Did salsa, blueberry jam, and dill pickles this past week. Got LOTS of lemon cucumbers that I need to work up. Figure I"ll make some type of pickle out of them. Saw a recipe that used white raisins and cucumbers for pickles. Sounded different anyway.
I made some cucumber catcup... NEVER AGAIN! Nasty stuff. Threw it away. NASTY! Waste of good sugar and spices I tell ya.
Neighbor is selling green beans $20 a bushel!!! OMG! I about fainted. I called her up, and am next on the list to get them when they're picked. I can't believe she's only charging $20! WOW! I just canned 21 quarts a few weeks ago, and paid $.99/lb for them, figure that's $60/bushel!!! WOW! Unbelieveable.
Hubby bought me a box of qts and pts today at a yard sale. Pints were new with the lids and seals!
Tomatos and Green Peppers coming in left and right. Anyone have a good spaghetti sauce recipe that is canned? Need to buy some garlic and I think I probably have everything else I need, except a recipe.
Didn't see one listed in the index from here yet. Thought I'd check and see.
Otherwise, my garden is about done for. Don't think I'm going to have any corn, it's just not growing, and the chickens have helped pecked it.
This was our first year of having a 'real' garden, so we're learning lots as we go, and figuring out what we need to plant for next years harvest.
So far my mistakes have included:
1. Not planting enough peas. Didn't get enough to can.
2. Not planting the corn, and green beans early enough.
3. Didn't get tomatos staked early enough.
4. Planted way too many cherry, and roma tomatos, and not enough of the large ones. Think the big ones we planted were beef masters?? Large and meaty! Great tasting, and good size for sandwiches as well as canning. Planted one I think it's called Early Girl, rather smallish, round, smooth tomato. I like it, and right size for canning, but didn't plant enough of them.
5. Figure out rotation so I use the area better. Gotta remember to get peas, lettuces, etc in early, then pull those and start second round.
6. Need larger garden space!
7. Let neighbors know what we'd like so we can buy from them if they have an excess. Let them know what we have in case they want some.
8. Don't wait until canning season to look for jars, lids, etc. Prices went up then.
9. Buy sugar during the winter before prices go up on it as well.
I'm sure there's more, but those are the ones I'm thinking of right now.