Growing cucumbers
Why do the edges of the leaves on my cucumber plants turn yellow?
Loretta Howard
Plymouth, Indiana
Usually when that happens, either the plants aren’t getting enough water during hot spells or you are watering with an overhead sprinkler which some cukes don’t like. Soaking the ground around the plants with a soaker hose, drip irrigation, or even a hand-held nozzle often helps. Mulching around the young plants with about 8 inches of good weed-free straw or immature hay will help next year. — Jackie
Thickening tomato sauce
I’m looking for a way to stretch my tomato sauce. I cook it down and it gets good and thick, but there are only a few jars. I would like to make some sauce that makes a big recipe and is also thick. I have a friend who says she thickens her tomato sauce with cornstarch. Then I found a recipe for homemade Ragu sauce that is thickened with Clear Jel, there is no instructions on how to can it. I’m not sure if it can be canned. Is it ok to thicken sauces with Clear Jel? How much would you use? Here is the recipe that I found in a local paper.
Homemade Ragu Sauce
8 onions
4 bell peppers
Cook in a little water. Drain and blend well.
10 quarts tomato juice
2 tablespoons garlic powder
3 cups sugar
1/2 cup salt
5 Tbsp. oregano
3 Tbsp. basil
48 ounces tomato paste
1 pint vegetable oil
In a large kettle, bring everything to a boil.
10 Tbsp. of Clear Jel or Therm-Flo
cold water to dissolve Clear Jel
Add thickening to boiling kettle. Bring back to a boil.
The recipe says it can be canned, but make sure to research and use up to date canning methods and times. Do you think this will achieve my goal of a thick sauce and a large volume? And if so how long should I can it? Would I use a water-bath method?
Nicole Bramm
Narvon, Pennsylvania
I’m sure this could probably be canned but I have no researched information. Clear Jel is used successfully in canning pie fillings and I have Amish friends who can a recipe similar to yours in a boiling water bath for 45 minutes. But I cannot, advise you to can it as there are really no guidelines for safety. Better skip this one. — Jackie
Rick Riley,
I’m glad your Bill Bean tomatoes are producing for you after that near miss with the frost this spring. We have two plants with over 20 huge tomatoes (at least 2 pounds each!!) right now. Like you, we’ll be saving seeds from the first ripening ones but boy oh boy will it be hard to NOT eat them. Heck, maybe I’ll just put slices on my plate and scoop up the seeds to save and then eat the tomato. They’re a very meaty, excellent tasting tomato, too. Way better than Brandywine. We’re hoping to have some Glass Gem seed for sale, too. Ears are setting so here’s hoping for a late fall frost!
Jackie, Not related much to the post BUT I am EXCITED!!!!….You see my Bill Bean tomato plants got frosted in the spring and only 2 plants survived that ordeal. Today I found one of the 2 plants has it’s first ripe tomato. It is real big and beautiful….I plan to use it to save seed for next spring….It looks so nice….I’ll eat another one when they ripen later, but SEED is a priority to me!!!! Thank you!!
Also I hope you will have some Glass Gem seed for sale come late winter.
Rick
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