• Join Home Gardening Forum

WR's 2017 Spring Garden

w_r_ranch

Master Gardener
Administrator
Moderator
Plus Member
Messages
6,449
Location
South Central Texas
Planting Zone
8b
Mr. Ranch, I'm really interested in how you process the soybeans and how you eat them. I hope you post a step by step for those of us who have never tried them.

Preparing them is simple... just throw the pods in boiling, salted water for 5 minutes & then into ice water to cool them down. You can eat edamame hot or cold. To eat edamame which is still in the pod, bring the pod to your lips, then squeeze or bite the beans will pop into your mouth... discard the pod & grab another.

Today I will harvest more & hull them prior to freezing/vacuum packing. Hulled edamame is great for adding to green salads, making edamame salads, or adding to rice dishes. We now have 10 - 8 ounce bags in the freezer.

 
Last edited:

w_r_ranch

Master Gardener
Administrator
Moderator
Plus Member
Messages
6,449
Location
South Central Texas
Planting Zone
8b
Harvested tomatoes for canning. Got 9 quarts, not a bad start, given that 95% of them are still green.

Tomato_Harvest_061017.jpg

Canned_Tomatoes_061017.jpg

Also harvested another big bowl of green beans (we'll process them tomorrow).

Green_Bean_Harvest_061017.jpg
 
K

ksk

Guest
What is your process for canning the tomatoes? Thank you...
 

w_r_ranch

Master Gardener
Administrator
Moderator
Plus Member
Messages
6,449
Location
South Central Texas
Planting Zone
8b
Harvested another 5 lbs of green beans, 6 cucumbers, 5 lbs of tomatillos/tomatoes & some peppers for our mail lady.

Then picked 14 more jalapenos for stuff japs to go along with of beef fajitas that will be served for supper tonight.

When we got a break in the rain, I ran out to pick more jalapenos so I can make a batch of 'Holy Jalapeno Sauce'. Bear in mind, this is a 15" bowl to give you a perspective of the size of the peppers this year.

 
Last edited:

w_r_ranch

Master Gardener
Administrator
Moderator
Plus Member
Messages
6,449
Location
South Central Texas
Planting Zone
8b
Harvested more jalapenos for supper tonight (and no, I never get tired of stuffed japs).

The 2nd wave of eggplant is maturing, so I harvested a 5 gallon bucket full. These were prepped & put in the dehydrator for later use. We'll vacuum pack them upon completion.

Then I picked another tub of tomatoes. Tomorrow we'll start roasting the 'Health Kick' romas for spaghetti sauce & then can the 'Heatmasters'. You Texas boys really need to try these 'Heatmaster' tomatoes, the flavor is fantastic!!!

Tomato_Harvest_061717.jpg
 

w_r_ranch

Master Gardener
Administrator
Moderator
Plus Member
Messages
6,449
Location
South Central Texas
Planting Zone
8b
Harvested about 4 gallons of green beans, another tub of tomatoes & 4 more cucumbers. Most will be given to our friends...

Harvest_061917.jpg
 

w_r_ranch

Master Gardener
Administrator
Moderator
Plus Member
Messages
6,449
Location
South Central Texas
Planting Zone
8b
A couple of days ago, I harvested half the soybeans. This morning I did the rest of the soybeans, pulling up the plants as I went. Then processed & vacuum packed/froze them.

Harvested another 2 tubs of tomatoes, green beans, eggplant & some cucumbers. At this point I only need to make 1 more batch of spaghetti sauce (which we will can) so the remaining tomatoes/stuff will be given to friends for their use. This has been a very good season for tomatoes & half are yet to ripen!!!

Harvest1_062217.jpg

Harvest2_062217.jpg
 

w_r_ranch

Master Gardener
Administrator
Moderator
Plus Member
Messages
6,449
Location
South Central Texas
Planting Zone
8b
Yesterday I roasted the tomatoes & this morning I finished the last batch of spaghetti sauce. This batch was canned & yielded 12 pint jars (one jar lid didn't 'plink' so Mrs. Ranch froze it)...

Spaghetti_Sauce1_062517.jpg

Spaghetti_Sauce2_062517.jpg
 
Last edited:

w_r_ranch

Master Gardener
Administrator
Moderator
Plus Member
Messages
6,449
Location
South Central Texas
Planting Zone
8b
Harvested the green beans for the last time, then pulled up the plants.

Green_Beans_062617.jpg

Harvested a couple more cucumbers & the 1st spaghetti squash (there are a number of them that will be ready within a week).

Misc_062617.jpg

Harvested another 1 1/2 tubs of tomatoes. I'm going to dehydrate a batch & then give away the rest.

Tomatoes_062617.jpg
 
Last edited:

w_r_ranch

Master Gardener
Administrator
Moderator
Plus Member
Messages
6,449
Location
South Central Texas
Planting Zone
8b
The tomatoes were finished dehydrating yesterday, so we vacuum pack/freeze them this morning. We'll start another batch tomorrow, because Dieter likes them as well!!!



After that, I picked 25 jalapenos. 18 will be stuffed as a side dish for tonight's supper & the remaining will be used in Mrs. Ranch's 'pico de gallo' & the pinto beans I'm doing.

Japs_070117.jpg


Lastly I picked another tub of tomatoes.
 
M

Mr_Yan

Guest
Preparing them is simple... just throw the pods in boiling, salted water for 5 minutes & then into ice water to cool them down. You can eat edamame hot or cold. To eat edamame which is still in the pod, bring the pod to your lips, then squeeze or bite the beans will pop into your mouth... discard the pod & grab another.

So I am a few weeks behind the times but the easiest way I found to shell edemame was to use a pasta roller. Feed the pods into the roller stem side first and the beans just pop out the other end.
 

w_r_ranch

Master Gardener
Administrator
Moderator
Plus Member
Messages
6,449
Location
South Central Texas
Planting Zone
8b
Me & Mrs. Ranch do the de-shelling by hand... It's easy & gives us time together!!! Even 'Dieter' helps, he gets any that miss the bowl & hit the floor... he seems to like them, as he will mooch them if it doesn't occur often enough, LOL!!!
 

w_r_ranch

Master Gardener
Administrator
Moderator
Plus Member
Messages
6,449
Location
South Central Texas
Planting Zone
8b
Yesterday I harvested 24 big jalapenos. some for my pot of pinto beans & the rest for stuffed japs (used lil' smokies this time).

This morning I harvested more butternut, acorn & spaghetti squash & prepped them for storage.

Squash_Harvest_072717.jpg
 

RLwhaler

Well-Known Member
Messages
488
Location
Cypress,Texas
Planting Zone
8b
Preparing them is simple... just throw the pods in boiling, salted water for 5 minutes & then into ice water to cool them down. You can eat edamame hot or cold. To eat edamame which is still in the pod, bring the pod to your lips, then squeeze or bite the beans will pop into your mouth... discard the pod & grab another.

Today I will harvest more & hull them prior to freezing/vacuum packing. Hulled edamame is great for adding to green salads, making edamame salads, or adding to rice dishes. We now have 10 - 8 ounce bags in the freezer.


That colors on those are absolutely beautiful Ranch !
 

w_r_ranch

Master Gardener
Administrator
Moderator
Plus Member
Messages
6,449
Location
South Central Texas
Planting Zone
8b
I harvested our first watermelon of the season & it was well worth the wait... Dieter taste-tested it & gave it a 2 paws up rating (he's actually begging for more), LOL!!! I have to agree, there's nothing like an ice cold watermelon on a hot summer day!!!

First_Watermelon_072917.jpg
 

w_r_ranch

Master Gardener
Administrator
Moderator
Plus Member
Messages
6,449
Location
South Central Texas
Planting Zone
8b
Harvested the remaining butternut, acorn & spaghetti squash & prepped them for storage. Also harvested more jalapenos that will be stuffed to go along with tonight's supper.

All that is left is the watermelons & 1 cantaloupe...

Time to start cleaning the garden & prepping it for the fall planting.
 
  • Up Vote
Reactions: ksk
K

ksk

Guest
Harvested the remaining butternut, acorn & spaghetti squash & prepped them for storage. Also harvested more jalapenos that will be stuffed to go along with tonight's supper.

All that is left is the watermelons & 1 cantaloupe...

Time to start cleaning the garden & prepping it for the fall planting.
I hear you Ranch.My okra is doing great and I even planted corn in late June and is doing good so far.My first crop produced many ears for the wife and I. Tomatoes are now small and I'm close to pulling them up. Surprising is my eggplant is still producing.
 
Top