Canning Fruit From the Garden. 6.18.2021

 I did some practice canning to see if I could do it.  First I made grape jelly, using purchased grape juice.  That worked nicely and it tastes very good. 

I eat some jelly every day, so these should be use up during the next few months.

We had some pears from Costco, which I was concerned would spoil before we ate them all. I used those to make some canned pears. They came out delicious.

The n we harvested many pounds of sweet cherries. I mace jam and canned cherries too. Im concerned about the aira e in some so will eat those first. Very delicious. They sealed well, so I think they are ok for a while.

We had some fresh local strawberries and rhubarb from the garden. I made jam.

That came out very good too. Im using lower sugar pectin when possible. SomI think I'll be ready when plums and peaches are ripe. The main question is reliably getting a good seal. Some jars did seal, so I froze them (strawberry jam).

Forsythia Cutting Update. 6.12.2021

 I potted up the second cutting that was grown in a jar of water.  Those roots were about an inch long, and there were several.  It will need TLC for a couple of weeks.  The first still needs shade.  It wilts slightly if left outside for more than a half day.  I set it on the deck in the morning, which does not get direct sunlight then.  One more forsythia cutting in water is sending out roots. 

I don't know about the ones in potting soil.  One made a root that came through the bottom of the pot.  I sat it outside for a few hours and it wilted, badly.  So back to the plastic bag mini greenhouse.  It might survive. 

So far it seems the water jar method is better than the potting soil method.  Also, the thinner stem cuttings are rooting but the thicker ones are not, at least yet.

Left to right, forsythia cuttings still in water, freshly potted cutting in humidity tent, prior potted cutting - see last post, I think about two weeks.

Forsythia cuttings started in potting soil, still in their humidity tent.

"True Potato Seed" "Clancy" Potato Update. 6.12.2021

 The Clancy potato plants are smaller compared to the conventional, seed-potato potato plants that were planted later (Algonquin, Russet, Kennebec, Envol) but are mostly sturdy, healthy looking plants and most are blooming.  The flower colors vary from purple, to lavender, to pink, to almost white.  At the end of one row of Clancy are two Algonquin plants, larger with white flowers and yellow stamens.

I think I'll let them bloom and see if any seeds develop.  I don't think I'll go to much effort, such as hand pollinating.  Just to see what happens.

Flowers on a "Clancy" potato plant.

The two rows of "Clancy" and two plants of "Algonquin" at the right, front.

"Blooming Algonquin" Potato Plant

Dwarf Tomato Update. 6.12.2021

The dwarf tomatoes continue to grow and look healthy and lush, but short statured. Most are blooming profusely, and there are a few tomatoes set now - BrandyFred, Extreme Dwarf, and Alpatieva 905a.

I'll have to edit in the variety names later.  It's next to impossible on my tablet.  However, the top one is "Extreme Bush" grown in a container in potting soil. The first one is Extreme Bush, on the deck, in regular potting soil.

Dwarf CC Mcgee, from the "Dwarf Tomato Project", a potato leaf type. The leaves were chlorotic but have completely recovered and it is growing nicely. Planted in the ground in the tomato bed.

BrandyFred tomato, from the "Dwarf Tomato Project", also potato leafed type.  Planted in container in a soil / compost / cactus soil mix.

I'm not sure, the labels disappeared from a couple.  I think this is "Clare Valley Pink" from the Dwarf Tomato Project.  Planted in the ground in the tomato bed.

Developing fruit on "Alpatieva 905A" grown in container in potting soil. Developing fruit on Extreme Bush, same plant posted earlier.

Plant of Alpatieva 905A, same one as developing fruit photo posted earlier.  In potting soil in container.

Another I'm not certain of.  I think this is "Dwarf Johnson Cherry" from the Dwarf Tomato Project.  That's the only cherry variety I'm growing from the project, so if it's a cherry, that's what it is for certain.

None of these dwarf tomatoes have even a third the size of regular height tomatoes, and they seem to be bloming and developing fruit as early or even before most of them.

Carnivorous Plant Update. 6.12.2021

These aare the hardy, perennial carnivores, pitcher plants and a Venus flytrap. They live in 50:50 mix of perlite and peat moss, with the pots in about an inch of water all of the time. I change the water daily or every other day to eliminate mosquitoes. This has worked nicely for several years, and grown out of two sets of repotting. So Imrepotted them yesterday. This is the most the pitcher plants (Sarracenia) have bloomed. Very lovely and unique flowers.

The plant in the top photo was a seedling that germinated in a container of Nepenthes.   I potted it up on its own, now three years old.  The others are all commercial hybrids (Sarracenia NW).