The month of September brings more harvesting and building. This blog has been started on September 20, 2016. It should have been started years ago but the thought just didn't strike me that I should have a blog specifically tagged to Terra Nova Gardens. So it has begun and ever forward the progress in Terra Nova Gardens will be documented. Monday, September 19, 2016
I know this is a day before the blog was started but I wanted to document some things that were accomplished on that day.
The first thing on the list was to move the fermenting bags of yard waste grass to the back of the property on the strip outside the fence. Twenty some bags of grass were moved and emptied back behind the carpet to turn into mucky green manure and then compost. Eventually berries will be planted back there but not for a few more years to get the main garden area developed.
Next thing on the list was weeding the strawberry bed. It was a hot sweaty day and I only lasted a couple hours during the mid day time I had to garden. Who knew that at the end of September it would still be pumping out 90 degree days with tons of humidity. I just couldn't make any longer than two hours. Even at that I had to really push myself to get any thing done.
Today I'm planning on another visit to the garden but during the evening sundown hours. The garden is in full shade by about 4pm. So I will have some relief from the direct sun heat. However the temp is 88 with 62% humidity making it feel like 97 degrees. If this is how Fall going to be, then I'll have a lot of garden time left.
The only thing that's producing now is tomatoes. They are still chunking out a basket full every few days. The potatoes haven't been pulled up yet but there's no hurry for them as they will keep in the ground.
Tuesday, September 20
I've started the task of weeding all the beds in the entrance section. Two hours were spent pulling weeds along the front road fence chicken wire fence. The strawberries are behind this fence. Tall grass sprouts had grown up through the fence. Between removing the grass on the outside of the fence and weeding the bed inside the fence three full buckets of grass were piled on the compost pile.
I've discovered that when weeds grow up through the carpet, just pull it up and turn it over. Weedy side down and very clean nice side up. It kills the weeds and allows them to compost back into the soil. The carpet between the bed with green peppers and the one with tomatoes was turned over.
The green peppers didn't produce one pepper this year. I researched the wrinkly leaf issue and found that it's a calcium issue. Next year I will have to put calcium in the soil and see if that helps. The green peppers were pulled up and dumped on the compost pile. Small blooms were just starting to form. The green peppers were a total bust this year.
Once the green pepper plants were pulled, the bed was hula hoed and raked smooth. The hula hoe is the best thing ever. I'm not sure where it came from but it had a broken handle that had to be replaced. Since inheriting it from some one, I've not used my regular hoe once. It just does such a great job of cutting plant roots off and stirring up the soil. Then a garden rake across the soil gives the bed a smooth surface and pulls out any weeds that have had their roots severed. The hula hoe had been my main tool for bed to hoe weeds out of garden beds.
Friday, September 23
As I look back on the year that started in March, I can see some great accomplishments. I can also see some great needs. Weeds continue to be the biggest problem. Having brick pathways in the main garden will really be a great deterrent for weeds. I've learned in other parts of the garden that are carpet covered just to turn the carpet over when weeds start growing up through the carpet.
Friday, September 25
TOMATO SOUP
6 onions, chopped
1 bunch celery, chopped
8 quarts fresh tomatoes (or 5-6 quarts of juice) *I coarsely chop mine in quarters leaving the stems on them since I’m putting them through a food mill.
1 cup sugar (I find this is too much and I use less usually 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup salt (I usually add 2 T and then taste before I add more)
1 cup butter
1 cup flour
1/4 cup lemon juice
Directions
1. Chop onion& celery. Place in large kettle w/ just enough water to keep them from burning. While this simmers, cut tomatoes (remove stems if not using strainer).
2. Add tomatoes to kettle & cook until tender.
3. When tender put through Victorio or Squeezo (or similar food mill) strainer. (reserve 2 cups for mixing with butter/flour)
4. Return to kettle, add lemon juice, sugar & salt.
5. Cream butter and flour together& mix thoroughly with two cups of reserved juice (chill so it’s cold), until dissolved (or blend together in a blender), to avoid lumps of flour in the juice. Add butter/flour mixture to warmed tomato juice. (Add before it’s hot, to avoid lumps of flour!). Stir well.
6. Heat just until hot. (If it gets to a boil, it can make the flour lumpy). Just prior to boiling, turn off the burner. (It will continue to thicken as it cools.).
7. Ladle into hot jars with 1/4 headspace, close securely with lids.
8. Put in canner & process 30 minutes (start timing when it’s at a ‘rolling’ boil).
9. Remove from canner & allow to set until sealed (approx. 12 hours)
To serve, mix equal parts tomato concentrate to milk (or water or chicken stock), and add 1/2 t. of baking soda per pint as it cooks (1 t. per quart) if using milk, this keeps the milk from curdling. I actually prefer to add chicken stock to mine instead of milk, I also omit the baking soda when using stock or water. I serve with a sprinkle of freshly grated romano cheese, a sprinkle of cayenne and a little freshly ground black pepper.
Tuesday, September 27
Another some what productive day at Terra Nova Gardens. I mowed Warren's lot and took the bags of grass out to the garden. While I was there I cleanup the weeds around the tomato bed and piled them up at the end of the green pepper bed. The weeds are more out of control than I thought. The caged tomatoes had fallen down and were laying on the ground so I decided just to take them out. The weather is definitely in the Fall mode now with night dipping into the 40s. It will not promote the ripening of any more tomatoes. In another week I will be removing the tomatoes that are left. Next year I'm going back to Rutgers. The hybrid tomatoes just aren't as good in my opinion. I haven't made the tomato soup yet but will be trying to make it today. I hope to get a few quarts for the Winter.
There were a few more tomatoes and some onions that I'll use in the soup that were harvested in the process of cleaning up the area around the tomatoes.
Thursday, September 29
The day was very productive. I think I've figured out a way to get garden time back in the morning. If I take Bradley to school and leave from there to the garden I can get a half hour of time before calling Dot. Then I can get another hour before walking Bailey. So on the days that I don't have commitments in the morning I can get 1 1/2 hours of garden time. This morning it was enoug to get one pathway and a bed cleaned up from an enormous amount of weeds. The next work day will get the last pathway in the formal garden area and the bed along the fence by the driveway cleaned up.
More tomatoes have been brought home. I've canned four quarts of Susy Morris' tomato soup.
One batch of tomato soup gave me four quarts and part of another. One of the quarts cracked so I'll have to either process it again or just eat it.
Thursday, October 6
Rain this week has prevented any garden work.
