Chestnuts are Blooming. 6.26.2021

The chestnut varieties Marivale and Precose Migoule are blooming like crazy. The air is full of their somewhat musty fragrance. The Bisalta #2 graft from this spring is almost blooming. Same for Marigoule. The Marisole grown from seed is not blooming, but it has grafts from Marivale and Precose Migoule with minimal flowers.

So far among my varieties - Marivale = most vigor and productivity. Precose Migoule = second for both, but smaller nuts. Marigoule slower growing, this will be the firse year of nuts. Graft compatibility - On Marisol seedling, Marivale, Precose Migoule, Marigoule, and Primiato all took. I only tried Bisalta #2 on Precose Migoule. That also took. Marivale especially is becoming a large and very handsome tree. The bloom is incredible.

More Alstroemeria. 6.26.2021

These Alstroemeria were arpt the old place. I remember planting pink ones but not red. Ning dug them up and planted into a container. They are tough plants and very pretty.

Deer Repellant. 6.26.2021.

I bought some "liquid fence" which seems to work, but that can become expensive. I think the main idea is to use something stinky, especially sulfur based. Many home recipes for deer repellant make use of eggs and garlic, blended and allowed to ferment. Here is "The enemy". Plus there is a doe and two fawns. That's a lot of garden plants. I feel sorry for the deer, but they can reduce years of garden efforts to nothingness overnight, due to one forgotten gate or one weak spot in the fence. This buck is new to the neighborhood.

I blended 6 eggs, a scoop of home made hot sauce that is too hot for me to handke, and several cloves of garlic. And sone water. That was yesterday. It's not that stinky yet, so I'll give it time.

When it's basically gag worthy, I'll filter out the solids and dilute the liquid to spray susceptable plants and shoots. I can also leave the residue among those plants, mainly squashes now.

Damn Deer. 6.21.2021

Deer have broken into all of the fenced areas where I'm growing squash. Squash has a reputation for not being a deer favorite. However, they have always eTen away at mine. These fences are not tall, but I hoped that the narrow area woukd be a deterrent. I sprayed all of the squash plants with Liquid Fence. I found an old bag of Milorganite lying around, and spread that too. I will need to be vigilant. They eat giant leaves and succulent young growth tips. The aplants can handle losing a few, but once it starts the animals keep eating them. Photos dont show much - you cant photograph what isn't there. I think tomorrow I should see if I still have some net barriers. That may help too.

Alstroemeria. 6.21.2021

These are the Alstroemeria that I bought this year for container growing. If zi remember, I'll add one that I grew from a start of an older clump. These look like they will remain very compact. Nice bloom, too.

Repotting Apple Seedlings. 6.21.2021

I noticed that the Calypso x Golden Sentinel apple seedlings, that I started during the winter, seem to have started a growth spurt. I transplanted them into larger containers. I've never grown apple seeds, so this is new to me. The stems seem stout, with narrow internodes, so maybe they are columnar like Golden Sentinel. I don't know for certain. One had mildew during wet season and they look a bit fuzzy now? So I sprayed them with "Safer" sulfur spray.

Making Sourdough Pizza Dough & Loaf. 6.21.2021

The sourdough starter is still alove. I last frfreshed refreshed it in early May. I made a batch of dough for a pizza in the next few days. That gets aged a bit in the fridge. To the second dough, I added 1/3 cup potato flakes, a tablespoon of sugar, and about a tablespoon of some "heart health" plant based butter substitute.

Tomatoes Are Setting. 6.20.2021

One of the Sugar Rush cherry tomatoes is almost there. Even though it's j

ust one cherry tomato, I think we'll have a ripe tomato by July 4th. That's pretty good in the maritime Pacific NW. Romas, Alpatieva, Extreme Bush, Dwarf Johnson Cherry, and Tanunda Red all have little green tomatoes, dime to quarter size.

Lazy Rufus. 6.20.2021

Tart Cherry Pie Filling. Canned vs. Frozen. Canned Sweet Cherries. 6.20.2021

I made pie fillings using tart cherries (North Star) and also canned another batch of sweet cherries (RNier and a red variety). I'm still learning the details of canning. I will be careful about inspecting them before eating them. The canned cherries are fairly routine. However, I know there is some leakage before they seal, so a bit of juice exits, and a bit of boiling water enters the jars before they seal. The airspace varies a bit. I think they are Ok but will check quality before eating the canbed fruits. I follow the canner instructions closely. The cherries - sweet on the left, tart on the right.

The canned sweet cherries.

As for pie fillings, I made enough for one pie by canning the filling. Those have to be cooked before they are canned (hot fill method). Unfortunately, they lose their form while cooking, so the end result doesn't look a lot like cherries.

Today I made fillings for two cherry pies, and froze them. I think that was a lot less work, and the cherries hold their shape much better. The ingredients are exactly the same as if I make a fresh pie, except I leave out the butter which I add when baking the pie. I noticed the 1/8 tsp salt. No idea why that is there, and I don't do it. I might change to a clear starch next time instead of flour. I think the flour is a family tradition but I'm not certain.