We were able to get a bumper crop of cucumbers, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, eggplant, lettuce, and basil. My yellow squash, spaghetti squash and zucchini ended up with powdery mildew so not much luck. Cauliflower and broccoli grew but attracted worms. Strawberries are still going crazy! I spent last week making batches of pesto to freeze and this week I've prepared eggplant parm and shredded zucchini for the freezer. I thought I was done after strawberries, peaches, raspberries and blueberries. Good thing we have two freezers! Not a canner, unfortunately, so we are gorging on tomatoes.

I've made many delicious loaves of zucchini bread,

If you need to be relieved of a loaf or loaves, you are welcome to send some this way please.

Well, I can send you the recipe, if that helps. My 8 year old keeps inventory on the loaves though. I tried to sneak a slice the other night, got busted in the morning...He actually measured the loaf!

Add some blueberries to that zucchini bread. I LOVE Blueberry zucchini bread.

I am not too sure about pickled tomatoes though. Has anyone tried them?

We had so many one year and a friend we fifted put mayo on toast addwd bacon slices and on the next he put 9 cherry tomatoes. He got a tomato with each bite. Good idea I thought...no slippery sandwich.

canning questions from a non-canner.

One of my summer projects was to make our own Pepper Jelly. Have you ever had it? WOW - its SOoooo good. (drooling here)

Added the ingredients, warmed the jars and lids (we did this in a big pot and let them boil), pour the delicious concoction into the jars (salivating for a taste). Screwed on the lids (HOT! Ouch) and waited for them to "pop". now I was told that after they "pop" to press them back down and tighten the lids even more. something went wrong... hardly any popped. I'd like to try again but not sure I can use the same lids. Do I need to get new ones each time? And any advice on canning and sealing?

First off, YES! you need new lids. I know it seems like a huge waste, but it is necessary to make sure you get a good seal.

Second, unless I'm reading bit wrong, you missed a step. Your boil of the jars is to sterilize them. After you fill them and lid them, they have to go back into the water bath to boil. This is what kills any organisms in the product itself. Time depends of what you're canning. I suspect this is why you didn't get a pop.

You should never have to push the center down. The vacuum that's created during the canning process is what pulls the lid down. The band is only there to keep the lid on during the process. Once it's sealed, that lid should be rock hard, and so tight you have to pry it off of the jar.

Hope that helps. I only started canning about 6 years ago, but I love it! Check out Balls website, and get their Blue Book of canning. And keep in mind, short cuts are not always safe cuts...

Are you using a tested recipe? You can't trust anything not tested and written after the 80s. I suggest a Ball book of canning or their website. No one wants to risk getting sick. You have to boil the jars in a water bath after jarring and they will almost always seal themselves. You should not touch them, once out of the bath, for 24 hours or they may not gel. You don't need to tighten the rings. In fact, after they seal, you don't need the rings at all.

Sorry, I am a food safety freak.

I agree with the advice the others have just given you. (I use the Ball Blue Book of Canning too!) You also want to make sure to wipe the rims of the jars with a clean, damp towel after you fill them, before putting the lid on. Any food residue between the jar and the lid can keep it from sealing properly.

The extent of my garden here in Socal is the space I have on my second floor balcony. The herbs are doing well (basil, rosemary, chives, thyme), several varieties of lavender are keeping the hummingbirds happy, eggplant is still trying, blackberry is growing like a weed, two types of tomato (too early to tell), lime tree looks promising, peach tree is getting healthier, papaya tree is still too young, miniature banana tree is the newest addition.

I find the plants are happier if I leave them be and let the hubby handle it. I've had a black thumb all my life. I only get involved when it's time to repot.

I was trying to think of a way to keep down weeds in a large garden without chemicals and wondered if this would work. If I layed newspaper between the seeded rows and put pinestraw on top? I did it this way in a small strawberry patch, but wasn't sure if it'd be ok in a large vegetable garden.

Yes, it will work. It really helps with the weeds and is easy to walk on.

Yes, that will work well. If some weed seeds do set on top of the straw, they will pull up in a jiffy! It will also help conserve water.
In large areas, like paths or between shrubs I have done brown cardboard as well.

People are doubting me because it's a large garden. I say :-P~ to them. I'm about to go pick up some newspaper now.

Ok, I've got another question. My husband and I disagree about aesthetics and I wanted some opinions. We have about an acre in the front yard. I want to place the fruit trees randomly about the space. My husband thinks we should plant them in neat, organized straight rows like what big orchards do. So we'll do this poll style. Interesting for random and educational for rows. You can add your opinions if you like. :)

The front of your house may give you a clue as to what would look best. Is it a formal design or informal? Formal means that each side of the house is the same, with the door in the middle. Many colonial styles are formal. Informal will have each side different.
With a formal design, you may want your trees in rows to complement what style your house is. With informal design, you could do either random plantings or group plantings. Look up ideas on the web to see what you like.

We live in a manufactured home, so definitely not formal or fancy. ;) I'll look up designs and see if I can sway him to my side.

You may want to consider color of bloom, too. And time of blooming. They may need to play a part in your scheme of things...have fun, and good luck for future harvest...yummy!

Rows. Because mowing is easier. If you want it to LOOK random, from front and sides, try planting at the diagonal.

But depends on how many you plant, and how far apart they are, I guess.

I planted mine in rows. Row of apples, row of peaches, row of pears, etc.
Some are dwarf and some are standard size trees so the spacing between the trees are different.
Therefore, they line up along one axis, but not the other, giving it a little bit of a random look.
Mowing along the rows is easy. I tried mowing across rows and it was haphazard; not straight at all.
Also, mowing under dwarf trees is a bit of a pain because of the low branches, I can trim the low branches off the standard trees but not so much off the dwarf trees.

Prince Igor

Thanks for all the tips guys! These are teeny barely trees, so we've decided to put them in pots and let them grow a bit more before putting them in the ground. Still not sure how I'm placing them all, but we have time to figure it out.

I started a blog on the garden we are trying to do this year, if anyone wants to follow. http://brethilfarm.blogspot.com/ It'll probably include pics of the animals and the fruit trees/berry bushes.

Hey, that's great!!!

Thanks. I don't really know what I'm doing. I just keep reading about things and asking questions and hope for the best.

I bet it all comes together. One year I mindlessly planted a tomato plant in the ground in front of my patio. The next year it grew back. The next year after that, 4 or 5 grew back.They grew from the seeds of fallen maters. We had cherry tomatoes for the whole neighborhood for the whole summer.

Great beginning! Which zone are you gardening in? We're in zone 9, but live below a mesa so our winters can be more zone 8-ish.

Happy gardening!
Traveling Garden Gnome

We're in zone 8, so not a bad place to garden, except when it gets crazy hot in the summer.

I really appreciate wisdom of folks who have learned from their own experiences! Go with your gut :-) and if it doesn't work out, you'll know not to do that again. But it makes sense to do what you're suggesting :-)

I updated it. :-D

Personally, I like pickled tomatoes. It's kind of a matter of taste.