New England August 2014

Have any of you canners heard of Weck jars?

Looks like they're only glass, no metal lids, which is kind of nice. They have a rubber seal.

http://weckjars.com/

My peppers are doing OK--I think they're behind last year's but each plant has at least 2 green bells. The Cayenne has maybe 8 or so peppers starting to turn red. My tomatoes are waaaaaay behind even last year. I've only gotten some fruit from the sungold start I bought. The Cherokee Purple and Striped Roman and Brandywine all have fruit but only the CP is starting to think of blushing. I'm within a week of FF so I'm not holding my breath.

BUT, today I blanched 7 lbs of string beans, including a variety known as "Grandma Nellie's Yellow Podded Mushroom Bean", which doesn't taste like mushrooms to me, but is quite nice otherwise.

Still have summer squashes & zukes coming in (and out of my ears), a few Potimarron winter squashes getting riper by the day, no Granite State melons to speak of--only gherkin sized cukes, and various other odds & ends...

Oh, and NHG, I think Plantoid uses that brand of jars.

I'm growing red and yellow bell peppers,  Cubanelles and dragon cayenne peppers. The cayennes are growing like crazy.  The others are slow ripening up.

Veggie swap, great idea NHG! I wish I had someone to swap with! I have more kale than I know what to do with. The neighbors run away when they see me wanting to share it.

lyndeeloo wrote:LOL, Thank you Marc  I'd be happy to send you some seeds. Then you could just grow one. Maybe that would be better than growing up to be one.  Like having your tomato and eating it too!  Sorry, my mind is gone. Been standing over the stove all day canning tomato sauce. Last batch is going in the water bath shortly. Yahoo!

lyndeeloo, thanks! I'll send you a PM.

Edit: Weck Jars are a tad expensive, but not as bad as I thought. They had the 11.5 fl. oz. jar for $15.75, but I see that includes 6 jars, not 1.

Lyndeeloo - Were you the one who mentioned you freeze your kale? That might be a good option.

Molly - any photos of your garden? I'd love to see your squash & pepper plants. Do you have any secrets on the peppers? You're even further north.

From the Search box, I see a couple of topics on weck jars.

Ah, you're right! I see plantoid did a very nice thread about them:

https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t16948-weck-jars?highlight=weck

I like the idea of double indicators for correct sealing: the rubber tab points downward, and by picking the jar up by the lid.

I believe you have to replace the rubber rings every time tho, if I'm not mistaken, and I believe those are somewhere around $1, but I may be mistaken again. If that's the case, it's $1 for every canned item, hmm.

Anyone else experienced with using these? I'm all for the total glass concept without the metal inner lid touching your food item. I think I'll go ask on the canning and preserving thread too.

I'll try to take some pics for you, NHG, but there's no "secret" that I'm aware of except only plant early maturing varieties.  Last year I had a bunch actually ripen, but I started them from seed indoors.  This year, things have been really hectic, so I bought starts from a local organic nursery.  He assured me that the variety he sells is the same one he grows for himself and his family and that they would have time to ripen.  That being said, it's been a bit of a cold summer, so I'm grateful to have any peppers at all no matter what the color.  

Ah, and have you heard of the Tattler reusable canning lids?  I think they've been mentioned here before, maybe a few years ago?

I would stay away from tattler lids.

The September thread was created.

It's September already?

I've used Tattler lids for 2yrs now when pressure canning & I love them.  It makes so much sense.
Matter of fact I have another box on order with Amazon right now.  I throw them into any orders if needed to get the free shipping.

My SFG pepper plants, 3 Bull's Horn & 1 Banana, finally have one pepper each on them with a cashew sized one here & there.  The Banana plant I put into a pot of straight compost gave us about 10 peppers way back in July into August, then died from over watering.  They were all started at the same time indoors back in March.

NHG, thanks for the info about Hollow Heart in potatoes.  That's exactly what it was.  This cooler summer as well as Mom watering them often with the perrenials using the icey cold hose water would create the perfect conditions. 

 Oh, my Amazon order also includes some way overpriced Dunja zuke seeds...I just couldn't wait til next year since the PM has hit here with full force.  I'll have barely enough time to plant a couple and we'll get to see how they do.

Just finished dividing up lettuce babies. This overcast day is perfect for that, even tho it's wicked muggy.  Maybe I'll go plant some more radishes.

CC

Contemplating....something...

...and then she knocked them all on to the ground.

She has a ... rather tense relationship with tomatoes, doesn't she?

How did your pepper die from overwatering? What did the process look like?

She was waiting for them to move, and then decided to be proactive about it.

She's adorable. I could use a few of those to help with the vole control, but my husband is terribly allergic to cats. DARN... Next husband I'll have to screen for cat allergies... haha.

Marc Iverson wrote:She has a ... rather tense relationship with tomatoes, doesn't she?

How did your pepper die from overwatering?  What did the process look like?

Lol!

The pepper plant went limp and wouldn't revive....probably coz we kept watering it.
I finally gave up, pulled it out and it was a big soggy mess.  Mom & I hadn't yet coordinated our watering schedules.  That's when I said, I'll water all the veggies, you do the rest.

She later forgot, God bless her, hence the Hollow Hearted taters.  And the other day she says, do you want anything special watered?  I says, oh sure, water the squashes please.  She thought I'd said, water the squash leaves. Oiy...

Bless her heart!