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WR's 2015 Spring Garden

w_r_ranch

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Bud, those are 'French Marigolds', which are used to repel/suppress root knot nematodes. Varieties such as 'Nemagold', 'Petite Blanc', 'Queen Sophia' & 'Tangerine' are the most effective. In theory, they exudes a potent substance (thiophene) in their roots & leaves. Aphids /White flies also hate the smell of the Marigold & they are particularly beneficial to tomatoes, squash, eggplant, broccoli, potatoes & peppers (but don’t plant them with beans).

 

w_r_ranch

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Picked another tub of tomatoes & roasted them (3 roaster pans total). The 'tomato meat' will be vacuum packed & frozen for later use.

Pick some poblano peppers for supper.
 

w_r_ranch

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Yesterday I made another batch of jalapeno sauce, but I left the seeds in this time as I want more heat, however this batch turned out 'nosebleed hot'. So today I made another batch (without seeds) ) & blended it with yesterday's. I then ran it thru the strainer to remove all the seeds that were in yesterday's batch & will bottle it all up tomorrow. It now has really good heat, which will mellow somewhat as it ages.



 

w_r_ranch

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Harvested 7 more spaghetti squash for Mrs. Ranch to process.

Continued cleaning the garden... puled up most of the green beans, the rest of the corn stalks & some of the tomatoes. Little by little...

Picked the first 'Ogen' melon.
 
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w_r_ranch

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Picked 2 more 'Ogen' melons. For those of you that have never heard of it, you really need to try & locate one... They are sweet & creamy in texture!!!

This melon cultivar is named after 'Ogen' Kibbutz in Israel which developed it. The Ogen Kibbutz has developed several unique melon cultivars, selling the melons along with their seeds in Israel & exporting the seeds to the rest of the world to help support the Kibbutz.

Ogen_Melons_070915.jpg

And the honeydews are getting close too...
 

w_r_ranch

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Picked 15 more jalapenos, which will be stuffed & served as a side dish with tonight's supper.

Also pulled the first honeydew melon. We'll cut it for breakfast tomorrow (picture to follow).
 

Mike

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Picked 15 more jalapenos, which will be stuffed & served as a side dish with tonight's supper.

Also pulled the first honeydew melon. We'll cut it for breakfast tomorrow (picture to follow).
Got a good recipe for stuffed peppers? I've got several giant jalapenos that are ready for the picking.
 

w_r_ranch

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2 kinds, each is different.... There is the quick way, which we do in the oven. You simply cut them in half lengthwise, seed them, fill with you favorite cheese & top with a piece of bacon. I like using 'jalapeno jack cheese for the extra flavor, although I use whatever I have on hand at the time.

Then there are the ones I do on the smoker & they are much heartier (these are my favorite). They can be done on a grill also, however you need to babysit them.

WRR's Stuffed Jalapenos
 

w_r_ranch

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After watering everything this morning, I harvested some cucumbers, spaghetti squash & a couple more 'Ogen' melons (Mrs. Ranch & the dogs have already eaten the smaller one, LOL!!!). It's hard to believe that the 'Sweet Success' cucumbers are still producing... it is an amazing cultivar!!! The spaghetti squash are almost done, there are 3 left to ripen & then I can rip them out.

Harvest_071315.jpg
 
E

ErnieCopp

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Sam,
What method do you use to decide when they are ripe enough? Maybe because of the daily drip irrigation, but my stems never shriveled last year.

Ernie
 

w_r_ranch

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Ernie, I stop watering the melon patch the first of July & 'pray' it doesn't rain, to help concentrate the sugar/flavor in all the melons.

As far as telling when a watermelon is ripe, I look for 3 different 'signs' to judge if it's ready:
  • If this 'tendril' closest to the melon is brown & dried, odds are the melon is as ripe as it’s going to get.
  • The under side of the watermelon (where it lays on the ground) turns from white to a buttery yellow.
  • The 'thump test' is also done. A ripe melon should have a nice deep sound, similar to a drum.
 
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ErnieCopp

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Sam,
I may try turning the water off, as i can do that without worrying about any rain. I use the tendril, and the bottom color, and have people thump them, but i did let a couple go too long, as well as picked a couple too soon. Sitll had plenty, of course, but hate to waste any of them.

Thanks,
Ernie
 

w_r_ranch

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We have a lot of them too. As long as we have some for our enjoyment, we don't mind giving them away to others... usually I call the mail lady & she gives them to the older people on her route that can't garden any more or don't get out much. We try our best to let nothing go to waste.
 
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ErnieCopp

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Sam,

I wish i had neighbors that wanted them, like they did in Idaho, but i have givern produce to my meighbors here, and they thank me. And i have told them they are welcome to come get more, but none of them have shown up, so it is embarrassing to just keep taking them stuff, without more show of interest. All nice friendly people, but just seem to prefer what they buy in the markets.

Ernie
 
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