This week started off slow {with temps in the mid 90’s} and eating random pickety bits and ice cream while lounging around watching documentaries. Then, all the sudden the temps cooled way down {mid 70’s!} and we spent most of our time outside working in the yard that I got so busy and forgot to take meal pictures. I did manage to squeeze a few in though. 😉
Tomatoes have been on my mind a lot lately. The season, it’s winding down and tomato production is coming to a slow end. I mean, we still have loads of green zebra tomatoes {that nobody is interested in buying at the vegetable stand} but they are not so great for canning or even dehydrating. The big Oxheart heart tomatoes I planted on the other hand are great for canning and I am hoping to get a few more jars of sauce put up before tomato season officially comes to an end.
Next year, I think I’ll stick to around 6-7 varieties of tomatoes {half being cherry type tomatoes for the veg stand} so I can focus more on putting a few more jars on the shelves instead of trying to grow 20 million different kinds of tomatoes just because I have the space.
The HH cooked again! This time it was Tiki Marsala {sauce was from a jar from ALDI} with a bit of garden fresh yellow squash tossed in.
The zucchini plants were a bit of a disappointment this year. And I have no idea why. In all my years of gardening I have never ONCE had a problem growing zucchini. But this year? We’ve only harvested a handful of them and so I’ve only been able to add 2 loaves of zucchini bread to the freezer so far this summer.
Ginger Gold Apples $7.00 {a half peck, about 5.5 pounds}
One of the fun things about living in New England…. Is all the new apple varieties! So far at the local fruit stand we’ve bought Zestar and Ginger Gold Apples. Gravenstine apples are just now being harvested and I think I might get a half bushel of those and put up a bunch of applesauce this week. Applesauce spice cake is one of my favorite things to make during the late fall/winter months and so I want to make sure we have loads of homemade applesauce in the cupboard.
Rudy’s Apple Cider $3.99
Fresh apple cider. It makes me want to buy an apple press.
This horse is my new best friend and I don’t even know his name. The HH and I were working outside yesterday when he came by and I had to run inside the house to grab a few carrots. There are several families who have horses around us and so it’s pretty common to see people out riding down our dirt road on the weekends. This was the first time though I was able to give one of the horses a snack. 🙂 🙂 🙂
I wonder if we’ll see any horses pulling sleighs this winter? How cool would that be?
And last but not least, date night. Steak tips, mashed potatoes and Mexican corn. My favorite! It was kind of a weird week, but a good one {well, minus the poison ivy of course}.
How was YOUR week? Did you pick up anything exciting at the store? Are you ready for fall? Curious minds want to know!
~Mavis
Total Spent in September $10.99
Total Spent in August $259.90 <– $30 on salami splurge
Total Spent in July $276.56 < – $38 Spent on Amish meat and cheese
Total Spent in June $206.47 <- Attempting once a month grocery shopping
Total Spent in May on Groceries $216.50 <- Included a stock up trip to King Arthur Flour
Total Spent in April on Groceries $169.98
Total Spent in March on Groceries $306.75 <– Apartment life, moving across the country and settling into a new house
Total Spent in February on Groceries $259.81 <- Living in an apartment and buying a lot of ready-made meals
Total Spent in January on Groceries $240.15 <– Packing mode and not cooking from scratch as much
Go HERE to read more Shopping Trip Stories.
Kathie says
I’m in CT and my zucchini plants all died. This was the worst season I have ever encountered. I hear others had the same problem so you are not alone. Here’s to next year being a better zucchini harvest!
Linda says
Glad HH feels better. Have a great week. Love reading your posts.
Patti Trammel says
Hi Mavis! Was wondering if your green zebra tomatoes would work in a relish recipe? I have never had any so don’t know anything about them. Maybe fried green tomatoes?
Gertrude Ezell says
We are in Western PA and our garden has been so crap this year, a few zucchini despite a couple dozen plants, some tomato & pepper plants never grew from the transplant stage – so your not alone.
Deborah Herman says
I’m finding it interesting to watch you discover the differences between the West coast and the East coast, when it comes to gardening. I lived in Maine for many years. It was the first time I saw all four seasons, having grown up in Southern California, where there is no real deep winter. It started snowing in October and finally stopped in May.
I know Washington state is seasonal but I’m sure you will find lots of the things you grew well there just may not grow the same in Mass.
Enjoy it as a teachable moment.
Mimly says
Oh dear! My zucchini is still going strong and I am so sick of it that it is now destined to be chicken treats. Happy to mail you some! Cucumbers, too. Note to self: next year, no more than one cucumber plant….
I’ve been roasting green zebras, sliced in half, sprinkled with salt and pepper, fresh oregano and basil, and drizzled with olive oil. Put in a bag in the freezer and when you need pasta sauce, thaw, whiz them in the food processor or blender, and heat with some sautéed garlic and onions. Heavenly, really easy, and gives you tomato sauce without cranking up the canner in 90 degree temps.
Mel says
I’ve been able to grow zucchini exactly once and pumpkins exactly once. Squash has a dickens of a time in our yard due to bugs. I think all our neighbors spray, but we don’t, so we end up with awful bug issues. Hilariously, we have one butternut plant growing out of our compost bin in full shade that’s bug free, but it won’t produce by frost.
I just put our fall veggies in the ground (I bought seedlings this year), and we’re transitioning from cooking each night to eating freezer meals. This will free up some space to store tomato and pizza sauce for winter. Our tomato plants are slowing down, but I’m leaving them as long as I can to sustain our Greek salad and BLT habit.
I made sandwich bread and apple yogurt yesterday, but I need to go clean out the fridge before I know what else I need to make this week. Sort of dreading that.
Ginny says
Have you thought about offering a simple recipe or two on cards to give inspiration at your vegetable stand.
Marti says
I grew green zebras once and ended up tossing the plant. I love red and yellow tomatoes, but just couldn’t get a green one to my lips. Zucchini here in Wisconsin is still going strong I shredded a huge bowlful and because it is a dreary rainy day, I’m baking zucchini chocolate chip bread, double chocolate chip zucchini bread, and chocolate zucchini muffins. Needed something in the baking freezer.
Lindsey says
If you have extra tomatoes and like spicy foods, you must try this recipe. Sometimes I don’t get to the canning point because we eat it all!!
http://foodinjars.com/2015/08/csa-cooking-smoky-spicy-skillet-tomato-jam/
Jenny says
My zucchini was very sad this year! I have never had a problem before and I had to even replant this year just to get one whole plant to grow.
Delores H. says
Another suggestion: green enchilada sauce with your green zebras. I actually use green (unripe) tomatoes, but I would bet that the ripe green ones would be fine.
Our zucchinis didn’t do that well either (we live in NC). My friend said it was maybe too hot. Not sure if that might be the same for you, but it might explain the problem.
jennifer says
Cherish your Gravensteins! They are coveted here in northern CA to the point that there’s a Graventstein Apple Festival every fall. Such amazing cider!!!
Julia Park Tracey says
True — I live near Sebastopol, CA, which is on the Gravenstein HIghway — Hwy 116 — so named for all the apple orchards (many gone now for vineyards or housing, alas). I’m going to buy 10 pounds today, in fact.
Kim says
I am wondering if our squash and zuchinni days are over. The bugs attack them. It really bums me!!!1
Katherine says
The bugs were HORRIBLE this year! I grew plants in multiple places in my year hoping that at least one or two plants would not be discovered. Each pulled squash beetles off even sprayed with Neem oil. I was able to get a lot of squash and zucchini until about mid September and the bugs got worse.
We have put our garden to bed for the season. I’ve planted cover crop for the first time. My husband was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma a couple of weeks ago and knew I would not have the time for a fall/winter garden while he is going through chemo.
Julia Park Tracey says
I’m so sorry to hear about your husband. Cancer sucks! Sending you a big hug, and good on you for getting the cover crop in. I find that working with the earth is like taking anti-depression drugs, personally. Thinking of you.
Laura says
Saying a little prayer for you and your husband, Katherine. My husband battled Lymphoma 6 years ago and it was a very difficult time. We focused all our energy on enjoying the present and not letting ourselves go to the dark places as much as possible. After feeling physically sick for a couple of weeks in fear, I handed over all that to God and decided to just focus on my husband and kids and let Him guide us to wherever we needed to go. If you are not a person of faith, I encourage you to find a way to stay present, however that works for you. Gardening may help you process things as Julia says. In any event, know that you are supported by lots of people and you will get through it somehow.
Best wishes. I hope I didn’t overstep.
Katherine says
Thank you Julia and Laura for your kind words and wishes. We are getting over the initial shock of the diagnosis. While by veg garden has been put to bed I still have plenty of stress reduction therapy to perform in my yard before winter gets here.
Wendi says
Zucchini in my area of PA we’re terrible! And then we got flooded out and lost everything else. Floodwaters actually picked up the boxes and moved them! Pretty crazy!!
Cass says
I forgot all about the poison Ivy. Did anyone yet say “wash with Fels Naptha soap? It has no oil in it so it doesn’t spread the irritating oil around, spreading the Ivy rash all over the body. I ALWAYS have a bar of it in the cupboard and wash with it any time I MIGHT have been in the same county with the nasty stuff. (I am very allergic to it)
Now the Fels Naptha soap will dry your skin….which is what you want, really, when you have poison ivy….so after the rash clears up TOTALLY I smother my skin in rich lotion to rehydrate it.
Kim O'Dongohue says
Massachusetts in the coast. Terrible zucchini year I agree. Two things if you don’t have a lot of bees to do the work…then your fruit will not pollinate! I had hardly seen a honey bee until my Russian sage bloomed and then I had a ton, but it was past my zucchini blooming time, and by then the squash borers got to them! I just read to inject BT into the plant at its base and it will keep,the borers at bay! The things we gardners have to do☺️
Julia Park Tracey says
What is BT?
Tammy says
One thing I miss about Michigan is all the apples! So many different varieties!!!
Nancy D says
Love the thought of leaving a tomato plant to sustain your “BLT habit”! When I was was a teenager and first got my drivers license, I would go visit my wonderful grampa. He would make BLT sandwiches for us. Every year be would be sooo excited about his one tomato plant he would grow in a half whiskey barrel planter. Each tomato was a prize to show off and encouraged his visitors to “smell a REAL tomato”! Sigh …My favorite man in the whole world… good memories! Thanks Mel! 🙂
Bellen says
Here in SW FL we are gearing up for our growing season – Oct to April/early May. Just way too hot and too wet and humid to grow much of anything. I do have my perennial/landscape plants of moringa, katuk, cranberry hibiscus and of course, marigold blossoms – they are so pretty on a salad.
When I had too many zucchini and it was too hot to bake zucchini bread I would puree the squash in the blender, skin and all because I didn’t mind the green bits, and freeze in 1 cup portions. Then in the fall/winter I’d use it in muffins, breads, and pancakes.
Susan Backus says
I didnt get one zucchini this year and I’m on the west coast in So Cal where we have great growing weather. So disappointed. I’m thinking we didn’t have the bees do their amazing work.
Linda Harber says
I got exactly ZERO zucchini this year from my plant and the other mystery squash (volunteer) was a lot of vine – no fruit. I’m so disappointed. Wonder if it’s the diminishing bee population. For the poison ivy – I pour white vinegar on it when I get it. A wise old guy who spent some time in the woods told me about it when my son had PI as a boy – it really takes the itch out of it (after the initial sting). I like the idea about sharing a recipe or 2 at the farm stand – that might entice me to buy something different if I was strolling by.
Kathy says
I had 3 zucchini plants and haven’t even harvested 10 zukes. I am in NW Washington near Vancouver. It was a terribly hot summer for us so maybe that was it. I NEVER have trouble growing zukes. I didn’t get much of a green bean crop either. But I had fun playing in the dirt 🙂