Today's Pickings

[Meadowlark]

First...but not last Whopper of 2020... 1 lbs 13 ounces.

 

[Meadowlark]

Green beans and new potatoes...is there anything better?

I've planted the last of the bush beans in my gardening...from now on its pole beans for me. So easy to harvest, great tasting (better than my bush beans), and very productive The above basket is the third picking with each basket providing 10 plus canned jars and huge pots of fresh green beans and new potatoes.

 

[Logan]

They look great @Meadowlark
I used to grow runner beans in containers because haven't got room in the ground and can protect them from slugs and snails better, but was getting too much to do but i liked the fresh beans.

 

[Meadowlark]

Are runner beans the same as pole beans...just different support?

 

[Logan]

Are runner beans the same as pole beans...just different support?

I think that they're the same,do pole beans climb ? runner beans do.

 

[Meadowlark]

Oh yes they climb whatever they get next to.

 

[Logan]

Oh yes they climb whatever they get next to.

I googled it and they are the same just a different name.

 

[karstopography]

Runner beans versus pole beans. North versus South, sort of, runner beans like cooler weather and climb clockwise. Pole beans like it warmer and climb counterclockwise. Runner beans more popular in England, pole beans rule in America.

Growing beans: pole versus runner

Growing beans is easy, but there are many different types to grow. In this article, we compare pole beans to runner beans. Do you have a favourite?

savvygardening.com

 

[karstopography]

Busy in the garden today. Picked the Pineapple tomato this morning along with some other varieties like the Mortgage Lifter.

Later, I picked a pound of hot chilis, Super, Serrano and Cayenne to make a Thai inspired hot sauce.

 

[karstopography]

Lots of produce today, tomatoes piling up around here,

 

[Meadowlark]

Lots of produce today, tomatoes piling up around here,

Some canning in your future?

 

[karstopography]

Trying to decide. I promised my uncle and his neighbor some fresh tomatoes. I may pick up a few more canning jars just in case.

 

[karstopography]

Some canning in your future?

Do you have a favorite recipe or way preserving, canning tomatoes?

 

[Meadowlark]

Yes, we use the water bath canning method and have for many years. Never had a problem with it. We use the jars contents in about a year going from harvest to harvest and for that span of time, the home canned are very close to garden fresh in taste.

Its almost impossible to use them all fresh if you have a good stand of tomatoes. Canning is a way to extend that harvest safely and efficiently. We try to can about 30 jars which does the harvest to harvest for two of us. We use them in soups, sauces, chili, pizza, etc. etc. and get that garden fresh taste all year long.

 

[karstopography]

Good, thanks for the great information. I might at some point go the canning route for tomatoes. I did read about freezing ripe tomatoes whole and it is supposed to end up like whole peeled tomatoes, easy to peel once thawed and good for the same things canned whole tomatoes are used for. May trial a few that way and see what they end up like once frozen then thawed. I‘ve got a decent amount of freezer space and it would be a whole lot less work and mess than the canning route.