N&C Midwest: August 2019

**Scorpio Rising** 8/1/2019, 6:32 am

Wow?!! Here we are in the depth of summer! Seasonably warm here, rain spigot is off; will water this weekend, no time today!

August brings big harvests our way, hopefully! I saw my first powdery mildew on a squash plant yesterday, so milk spray is on my menu today...using powdered (lol) milk for the first time (much cheaper) so will report.

What’s going on, folks?

OhioGardener 8/2/2019, 2:13 pm

Scorpio Rising wrote:August brings big harvests our way, hopefully! I saw my first powdery mildew on a squash plant yesterday, so milk spray is on my menu today...using powdered (lol) milk for the first time (much cheaper) so will report.

Hope you get the powdery mildew under control before it spreads! I have been fortunate that I have not had any PM since I started monthly spray of Compost Tea last year. Hopefully that trend will continue.

OhioGardener 8/2/2019, 2:15 pm

Best Crops to Plant in August by Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

OhioGardener 8/4/2019, 6:11 pm

Fall is rapidly approaching, whether we are ready or not. The Romaine Lettuce started bolting to seed, so I cut them off at soil level and put them in the compost. Re-mulched the tomatoes so they can better handle the high heat we're experiencing. Planted some more Sora Radish seed so we'll have a continual availability of them for salads. Harvested the Curly Kale and Rainbow Chard again - this has become a weekly event. The second planting of Blue Lake Bush Beans are up and growing, so it won't be long we'll be enjoying fresh green beans again.

**Scorpio Rising** 8/4/2019, 8:38 pm

Nice OG! I have harvested a few eggplants, so will probably make an Italian inspired meal tomorrow.

Only thing I used from the e garden was putting up cuke pickles, I used a bunch of garlic closed!

Hope they turn out better than last years; total loss.

Also did sweet pickles. We will see!

**Scorpio Rising** 8/5/2019, 7:17 pm

Just picked my first big tomatoes!!! They are Mr. Stripey from Walmart. I had a panic attack, and rightfully so when stuff just wasn’t growing....well. Mr Stripey was! He seems to be a one shot wonder. Can’t wait for my first legit BLT!!!!

Need to buy lettuce...never fails. Wink

OhioGardener 8/5/2019, 7:26 pm

What a coincidence you should mention getting ready for your first BLT, what a coincidence! My wife made one today from one of them with a thick slice of a Brandywine tomato, fresh Romaine lettuce, and some thick-cut Applewood Bacon from Fresh Thyme. She loves those Brandywine tomatoes!

**Scorpio Rising** 8/6/2019, 7:18 pm

OhioGardener wrote:What a coincidence you should mention getting ready for your first BLT, what a coincidence! My wife made one today from one of them with a thick slice of a Brandywine tomato, fresh Romaine lettuce, and some thick-cut Applewood Bacon from Fresh Thyme. She loves those Brandywine tomatoes!

YES!!!!!! It is the reason for the season, so to say. Tomatoes and that first REAL BLT!!!! Oh man! I too love Brandywine, but mine aren’t ready yet. Mr. Stripey makes me happy!

**Scorpio Rising** 8/8/2019, 10:23 pm

Unbelievable, but we need a rain. I watered last night, so glad because the pop ups have been avoiding me! Probably gonna make a batch of bread and butters The is weekend...lots of cukes out there!

Need to see how to figure out how to preserve those summer squashes...I can eat the zukes, but the patty pans are so prolific! bounce

nrstooge 8/9/2019, 7:10 pm

I've gotten 3 roma tomatoes and several handfulls of cherry tomatoes, chard, lettuce, kale and herbs so far.. the beans took a set back when the apartment building sprayed for weeds (HATE Roundup) and it also killed my Brandywine tomato. I've started seeds indoors for my fall garden.

Not bad for a patio container garden.

OhioGardener 8/9/2019, 8:45 pm

Scorpio Rising wrote:Need to see how to figure out how to preserve those summer squashes...I can eat the zukes, but the patty pans are so prolific!

Do you like fried summer squash? If so, they are easy to prepare for freezing, and then when you are ready to fry them for eating just thaw them out and fry them. To get the ready for freezing, do these 4 easy steps:

1. Wash and cut into 1/2" slices.
2. Blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes
3. Remove from boiling water and cool in ice water for 3 minutes
4. Dredge in flour or cornmeal (you frying preference), place single layer on cookie sheet, and freeze. After frozen, remove from cookie sheet and place in freezer containers to store in freezer.

But, if you just want to use them in casseroles or as boiled vegetables, just do steps 1 through 3, and then freeze them.

**Scorpio Rising** 8/10/2019, 8:11 pm

OhioGardener wrote:
Scorpio Rising wrote:Need to see how to figure out how to preserve those summer squashes...I can eat the zukes, but the patty pans are so prolific!

Do you like fried summer squash? If so, they are easy to prepare for freezing, and then when you are ready to fry them for eating just thaw them out and fry them. To get the ready for freezing, do these 4 easy steps:

1. Wash and cut into 1/2" slices.
2. Blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes
3. Remove from boiling water and cool in ice water for 3 minutes
4. Dredge in flour or cornmeal (you frying preference), place single layer on cookie sheet, and freeze. After frozen, remove from cookie sheet and place in freezer containers to store in freezer.

But, if you just want to use them in casseroles or as boiled vegetables, just do steps 1 through 3, and then freeze them.

Dang! Will do this! Thanks, OG!

Going to can bread and butter pickles tomorrow, lots of cukes hitting.

**Scorpio Rising** 8/10/2019, 8:12 pm

nrstooge wrote:I've gotten 3 roma tomatoes and several handfulls of cherry tomatoes, chard, lettuce, kale and herbs so far.. the beans took a set back when the apartment building sprayed for weeds (HATE Roundup) and it also killed my Brandywine tomato. I've started seeds indoors for my fall garden.

Not bad for a patio container garden.

Nice! Agree, containers have limits.

**Scorpio Rising** 8/11/2019, 7:09 pm

Put up 6 pints of bread and butter pickles. Had to order ClearJel to make the mustard pickles that will allow me to deal with my zucchini! Coming tomorrow, I love Amazon! Never heard of the stuff...apparently people who can love this stuff...had to get a bunch, so apparently I will be doing some puttin up!

OhioGardener 8/12/2019, 10:44 am

Weekly harvest of Curly Kale, Rainbow Chard, and Perpetual Spinach this morning. Lots of healthy greens this time of the year. Love it!

Rainbow Chard

Curly Kale

Perpetual Chard

**Scorpio Rising** 8/13/2019, 8:01 pm

Nice leaves, OG! I am not getting any leaves at this point...will soonish! My son commented that we don’t eat anywhere near the amount of pickles I have canned thus far, the cuke plants are slowing down, however...

Peppers really late, you seeing that? I have some on, but nothing is red, and I probably won’t wait too long for that to happen...

Looks like summer carrots and small square of beets will be timely.

Ate my first juicy and sugar sweet Minnesota Midget muskmelon on Sunday for breakfast—I love them so much!!!! Trying to figure out how to tell when the full sized Ambrosia is ready...never grew a full size muskmelon...

OhioGardener 8/14/2019, 8:46 pm

Scorpio Rising wrote:Nice leaves, OG! I am not getting any leaves at this point...will soonish! My son commented that we don’t eat anywhere near the amount of pickles I have canned thus far, the cuke plants are slowing down, however...

Peppers really late, you seeing that? I have some on, but nothing is red, and I probably won’t wait too long for that to happen...

Looks like summer carrots and small square of beets will be timely.

Ate my first juicy and sugar sweet Minnesota Midget muskmelon on Sunday for breakfast—I love them so much!!!! Trying to figure out how to tell when the full sized Ambrosia is ready...never grew a full size muskmelon...

Our peppers were not late in producing, and have been producing more peppers than we can use. We have 6 each of Bell, Banana, and Jalapeno. We have pickled both the Banana and Jalapeno, and frozen the Bell. And, we have given a lot of them to neighbors, too.

We have harvested & frozen all of the spring planting of carrots and beets, and have planted seeds for the fall crops of both. I don't grow melons, but we have a lot of winter squash that is about ready to harvest - the plants are drying up.

The pepper plants are all about 3' tall - Bell Peppers on left, Banana Peppers in the middle, and Jalapeno Peppers on the right.

Bell Peppers

Banana Peppers

Jalapeno Peppers

OhioGardener 8/15/2019, 9:44 am

Time to pickle some more Jalapeno Peppers. This is about 1/2 the harvest of them, gave the rest of them to a neighbor.

**Scorpio Rising** 8/15/2019, 9:34 pm

Yeah, you are ahead of me, OG! How many jalapeño plants do you have? I only Germinated one. But she is putting them on!

Just harvested my first ever Poblanos! They have some heat! But fruity too! Cut them up to eat....so pretty, dark dark green! Also got my first golden beet and 2 more Sakatas Sweet melons.

These zucchini pickles are amazing:

Can’t wait to taste them!

OhioGardener 8/17/2019, 8:30 am

Scorpio Rising wrote:Yeah, you are ahead of me, OG! How many jalapeño plants do you have? I only Germinated one. But she is putting them on!

I have 6 Jalapeno pepper plants. I have never seen them produce like they have this year! But then, we have had record production with all of the vegetables this year. All my efforts to build living soil seems to have really paid off.

The only problem with the pepper plants is that we have canned and frozen more than we need to get us through the winter until next year's plants start producing, and the plants are still heavily producing more peppers.

**Scorpio Rising** 8/18/2019, 11:44 pm

Gotcha! I had 2 plants last year and ended up freezing a bunch of them. I used them all with making various recipes.

OhioGardener 8/20/2019, 2:06 pm

The cukes just keep on coming in! I downsized this year to only 3 plants, thinking that we would get just enough cucumbers for our use. But, we have pickled all that we need, and we eat as many as we can in salads, but we can't keep up with them. We gave a big bunch of them to a neighbor yesterday, thinking that we got rid of all of them. But, this morning these came into the house....

countrynaturals 8/20/2019, 2:23 pm

OhioGardener wrote:The cukes just keep on coming in! I downsized this year to only 3 plants, thinking that we would get just enough cucumbers for our use. But, we have pickled all that we need, and we eat as many as we can in salads, but we can't keep up with them. We gave a big bunch of them to a neighbor yesterday, thinking that we got rid of all of them. But, this morning these came into the house....

AARRGGHH!!!!! I planted at least 20, and still don't have a single cuke to show for it. N&C Midwest: August 2019 671790

OhioGardener 8/21/2019, 11:32 am

The Summer Daikon Radishes (Minowase Summer Cross) are doing great - they don't seem to mind the hot, dry weather we've been having. The radishes are so sweet and crispy in salads this time of year.

OhioGardener 8/21/2019, 11:35 am

Love going out in the early morning and harvesting the leaf lettuce while it is fresh from the damp, cool nighttime air. The Black Seeded Simpson has really been producing. Planted a fall crop of Romaine Lettuce a couple weeks ago, but it is just about an inch tall now and will be a while before we're harvesting it.

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