Tuesday 18 August 2020

Anticipation, an-ti-ci-paa-tion

 Do you now have Carly Simon in your head? 

What am I anticipating, you ask?


Oh yes, the tomatoes are coming! With the ridiculous rains we had over the past couple of days, these beauties have toppled over despite having cages and stakes and various methods of tying them up and supporting them. 

I decided to do some pruning, cutting back unnecessary foliage and even taking off some sections with yellow blossoms that won't amount to anything before frost arrives. I am hoping this will help keep things from falling over even more by reducing some weight. As well, the plant can put its energy into ripening versus producing more fruits. Also with this rain I'm starting to see some yellowing and brown leaves, so extra air circulation is probably needed. 

I cut back about three big tubs full of foliage and now I can see even more lovely tomatoes.


Toasted tomato sandwiches... 

Tomatoes with basil and olive oil and those round squishy balls of mozzarella cheese...

Tomatoes turned into orchard fruit chili sauce...


O.K., enough of that. I also have three lovely pumpkins (and one smaller pumpkin) that are starting to turn colour. The one in the picture is about the size of a basketball.


Don't be all that impressed however. I planted three pumpkin plants! And all I have are four lousy pumpkins. It is due to this lovely little creature:

source

I started out the summer season by hand-squishing as many of these as I could get (they move pretty quickly!) on my zucchini and pumpkin plants. They congregate inside the yellow blossoms, however I also damaged a lot of yellow blossoms by trying to squish them.  As time went on, their numbers increased so much that it was beyond me. 

I have tried something like insecticidal soap sprayed on them and they laugh at it as they gleefully fly away to land on another member of the squash / curcubit family. They would have killed off my cucumbers as well (if they have survived... sigh). These striped cucumber beetles decimate the blossoms and carry some kind of fungal disease to the leaves and vines as well. They are the reason I harvested two, TWO zucchinis this year. Most people would be knee deep in zucchini by now, giving them away to anyone who would have them. I have had two. They are also the reason for four pumpkins from three pumpkin plants instead of what should have been at least twice that much. 

When those pumpkins fully ripen and turn a gorgeous orange colour, I shall give them a place of honour on my porch and makes things look very autumnal.

Remember I said in my last post that something was eating my plants again? (Don't remember, that's o.k., I often don't remember what day it is). Here is some evidence.

What you are looking at used to be a green bean plant. Now it is a small collection of leaves and some stems. 

On a different note, I do have something that is doing very well. I had a plant that was growing in my compost container. I didn't know what it was but suspected some type of squash, likely zucchini. I just let it keep growing. 

There it was, growing robustly out of my compost, big yellow blossoms braving those nasty little beetles. It looked very healthy (compost will do that) and I left it and wondered what it would grow up to become. (By the way, I've noticed that "robust" is now the new buzzword. I've heard politicians and administrators use it. Listen for it. Turn it into a drinking game!)

Here's what it is:

It's an acorn squash! In fact, there are about four fruits developing nicely. I have NO idea how this happened. I did not plant acorn squash in my garden. In fact, I have never planted acorn squash in my garden. I can't even remember buying acorn squash and if I did, it would have been three or four years ago at least. I have emptied out my compost since then, a number of times. So herein lies a mystery. 

I will leave you with one last image. With bindweed and cucumber beetles and huge rains and seering heat and hungry rabbits, there is one plant in my garden that chuckles "heh, heh" in a deep menacing tone, "bring it on!".

If you recall (and you probably won't) at the beginning of planting season, my son was working at the garden centre of a grocery store and wanted me to plant a pepper plant that he brought home because he likes hot sauce and such. It is flourishing and gorgeous. Nothing bothers it. 

There's a reason nothing bothers it!! It is a "super chili" according to the tag. The first one that he picked and was quite excited about was brought in the house whereby we each tried a little bite of it. HOLY MOTHER OF ALL THINGS HOT. According to the Scoville Heat Range (yes, that's a thing), it's 40,000 to 50,000 SHU. That places it 5 to 20 times hotter than a jalapeno pepper, which many people would be able to relate to. By the way, SHU stands for Scoville heat units. I'm guessing Scoville is the brave person who created this scale by trying out all the peppers in the world?? 

Anyway, what the heck do we do with these things? I don't even think I would include them in a salsa recipe. I like to be able to use my mouth for a day after eating salsa! If there is anyone out there who knows how to use them in a recipe but decrease their heat, let me know. Otherwise, these are to remain ornamental. 

I hope your gardening is successful. May your tomatoes ripen and your rabbits run away!


33 comments:

  1. We haven't had a particularly good summer in the garden, a combination of extreme weather conditions and an invasion of blackfly. We are harvesting tomatoes, zuccinis and a few French beans but not in the quantities we had last year when we were giving stuff away.

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    1. Not sure what blackfly is over there. Here, blackflies come in May / June and they are horrible little biting things. They eat people, not plants. One good thing about gardening, is there's always next year.

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  2. Your garden looks outstanding. I never saw beetles like this. I am also harvesting tomatoes but not as many as I expected. A butternut squash is growing in my compost and there are a lot of flowers and squash forming.
    Funny how with no care the squash grows beautifully. Those chili peppers sound pretty lethal. My son likes hot sauce too. Not for me, thank you.

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    1. That's fun that you also have a squash growing in your compost!

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  3. Your garden is doing very well, especially considering the battle with the bugs and the heat. I have two cherry tomato plants and should be pulling more off tomorrow when my grandson visits; he and grandma love them.

    Sorry, I can't help you with the peppers - I won't even eat jalapenos!

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    1. This is the first year in a long time that I haven't planted a cherry tomato. They are usually very prolific.

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  4. I have to smile as I consider the courage of brave Scoville!

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    1. That was just my theory. I don't know for sure who Scoville was, or if it was even a person. But if it was, he or she probably burnt all of their taste buds off.

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  5. Tomatoes are looking good, so sorry about those darn beetles, maybe you could include those deadly chillies (dry them to keep)in some spray for next year's vine plants, there are many chilli sprays on the net for you to try.

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    1. You know, I actually considered that, but then I worried about the bunnies burning their little bunny lips, or my cat brushing against the plants and then licking himself.

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  6. Your tomatoes look fabulous! I would much rather have them than any form of squash, although I do like squash. Have you considered pickling some of the peppers (sliced in rings) and also, removing the seeds and white part inside (to cut the heat) and stuffing them with cheese to fry for pepper poppers? Just the first two suggestions that come to me for using up peppers.

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    1. Good suggestions. I don't know how they would be pickled. I've never actually pickled peppers. Yes, I prefer tomatoes to squash as well.

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  7. 1) a neighbor planted acorn squash, or put one in the compost. It could even be a bird passing by overhead and leaving you a deposit!
    2) can you plant them all over your garden next year (the hot peppers) and deter bugs and bunnies?

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    1. Joanne, I only have one neighbour and he is directly across from me and he has never had a garden. But good guesses. The peppers throughout my garden would be very good looking! They are so bright red.

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  8. We found those "ten-lined June beetles, asked our entomologist son. There is not much to do with them. Spray the plant with Dawn dish soap + water? Damn things.

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    1. In the past I've even used something called "tanglefoot" which is a sticky substance that I put on "tags" so the beetles would stick to them. I didn't catch a single one! There are yellow sticky traps you can use but I couldn't find any at any of the stores I looked in.

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  9. Toasted tomato sandwiches,yum!
    We have the sunshine but our tomatoes this year didn't do well. Pumpkins are growing all over the garden, loads of flowers but I don't see any pumpkins. Very envious. Spit spit spit

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    1. I have to say I'm surprised that your tomatoes didn't do well. When I think of Greece, I think of all that wonderful food, including tomatoes.

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  10. You need my colleague there to eat those chilies. My OH bought some seeds for a super hot 250,000 Scoville chili, that I refused to even grow that year. I finally relented on the basis they would be ornamental - my colleague is devouring them with delight! ...in salads no less!

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  11. But you have to admit that beetle is awfully handsome.

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    1. Oh Weave, I can't admit it now. Maybe when there were just a few, but now I just despise them.

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  12. I take out all the white and seeds from the chillies and finely chop. You can freeze them like that for when you want to use them. I use them in chilli but use sparingly so that it's not too hot. The trouble is it does take a bit of trial and error ad some seem to be hotter than others.

    Your garden is doing great considering all the pests that always try to eat everything. The only thing that I have never had eaten is runner beans as they are slightly toxic when not cooked, the beans and the leaves, so I am surprised that they have been eaten. The leaves irritate my skin when picking them if I don't wear something to cover my arms.

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    1. I have heard that a lot of the heat is in the seeds. I don't know if I'm up for trial and error to find out if some are a bit more mild than others. That's interesting that you say your skin gets irritated. I'm like that with a lot of plants and I'm usually up to my elbows in plants. When I come in the house I always wash my arms with soap and water. Tomatoes make me itch!

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  13. Tomatoes and courgettes, if I touch the leaves, have the same effect on me. I too come in and wash my arms then add a bit of moisturiser.

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  14. Well, this is the weirdest, most interesting garden post ever. I'm so sorry about the bugs and critters. They will inherit the earth, won't they? Nothing kills them. Well, my tomatoes did nothing (not even flower) so well done, you, on those. And the pumpkins, even though I think you wanted more, four is more than I've ever done! The peppers are interesting. You're right about removing the seeds and ribs. I don't know if soaking them for awhile after doing that, then finely chopping would help or if it would make them mushy. I remember reading once that if food (like chili) gets too spicy, add a potato that is halved and it soaks some of it up, so maybe you could try that?

    I will say your beetle photo is terrific. Much nicer than the beetle. Good luck. (And nice find with the Acorn!)

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    1. I can't take credit for the beetle photo. (See the source link) Good advice about the potato! Thanks! -Jenn

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  15. Your tomatoes looks simply scrumptious! And the other plants too. No matter what I plant, it takes longer to grow, stays on the thin side, puts out bulletins to all the critters as soon as there is something worth eating, or at least biting into. Last year I got one tomato. Until I brought it indoors and then noticed the big tooth mark on it. This year, my daughter brings me tomatoes from her plants to enjoy. You could try to dry the hot peppers, grind them up (don't get it on your skin) put it into small jars and sell it. There are lots of folks out there who love the hot hot stuff. (not me) You have a wonderful day, hugs, Edna B.

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  16. Perhaps you could train the nasty striped insect to eat the chillis? He might go off to find another garden then! So frustrating when you work in the garden and some little creature has different ideas to you.

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  17. Beautiful produce! Those tomatoes! And that mysterious little acorn. You could dry the peppers, powder them and have your own chili powder. I was looking for a cayenne pepper this spring for that reason, but couldn't find one and didn't want a whole packet of seeds.

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  18. I have to agree with one of your commenters above that a little birdie "planted" that acorn squash seed in your compost bin! Regarding your son's hot peppers (give them all to him!), I know the "burn" of them is supposed to be very good for our immune system (go figure) but neither hubby nor I can tolerate much hot stuff in our food. Sorry about your squash and pumpkins being poor producers this year. I have scads of both . . . but not a smidge of orange color yet. (Boooo!)

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  19. Lovely photos. And like so many of us, a hit-and-miss year in the garden. I have to say it's been a very strange year. Tomatoes are finally coming in, thank goodness. Here it is late August for pete's sake. But we've had an abundance of must things, just coming in streams instead of all at once which is the usual. I must say I like this better because we're able to keep up with it all better.

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