I started out on a Blackberry quest this morning at around 10. It’s the first day this year that I gave out before the berries did. I pulled a quart off of my place and a little more than a gallon off of the neighbors, working my way around the field about halfway (along the tree line) before the thunder signaled that I should be moving on. As a guess,there is about a week, maybe 10 days before the berries will be finished for the year. If I stay on top of them I should be able to get 4 or 5 more gallons.
I hit the cucumbers yesterday and again today. I did re-can 5 quarts into simple dill pickles yesterday evening and I have enough cucumbers on hand to put up another 8 to 10 quarts this evening. This go-round I’ll adding some kick to the pickles by including jalapeno peppers (pulled from the garden today), cracked red pepper (Cayenne peppers pulled from the garden and dehydrated last year), black pepper corn and mustard seed.
The cuc’s have to be harvested daily if we want the vines to continue to produce. If just 1 cuc is left to ripen on the vine then the whole vine shuts down and dies. Finding them is the challenge as they have an amazing way of camouflaging themselves among the leaves. When it comes to cucumbers, diligence is it’s own reward.
Next batch? Bread and Butter Pickles !
Most popular cuke varieties will climb a lattice if provided.
This not only makes it easier to find the fruits (assuming an angled or ‘a-frame’ lattice; the fruits dangle down while the leaves reach for the sun) it also saves ground space (as you can add shade loving plants behind/underneath).
Link to photo examples: https://tinyurl.com/y37tex8s
Yes they do! I made a lattice out of the heavy wire mesh that’s made to reinforce concrete. It’s 5 ft high and cut to 12 foot length. I didn’t think to slant it, I may give that a try next year. Thanks for the tip!