Freezer Jam. 7.17.15

Cut up enough plums for 2 cups.

Mix in 1 teaspoon of fruit preservative, vitamin C.

 I made my first batch of plum freezer jam.  Easier than expected and delicious.

I did the same thing with King figs, except chopped them by hand into about 1/2 inch pieces.  That was my first try, and I used 1 cup  of sugar, which was too sweet.

Dissolve 1 1/2 teaspoon low-sugar pectin in 1 cup water.

Heat to boil while stirring.  Boil one minute while stirring.

Mix the fruit with the pectin solution.  Mix in 1/2 cup sugar.

I like to pulse a couple of times in food processor but leave lots of chunks.

Ladle into fruit jars.  I used 4 ounce.

Cap, label, chill or freeze.

King Fig Jam.  7.17.15

A Couple More Irises. 7.17.15

Iris Shipment from Schreiner's.  7.17.15

My bearded iris shipment came yesterday from Schreiner's.  As usual, they are big fat rhizomes with thick healthy appearing leaves.  If they don't grow, it's something I am doing, and not the product.

I bought -

Owyhee Desert.  1997.  Again.  Unusual flower, with white edges on falls and white standards, with falls washed with rusty brown  and violet stippling.   Previous one never bloomed, and died in the bacterial rot epidemic.  It might not be suitable for her but I want to try again.  This time around, using chopped evergreen mulch, no summer water after the first planting, keep most other plants out.

Sea Power.   1999.  Highly ruffled blue.  Fragrant.

Kinkajou Shrew.  1999.  Highly marbled, grape purple, fragrant.   Reported as vigorous.

Other than watering them in now, intent is no further summer watering.  Nor, any of the others.

I also planted another of my own hybrids, in the iris bed.  This one has not bloomed yet, so I don't know what it will look like.  Probably also hybrid of Immortality X Spiced Custard, although there were others.  If I name them, I would like something colorful, such as "Yellow Caterpillar, Shivering in the Snow", or "Happy Puppy, Rolling Around in the Dust".

Irises Quickly Planted.  7.17.15

Bearded Iris Beds. 7.16.15

Bearded Iris Bed.  7.16.15

Bearded Iris Beds 2 and 3.  7.16.15

Sempervivum.  7.16.15

Looks like the bearded iris beds have fully recovered from the bacterial rot an leaf spot fungal infections of this Spring.  Hot dry summer, lots of sun, no added water, keep weeds out, and ground-up-cedar-tree mulch. 

I gave up on companion planting, except for Sempervivum.  Sempervivum do not shade other plants, they do not crowd other plants, and they are happy with the hot dry conditions, same as bearded irises.

I have a shipment of 3 varieties coming in a day or two.  I also added back a seedling that I grew by hybridizing "Immortality" X "Spiced Custard", that bloomed this spring, nice white flower, yellow beard, not too large.  There is room for a couple more seedlings from that cross, that might be entirely different.

This and That. 7.13.15

Yellow Beans.  7.13.15

Begonia.  7.13.15

 First crop of beans ready today.  I thought the Romas would be first.  Instead, it was these Yellow Wax Beans.  All of a sudden, there they are.  Supper tonight.

The begonia tubers I bought this spring all grew.  Some much faster than others.  This is the first, about to bloom.  On North side of the house.  No direct sun at all.

Daylily Luxury Lace.  This is a group of 3 starts, that I planted together in container when they came in the mail this spring.  They were fairly dried out.  They got some TLC, then into ground.  Blooming now.  I'm impressed, blooming first year.  This is considered a historic variety.  1959.  Which also makes me a historic variety.  According to OldHouseGardens, this variety"was bred by Edna Spalding of rural Louisiana who grew her seedlings in the vegetable garden and culled the rejects with a kitchen knife"

Daylily pink is kind of a different pink.  I don't know how to describe it.  Daylily red is the same way - not what I would consider a true red, but I like it very much.

Daylily "Luxury Lace".  First bloom.  7.13.15

Fresh Figs and Plums. 7.13.15

Shiro Plums.  7.13.15

Lattarula and King Figs.  7.13.15

More fresh fruit.  Might be better in one or two days, then all of a sudden, we'll be full of them.