We're starting to harvest a few cucumbers along, mostly using in salads
at the moment. We're using up the last of the winter lettuce in salads
along with fresh cukes, squash, cherry tomatoes, and radishes. Looking
at the cuke vines today it looks like I might be able to put up a few
quarts of sliced sweet pickles soon. I use a very old recipe that I have
adapted to use sucralose versus real sugar plus Pickle Crisp. Works out
to be just as good as the way we made them more than 40 years ago, with
laboriously limed and rinsed cuke slices then put up with lots of sugar.
Myself and our diabetic friends really appreciate the sweet "diabetic"
pickles.

In addition we will soon be picking green beans, they're on the verge of
being the right size. We put up lots of dilly carrot pickles over the
winter as our great grands love the things. Hopefully we will get a
bumper crop of green beans this spring so we can make dilly beans. One
way or the other we will get the grands and great grands to eat more
vegetables.

Miz Anne is slowly cleaning out the art room so we can renovate it. In
the meantime I am sealing the grout on ceramic in the kitchen and
laundry rooms and caulking around the exterior windows and doors.
Getting hot here in sweaty southwestern Loosyanna, 87F at 1 pm this
afternoon but a nice breeze blowing. The AC has been running off and on
since about 11 am so guess the season has begun. We try to do as much
outside work as we can in the early morning and late afternoon.
Excepting the mosquitoes it is usually pretty nice then.

We hope all are putting food by or getting ready to as we are.

George

Father Inquisitor, HOSSPOJ

George Shirley wrote:

> We're starting to harvest a few cucumbers along, mostly using in salads
> at the moment. We're using up the last of the winter lettuce in salads
> along with fresh cukes, squash, cherry tomatoes, and radishes. Looking
> at the cuke vines today it looks like I might be able to put up a few
> quarts of sliced sweet pickles soon. I use a very old recipe that I have
> adapted to use sucralose versus real sugar plus Pickle Crisp. Works out
> to be just as good as the way we made them more than 40 years ago, with
> laboriously limed and rinsed cuke slices then put up with lots of sugar.
> Myself and our diabetic friends really appreciate the sweet "diabetic"
> pickles.

i sure hope the cucumbers come through for you.


> In addition we will soon be picking green beans, they're on the verge of
> being the right size. We put up lots of dilly carrot pickles over the
> winter as our great grands love the things. Hopefully we will get a
> bumper crop of green beans this spring so we can make dilly beans. One
> way or the other we will get the grands and great grands to eat more
> vegetables.

i've always really liked the three bean salad (sweet
and sour) for using up extra beans too. i cut up the
beans and then steam a chopped onion on top of them
for 15 minutes and then hot pack it with a mix of
cider vinegar, water and sugar. i'm sure sucralose
would taste just fine too, as you would put in a bread
and butter pickle. then of course, BWB to seal.


> Miz Anne is slowly cleaning out the art room so we can renovate it. In
> the meantime I am sealing the grout on ceramic in the kitchen and
> laundry rooms and caulking around the exterior windows and doors.
> Getting hot here in sweaty southwestern Loosyanna, 87F at 1 pm this
> afternoon but a nice breeze blowing. The AC has been running off and on
> since about 11 am so guess the season has begun. We try to do as much
> outside work as we can in the early morning and late afternoon.
> Excepting the mosquitoes it is usually pretty nice then.
>
> We hope all are putting food by or getting ready to as we are.

still getting ready here.

another week or two and i can start thinking
about putting up some rhubarb sauce.

some early planting going on already, but it has
been raining lately and will be for the next
few days. so this Sunday might be my next chance
to get more onion seeds in the ground (the third
batch of home grown seeds going in -- previous
two batches have already sprouted). swiss chard
is sprouting and will be happy with the rains.
strawberries blooming up a storm, garlic coming
along well, peas up about a foot, the turnips
that survived the frosts are coming along. i
should get a second patch of them planted soon.

weeding is going well with all the dry nice days
we've had so far. i'm figuring seven more sessions
to finish one large garden. about 1/3 yet to go.
close picky work, but i enjoy it sitting and listening
to the birds and wind chimes.

still figuring out where i will put everything.
luckily i have a thousand more sq feet of garden space
to plant this year, unfenced, so it can't be things i
get too upset if the deer or bunnies come through.

cucumbers too this year in yet another new garden.
and i just figured where i can prop in a few more
squash plants...


songbird