Monkeyfister

Friday, June 05, 2009

Tassles And Slugs... Independence Days...

Good news, bad news, and a solution... and more.

We got a good, steady rain over the past two days, so I trucked out to the corn field. The corn is now eye-level, for the most part, and look! Tassles! Thirty days to Corn Time!:

The tassels produce the pollen that fertilizes the ears.

I don't have ears just yet, though...

Out in the gardens on my day off, and ran some strings to support the Asparagus ferns, as they grow. They were getting sloppy, as they are still a bit top-heavy, and rain keeps knocking them over. I was pulling some mystery grass out of the bed, and when I started weeding the Romaine Lettuce growing under the ferns, I noticed a very serious slug problem:

Slimy Bastards.

So, I broke out the scissors, and started snipping slugs. I used the hose to wash them away. I then broke out the secret weapon-- BEER:

Slugs LOVE beer. Place a 1/4-full bottle of beer on its side, with the opening at ground level.

Slugs crawl in, get drunk, drown:

Just a few moments later.

Never, ever sprinkle salt into your garden to kill slugs. It destroys the soil.
"Salting the earth" was an old warfare strategy to starve the enemy.

Looks like the run of 90-plus degree days killed-off the Garden Giant mushrooms, dangit. I don't see a single one out there, today, and the temps have broken into the proper range. There is always Autumn.

The Pole Beans and Carrots are popping up in the new beds, as is the new planting of Cucumbers. I set up the frames for them today, and will get the strings run this evening or tomorrow. The Zucchini, Yellow Crookneck, and Acorn Squashes are doing great, and the Radishes and Nasturtiums that I planted around them are all up. Keeping an eye out for Squash Stinkbugs. I finally got the irrigation system all finished off, and screwed into place.

Tomorrow, I'll plant the new Blueberry bushes.

Preserving Something: I snipped back the Cilantro, and have the dehydrator filled with it. House smells great! Once dry, it's a matter of scratching off the leaves into a paper bag, and transferring them to a jar.

I also got the Feverfew into a tincture of 80-Proof vodka. Chop up the trimmings into bits that will fit in a jar. Add vodka. Shake. Place in cool, dark place for 40 days. I also tinctured a big jar of St. John's Wort blossoms, today. My two SJW plants are doing wonderfully well. I noticed that I need to pull a tree sapling out of my front bed soon.

Eat Your Food:

Under the Floating Row Cover Big Top, I have a beautiful Savoy Cabbage ready to pick. This weekend, I'll make Stuffed Cabbages, and do a photo thing while I do.

Next week, It looks like I'll have enough Kohlrabi to make some excellent soup.

The famous "Ripley Tomatoes" are pouring out. I bought a sack of them this morning, and I think I'll go out and snip a few of those Hungarian Hot Yellow Wax peppers, and a few onions, and make some salsa with the Cilantro I have still fresh. OR, perhaps I'll cook it all up with the fresh shrimp I picked up at the Shrimp Man stand on my way home last night.

My neighbor, Tommy, just came by, and dropped some Yellow Squashes on me from his garden. OK... It's Shrimp with Tomatoes, Cilantro, Parsley, Hungarian Peppers, Onion, and Yellow Squash over Fettuccine with Asiago Cheese, tonight. mmmmmmmmmmm.

Time to cook!