Autumn Joy - type Sedum. Propagation. 8.18.15

Sedums are starting to bloom and the bees are already on them.  There were 2 broken pieces.  This may not be a good time for taking cuttings.  If so, nothing lost.   If they take, then there are some more plants.

Sedum First Blooms.  8.18.15

Sedum CUttings.  8.18.15

 Most are "Autumn Joy" type sedums.  I read, many are sold in the US with that name but in reality are unnamed seedlings.  No problem.  They are great in the border and are great bee forage.  The dark red one might be "Munstead Red". 

I cut the broken pieces into shorter lengths.  I took off the bottom leaves.  The cuttings were allowed to dry briefly.  Not long.  It's in the mid 90s today.  Then I filled small containers with organic potting soil and inserted the stem cuttings and leaf cuttings into the medium.  They are watered and now in the shade.

No rooting hormone.   I read this method works earlier in the year.  Sedums are vigorous, so maybe it will work now.

Root primordia had already formed near the base of the green variety, above the break.   That one should grow even if the others don't.

Low growing, trailing sedums don't need special care to grow from cuttings.  I just cut or pull off pieces and insert into soil where I want them to grow.  These bushier types might not be as easy, or they might.

Sedum Cuttings.  8.18.15

Sedum cuttings.  8.18.15

Sweet Corn Comparison, Ear to Ear. 8.16.15

Sweetcorn.  8.16.15

Until this year, I never attempted to grow sweetcorn here.  This year I planted two varieties.

Today was a good comparison of the two varieties. 

The Trinity plants were much taller, more than 6 foot.  The Early Sunglow plants were only about 3 or 4 foot tall.

Trinity made a much, much larger ear.  With larger kernels.

Flavor-wise, I think the Early Sunglow has a slightly richer, sweet-corn flavor, and the Trinity is sweeter.

They were grown on opposite sides of the yard.  There might have been a soil difference.  I planted the Early Sunglow about 2 weeks earlier than the Trinity.  The Trinity is just beginning to bear.  Early Sunglow is done.  Only a few ears developed on the Early Sunglow plants.  Each and every Trinity plant has an ear.  Some have two.

If I didn't have them here to taste side by side, I would think the Trinity is as good as the Early Sunglow.  Given the big difference in yield, Trinity looks like the more preferred variety by far.   The flavor difference is too subtle to matter.

This difference might just be in my yard, or might be that the soil was not good in the location for Early Sunglow.  It might be worth a try in a different spot next year.

Savoring the Summer. Crookneck Early Golden Summer Squash Chips. 8.16.5

Crookneck Summer Squash and Chips. 8.16.15

Very simple. 
1.  Slice squash into paper thin slices using mandolin.  Do not slice fingers, which would give the squash a nice red tinge but is not considered hygienic.
2.  Spread on food dehydrator plates.
3.  Crush a few cloves of garlic in olive oil to make a paste.  I used a mortar and pestle.
4.  Dab a little garlic paste on each slice.  Try to use minimal amount.
5.  Sprinkle the slices with a minimal dusting of salt an pepper.  Very little, because these slices are very thin and don't need much.
6.  Dry in food dehydrator about a day at 130.

These are crunchy, like potato chips.  Really delicious.  I hate half a squash worth in one sitting.  They do get limp if they sit out very long, so not intended for long term storage.

Bee forage. 8.16.15

Chinese Chive Bee Forage.  8.16.15

 Main bee forage currently is Chinese Chive.  They prefer Chinese chive to all other currently blooming flowers.  These are really pretty.  For the looks and bees, drought and freeze tolerance and sturdiness, this plant is an excellent flower border plant.  They are also delicious as a filling for the world's best Manchurian dumplings.

The borage is also foraged fairly heavily.

Not just honeybees.  Other larger and smaller pollen foraging insects, butterflies, moths, hoverflies, and small bees, forage the chives.

Sedum flowers are not open yet.  Bees find the few flowers that are almost open, and check them to see if they are ready yet.

Oregano is heavily foraged but in decline.  They will probably be done in a week.

Bees are ignoring California poppies.  Not on the marigolds much now, either.

Flower Bed For Bees.  8.16.15

Insects on Chinese Chives.  8.16.15

Despite what I read, the honeybees and other bees, ignored the nasturtiums.

They check penstemon without much enthusiasm. Maybe this cultivar is not tasty.  I don't know the cultivar name.

Parsley fell over and may not bloom.  Only one plant.

A flower border for bees is incredible fun.  The air is alive and active, with bees and other foraging the flowers.  So much more than a sterile, store bought, "designer" "HGTV" border.

Preserving Summer. 8.16.15

Sundried Hollywood Plums.  8.16.15

Sundried and Sun-drying tomatoes.  8.16.15

 There is so much now from the kitchen garden.  Can't eat it all at once.  I give some away.

Dried fruit from home garden is surprisingly good.  The near-black Hollywood plums are tart and sweet and concentrated plum flavor.  Like fresh ones but more intense.  Nothing like a prune, which is a dried European plum.

The home grown sun dried tomatoes are even better than store bought,  And store bought sun dried tomatoes are pretty good.

They don't have to be Roma tomatoes.  Ning taught me we can dry any kind.

With these fruits, we dry a few days in the sunroom.  During the day it is in the 120s there.  I can use a food dehydrator, but the sunroom works as well with no power.

Then they go into food bags into the freezer.

Freezer Jam.  Finally found instant pectin.  The advantage is, instant pectin does not need to be dissolved.  No water needs to be added.  So the jam is just fruit, some sugar, and pectin.

Today's Harvest.  8.16.15

 For grapes, only 1/2 the recipe amount of sugar is needed.  Maybe not even that much.  This was amazingly good:

2 cups washed grapes.   These were Price grape.
1/3 cup sugar.
2 tablespoons instant pectin.

I wash the grapes. Place them in food processor and chop coarsely.

Then combine the sugar and pectin.  Add to food processor and process until well mixed.

Ingredients for Grape Freezer Jam.  8.16.15

 I leave the seeds intact, and don't worry about chopping the skin too finely.    Grape flavor is highly concentrated in the skin.  Grape seeds are a health food and the crunchiness adds fun to the jam, similar to seeds in figs.

Cornbread with Grape Freezer Jam.  8.16.5

Very good on cornbread with butter.  Use unsweetened corn bread.  Or mixed with plain, homemade yogurt.

Ladle jam into jars.   Any small jar will do.  These keep 1 year in freezer or 1 month in fridge.  The uncooked fruit flavor sings with joy.

Hollywood plums also make excellent plum jam.  Same as grapes, but slice the plums flesh off the seeds.   Leave the skin on the slices.  Use 2 cups, same as grape jam.  Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice.  The rest is same as grapes.  It's almost like candy, sweet and sour and full of undiluted flavor, unlike cooked fruit jams with high fructose corn syrup from the grocery store.

In either case, the jam fills 2 8-oz jars.