Cherry Pie. 7.16.22

 The pie cherries ripened.  There were almost no sweet cherries this year, and fewer pie cherries.  Still, there were enough pie cherries to make filling for three pies.

I used the outdoor stove this time.  It worked perfectly.  I think it needed less gas to heat compared to inside cooking, because it was a hot afternoon.  Also, baking it didn't heat up the kitchen.

I like glass pie plates.  I think they make a great crust.  You can also look to make sure the crust browned properly.

This time I used Clear Jel starch instead of flour.   The filling is more clear, and redder.p instead of pink.

I made two batches of pie filling and froze them.  They will keep a year in the freezer.  It's much easier and faster to make a pie from a frozen filling, instead of fresh.  I think the flavor is the same.

More Container-Grown Potatoes. Planting Bush Beans. 7.16.22

 This is the second batch of container-grown red potatoes. 

Compared to the same starts, grown in the ground, the container grown potatoes had nicer, finer skin, no scabbiness, were a bit oblong instead of round.  The flavor is the same.   Size is similar.  I think the container grown made for more potatoes, much easier harvest.  Photo:  grown in ground, on the top.  Container grown, on the bottom.

I have other varieties that I can do the same comparison.   We'll see how those turn out. 

Meanwhile, I thought the soil mix in those containers was too water retentive.  The bottoms were soggy.  I found an unused partial bag of cactus soil and another of perlite, and mixed those into to soil in the bags.  That should improve drainage.  Then I planted bush bean seeds in the modified soil mix.

This is the variety "Blue Lake".  I grew them last year, good bean with good yield.

With beans, peas, corn, a cover is needed so birds so up all of the seeds and eat them.

Pollinating Squashes. 7.23.22

Squashes are one of my favorites.  They are bee pollinated, and it seems like there are few bees this year.  Especially honeybees.  I hand pollinate anyway. 

Here is the big squash patch, with Burgess Buttercup, Saffron Summer Squash, and Costata Romanesco Summer Squash (zucchini).  That last one is monstrous in size.

I want at least one of each to be pure, so that I can save seeds for next year and have them predictable.  I seek male and female flowers about to open, and cover them with organza gift bags.  Then tomorrow I can use the males to pollinate the same variety females.  That way, I don't have to worry about the few bees that are there, cross pollinating different varieties.

The squash plants are interesting.  Fordham Zucchini and Galeux d'Eysines so far have made only male flowers, and Burgess Buttercup and Dakota Dessert Squash made only females until today.  The Costata and Saffron made both, but initially Saffron made only female flowers.  So just for eating, I cross pollinated Saffron squash with Costata pollen (They are the same species), which worked fine.  Later in the summer, I want to save seeds from those too, so will isolate those flowers in a month or so.

There actually are some native pollinating insects, as seen on these cilantro flowers.

Here are the other squashes, among fruit trees and other plants.

Today's Harvest, Raspberries, Spuds, and Summer Squash. 7.13.22

 I really like it when the summer squashes start bearing.  I planted less this year so I won't be overwhelmed.

The potatoes were from sprouted grocery potatoes I planted late winter in a fabric container.  Not a massive harvest, three pounds and a few ounces from one container.  Still, not bad.

Star Quilt Progress. 7.13.22

 So far I surprised myself with the first four star blocks.

As with two other quilts, these are made from fabric from second hand men's 100% cotton shirts.  Some features are fabric left over from previous quilts.  Those were fabrics I especially liked.  I have to be creative in their use because only small amounts remain.

These took longer because of the white backgrounds.  I have a crinkly white fabric that I used, to add texture.  However, it's so thin I was concerned the batting would show through.  So I used spray basting to bond them to a heavier white fabric.  The spray basting will wash away when the final quilt is laundered, leaving the two layers much softer but with the nice crinkly look on the surface.

Now comes a bit of a dilemma.   Each fabric is in a limited amount.  I have to vary it so I make the best use of each.  The shapes are irregular, so it's difficult for me to decide how far each piece will go.  I thought I might alternate these with the darker blue, with lighter blue stars.  Here is a comparison.  The light blue one isn't sewn together yet, so it is larger.

I don't think I like the lighter color for the star.  The other fabrics - the grey and the background - are in short supply, but I think I have enough of the dark blue for at least the next four (out of thirteen total) blocks, and who knows, maybe all thirteen.  The grew and white parts will have to be more diverse, which I think will add variety.

I will play with it and see what happens.