The Garden Thread

[Jamie Jackson]

10 hours ago, peejman said:

Probably won't. We may get another pot or two from the plants. We talked about going to the farmer's market and getting some to can. 

You know, I think there's a Farmer's Market in Dixie Lee Junction. I may well go next Saturday and see what the produce and prices are like. It's pretty close to my home.

 

Thanks for the idea.

 

Are there any good farmer's markets out your way?

[peejman]

5 hours ago, Jamie Jackson said:

You know, I think there's a Farmer's Market in Dixie Lee Junction. I may well go next Saturday and see what the produce and prices are like. It's pretty close to my home.

 

Thanks for the idea.

 

Are there any good farmer's markets out your way?

Yes, we live a few miles from Coning,  Butler, and Rutherford farms. They usually have a direct sell market.  Downtown Maryville has a farmers market on Saturday mornings, and there's Horn of Plenty in town who gets a lot of their produce from local farms. 

And I've also seen the local farm trucks delivering stuff to Food City, Kroger, and *gasp* even Walmart. 

Depending on where you are in Knoxville, you might find closer things to the north.  I think there's several farms in Anderson County that might have markets. 

[Jamie Jackson]

Thank you @peejman!

 

I looked at each of those farm's websites. Nice!

I live less than 4 miles from Dixie Lee Junction (West Knox) so I may just hit their farmer's market this weekend.

Lived here for 16 years and never been. I guess it's about time.

The farms you listed are all with 25 or so miles from me, so they may be in my future.

 

Much obliged.

[gregintenn]

I picked two 5 gallon buckets of purple hull peas this morning. Been shelling them all day.

[gregintenn]

 

Fresh garden salsa:

Sweet corn(uncooked)

Tomatoes

Onion

Cilantro

Can of black eyed peas

Sea salt to taste

 

Serve with tortilla chips

[gregintenn]

We put up 21 quarts of corn and a dozen ears on the cob today. Coons didn’t get all of it, but they sure tried!

[gregintenn]

Zucchini:

Slice 1 zucchini thin, lengthwise.

Mix 2 tsps Italian seasoning, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper and 2Tbsps olive oil.

Toss zucchini in mixture, place in single layer on baking sheet, and bake in oven at 425 for 7-8 min. Flip and bake another 7-8 min.

I’m not a zucchini fan, but this is easy and pretty darned good.

Edited July 26, 2022 by gregintenn

[peejman]

14 hours ago, gregintenn said:

Zucchini:

Slice 1 zucchini thin, lengthwise.

Mix 2 tsps Italian seasoning, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper and 2Tbsps olive oil.

Toss zucchini in mixture, place in single layer on baking sheet, and bake in oven at 425 for 7-8 min. Flip and bake another 7-8 min.

I’m not a zucchini fan, but this is easy and pretty darned good.

Take those same long, thin slices.  Get some string cheese sticks and cut them to the same length as the zucchini is wide and get a slice of deli ham.  Zucchini on the bottom, then the slice of ham folded to width, then cheese. Roll that up and pin it with toothpicks. Sprinkle with whatever seasoning you like. Grill until the cheese is melty.  Delicious. 

That's how I got my kids to eat zucchini. Now I mostly just sautee them with squash and onions. That's real tasty too. 

Shred it and make zucchini bread or add to spaghetti sauce. Zucchini doesn't have much flavor when cooked, so its easy to add to other stuff for some "free" vegetable content. 

Edited July 26, 2022 by peejman

[Sleep profit]

On 7/11/2022 at 5:03 AM, Jamie Jackson said:

You know, I think there's a Farmer's Market in Dixie Lee Junction. I may well go next Saturday and see what the produce and prices are like. It's pretty close to my home.

 

Thanks for the idea.

 

Are there any good farmer's markets out your way?

Jamie if you don’t find what you like. Down the road toward L/C. Hwy 11. There is a stand by highland park church with corn tomatoes and great looking blackberries. Stand on right 

[gregintenn]

7 hours ago, peejman said:

Take those same long, thin slices.  Get some string cheese sticks and cut them to the same length as the zucchini is wide and get a slice of deli ham.  Zucchini on the bottom, then the slice of ham folded to width, then cheese. Roll that up and pin it with toothpicks. Sprinkle with whatever seasoning you like. Grill until the cheese is melty.  Delicious. 

That's how I got my kids to eat zucchini. Now I mostly just sautee them with squash and onions. That's real tasty too. 

Shred it and make zucchini bread or add to spaghetti sauce. Zucchini doesn't have much flavor when cooked, so its easy to add to other stuff for some "free" vegetable content. 

I’ll give that a try. Thanks.

[peejman]

2 hours ago, gregintenn said:

I’ll give that a try. Thanks.

If the zucchini wants to break instead of rolling up, nuke it for about 20 seconds to soften it.  

[gregintenn]

This is odd. I planted one row of Roma green beans and two rows of white half runners. The Romas have already made three 5 gallon buckets of beans, while the half runners made just enough to cook for supper one night. The half runners are all plant, while the aromas are pitiful looking little things.

[gregintenn]

We’re canning salsa now. I’m gonna bushhog this mess before long. It hasn’t been the best year, but has been a good year.

[gregintenn]

Almost done turning the garden spot for next year yesterday when, Bam! The front wheel falls off my tractor! That’ll wake you up! I went to the parts house and got a new bearing. Got her back in action just before dark and finished plowing. Never had that happen before!

[Snaveba]

29 minutes ago, gregintenn said:

Almost done turning the garden spot for next year yesterday when, Bam! The front wheel falls off my tractor! That’ll wake you up! I went to the parts house and got a new bearing. Got her back in action just before dark and finished plowing. Never had that happen before!

Yikes

[peejman]

I planted a cover crop of peas for the winter.  They're coming up nicely now. I'm curious to see how well this works. 

[mills213]

Has anybody had success with potato's around here.  I feel like they are the greatest asset if there ever was a time you couldn't get food from stores.  Has anybody been able to save some from the years harvest for next years starts.  I have been successful at this with cucumbers but don't think they have the nutrients to keep you healthy year round.  I also have had a lot more problems with insect destruction ever since I moved from Murfreesboro to Baxter.  I had very little room in Murfreesboro but was way more successful with harvests. Really trying to keep it closer to Organic anyone have a good bug deterrent.

[gregintenn]

On 11/27/2022 at 9:51 PM, mills213 said:

Has anybody had success with potato's around here.  I feel like they are the greatest asset if there ever was a time you couldn't get food from stores.  Has anybody been able to save some from the years harvest for next years starts.  I have been successful at this with cucumbers but don't think they have the nutrients to keep you healthy year round.  I also have had a lot more problems with insect destruction ever since I moved from Murfreesboro to Baxter.  I had very little room in Murfreesboro but was way more successful with harvests. Really trying to keep it closer to Organic anyone have a good bug deterrent.

Sure. Kennebec potatoes will keep from year to year and you can replant them. We put them in milk crates and store them in the basement. Good luck keeping potato bugs off your plants!

[mills213]

11 hours ago, gregintenn said:

Sure. Kennebec potatoes will keep from year to year and you can replant them. We put them in milk crates and store them in the basement. Good luck keeping potato bugs off your plants!

Thanks for Kennebec is there a distance I can grow them from other crops to keep them safe from potato bugs

[gregintenn]

9 hours ago, mills213 said:

Thanks for Kennebec is there a distance I can grow them from other crops to keep them safe from potato bugs

No. You’ll never see a potato bug until you plant potatoes. I don’t know if their eggs come on the seed potatoes or where they come from, but they sure come.

[peejman]

I planted field peas as a cover crop and they were doing quite well.  I'm not sure if they'll make it through this or not. They're not complete mush, but they are pretty flat. The package said they'd be ok with short duration cold snaps but time will tell. 

[peejman]

On 12/26/2022 at 10:40 AM, peejman said:

I planted field peas as a cover crop and they were doing quite well.  I'm not sure if they'll make it through this or not. They're not complete mush, but they are pretty flat. The package said they'd be ok with short duration cold snaps but time will tell. 

Seems the package was right. They look quite happy now with this warm weather. 

One of the storms last fall destroyed my kids playset. I got it demolished and hauled off, and my wife has decided I should build her a small greenhouse make from recycled windows and doors in that spot.  Anyone done that before? Lots of plans and pictures on the web. 

The playset originally came with a tarp roof. It didn't last long so I built a frame and used some plastic roofing panels from Home Depot.  I went to significant trouble to save the roof when I demolished the playset, but my boys decided it made a good backstop for their bb guns and shot it full of holes.

[trunner]

On 2/21/2023 at 5:45 PM, peejman said:

Seems the package was right. They look quite happy now with this warm weather. 

... and shot it full of holes.

Are you able to harvest the peas, or will you just work the plant matter back into the soil?

Boys will be boys? 

[peejman]

15 minutes ago, trunner said:

Are you able to harvest the peas, or will you just work the plant matter back into the soil?

Boys will be boys? 

No, I don't intend to harvest the peas. They get cut down while they're flowering and before they make pea pods.  The leaves are edible, but I'm not going to bother with that.  They're supposed to add nitrogen back into the soil, natural fertilizer.  

[trunner]

Thanks! That was also my experience with fava beans as a cover crop. Good source of nitrogen, and weed suppression through the non-garden months too.