2023 garden season

[Don McCombs]

Got 2 inches of much needed rain last night. More on the way, supposedly.

[ScottyD'sdad]

We will try a different seed next year, probably a Supersweet SH2 variety vs the SU Normal Sugar that we grew this year.
Very disappointed in the moisture content and lack of sweetness.
There is a farm about 15 minutes up the road from us that is one of the suppliers for Big Y Supermarkets. We have had corn from them this year that was really good. We can buy a 5 dozen bag for $30, so that is what we will be freezing this year.

Not much we can do about the lack of sunlight where we planted this year. We are hoping the private road association finally takes down the white pines. That will make a huge difference in sunlight.

Peter, if anyone is growing corn within a half mile of you, don't grow the supersweet SH2. If it gets pollinated by another corn, it won't be sweet. The lebels claim a few hundred feet isilation is all that is needed , but corrn pollen travels a long way in the wind. I raise white sweet corn, and get a few yellow kernels from stray pollen, easily 1.4 mile away. I was asked to grow Rhode Island Flint corn, an old johnnie cke corn, for a miller. I wouldn't because of pollen cross contamination.

Ed

[Eugene]

Pecans. 3 semi mature pecan trees about 20 years old. Some nuts on all 3 trees. This is the first year that we have had more than a nut or two on the trees.

Have to keep an eye on the trees to see if there is going to be any nuts to harvest. Squirrels.

Nope. Nada. Nothing. Squirrels got the pecans. Saw a squirrel take one of the last nuts off the tree. Hopefully he planted it.

[Don McCombs]

Beans and cucumbers are done. Tomatoes and corn soon will be. About a third of the garden already in cover crop.

[ScottyD'sdad]

If mine dries enough to harrow, I'll cover crop most of it. Tractor needs webbed feet!

Ed

[SONNY]

Hauled over 20,000 pounds of produce to the food bank this year and still had more than we could use ourselves. Freeze drying mostly this year, did can some peeled tomatoes and made ketsup. Right now we are freeze drying parsnips. Ground froze last night so everything is on hold. Hope it thaws enough I can dig with the excavator again this fall. Gotta dig down 2 to 3 feet to get them out.
Did get a few passes plowed for next March onion planting. Plow messed up, gotta figure out how to get it to hang straight on the cub before I can plow again.

[ajhbike]

Wow..I presume the 20,000 lbs was by design and that is very generous...don't know anything about parsnips but to harvest with an excavator is interesting. Thanks for the update.

[SONNY]

For the last 4 years we planted/harvested/delivered from 10 to 20 thousand pounds to the food bank.
Parsnips here grow down to over 3 feet so hand dig takes a lot of time. I got the idea of using the exc. to do it.

[SONNY]

October 1 we had to order our onion plants for next spring. only got 1 case of 30 bunches this time instead of 2 that we usually plant. Starting to cut back a bit here and there, old body is rebelling too much to keep up the pace.
We went all out freeze drying stuff this year so should be good for a couple years if I dont get much planted.

[Bob McCarty]

Sonny, what is the name of the freeze drying unit you have?

[SONNY]

The first one we got was 8 years ago. Harvest right 5 tray, biggest at the time. Stainless steel, Second one we got Harvest right 7 tray, biggest they have. Its the xl model, also stainless steel. They have a lot of problems if you go by how others tell you how to run them. We figured out the way that works for us and we only need to do regular service to the units. Another thing is that you do NOT pre-freeze stuff before you put it in the dryers! It kills the quality and messes up the computers in them. gets them confused! --I know it sounds wierd but thats what it does. These are FREEZE-driers and they need to do the freezing themselves!
I could write a book about what we learned ourselves on running them with good results and a min. of trouble. I see so many complaints from people who think they are know it alls and always having trouble or messin up the units with their stupidity! LOL! --- anyway we like ours and the job they do for us. It gives another method of preserving the garden harvest. We really love the onions and sweet corn! Potatoes this year, sweets, and regulars, latest was parsnips!
Virginia did a test batch of eggs and other stuff and so far its keeping fine.
I did cooked sweetened thickened beets and they are great too, so its endless what you can do in them!

[SONNY]

The worst thing about freeze dryers is that when you buy it you own it! No warranty or help after the sale.--Dont believe the ads OR the You-Tube vids. since they get paid to hype up the units! Talk to people who actually own and use them. The vids are fakes 99.9% of the time. How they do stuff just dont work in the real world! LOL!
I guess there is stay-fresh, Blue alpine, and Harvest-right to choose from. The only difference is the computer chips and programing in them, but the general operation is the same and the unit is the same.
I wanted a small commercial unit but $20,000+ is out for us so we ended up with these.