Glad things are looking up for you. We have just had a small turnaround in our battle with the slugs so i understand your frustration.

Hang in there!

IDMike

Ann, what good news!

Things are improving here, too. My MIA tomatoes are finally coming in, albeit more slowly and in small quantities. But I had enough that I managed to make a second small batch of tomato sauce AND a batch of salsa, in addition to doing plenty of fresh eating. And I saw yesterday that there are a couple of huge late-variety beauties that'll be ready in a few days: a couple of great big brandywines and a brandywine yellow, probably closer to two pounds each than one; with those three, I could make a batch of brandywine-only salsa!

And the thing I feared the most --- not enough zucchini for winter breakfasts of zuke bread twice a week or so), which would sadden DH and humiliating me (what kind of gardener doesn't have ENOUGH zucchini??!!) --- seems not to be coming to pass. There's a steady trickle, just much later than usual --- my zuke bread labels usually mostly start with "July", and by now I'm pulling the plants as worn-out, ragged, and no longer producing. Instead I've put up several batches in the past two weeks and am looking at some newly pollenated littl'uns coming up.

And I've only got a small number of peppers but they are starting to turn red!

So let's hope for a few more warm, sunny weeks all across the Way North....

Best wishes,

Z

Our area peach crop was wiped out this year from a late freeze and hail storms, so we've had to make due with peaches imported from East Texas and other states. The Colorado peaches were some of the best!

LOL, Zabby, I haven't had enough zucchini for a couple of years. Dad always said "don't plant so many", then gave them away like crazy.

Now I planted four hills and I have zucchini like mad. Tomatoes are rotting before they ripen, though. Sigh.

Ah well, every year is some good and some bad. I've got so many apples they are hanging 6-8 to a cluster, like grapes.

And the grapes are doing well too!

Annie

Oh, Annie, one more thing to miss your dad for: your zucchini-restraint reminder and giveaway agent. I miss mine at this time of year for his awesome asiago-tomato-basil pasta salad.

But you are right to remember that every season is good for something --- I should remember the awesome peas and lettuce of earlier in the summer!

Z

Zabby, I miss Dad a lot sometimes, and other times he's right there with me. Every post I replace and every zucchini I pick and every time I check the hay, he's there. It's comforting, somehow.

In the meantime, the tomatoes have late blight. Sigh. It's pretty much a total loss, there's not a tomato to be had anywhere in my county, so I'm not alone. At least I'm not depending on tomatoes for income, like some of the local farmers.

I dug 60 pounds of red potatoes last night, a good yield from the 5 pounds of seed potatoes I planted. They did wonderfully, as did collard green, which are begging to be canned. My leeks, brussels sprouts and onions didn't do well, but cabbage is amazing. Peppers are just coming on, as long as we don't get a frost, and eggplants are trying to catch up. The corn is gone, but it was good.

A bumper crop of butternut squash is still out there and there will be so many pumpkins that Makayla will be able to sell them, that'll be fun. Right along with the cider pressing.

Annie

I've got two small pumpkins, almost ripe.

Snackjack variety, which has hull-less seeds for easy eating. I figure I'll eat one soon and save the other for Hallowe'en!

Z

Hull-less seeds? I've never heard of it, what a great idea. If they're good, please let me know, I'll plant those next year.

We planted the "sugar/pie" pumpkins, they're a nice manageable size for jack-o-lanterns at 15 to 18 pounds and they're good for cooking too.

Annie

Annie,

It's my first time trying this variety, but it sounded like a great idea to me, too! Some reports from other gardeners suggest the flesh is pretty good for baking, too. I'll let you know how it works for me.

I gotta say, 15 pounds sounds big for a sugar/pie pumpkin! The ones I've grown have been more like 6 to 8. If the flesh still has a nice texture, though, not stringy like a real big one, then you're laughing --- a nice big jack o'lantern AND a tonne of good flesh for pies or soups!

My snackjacks look to be about 2 to 3 pounds. Will make a cute mini jack o' lantern. Don't know if I can agree with the seed company's claim of "heavy yielder" given that I have only two, but I did start them late, and it's been an awfully cool summer, so I'll not pass judgement based on this season....

I found one article suggesting you could "puff" the seeds like popcorn or puffed rice!

Z

Here is a link that might be useful: Snackjack Pumpkin