Weekly Garden Thread - August 17-23, 2019

August 17, 2019 | Diana in Wisconsin/Greeneyes

[MomwithHope]

Your post sounds a lot like me. I dislikes peaches, too tried nectarines for awhile but several years ago I discovered donut or Saturn peaches. They are a Chinese variety. I started seeing them at our farmers market, now they are in grocery stores. They don’t look like much but are a good size for me and are they sweet. Yummy! There is one variety where the skin is more yellow and one more white. I like the whitish skin the best. I also prefer white peaches if I can find them. No fuzz.

[Pollard]

We're loaded up with certain kinds of bugs this year, including the biting kind. My lower legs are a mess due to seed ticks and especially chiggers. In my web research this morning, among many other pages, I ended up with this one on wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_pest-repelling_plants

Plants that can be planted or used fresh to repel pests include:

Plant	Pests
artemisias	repels insects,[2] including ants, cabbage looper, cabbage maggot, carrot fly, codling moth, flea beetles, whiteflies, the Cabbage White, and the Small White, as well as mice[3]
basil	repels flies, including mosquitoes[2][4] the carrot fly, asparagus beetles and whiteflies[3]
borage	repels tomato hornworm and cabbage worms[2]
castor bean	repels moles[3]
catnip	repels ants, flea beetles, aphids, the Japanese beetle, squash bugs, weevils,[2] the Colorado potato beetle, the cabbage looper,[3] and cockroaches.[4] May attract cats.
chamomile	repels flying insects[4]
chives	repels carrot fly, Japanese beetle,[2] and aphids[3]
chrysanthemums	repel roaches, ants, the Japanese beetle, ticks, silverfish, lice, fleas, bedbugs, and root-knot nematodes[2]
citronella grass	repels insects, may deter cats[5]
citrosa	proven not to repel mosquitoes[6]
clovers	repel aphids and wireworms[3]
common lantana	repels mosquitoes[1]
coriander	repels aphids, Colorado potato beetle, and spider mites[3]
cosmos	repel the corn earworm
crown imperial	repel rabbits, mice, moles, voles and ground squirrels[7]
dahlias	repel nematodes[2]
dill	repels aphids, squash bugs, spider mites,[2] the cabbage looper, and the Small White[3]
eucalyptus	repels aphids, the cabbage looper, and the Colorado potato beetle[3]
fennel	repels aphids, slugs, and snails[3]
fever tea	repels mosquitoes[1]
four o'clocks	attract and poison the Japanese beetle[2]
French marigold	repels whiteflies, kills nematodes[2]
garlic	repels root maggots,[2] cabbage looper, Mexican bean beetle, and peach tree borer.
geraniums	repel leafhoppers, the corn earworm, and the Small White[3]
hyssop	repels the cabbage looper and the Small White[3]
larkspurs	repel aphids[3]
lavender	repels moths, scorpions, water scorpions, fleas, and flies, including mosquitoes[4]
leek	repels carrot fly[3]
lemongrass	repels mosquitoes[8]
lemon balm	repels mosquitoes[4]
lemon thyme	repels mosquitoes[4]
lettuce	repels carrot fly[3]
lime basil	repels mosquitoes[1]
Mexican marigold	repels insects and rabbits[2]
myrrh	repels insects[5]
narcissus	repel moles[3]
nasturtiums	repel squash bugs,[2] aphids (though there is conflicting information with some sources stating it attracts aphids),[9] many beetles, and the cabbage looper[3]
onion	repels rabbits, the cabbage looper, and the Small White[3]
oregano	repellent to many pests[3]
parsley	repels asparagus beetles[3]
peppermint	repels aphids, cabbage looper, flea beetles, squash bugs, whiteflies, and the Small White[3]
petunias	repel aphids, tomato hornworm, asparagus beetles, leafhoppers,[2] and squash bugs[3]
pitcher plants	traps and ingests insects
radish	repels cabbage maggot and cucumber beetles[3]
rosemary	repels cabbage looper, carrot fly, cockroaches and mosquitoes[10], slugs, snails, as well as the Mexican bean beetle[3]
rue	repels cucumber and flea beetles
Sarracenia pitcher plants	are especially proficient at trapping yellowjacket wasps
spearmint	repels fleas, moths, ants, beetles, rodents,[4] aphids, squash bugs, and the cabbage looper[3]
spiny amaranth	repels cutworms
stone root	repels mosquitoes[5]
summer savory	repels bean beetles[3]
tansy	repels ants, many beetles and flies, squash bugs, cutworms, Small White, and Cabbage White[3]
thyme	repels cabbage looper, cabbage maggot, corn earworm, whiteflies, tomato hornworm, and Small White
tobacco	repels carrot fly, flea beetles and worms.[3]
tomato	repels asparagus beetles[3]
venus flytrap	ingests insects[4]

There's a few for Japanese Beetles which is the only problem I've had with my peach tree, other than it flowering in mid-April when there's still a good chance for frost around here. Got it from walmart on a whim but I don't imagine they really care of they're selling a plent for the wrong zone.

[Black Agnes]

Whoa, that’s a GREAT link. I’m going to have to bookmark that one so I don’t forget where I saw it :)

[Black Agnes]

That should be fine. I make marmalade of all sorts. Your main ingredient is a VERY acid one so that shouldn’t be an issue as long as you don’t put very many jalapenos in there.

I made something similar one year by putting 2 finely chopped habaneros in a batch of orange marmalade. It was wonderful!

Just be aware that the longer you cook hot peppers the less hot they become.

[Black Agnes]

Ok, I had to troll the search enginesphere looking for recipes for citrus and peppers.

I found this one:

https://www.sidechef.com/recipes/5229/orange_and_pepper_jelly/

It’s got vinegar so sort of a sweet and sour affair. Now I await ripe oranges...

[Qiviut]

Thanks! I’ll keep your info in mind if I make orange jalapeno marmalade.

[Black Agnes]

I realized after I posted that you weren’t the original poster.

Too many irons in the fire today! LOL

[Qiviut]

Not original poster, but I was in on the marmalade/jalapeno topic so your info was very useful to me!

[tubebender]

One Vanilla Bean Ice Cream recipe...
https://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/vanilla-bean-ice-cream/

[DuncanWaring]

I planted some peas that matured and dried out before I got a chance to pick/eat them.

I’ve now picked them, dried and brown, with the intention of planting them again next year.

The question, then, is “Do I need to leave them in the freezer over the winter or outside in the garage to scarify them to get them to sprout next year?”.

[Black Agnes]

I would make sure they are completely dry & then freeze them for a week or 10 days to kill any critters that may have laid eggs in them.

I’ve stored beans in a jar and come back the next year to a jarfull of husks and some mean looking bugs.

[MomwithHope]

That looks good too, thanks for posting. I bookmarked it. Nice photos of the process too.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

My Dad and Sister have problems with citrus; it makes their joints ache. Ouch!

[4everontheRight]

I am currently drying my second batch of ghost peppers. They were abundant this year and I am thrilled. The first batch I dehydrated I am going to grind up and make a powder of them. This second batch I am not sure. I don't have any good recipes I can use them in...I just cut them thinly and use on fajitas and tacos and such. I have to dehydrate on the back porch because we have a little conjure and I am afraid to take the chance on the smell being too strong.

I wish I could use my peppers for a good hot sauce....I don't want to just look for one online and take my chances if that make sense. These peppers are so precious to me that I am afraid to screw up using them!! I wish my other crops would have done as well, zucchini got nowhere but I did do well with the maters! I have painfully saved the seeds from everything so I can always say...next year!

well, good luck to everyone else...we are drawing near to the close for so many of these crops. I do so love fall but hate to see my fav veggie season go by

[Diana in Wisconsin]

This recipe looks do-able. Simple ingredients; they tell you what DIDN’T work, too. ;)

http://aharmonyofflavors.blogspot.com/2015/07/orange-and-jalapeno-marmalade.html

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Re: Canning jars. We are a household of two as well, and I am currently in LOVE with these 24 oz. jars from Ball:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ball-Glass-Mason-Jar-w-Lid-Band-Wide-Mouth-24-Ounces-9-Count/24225404

They make perfect sense for my V-8 Juice and Bloody Mary Mix. They make a nice gift presentation as well, with a fabric topper. Easy Peasy.

For Salsa I like the Kerr 16 oz wide mouth jars:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Kerr-Glass-Mason-Jar-w-Lid-Band-Wide-Mouth-16-Ounces-12-Count/16213404

2-day delivery to my door from Walmart.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

What a great/helpful list! Thanks much! :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I love everything that The Pioneer Woman makes! I haven’t had a bad recipe from her, yet.

I’m sure it’s not to your tastes, but her ‘Black Heels to Tractor Wheels’ book is just hilarious - about her meeting and marrying her cowboy husband.

Mrs. Bender might enjoy it - but she might run off with a Cowboy, LOL!

https://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-Woman-Black-Tractor-Wheels/dp/006199717X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

[MomwithHope]

You might want to try making hot pepper oil. I’ve done it with dried cayenne peppers for years. Just a few drops are good on anything, even when making an omelet. Find a nice pourable bottle, stuff with your dried peppers, sometimes I make toothpick holes to speed up the circulation. Fill the bottle with either canola or sunflower oil. Let it sit outside your fridge a few days, invert as you will. I just leave the peppers in the bottle and stick it in the fridge.

[MomwithHope]

bookmarking thanks!