08.02.09- Well, it has been over a month since the last post. We have been through extreme periods of no rain followed by rain every day. This is not the optimal growing conditions we had hoped for. The other issue is that a family of black bears has moved into the the backyard and made short work of the bird feeders and juicy tomatoes. They have discovered the garden. We just hope they leave some for us. All news is not bad. The crops have been coming in. Lots of squash, onions, cucumbers, zucchini, massive bell peppers, and of course tomatoes of all types and sizes. The pick yesterday was over 150 lbs. of tomatoes. The largest heirloom tomatoes weighed in at 1.75lbs., but there are bigger ones on the vines. We are canning the third batch of marinara sauce as I write this. The bell peppers and cherry tomatoes have been doing well in the dehydrator. Zuchini bread and yellow squash pie have also been on the menu. The potaoes are about done, but we canned and froze quite a bit to last through the year. The snow peas are looking great but no peas yet. There are around 25 cantelopes on the vine and they are getting larger by the day. Corn is another story. It was planted late due to weather and is growing slowly in the new lower teir garden area. It may be another year or two before we get that area producing consistantly. The fall veggies have already been started in trays to get ready for the late August plantings. Local markets such as The Chattanoga Market and the nearby Gilmer County Farmers Market have been a great source of fresh berries of all kinds. Pay a visit to your local market and help keep local farming strong. You will also be keeping the money in your community and hey...the veggies taste better! Til next time........
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