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.

Another Forsythia Cutting Update. 6.20.2021

Today I noticed more roots emerging from a container of forsythia cuttings. I started these directly in potting soil, with little plastic bags covering them to act as humidity / ICU tents. So I set it outside. It's in the 80s today, but it survived. That, and the most recent water-rooted one were a bit droopy after sun heated their black sided containers at the end of the day, so I brought them back indoors and set the remaining two, which were not droopy, back into the shade.

Meanwhile, the fourth (of five) cutting in water has started to grow roots. In the past, I understood that potting medium rooting was superior to water rooting for most cuttings. That may be true, but so far the water rooted forsythia cuttings have done significantly better than the ones in potting medium, and with less effort.

Dwarf Tomato Progress Notes. 6.18.2021

Most of the dwarf tomatoes ar roughly 20 inches tall now. Extreme Bush:

Red Tanunda Dwarf

Alpatieva 905A:

BrandyFred:

Dwarf Champion and Dwarf CC McGee are similar size. Dwarf Johnson Cherry and Clare Valley Pink are only about a foot tall. Alpatieva 905A has the largest tomato set, so far. Extreme Dwarf also has a small tomato. All are blooming profusely.

Rufus Likes his Rawhide Treat. 6.18.2021