What's Growing in the Garden

Way to giddy seeing these in my bronze fennel finally. It's been at least 5 years - probably more since I've had any caterpillars other than cabbage loopers (the nasty buggers!) in my yard. These are Eastern Black Swallowtail. Also say some a couple of days ago that looked to be young Tiger Swallowtail caterpillars - but have not seen them in a couple of days now. These pics are 2 or 3 days old and they are already twice this size - them buggers grow fast!

Leetle Mikey wishes he had their job, Eat all day - all you want - grow all you can, then go to sleep and turn into a purdy butterfly!

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Peppers are starting to come in. Picked a whole mess of Shishitos the other night, plus a few Kalugeritsas and a lone red bell.

The Shishitos got pickled - along with a couple of the Kalugeritsas to fill a jar that was a little short. Last year I switched to doing a refrigerator pickle for my peppers. I found that with water bath canning them they were too soft for my liking, even when using calcium chloride.

Last year was the first time I pickled Shishitos and I only did a few jars to try. That was a mistake because my wife turned out to really like them too. We've been out for at least a couple months now and are looking forward to getting into one of these jars in a few weeks. I'll be pickling more as more come in.

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Great looking pickled peppers!

I've got to decide what I'm going to do with all of mine, probably a combination of drying and freezing with some hot sauce and fermented peppers.

Picked my first peaches today. Not a huge number, but enough to make some cobbler, jam and freeze some for later.

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I've got some hotter peppers I plan to ferment for hot sauce. Also will dry some. We also like to roast on the grill, then dice and freeze in 3 to 4 tablespoon portions in a muffin pan - making pucks of peppers. After frozen, we'll pop out of the muffin pan and put in a bag in the freezer. Great for pulling out and easily adding roasted peppers to recipes - just grab however many pucks you want or need.
 
Sprung said:
......... Last year I switched to doing a refrigerator pickle for my peppers. I found that with water bath canning them they were too soft for my liking,......
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Not familiar with refrigerator pickling. Did a quick google search and most stated keep in refrigerator 24 hours. Can you take them out, tighten the bands and place on a shelf afterwards. None of the results I looked at mentioned it.
 
djg said:
Not familiar with refrigerator pickling. Did a quick google search and most stated keep in refrigerator 24 hours. Can you take them out, tighten the bands and place on a shelf afterwards. None of the results I looked at mentioned it.
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No, refrigerator pickles are not shelf stable.
 
Sprung said:
Peppers are starting to come in. Picked a whole mess of Shishitos the other night, plus a few Kalugeritsas and a lone red bell.

The Shishitos got pickled - along with a couple of the Kalugeritsas to fill a jar that was a little short. Last year I switched to doing a refrigerator pickle for my peppers. I found that with water bath canning them they were too soft for my liking, even when using calcium chloride.

Last year was the first time I pickled Shishitos and I only did a few jars to try. That was a mistake because my wife turned out to really like them too. We've been out for at least a couple months now and are looking forward to getting into one of these jars in a few weeks. I'll be pickling more as more come in.
View attachment 246319
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Matt Sprung picked a peck of pickled peppers!
If Matt Sprung picked a peck of pickled peppers
How many pickled peppers did Matt Sprung pick
If he picked a peck of pickled peppers?

Ok, ok! Lil Mikey ain't got much of a life, but have pity - he's been anxiously awaiting for the peppers to start coming in
 
Mike Hill said:
Way to giddy seeing these in my bronze fennel finally. It's been at least 5 years - probably more since I've had any caterpillars other than cabbage loopers (the nasty buggers!) in my yard. These are Eastern Black Swallowtail. Also say some a couple of days ago that looked to be young Tiger Swallowtail caterpillars - but have not seen them in a couple of days now. These pics are 2 or 3 days old and they are already twice this size - them buggers grow fast!

Leetle Mikey wishes he had their job, Eat all day - all you want - grow all you can, then go to sleep and turn into a purdy butterfly!

View attachment 246204View attachment 246205
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Take pics of the chrysalis .... chrysalii??? And then the butterflies when they emerge.
 
Tim is correct. These are NOT shelf stable. They would need a higher ratio of vinegar to water and to be water bath canned to be shelf stable. These use a 1:1 vinegar to water ratio and I believe shelf stable water bath canning calls for a 4:1 vinegar to water ratio. These will live in the second fridge in our basement until eaten.

My refrigerator pickling recipe, which I can't remember where I got it from, is as follows:

1 cup vinegar
1 cup water
1 heaping Tbsp canning/pickling salt
1 tsp sugar (optional)

Prepare peppers to be pickled - wash, cut, pack into jars. I cut into slices/rings, but you can do whole peppers - just make sure to poke them with a knife so the liquid can get inside them. Add a clove of garlic (crushed) and 1/8 tsp calcium chloride (pickle crisp) to each jar. Bring the above ingredients to a boil. Pour over peppers in jar. Make sure to poke at the peppers a bit to get any air bubbles out, then top off jar with liquid if needed. Put a clean lid on - you can reuse canning lids for this, since you're not actually canning it - and put a ring on and tighten the ring down. Stick in fridge. I find letting it sit in the fridge for at least 3 weeks before enjoying ensures good flavor in your pickled peppers.

For the 5 pints of pepper rings I pickled today, I had to multiply the above recipe by 3.5 to have enough liquid to fill the jars.

I've done the same for dilly beans (pickled green beans w/ dill) and asparagus. I will sometimes add dill to the peppers, and was planning to today, but forgot about picking some from the garden to add until I already had the jars packed and the liquid was boiling and ready to pour in.

I've wanted to try swapping out the white vinegar for apple cider vinegar and may do a jar of it this year to see how that tastes.
 
Actually a 1:1 ratio of vinegar to water is acceptable for pickles if you are using a 5% acetic acid vinegar and use a boiling water bath to can, or keep everything refrigerated.

Never use homemade vinegars for canning as their acetic acid content can vary widely. Most commercially sold vinegars contain 5% acid, but don't use "salad vinegars" which may be sold with a lower acid content.

You can't just add a 1:1 ratio to vegetables, add a lid and set it on shelf. The BWB is needed to kill everything that can grow at room temp, even with the vinegar.

Easiest thing to do is always follow recipes in regard to vinegar water ratios and instructions on storage/canning. Ingredients can be changed in regard to flavorings you use to suit your individual taste.
 
Interesting. Maybe I've been doing something wrong all these years. I've always used my Mom's recipe which calls for 1 cup of vinegar per quart jar. stuff jars with pickles, garlic and spices (dill weed if I have it) and pour in 1 cup of vinegar. Top off with boiling water, seal and then into the BWB. I've only done pickles and okra and I do pack the jars with them. Ive never measured it, but I'm guessing the void volume after the 1 cup of vinegar is one cup or less (of water to be added). That would make the vinegar/water ratio 1:1 or maybe 2:1. I doubt if it get's to 4:1.

My Mom's recipe also call fro a "pinch" of Alum and a tablespoon of canning salt. Pickles never were crisp, but not really limp either. Supposedly, according to her, the Alum makes the pickles crisp, but too much will make them bitter. So I've been careful not to add too muck. I've never used Pickle Crisp because it's just another inorganic salt. Sodium vs. Calcium. Why not just use more canning salt.

I'm assuming the counter ion causes a shift in the disassociation of the H+ ion of acetic acid causing a more dehydrative action of the cucumber/okra leaving a crisper product. THAT is only my guess, I'd have to look it up. May likely be just BS.
 
On another note, I picked all of my Crowder peas.
IMG_2038.webp

I think I may have waited too long, though. Some of the pods have black on them and some of the peas appeared to have molded. I need to pick through the peas and cull the bad ones. Out of a 20 foot row, I should end up with a quart jar of dried peas. Currently, the peas are on a covered (towel) tray inside drying further. Thought I'd dry an additional month this way before putting in a jar. Need longer?

Some pods are still drying on the vine and I'll ad them to this batch. AND they appear to be flowering again. I thought these were determinant peas, but I've never checked into that.
 
Lastly (bored yet lol) I picked another two gallons of Blue Lake pole beans.
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Been a bumper crop in my opinion. Either they love the trellis or their location or I got good seed this year. Ordered instead of buying packets at the local farm store. I'm curious, could I expect the same results next year if I plant them in the same place next year. Or would the soil be depleted (of what?)? I could switch the trellis with the pea trellis, but I don't know if that would help. Amend the soil this Fall/next Spring?

As I've said, I new to seed saving. I picked the dry pods and shelled them. I'm currently drying them out it the open on a covered (towel)plate. How long? The in a jar and store in the refrigerator over the Winter?
 
djg said:
Lastly (bored yet lol) I picked another two gallons of Blue Lake pole beans.
View attachment 246347

Been a bumper crop in my opinion. Either they love the trellis or their location or I got good seed this year. Ordered instead of buying packets at the local farm store. I'm curious, could I expect the same results next year if I plant them in the same place next year. Or would the soil be depleted (of what?)? I could switch the trellis with the pea trellis, but I don't know if that would help. Amend the soil this Fall/next Spring?

As I've said, I new to seed saving. I picked the dry pods and shelled them. I'm currently drying them out it the open on a covered (towel)plate. How long? The in a jar and store in the refrigerator over the Winter?
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If the seed is not hybridized, repeating the crop a second year in that location should be just fine. We moved things around in our garden but as I recall, it was more to benefit the corn and slow down cutworm infestations
 
djg said:
On another note, I picked all of my Crowder peas.
View attachment 246346

I think I may have waited too long, though. Some of the pods have black on them and some of the peas appeared to have molded. I need to pick through the peas and cull the bad ones. Out of a 20 foot row, I should end up with a quart jar of dried peas. Currently, the peas are on a covered (towel) tray inside drying further. Thought I'd dry an additional month this way before putting in a jar. Need longer?

Some pods are still drying on the vine and I'll ad them to this batch. AND they appear to be flowering again. I thought these were determinant peas, but I've never checked into that.
Click to expand...
Not sure about crowder peas but if those were dried she’ll beans I’ve shelled them (greener than that)but kinda moldy on the outside, and let them dry spread out on a cookie sheet. That worked well for me. If not moldy they can sit for quite a while to dry out in the pods. I’ve had some I left overwinter in the shells stored in the basement nice and dry.
 
Wish the garden would slow down a little. Picked some tomatoes for dehydrating, and also six muskmelon ready to eat. PXL_20230827_182603582.webp
 
DLJeffs said:
Take pics of the chrysalis .... chrysalii??? And then the butterflies when they emerge.
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They had all grown to be a pretty good size and now cannot find hide nor hair of them. Hope they are in chrysalis stage and they are hidden very well and the birds haven't pecked them off! In years past there would be so many that the plant would be almost stripped of foliage! Then the mosquito spraying at the neighbors and all this stoopid building started!
 
Mike Hill said:
They had all grown to be a pretty good size and now cannot find hide nor hair of them. Hope they are in chrysalis stage and they are hidden very well and the birds haven't pecked them off! In years past there would be so many that the plant would be almost stripped of foliage! Then the mosquito spraying at the neighbors and all this stoopid building started!
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They're probably still there, just camouflaged like you said. Many chrysalis' look like dead leaves, etc. and can very hard to find.
 
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