What did you collect and store this week?, page 6

reply to post by resistor

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We plan to at least double our corn plot next year (14 rows about 40 ft long this year, a bit over 45 doz. ears) ....... we've just closed a deal for a med-size tractor to make that more feasible. We've been using an ancient walk-behind Troybilt ....great for the spot we've tilled for years, but not exactly what I want to break new ground with!

We're wanting to grow feed corn for the chickens and some other livestock.....probably yellow corn for them, even though we would still like to have the white silver queen type for the 'kitchen' garden .....I would expect there'd be some cross pollination. Have you had experience with anything like this?

Do you grow a particular variety for saving your seeds?

More to the subject of the thread.....we're up to 37 quarts of canned tomatoes, and have gotten 2 loads of firewood. We will need at least 3 more loads of wood to go for the winter......not nearly as costly as gas or electric heat, though the wood has gone up about $10 or $15 per load.

[edit on 9-8-2008 by frayed1]

reply to post by salchanra

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Thanks! That site has lots of information on other subjects as well......I'd like to order several of their books on spinning and weaving.

Do you shear you own sheep? I'm getting too old to attempt that for myself, but we get a "Market Bulletin" from the state agriculture dept that lists folks who do that sort of work....so I could still 'grow' my own wool.

reply to post by frayed1

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THX for the advise on drying the corn on the stalk. I'm growing Jarvis Golden Prolific, which is a late 19th century open pollenated heirloom variety that was very popular in the south until the hybrids started coming in. It's 85 days to eating and 120 to dry. It's not a true sweet corn, but the couple of ears that I grilled at the 'milky' stage seemed very tasty to me. It's a very drought hardy, tight shucked dent corn that often has two large ears. I even had one plant try to put off a third ear, but it never really developed. Overall I'm happy with this variety and I think I'll stick with it. My beans on the other hand,

reply to post by resistor

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Thanks for that info.....
We've been thinking that the heirloom varieties were the way to go....

We've had good luck with string-type green beans....we have planted Rattlesnake pole beans for several years now. They have a striped, purple-ish pod after pink and lavender blooms. They bear like crazy. From just a short 20ft row, and another ten or so feet that came up 'volunteer' from where they were planted last year, we have about 28 quarts in the freezer and had to give them away right and left by the bucket full!

I'm not sure if they qualify as a heirloom variety, but they are an older type....all of my elderly relatives and neighbors will say, 'I've not seen those in years, Mama used to plant them!'.

We originally bought them from a local feed/seed place.....and usually save seed from them each year, tho our present feed store still carries them. They seem pretty tough, and will come up 'voluntarily' in spring after wintering in the ground! (I've not found them in any of the seed catalogs like Burpee , Parks, Henry Fields or Territorial...)





[edit on 11-8-2008 by frayed1]

reply to post by frayed1

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Going to try shearing for the first time shortly. Need to get it done in time so new wool can grow before winter hits.

Speaking of winter. Fall is upon me, that means bird season. Took 12 grouse over the weekend and 3 rabbits. Smoked most of them (ate a few) and will be canning them. Never canned grouse, but have some good books on it. Also picked a ton of berries, they will be jam or fruit leather. Some zucchini from the garden will be either cut in the leather or turned into canned relish. Also found 12 gauge shells on sale, so I picked up 10 boxes and put into storage. Brings me to roughly 2000 shotgun shells of various sizes stored.

Note on drying fruit and making fruit leather. I made some with last years currants, was one of the most sour substances I have ever eaten. I strongly suggest extra honey or mixing it with something else, such as apples or strawberries.

reply to post by frayed1

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Oh man, your beans look great! I'm gonna do a search and see if I can get some. I tried 'Valena Italian', 'Cranberry' and 'Scarlet Runner' with very little success. Something tells me that not enough genetic diversity was kept up with these rare varieties, and that they're 'fizzling'. The lack of bees may have something to do with it also, I've seen very few, and many were dying and behaving very strangely. Interesting that your beans are called ‘rattlesnake’. My watermelon are called ‘Georgia Rattlesnake’, and are doing pretty well, despite getting a late start. I’ll let you know if I find your bean variety on line.

Didn't take long! Is this your bean frayed?
www.localharvest.org...

edit to add link


[edit on 11-8-2008 by resistor]

reply to post by resistor

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That's it!! And it does say they are an heirloom variety......and it is certainly something to 'preach about'....

They are good when young and tender, very little string....also good 'shellies' when they get bigger.

reply to post by frayed1

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Outstanding! I'll be buying some on-line unless you hip me to some supplier you're familiar with first.

reply to post by resistor

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The last ones we bought were from a local ( north GA) feed/seed store....I believe he gets them from a seed company in south GA. ( I looked at the labels on his stock to see if his seed had originated from somewhere with a similar growing season to our own as well as to check the dates his stock had shipped, etc)....

I see you're in Texas, since the Rattlesnake bean is supposed to do well in the 'southern US' perhaps there is a feed store there locally that carries them....

I often order seeds from catalog companies, and some of them seem to get their seed from odd places, even though you might expect them to grow their own......I've noticed that some seed were labeled 'packaged in Israel'......or some other 'exotic' location. ( even when they were some not exotic-type seeds, like carrots.)

It might just be my imagination, but I think the seeds that do better are more 'familiar' with or better 'acclimated' to my locale, soil type and weather.

reply to post by frayed1

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Great advise. I'll start checking the feed stores around town.

reply to post by Ravinsomniac

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Oh man you're so funny!

Not.

----------------------------------------------

The best feed store around didn't have any of the Rattlesnake Beans, so I'm not sure how well they'll do in the clay soil we've got around here. I ordered some off the internet though so I guess we'll find out. I'll let y'all know next summer, hopefully.

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