Moolie - Happy Thanksgiving :)

[Wannabefree]

COOL! I move my "office" off of the other seat cushion where I sit on the loveseat at my computer talking to you guys when we have company OR I make them sit with DH Depends on who it is

 

[moolie]

Super tired this morning due to the thunderstorms that kept rolling through last night--crazy rain and (at times golf-ball sized) hail, plus a tornado touched down just southeast of us.

I would just get to sleep and then I'd be awakened by another huge boom. Kids slept like rocks, but hubs and I can't sleep with our window closed so I think it was louder in our room.

Fortunately I haven't planted out the tomatoes yet--all of the trays have been spending the nights on our patio table under a lowered umbrella, so they are ok. And all the seeded crops like carrots, beets, radishes and lettuce are still small enough that I don't think they got hurt much. But my pumpkin and turnip start look a little flattened from my viewpoint through my kitchen window--I'll have to go out after the school run and take a good look. Everything is sure waterlogged, hope my recently seeded corn, green and wax beans aren't drowning.

The hoop house looks to have come through very nicely despite the strong winds and big hail, so that's a good thing

But people all over the southern part of the province, and down into Montana, will really be cleaning up--especially those near Taber AB who were hit by the tornado.

 

[BarredBuff]

I know all about crazy weather Our seasons are usually extremes, hot, humid summers, and usually cold, wet winters,

 

[moolie]

Same here with the crazy weather--June is usually our "rainy season" month, sometimes it also encompasses May and July. June through mid-August is thunderstorm season, and we can get some doozy hailstorms. All the roofs in my neighborhood are about 10 years old due to one hailstorm that wreaked havoc. We get lots of wind here too, daily in addition to the storms.

Summers get up into the high 20s/low 30s Celcius (80-90F) which doesn't feel hot unless we get a still night because it is so arid/dry here. Winters can get quite cold, down into the low -20sC/- teens F and down as far as -40C (same for both C and F). This past winter was absolutely lovely, we only got down into the -20sC a few times and only for a week or so each time. Typical for this winter was around -10 to -15C (14F to 5F), and practically no snow which had the farmers worried until it started raining.

Just went out to check on the gardens and everything came through with flying colours! The larger pumpkin and turnip starts did get a little flattened, but I think they'll bounce back. All of the other seeded crops are still too small to feel any damage, and my corn and beans haven't appeared yet (planted last week).

Tomatoes, bell peppers, and cardoon plus some flowers under the patio table umbrella:

Garden with corn, beans, peas, radishes, turnips, pumpkins:

Rhubarb between garden above and house, got a little hail damage but really nothing to speak of:

Hoop greenhouse came through the storm nicely (still need to get the door on, been too rainy):

Main part of garden, everything is up except for the blank squares where the tomatoes will go:

Lettuce

Romaine

Beets in center, surrounded by squares of carrots & onions

 

[Denim Deb]

Glad we don't get weather like that around here!

 

[moolie]

Hubs just came in after putting up the hoop house door:

We bought it used from the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store for $40. It's been waiting in the garage since we bought it because it's been raining pretty much every day since then. Today was sunny and warm but the forecast is for rain for the rest of the week/weekend, so we had to do it today if we are going to plant anything in there this weekend.

Can't wait to get the tomatoes, peppers, and 3 tiny celery plants out of their pots and into some real soil! We'll plant the rest of the tomatoes into the outdoor raised beds when we get the chance/break in the weather next week.

 

[SSDreamin]

Looks great!

 

[moolie]

Just came in from working in the garden, so nice to get out there after all the recent rain--the kids mowed the lawn, it was finally dry enough after a day of light wind and sun for me to get my tomatoes in the ground, and hubs finished the raised beds for inside the hoophouse and had just got started shoveling the compost in before the mosquitoes got really bad and we came in.

Everything in the 4 main beds is looking great now, and in the two side garden beds the corn and beans have all sprouted

We've tried corn twice in the past and it never really amounted to anything because of our short season, so I'm really really really hoping that this Floriani Red Flint actually results in at least a few ears that we can dry and make into cornbread

I read about Floriani in Mother Earth News last summer and was really intrigued, then I was able to find some from a Canadian supplier: www.heritageharvestseed.com

An Italian red flint corn obtained from the Floriani family in Italy by William Rubel. This exceptional variety has been grown in the Italian Alps by farmers for generations and selected for earliness, great taste when ground into cornmeal and productiveness. A much sought after heirloom that I am very happy to offer to my customers! (100 days to maturity)

 

[moolie]

I am just so excited about this corn, it's about 3" tall today

I'm really hoping it has a good season. Everything else is coming along swimingly and we'll be having salads with home grown lettuce and radishes very soon! All the thunderstorms are watering my gardens nicely so I haven't had to water in ages, except in the hoop house which was a little dry today.

 

[moolie]

So I picked a ton of rhubarb yesterday, washed it and cut it up, and got it all into the freezer for future jams, pies, and muffins/loaves. We have kind of a "Franken-rhubarb" that produces well into August, so the next picking will probably get shared with friends.

For an idea of scale, most of these pieces are about 18" long

I hit the Farmer's Market on Thursday morning and picked up a 25lb case of organic Roma canning tomatoes in addition to my usual free range eggs, local cheese, pastured bison, veggies & fruit. Got them all canned up yesterday and everything sealed so I'm a happy camper--a combo of 2 quarts and 10 oz pasta sauce jars (11 in the photo because I just put one jar in the fridge because we'll be using it soon--no point wasting a canning lid!

I fill up my canner and get it heating while I wash and prepare the tomatoes

I cut the tomatoes into quarters the long way and add them in layers, crushing them down as I go

Once I have a pot of sauce, I run it through my tomato mill

Then I keep the sauce hot while I get all of my jars, lids, and rings ready to go

I ladle it into jars, pop on lids and rings, and then it's into the canner

Just to show my cool glass lids

The 11 jars I canned, there's one extra jar that went right into the fridge with a plastic lid because I'll be using it right away