My Garden season

[FaithHopeLove]

Awesome recipe and wow your so lucky you don't have an disease or bugs! I'm envious!

[sjoella]

ha! well times have changed. I have bugs now...by the plenty! i should have knocked on wood....

[efisakov]

Originally Posted by sjoella

ha! well times have changed. I have bugs now...by the plenty! i should have knocked on wood....

So sorry to hear that. Spray right away, do not procrastinate.

[newatthiskat]

HOw do you make your Rotel? Recipes?

[sjoella]

I found this on facebook one day...I love the final product and have made all my rotel this way...super simple...pretty quick too!

4 lbs. Tomatoes, about 6 cups when chopped
12 Jalapeno or hot chili peppers (i like many more than this)
1 tsp. Salt
1 large onion chopped (optional)
water (this will make 2 pint size jars)


Wash tomatoes, cover with boiling water. With a slotted spoon remove tomatoes to bowl of cold water. Slip of the skin. Chop tomatoes, you should have about 6 cups. Seed and chop hot peppers (make sure to wear plastic gloves to prevent juices from burning skin) and chop onions. Toss together well. Pack into pint jars; add ½ tsp salt to each pint. Cover with boiling water. Process pint jars 40 minutes in boiling water bath. Turn off heat, remove cover; leave jars in water for 5 minutes, remove and cool completely. Label jars, store in dark cool place until ready to use.

[FaithHopeLove]

Which bugs are attacking you?

[sjoella]

i have to say, the bugs are totally winning. i am seriously thinking about pulling everything up. nothing is right in my garden except peppers...not a single other plant has been spared.

might be time to ready the planting area for fall... cant complain much, it has been a very nice harvest cycle..

[efisakov]

I spray totally organic mixture. It helps great, the only problem I have is "procrastination" on my part. I hand-spray, currently looking into purchasing good quality sprayer. I mix with one gallon of water 1 tbsp Epsom salt ( contains magnesium), 2 tbsp Dish liquid soap, 3 tbsp backing soda. Before pulling your plants try this.

[sjoella]

that sounds pretty simple and easy. my hesitation to spray the plants is always that my kids will freely go pick and eat...i dont want to spray something that is going to be bad because of them alone.

thank you for the suggestions...i will let you know how it goes!

[efisakov]

I use blender, because Epsom salt does come in course texture. My sprayer is getting clogged. And I spray as soon as I blend, otherwise Epsom salt settles on the bottom.

[riceke]

Originally Posted by sjoella

i have to say, the bugs are totally winning. i am seriously thinking about pulling everything up. nothing is right in my garden except peppers...not a single other plant has been spared.

might be time to ready the planting area for fall... cant complain much, it has been a very nice harvest cycle..

Sorry to hear your plants got attacked. I mentioned to you in post #46 that I and alot of others were under attack by bugs and blight and couldn't figure out how you were escaping, especially on such a succulent garden, but I guess it was just a matter of time sorry to say. But don't despair this has been a bad year for more than not. As you mentioned time for fall garden. I planted pole beans and sugar snap peas which are up and doing fine even in this wet soggy weather. But I'm not getting my hopes up yet. There is still time to get something in the ground.

[Rachel W]

I'm saving your recipe! Thanks for sharing!

[sjoella]

I didnt have the heart to pull up my garden...so I didnt! I did pull a few plants that were not pretty anymore and any/every tomato that was not perfect looking. Things are looking nice, got about 14 pounds of tomatoes last night and 4.5 lbs of hot peppers.

I just cant stomach pulling plants that are producing nice fruit....

[shelleybean]

I am in the same boat. My tomatoes are still producing but it's just such a jungle out there! I have two tomatoes that have completely flopped over the top of all my eggplant and they're smothering them. They have a lot of smallish green tomatoes. I could pull all those off and make a huge batch of fried green tomatoes but those plants need to come out. I have a couple of others that haven't flopped over and I can't even begin to reach the tomatoes at the top. It's just so crowded, I can't even really see what I have. Since it's a bit cooler this weekend I think I'll start thinning out tomatoes and the rest of the summer plants and just keep my favorites. I have seed for all my fall things but nowhere to plant. My kids start school Monday and it's really feel like getting the fall stuff going.

[sjoella]

i hear ya...i start vacation in a day my goal is to have pulled all but my fav tomato plants, keep my peppers but everything else is going....gonna focus on fall planting...