Thanks for the link Ken! My Roma veggie strainer and accessory pack came in yesterday! I am excited about trying it out. Going to try to separate some mayhaw berries from their seeds this week or weekend. I'll post how it goes. Thanks for informing me about this gadget!

Nanahanna

How big are the seeds, compared to the berry size? If its raspberry type seeds, the fine sieve (NOT included with the basic strainer) should work well. If the seeds are a little bigger (like a grape), but smaller than a choke cherry seed, you can also use the grape spiral which will force out the seeds sooner, so they don't jam up. I usually also run the waste through a second time as it gives off more liquid, and the waste becomes a thick dry paste. For tomatoes, it can't be beat! I have never seen a Mayhaw berry..

Ken,

Nice link!

However, there were no coon cutters or possum pluckers to be found there. :(

Coon #9 yesterday and possum #2 this morning. (all in two weeks!) Haven't bugged you guys or hijacked a thread about my varmint problems lately.

Picked abt 1/2 gal ripe peppers on Sunday and gave them to new neighbor. He said his wife will make salsa with them and that "there is no pepper too hot for him"... heh, heh! Little does he know what grows in my little patch.

When peppers and tomatoes start to get ripe is when the possum problems usually start. Very fussy for a critter that eats roadside carrion... they only eat peppers and tomatoes at the very peak of ripeness.

jt

John,
You're gonna have to create a Coon Wrap or Possum Pinwheel recipe........pre-seasoned if ya let 'em eat a few peppers first!

I just want to know how you can be zone 5 and have toms and peppers already (that IS what the 5 in your screen name is, isn't it??)

Deanna (who likes hearing about the critters!)

Ken, mayhaw berry seeds are about like grape seeds..my husband says...I haven't seen any whole berries yet. Last year my friend had the juice in her freezer and she helped me make the jelly out of the juice she had. She and I are going to try to get the seeds out to make jam and maybe even some mayhaw butter. I'll keep you posted. I bought the extra accessories that have the berry screen, pumpkin screen, and grape screen...I think those were the three...I know there is a berry screen...LOL.

Nana

Grape spiral (red). The berry screen hole size is smaller than the one that comes packed with the strainer. The assorted strainers are three sized holes, one smaller than the tomato, and the other two are larger holes than tomato, then grape spiral, which can be used with some of the different screens to reduce jamming of larger seeds.

I have a lot of peppers right now and a few are turning yellow and red already. Of course, the plants were started indoors back in March. My tomatoes are huge plants now, and are starting to produce several big beefstake types, which were requested by a friend.

As to critters, luckily, this year its only been bird damages.

Wish you weren't so far away Ken........
I'd give anything for a vine-ripened tomato right now.
And there's still local boysenberries to trade!!

My toms are weeks away. They are just now blossoming.
Peppers are slow too. I've picked one green bell, one tiny anaheim and a couple of small jalapenos. They seem to be getting a second growth of dense, but smaller leaves and taking a break from setting fruit. I've had this happen before and if the weather cooperates, it makes for a fantastic harvest in another month or so....

Deanna

> I just want to know how you can be zone 5 and have toms and peppers already (that IS what the 5 in your screen name is, isn't it??)

Deanna,

I grow in containers. And I have a secret (see below) method. Relocated coon #10 yesterday. Can't imagine eating a possum. Yuck! I have a couple of cookbooks with recipes. I can kinda see a coon in my smoker though.

jt

Here is a link that might be useful:

Once heat of 85 degrees hits peppers, they slow way down in production. I have been tryin a new item as a spray. Its Halperin and seems to get plants to think they are under attack. It seems to increase their growing as well as blossoming. Here, I thought that my peas would all be dead by now due to some serious heat, but I just went out yesterday and picked another quart, even though I was sweating the whole time. I also sprayed my peppers and tomatoes, and not even one single tomato plant has signs of that dreaded Septoria leaf spot yet. By now, the plants would have been showing a lot of yellowing leaves near teh soil. My pepper plants are mostly all pimento type, and some have 4 or 5 peppers, and needed to be staked. None red yet though. I expect to start picking a few big tomatoes by the end of July.. Suggest that you apply a few foliar sprays (specifally made fertilizer for leaves) of fertilizer, as well as giving a dose to the soil.

John that's a pepper jungle! Completely indoors?
And can we put a face with the name now?????

Ken - I like your idea of corn gluten for asparagus. I wasn't able to find gluten in my fert store, but came away with cotton seed meal, so tried that. The asparagus ferns look nice and green - I'm really impressed.

Now I'm wondering if that wouldn't work on strawberries - either corn gluten or cotton seed - I can't seem to find a mulch that I like on those berries. Many times I see posts by folks who complain of weeds in the strawberries, so why not gluten?

Still harvesting "cots" - I think we had enough for the birds this year. I left a few on the tops of the tree, that they had already pecked, (to finish off), so maybe that's why we had a lot for ourselves.

So disappointed in my tomatoes. My fault - I thought I could collect seeds from heirlooms, but apparently they really do cross pollinate - I'm getting some funny looking maters - tasty tho. Think I'll skip the experiments next year.

Bejay

> So disappointed in my tomatoes. My fault - I thought I could collect seeds from heirlooms, but apparently they really do cross pollinate - I'm getting some funny looking maters - tasty tho.

Bejay,

They certainly do cross... thankfully. And what wonderful results can occur. But you knew that. I use nylon tulle for bagging blossoms if want to save pure seed.

Ken,

It's high ambient nighttime temps that I think really shut down pepper production. I'm growing a hybrid this year called Paprika Supreme that was highly recommended by a couple of my chile-head friends.

UPS just dropped off a thousand crickets. Can't wait to put them to good use!

jt

JT,

Maybe this has already been covered, but what do you use the crickets for?

Leigh

Cottonseed meal is great on Asparagus, and does supply a lot of slow release nitrogen. For strawberries, however, you wouldn't really need that high nitrogen, so the corn gluten would probably work better at preventing weed seeds from germinating. Some years ago, before I started to use corn gluten, I did apply the cottonseed meal to the 'gus, very early spring just before spears emerged. Right now, my patch has 5+ foot tall 'gus ferns, that will remain until the late fall when they tend to die out. NEVER put them in a compost pile! After repeated applications (the first few were quite heavy) I don't seem to need to use as much of the gluten as I did in the beginning. It is still applied twice per year, spring and fall. I buy it from Ohio Earth Foods, and usually get at least 200 pounds to save on shipping costs. Also, Peacful Valley in CA has it as a meal at 65 pound bags. They indicate that its fast release nitrogen, but I don't usually see that here. One interesting thing is you can overdo the applications.

For my strawberry patch, I set down some long life black plastic mulch and cut small round holes in it for each plant. It really helps to keep berries from lying on the soil too. Runners can actually replant and punch holes in the fabric for the roots of the strawberries. If your berries are growing deformed, it may be a boron deficiency. One very light application of Gardens Alive fruit tree fertilizer can help to add some boron, just don't apply too much. Adding boron for other plants except fruit trees and red raspberries isn't recommended.

Here is a link that might be useful: Peaceful Valley link

Now I'm curious. Why don't you put asparagus ferns in a compost pile?

> Maybe this has already been covered, but what do you use the crickets for?

Leigh,

I use them for harvesting bluegill. The conservation area where I relocate coons and possums has a trophy bluegill lake. 8" min to keep! One of the most fun to catch and tastiest fish there is. Sweet skin and the bones add tremendous flavor. I rate them above walleye and 2nd only to winter-caught yellow perch. I don't use a stringer or fish basket, but prefer to put immediately on ice.

They are such a pain to clean. The only fish that I gut and scale rather than fillet. I remove the dorsal and anal fins and bones with an electrician's pliers. 30 min or so in the freezer and then vac seal. Freeze them a little first so that the juice doesn't ruin my sealer.

Thaw them out, pat dry inside and out with paper towels, dredge in flour, 30 min or more in fridge to get the flour to stick, egg batter, cracker crumbs, heavy fry pan with a couple inches lard, salt (if needed), fresh ground pepper and ready to feast.

jt

Asparagus ferns can contain a boring insect in those tall ferns. because they have a very soft center but a very hard outer surface the boring insects can live in them for a year or more. If the dead ferns get placed in the compost, the borers can also feed on other decomposing stuff. If the compost is spread throughout the garden, it also can spread the borers elsewhere. Don't recall where I read it, but it does make a lot of sense.