What did you do in the garden today?

[Smokerbill]

After taking care of the chickens I watered the garden. Everything is looking pretty good!

 

[igorsMistress]

Tick season is here. I spray my clothes to keep them off. Chiggers later.

I am so glad we don’t have to deal with ticks. We had them in our yard after our neighbors dog died and they always give me the creeps.

 

[Minanora]

I've never canned potatoes, so can you tell me how you do this? Do you cut up them to a certain size? What besides potatoes and water do you put in the jar? Any seasoning?

I'm thinking I should can a bunch of taters, because I just threw out a gob that were shriveled and sprouted. We need to eat more of them! I just planted 48 hills....

I use the recipe from the ball canning book. I'll snap some pictures when I finally roll out of bed to make coffee.

 

[Minanora]

don't waste your money. foam will attract them. they easily chop it and make their nests.

There's this putty that electrician's use to seal up penetrations, GB duct seal I think. You could use JB weld multi purpose putty. Or close the gap with copper mesh rodent block. I've never used the putty on steel but the copper mesh I use everywhere to keep things out. Even rolled some up to stop Carpenter bees.

 

[cj2024]

I've never canned potatoes, so can you tell me how you do this? Do you cut up them to a certain size? What besides potatoes and water do you put in the jar? Any seasoning?

I'm thinking I should can a bunch of taters, because I just threw out a gob that were shriveled and sprouted. We need to eat more of them! I just planted 48 hills....

I bought some canned potatoes from Walmart and used them in my beef stew with fresh small Yukon Gold potatoes that I grew, and they both tasted great.

It might be cheaper for me to buy canned potatoes then grow them. I think a can cost me $1.25.

 

[Minanora]

Yesterday it rained off and on all day. Then again over night around 1am. We actually got enough rain to water the yard.

We drove out to our friends house to celebrate her 65th birthday. I forgot how hard they can party. It's always interesting to watch people enjoy their libations over the hours of an evening. Especially when you aren't participating in those activities. My DH got wrapped up in it, he's still sleeping it off. I drove us home around 10, got home close to midnight.

Today I'm cleaning the chicken coop, chick pen, working on drip line, doing laundry, prepping for the week aheads meals and working on the pool chemical balance.

Oh! The ball canning recipe for potatoes. I use this for all varieties and soak starch heavy types in salt water for at least an hour to pull excess starch off before canning. Not sure I need to, but I do it.

 

[jerryse]

There's this putty that electrician's use to seal up penetrations, GB duct seal I think. You could use JB weld multi purpose putty. Or close the gap with copper mesh rodent block. I've never used the putty on steel but the copper mesh I use everywhere to keep things out. Even rolled some up to stop Carpenter bees.

I use that putty when grafting. Seems a lot like the modeling clay when I was a kid. I read about using mastic when grafting, This is what I use for mastic.

 

[Minanora]

Oh yeah and when we got home last night I was walking down the hall to get water. Saw this little gem on the carpet.

Not sure if it came in from outside or... If it hitched a ride on either me or DH from out at the lake last night. Always fun to consider that you may have had a scorpion riding on you in the car for 2 hours.

I forgot to add these photos of the lake when I went for a walk during the party.

 

[akroberts1085]

I still can't go out to the garden. It's raining off and on here but not really hard. I'm wondering if someone can look at the 2 pictures I posted a few pages back and see if they look like cockerel or pullet.

 

[MotherofOrpies]

I watered, that’s it.

Me too, but I also pulled MORE stinging nettle roots