I'm sitting here waiting for the pressure canner to cool down to 0 psig.
Has five pints of green beans in it and two pints of water to help with
the mass.

Once that is done I have three pints and a twelve-ounce jar of butter
beans to pressure can. Those will take 40 minutes at 11 psig to be done
versus the 20 minutes at 11 psig for the green beans. We've already
pulled the butter bean plants as they have done their duty. The green
beans are still making so they will be there until heat gets to high for
them.

Bringing in lots of sweet chiles nowadays too, have about fifteen or
twenty waiting to be chopped and frozen. About half are sweet banana
chiles the rest are bells. Tomatoes are starting to ripen so I bought a
forty-ounce package of Wright's smoked bacon yesterday, coming onto BLT
season for us.

We got 3.25 inches of rain Friday and Saturday morning, already soaked
into the ground. No more drought for us, at least this year.

George

On Sun, 13 May 2012 12:29:59 -0500, George Shirley
> wrote:

>I'm sitting here waiting for the pressure canner to cool down to 0 psig.
>Has five pints of green beans in it and two pints of water to help with
>the mass.
>
>Once that is done I have three pints and a twelve-ounce jar of butter
>beans to pressure can. Those will take 40 minutes at 11 psig to be done
>versus the 20 minutes at 11 psig for the green beans. We've already
>pulled the butter bean plants as they have done their duty. The green
>beans are still making so they will be there until heat gets to high for
>them.
>
>Bringing in lots of sweet chiles nowadays too, have about fifteen or
>twenty waiting to be chopped and frozen. About half are sweet banana
>chiles the rest are bells. Tomatoes are starting to ripen so I bought a
>forty-ounce package of Wright's smoked bacon yesterday, coming onto BLT
>season for us.
>
>We got 3.25 inches of rain Friday and Saturday morning, already soaked
>into the ground. No more drought for us, at least this year.
>
>George


Getting envious. My tomatoes went in on 4/29 and the peppers,
eggplant, squash, etc. went in over the next 9 days. Soybeans, green
and black, and Cannellini went in this morning. It was cool, cloudy
and rain predicted, but the sun is out now. We also got a good rain
last week. The community college weather page said 4.3 inches in 2
days.

In an earlier post you mentioned raised beds. From experience, they
are wonderful. Mine are 3' x 8'. When we were building them I stood
on one side and reached out. Told HD to make them twice that
measurement. My vote would be for the manufactured decking material.
Mine are starting to come apart after about 12 years. Tell Miz Anne
that they are much easier to keep weeded, especially with a bad hip. I
know that from experience.
--
Susan N.

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral,
48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy."
Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974)

On May 13, 2:25*pm, The Cook > wrote:
> On Sun, 13 May 2012 12:29:59 -0500, George Shirley
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > wrote:
> >I'm sitting here waiting for the pressure canner to cool down to 0 psig.
> >Has five pints of green beans in it and two pints of water to help with
> >the mass.
>
> >Once that is done I have three pints and a twelve-ounce jar of butter
> >beans to pressure can. Those will take 40 minutes at 11 psig to be done
> >versus the 20 minutes at 11 psig for the green beans. We've already
> >pulled the butter bean plants as they have done their duty. The green
> >beans are still making so they will be there until heat gets to high for
> >them.
>
> >Bringing in lots of sweet chiles nowadays too, have about fifteen or
> >twenty waiting to be chopped and frozen. About half are sweet banana
> >chiles the rest are bells. Tomatoes are starting to ripen so I bought a
> >forty-ounce package of Wright's smoked bacon yesterday, coming onto BLT
> >season for us.
>
> >We got 3.25 inches of rain Friday and Saturday morning, already soaked
> >into the ground. No more drought for us, at least this year.
>
> >George
>
> Getting envious. *My tomatoes went in on 4/29 and the peppers,
> eggplant, squash, etc. went in over the next 9 days. *Soybeans, green
> and black, and Cannellini went in this morning. *It was cool, cloudy
> and rain predicted, but the sun is out now. *We also got a good rain
> last week. *The community college weather page said 4.3 inches in 2
> days.
>
> In an earlier post you mentioned raised beds. *From experience, they
> are wonderful. *Mine are 3' x 8'. *When we were building them I stood
> on one side and reached out. *Told HD to make them twice that
> measurement. *My vote would be for the manufactured decking material.
> Mine are starting to come apart after about 12 years. *Tell Miz Anne
> that they are much easier to keep weeded, especially with a bad hip. I
> know that from experience.
> --
> Susan N.
>
> "Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral,
> 48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy."
> Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974)

getting envious times 2 - planting weekend in these parts is the
Victoria Day weekend, which is this weekend. I think I'll give it
until next weekend before putting plants in to the ground/planters.
Tomatoes and herbs will be it, as I still haven't found the $ or place
to start a new garden

Kathi

On 5/13/2012 1:25 PM, The Cook wrote:
> On Sun, 13 May 2012 12:29:59 -0500, George Shirley
> > wrote:
>
snippety doo dah


> Getting envious. My tomatoes went in on 4/29 and the peppers,
> eggplant, squash, etc. went in over the next 9 days. Soybeans, green
> and black, and Cannellini went in this morning. It was cool, cloudy
> and rain predicted, but the sun is out now. We also got a good rain
> last week. The community college weather page said 4.3 inches in 2
> days.
>
> In an earlier post you mentioned raised beds. From experience, they
> are wonderful. Mine are 3' x 8'. When we were building them I stood
> on one side and reached out. Told HD to make them twice that
> measurement. My vote would be for the manufactured decking material.
> Mine are starting to come apart after about 12 years. Tell Miz Anne
> that they are much easier to keep weeded, especially with a bad hip. I
> know that from experience.

Most of our raised beds have been made with cinder blocks, sixteen
inches long by eight inches high by eight inches wide. We normally lay
landscape cloth then set the cinder blocks on that. Make them 4'X8' and
you can reach the middle from either side while sitting on a garden
cart/seat. I built two of them for our daughter two years ago and she
loves them. She "Square foot" gardens and gets twice the amount of
vegetables we get with our row cropping. I do like the idea of the
recycled plastic and wood decking though, that way I could build them up
off the ground as I age and move into a wheel chair. <G> We mulch with
newspaper, several layers thick, then put compost on top of that plus we
put the grass clippings and leaves on top of the paper too. We pothole
kitchen trash, no meat or bones but everything vegetative goes in the
compost bucket on the counter top and then into the garden. In less than
a week you can't find where it was, the earthworms love the stuff.

You would never know she had hip surgery sixteen months ago, she walks
two miles round trip to Mass most mornings. She can bend over but not
squat or stoop but works in the yard and gardens as much as she ever
did. Barb can testify, as she has been here, you gotta be tough to live
with me.

George

On 5/15/2012 7:52 PM, Kathi wrote:
> On May 13, 2:25 pm, The > wrote:
>> On Sun, 13 May 2012 12:29:59 -0500, George Shirley
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> > wrote:
>>> I'm sitting here waiting for the pressure canner to cool down to 0 psig.
>>> Has five pints of green beans in it and two pints of water to help with
>>> the mass.
>>
>>> Once that is done I have three pints and a twelve-ounce jar of butter
>>> beans to pressure can. Those will take 40 minutes at 11 psig to be done
>>> versus the 20 minutes at 11 psig for the green beans. We've already
>>> pulled the butter bean plants as they have done their duty. The green
>>> beans are still making so they will be there until heat gets to high for
>>> them.
>>
>>> Bringing in lots of sweet chiles nowadays too, have about fifteen or
>>> twenty waiting to be chopped and frozen. About half are sweet banana
>>> chiles the rest are bells. Tomatoes are starting to ripen so I bought a
>>> forty-ounce package of Wright's smoked bacon yesterday, coming onto BLT
>>> season for us.
>>
>>> We got 3.25 inches of rain Friday and Saturday morning, already soaked
>>> into the ground. No more drought for us, at least this year.
>>
>>> George
>>
>> Getting envious. My tomatoes went in on 4/29 and the peppers,
>> eggplant, squash, etc. went in over the next 9 days. Soybeans, green
>> and black, and Cannellini went in this morning. It was cool, cloudy
>> and rain predicted, but the sun is out now. We also got a good rain
>> last week. The community college weather page said 4.3 inches in 2
>> days.
>>
>> In an earlier post you mentioned raised beds. From experience, they
>> are wonderful. Mine are 3' x 8'. When we were building them I stood
>> on one side and reached out. Told HD to make them twice that
>> measurement. My vote would be for the manufactured decking material.
>> Mine are starting to come apart after about 12 years. Tell Miz Anne
>> that they are much easier to keep weeded, especially with a bad hip. I
>> know that from experience.
>> --
>> Susan N.
>>
>> "Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral,
>> 48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy."
>> Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974)
>
> getting envious times 2 - planting weekend in these parts is the
> Victoria Day weekend, which is this weekend. I think I'll give it
> until next weekend before putting plants in to the ground/planters.
> Tomatoes and herbs will be it, as I still haven't found the $ or place
> to start a new garden
>
> Kathi
>
We just planted more cukes yesterday, daily temps here are in the
mid-eighties F nowadays. Got a really nice rain last night and this
morning. I had a hypoglycemic episode in the night, first time I've had
a night time one in years. Guess I burned up to much sugar hauling
around all those big pots of water and jars. Sometimes wish I had one of
those stoves with a water spigot above it, make the job easier as we
age. I'm still tired from the episode so will lay around most of the day
and catch up on my reading and TV watching.

When does your first frost arrive Kathi? We never know here so we
sometimes still have spring and summer gardens last until December or
January, those are the good years.

George