Weekly Garden Thread October 22-28, 2022 (The Wonderful World of Gourds Edition)

October 22, 2022 | Diana in WI/Greeneyes in Memoriam

[Qiviut]

Pete is correct .... LOL! Part of ‘my’ problem is I didn’t bookmark last week’s current thread - I have rectified that problem.

October is going by so fast, I guess I haven’t kept up, so being a week in the past ... I sort of like it, but then that’s not reality ... oh well :-)

It’s 10:00 & I’m headed outside ... weather is a bit ‘misty’ (heavy fog in the area this morning). The tree guys are here taking down 4 huge pines ... the chunks hitting the ground are so large, we hear the ‘thud’ & the ground shakes. Fortunately, none of the trees are near the garden!

Boo boo is badly bruised/sore this morning, but the bleeding stopped after a couple of hours, so that’s progress ... I really got myself good.

Posting on the correct thread!

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Chuck! Contact your local brewpub...(Mineral Point?) If they are not using malt extract, maybe they could provide you with some spent barley mash to feed to Chuck to “marble” him up and provide you with some high quality fertilizer! (Happy Cow Fertilizer!)

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Ouch! Glad you knee is feeling better!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Smart idea. I’ll ask my beef-raising neighbor what he thinks and if he’s ever fed that to his steers. (Chuck is a culled dairy Holstein/Angus beef cross.)

Had to go to town today (20 miles round trip) to tun some errands and I saw 24+ turkey hens, strolling along the road like they OWNED it. No turkey shortage here, if you want to hunt your own for the Thanksgiving Table. :)

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

If hes raising a herd he would have to go to Monroe or New Glarus for his mash!

[Qiviut]

So .... the stainless steel ‘zip ties’ ....

They are a little tricky. No problem getting them on & I can hand tighten. They differ from regular zip ties because you can’t just pull on the end & have it tighten/hold because it is smooth, not ridged like a plastic zip tie. I am having to use adjustable pliers to grip the end to pull & I have to use a screwdriver tip to push against the locking mechanism. Because the ‘zip’ is smooth, it will loosen slightly, but won’t back out.

So to get around the tendency to loosen very slightly, while still gripping with the adjustable pliers, I just pull up, bending the ‘end’ slightly.

Next issue & to me, this is the big one. I am having to use tin snips to cut off the extra length after tightening. What is left is like a razor blade it’s so sharp. I just know I am going to cut myself handling the fencing panels. To remedy this, I am going to get weatherproof tape & wrap each zip tie ... I’ll just keep bending the extra back over the tie, then wrap with tape.

If this sounds like a lot of trouble, it really isn’t - I’ve got the process down. After picking up brittle, broken plastic zip ties all over the garden & having to repair them on my fencing panels every spring/fall, these stainless ones should last a LONG time, even more so with being taped.

This weekend, I’ll try to post some pics.

[Qiviut]

“No problem getting them on & I can hand tighten.”

+++++++++++++++++++++

This might be confusing ... I can hand tighten to a point, but to get them really tight, it takes the adjustable pliers/screw driver.

[Qiviut]

I just lucked on this ...’perfect’ for the “The Wonderful World of Gourds Edition”. You folks have GOT to see these carved gourds .... some people are just SO talented - the gourds are absolutely gorgeous! If you click on the pics, you can see a larger version & more of the carving detail.

https://www.marilynsunderlandstudios.com/gallery/

https://www.marilynsunderlandstudios.com/gallery/western-gourds/

[FamiliarFace]

Those are beautiful! What talent!

[mad_as_he$$]

Are you using the ones made by zoos?

If so they make a tensioning tool that doesn’t leave a sharp edge:

https://www.amazon.com/IWISS-Stainless-Tightener-Tensioning-Functional/dp/B08MQB74XN/ref=pd_bxgy_img_sccl_1/139-9567750-6267966?pd_rd_w=TGFyk&content-id=amzn1.sym.7757a8b5-874e-4a67-9d85-54ed32f01737&pf_rd_p=7757a8b5-874e-4a67-9d85-54ed32f01737&pf_rd_r=MZTEFZTHVJCX9VXJP09J&pd_rd_wg=tnoah&pd_rd_r=c6e35219-61a8-482f-a46d-b2be0545734a&pd_rd_i=B08MQB74XN&psc=1

Please consider getting one. A trip to the ER is way more expensive!

[left that other site]

Oooo....those ARE nice! :-)

Thanks for the links.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Thanks!

[Sacajaweau]

sooooo impressive

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Couldn't ask for a better Fall Forecast. Above normal temps for us, and dry weather for a good stretch. Looks like I can get lots of leaf raking in to mulch raised beds, fall bulbs planted and my late crop of Sugar Snap Peas are loving this, as are lettuces and spinach, in the greenhouse and outside in 5-gallon pots. Deck staining is almost done, but this gives us time to goof off on that odious chore, some. Oh, we'll pay for this weather later, but I'll take it now!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Nothing to do with Gourds, but we did apples a few weeks back, and I plan on making these today with all apple components coming from my own home-grown apples. :)

Diana’s Apple Cider Oatmeal Muffins

2 cups oatmeal (dry)
2 cups Apple Cider (or Apple Juice)
1 Cup Apple Sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Baking Soda
2 Cups flour
1 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice/Cake Spice

Soak oatmeal in cider for about 15 minutes. Add Apple Sauce and combine. Combine all dry ingredients and sift/stir together to blend. Add wet ingredients to dry. Stir just to combine, a few lumps are OK. Grease or spray muffin tins; cupcake liners don’t work well with this recipe. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes until lightly browned. Makes 18 muffins.

[Qiviut]

Thanks - I saw that, but I’m not spending $35 for it - I’m on a tight budget for the fence. I think the zips are ZOOs.

[Qiviut]

I saw your ER comment after the link & after I posted to you .... nope, no ER for me. I had that experience in March (knee). I think I have a work around for the sharp edges. The ties are not sharp until you cut them so ..... couple of ideas to deal with the edge or perhaps not cutting at all. I’ll get it figured out .... that’s part of the “fun” of these projects!

[metmom]

I am so grateful for this weather.

It keeps the heating bills down and gives us enough time to batten everything down for the winter. Will make spring much easier to deal with.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

RE: Muffin Recipe

Meant to add that since there is no sugar in these (other than natural sugars from the apples) feel free to slather them with Apple Butter when you eat them. :)

Also, a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar on top is a nice touch. They really don’t ‘brown’ all that much due to a lack of sugar in the recipe.

I only have one muffin tin, so the second batch of six are baking right now. :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

My feelings, exactly. Thermo is set to 65 and it has not been kicking in, other than just a bit in the wee hours, which takes the chill off the house and makes getting out of bed nicer. ;)

I have two down comforters stashed under the bed. They are coming out for some airing on the line in the Fall Sunshine sometime this week-end.

For a change, I don’t have a litter of laundry-stealing puppies running around the yard. Next Spring I’ve been told we may have a batch, if our Taylor gets bred to some up and coming local Walker Dog stud she and Beau met during Bear Camp. ;)

Best part of my job here on the farm, actually: Raising the puppies. :)