What's Growing in the Garden

Webb said:
I use turnips in soups but my favorite way is raw dipped in a mustard horseradish dip.
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I've munched on them raw and they are not bad now that the cold weather has taken some of the bite away. These are Gilfeather heirloom turnips and are the state vegetable. According to the university of Vermont they are a rare cross between rudabaga and turnips and are considered a turnip. The flesh is pure white not yellow like a rudabaga. They have a turnip festival in wardsboro Vermont in late October, I've never been but I hear it's a good time. A friend gave me the Gilfeather cookbook that the Wardsboro library publishes as a fundraiser . It's almost 200 pages and is has a huge variety of recipes including appetizers, soups , breads and desserts.
 
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I’ve never seen this. Apparently our cold snap, low 40’s , in late September reset my cherry trees. Most of the leaves were already gone.
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We haven't had anything blooming off cycle, but I've seen many on FB mention it in various groups. October has been weird. No frost yet, and none predicted for at least the next week. Temps in mid 70's every day, and no rain. Annual flowers that I've watered look the best they have all year.
 
Haven't seen any woodies reblooming, but today noticed that perennial phlox have more sprouts up and are blooming. Saw a bunch of orange around mostly dead pumpkins and they have new growth and are blooming like crazy.

Obviously, still haven't had a killing frost. Might get one this Friday, a good two weeks later than normal.
 
trc65 said:
Haven't seen any woodies reblooming, but today noticed that perennial phlox have more sprouts up and are blooming. Saw a bunch of orange around mostly dead pumpkins and they have new growth and are blooming like crazy.

Obviously, still haven't had a killing frost. Might get one this Friday, a good two weeks later than normal.
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Drove by a patch of forsythia in bloom yesterday.
 
I kind of forgot about my beans again after posting my most recent picking. I got an automated freeze advisory phone call after midnight reminding me to pick everything that's left. County sends out alerts for tornados and thunderstorms, now freezing weather. But at midnight? Call woke me up.

Anyway, the beans had matured past their prime fresh eating period and I was left with a bucket of big beans. The silly question I have is, could I can them and just use them in dishes requiring extended cooking periods such as soups? Would that make them tender? Or would I just be wasting my time?

Some in the bucket are fresh and will be canned as normal.
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djg said:
I kind of forgot about my beans again after posting my most recent picking. I got an automated freeze advisory phone call after midnight reminding me to pick everything that's left. County sends out alerts for tornados and thunderstorms, now freezing weather. But at midnight? Call woke me up.

Anyway, the beans had matured past their prime fresh eating period and I was left with a bucket of big beans. The silly question I have is, could I can them and just use them in dishes requiring extended cooking periods such as soups? Would that make them tender? Or would I just be wasting my time?

Some in the bucket are fresh and will be canned as normal.
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I like dilly beans made from slightly over mature beans.
 
djg said:
I kind of forgot about my beans again after posting my most recent picking. I got an automated freeze advisory phone call after midnight reminding me to pick everything that's left. County sends out alerts for tornados and thunderstorms, now freezing weather. But at midnight? Call woke me up.

Anyway, the beans had matured past their prime fresh eating period and I was left with a bucket of big beans. The silly question I have is, could I can them and just use them in dishes requiring extended cooking periods such as soups? Would that make them tender? Or would I just be wasting my time?

Some in the bucket are fresh and will be canned as normal.
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They'll be fine for canning, Dad always liked beans that were a little over. Reminds me too, got grab some lima beans if I get home before dark. Sitting in Walgreens waiting to pick up prescription for mom. Right now a enraging almost 15 minutes per car :scare3:
 
Dark by the time we got home. Sat in Walgreens pickup line for 50 minutes with only 7 cars ahead of us.

I'll check the limas tomorrow and see if they froze, being up in the air may spare some of them depending how cold it gets. Still have to pick and pickle the beets, but they will be fine even if tops freeze.
 
trc65 said:
Dark by the time we got home. Sat in Walgreens pickup line for 50 minutes with only 7 cars ahead of us.

I'll check the limas tomorrow and see if they froze, being up in the air may spare some of them depending how cold it gets. Still have to pick and pickle the beets, but they will be fine even if tops freeze.
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Sat in an auto pick up pharmacy line a couple of weeks ago for the first time, and it took seemingly way too much time, like 5 minutes per car, at least (and I was about 4 back). Yesterday I needed to pick up an identical prescription, and noticed the drive thru line was about the same length, but this time I went inside the store, walked right up to the counter, and was waited upon immediately. I have to draw a broad conclusion from this experience, and that is, we Americans have been conditioned to use drive thrus when we can (for whatever reason), thus avoiding the need to walk into a store (particularly fast food), even when a transaction may take more time. There are certainly times when a drive thru is a better (or only) option, even if it is not cost effective in terms of time, but perhaps it is time to put the option of walking into a store back on the table as a reasonable option, all other things being equal. End of rant! Chuck
 
Nature Man said:
Sat in an auto pick up pharmacy line a couple of weeks ago for the first time, and it took seemingly way too much time, like 5 minutes per car, at least (and I was about 4 back). Yesterday I needed to pick up an identical prescription, and noticed the drive thru line was about the same length, but this time I went inside the store, walked right up to the counter, and was waited upon immediately. I have to draw a broad conclusion from this experience, and that is, we Americans have been conditioned to use drive thrus when we can (for whatever reason), thus avoiding the need to walk into a store (particularly fast food), even when a transaction may take more time. There are certainly times when a drive thru is a better (or only) option, even if it is not cost effective in terms of time, but perhaps it is time to put the option of walking into a store back on the table as a reasonable option, all other things being equal. End of rant! Chuck
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At this store, you can see the line inside from the window and just as many people waiting there, without anywhere to sit.

The problem is staffing. They don't have enough pharmacy techs, and no full time pharmacist. The pharmacists rotate among several different stores and there may be a different pharmacist several days a week which disrupts routine and slows things down, at least according to the techs I've talked with.
 
Having owned a pharmacy and been on the other side of the counter, you have no idea of what crap the staff is putting up with. Insurance issues slow a lot of things up and it’s true that many stores are understaffed since staffing is based on the average number of scripts per day. Another issue is the TIME of day you went and it’s probably the biggest reason for your wait. People don’t want to be there because they are spending money they don’t want to and many are sick.

Techs are hard to hire and their average wage is low and they’ll get experience at your store and then leave for another dollar an hour. They can work at fast food and make more quite often.

It ain’t fun standing for a 12 hour shift and eating while working. I’ve been spat on, held up with a pistol held to my head, dealt with break ins, and junkies with fake prescriptions. Try telling Mrs Jones you won’t fill her nerve pills (Xaxax) early and see how nice the little old lady becomes. And people get pissed off when they see you leave the pharmacy to take a bathroom break when they are waiting on their prescription.

Not every prescription is perfect. The line gets interrupted because the doctor failed to notice Betty has an allergy to penicillin and he prescribed Augmentin or there is a major drug interaction and the pharmacist has to call the doctor to get the script changed. And heaven forbid you didn’t see Doc Jones last month and get a new prescription for your blood pressure and diabetes meds. Have you ever had a script sent in but it wasn’t filled and waiting on you because something was wrong?

When was the last time you really got a good counseling on a new med instead of “sign this”?

The problem isn’t they don’t have a full time pharmacist. I’ve did rotation work after I graduated. The same techs are always there. The chains use the same computer program at all their stores. The rotating pharmacist have most likely been to that store more than a few times. The issue is because of the a$$holes and $h!t that comes with the job and that’s why I went into hospital pharmacy.

If you want better service, find a good independent pharmacy. The owner working behind that counter does care because without you, he doesn’t get paid like the chains do. Ohhh, he probably takes your insurance too just like the chains.

Yes, you did strike a cord.
 
Thanks for the reply and sharing your experience. It's easy to blame individuals when it's the system causing problems. It helps when you get the facts from the other side of the equation.

As a consumer it is frustrating and easy to forget that those across the counter are dealing with things out of their control and are doing the best humanly possible.

We are in a rural area 30 minutes from the nearest hospital (and pharmacies)in a town of 32,000 people. There are no independent pharmacies. We have Walgreens, Walmart and a CVS pharmacy at the Target store. Talking with others, wait times are similar among all.

Had a visit with the Nephrologist for Mom last week, and wants to follow up in a couple weeks - can't do that, next available appt is 7 weeks out.

After a shoulder injury Mom had in August, no PT available (private or with hospital) for two months, unless we are willing to drive 90minutes each way for therapy. ER is crowded with people who can't get appt with their doctor, or don't have insurance.

In spite of venting frustration here, always try to be as polite and friendly as possible when dealing with all of the above mentioned providers. I do realize the issues are beyond their individual control and it does no one any good to act in a nasty manner. Try to end every interaction with a smile and a thank you.

Have witnessed first hand others berating providers, cringe when I see it and 'apologize' for others' behavior when it's my turn at the front of the line.
 
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