Loki wrote:
> Ok, what do I do now?????? I swear, down here, you put it in the
> ground and it grows and grows and grows...
>
> I now have zucchini daily (and am picking it tiny, breading and frying
> it and having it with lemon), got 10 cukes today of varying sizes and
> the tomatoes are not far behind.
Zukes can be pickled in slices and can be made into a tasty relish. Run
over to Walmart and get the latest version of the Ball Blue Book. I've
even succesfully frozen zuke slices in vac bags and then added them to
stews and soups, same with eggplant slices. Moussaka freezes well too.
>
> I got a late start. <sigh> I don't have any peppers yet but they are
> blooming, the melons are blooming and the eggplants are as well.
> Didn't get any green beans in, alas. Can I still plant those and just
> have a late crop?
I think you're probably in zone 8, maybe 7. You can go to the USDA
website and put in your zip code and it will tell you. You're in Monroe
area right?
>
> I didn't HAVE a garden in time to plant when I should have so I've got
> the hot weather stuff producing and am starting to think about
> planting for fall harvest soon.
I plant a second crop of green beans in August to carry through the mild
part of the winter down south of you.
>
> This zone 8 thing is all new to me! I'm going to have enough stuff to
> put up for an army.

Food bank, needy neighbors, Doc Charlie's patients, lots of people like
fresh produce.
>
> So, what do I do with all this bounty that is about to happen? I know
> I preserve it but what recipes are favorites for zukes, cukes and
> tomatoes????? I'd prefer to start with the fairly safe ones as I've
> not canned nor pickled for years and years and... Oh, I can't be
> that old!
>
> Loki

Ask some specifics Loki and this group will help you. Also a book
"Putting Food By" is good but I like the Ball Blue Book better myself.
If you have a Big Lots nearby they sell fruit jars and lids at cheaper
prices than any others I've found except for thrift stores and garage
sales. Hang in there, either the bugs will get their share or the
critters in the urban environment or the woods will get some of it.
We're having to pick tomatoes at the barely pink stage to get them
before the squirrels do.

Glad to hear you've settled into north Louisiana though.

George