime in the last 30 years or so, School Days peas were discontinued.

[philco]

Jerry I too used to love those good ole School Days peas. I'm not sure what was different about them, but I haven't found any others that I thought were as good. (And I really like peas.)

[jerryd6818]

Well, I'll be. Yesterday they wusn't. Today they are.

[jerryd6818]

Jerry I too used to love those good ole School Days peas. I'm not sure what was different about them, but I haven't found any others that I thought were as good. (And I really like peas.)

I think they came out of Louisville. Only place I could find them was Evansville and the last time I bought any, I had to hunt all over town. Now gone the way of Hesmer's potato chips.

[313 Mike]

First two ripe Green Zebra tomatoes of the year! Gotta love the Packer Backer tomatoes, quite tasty too!
Also a bunch more of the Wisconsin 55 variety and another handful of Chocolate habaneros...

[treefarmer]

Mike,
How would you describe the taste of the Green Zebra tomato? Is the flesh streaked with green? I've never seen them growing in this part of the world. We always shied away from the yellow varieties of tomatoes as the reminded me of a regular red ripe gone bad .
The other Marine is growing something called a Big Pink. I believe he claims it'll still taste good with Miracle Whip .
A Burpee web page shows 69 varieties of tomatoes are available from them alone, must be hundreds across the country.
A good tomato is hard to beat!
Treefarmer

[jerryd6818]

Mike, how do you tell when those Green Zebras are ripe?

Philip, the Big Pinks taste great with Miracle Whip, as does every other tomato in creation. It won't be long now. The Big Pinks are almost fully ripened. Yum, yum. I'll gorge myself on tomato sandwiches for the next couple of months or so. Worth the wait, I tell ya.

[313 Mike]

Mornin' fellas....the Green Zebra is mostly all green until it is ripe, when it develops the yellowish color as well and becomes a bit softer to the touch. Inside it is green, but it is only slightly tart, not very acidic, mild tasting with a touch of sweetness, quite delicious on toasted wheat with some Hellmans or Kraft Mayo and some purple basil...I will post a pic of the inside when I get a chance...

[313 Mike]

Here's a peek inside the Green Zebra..

[313 Mike]

Dangling delights!

First ripe "7 Pot Peppers"...and more "Chocolate Habaneros"....love me some chiles!