Slowly, the earliest tomatoes ripened, then more of them, now the mid-season vines are cranking out tomatoes by the basket full. After all, we planted more than 200 tomato plants this year. I’m kept busy, picking and seeding out all those varieties, as they come ripe. When I pick them, I write the name of the variety or initials on each tomato, so I don’t make mistakes. After all, a basket of tomatoes has several different red ones, some larger, some smaller. It would be easy to make an error.

Every day, I’m picking a variety of tomatoes to save seed from.

We had good news on David’s cabin. The septic system is finally getting under way! Last week, the guys came out and started laying it out. The head honcho is none other than Josh Antus, the young man who bulldozed a trail in for us when we first moved here in February, more than 17 years ago. Now, we’re friends and neighbors. Country life is so cool! Today, the drain field got laid out over a bed of gravel and the septic tank, itself, delivered and set in. They’ll finish up tomorrow when the inspector is due out to check the system out for the county. We’re so happy it’s going to be in and tucked in, way before freezing weather (we hope!) Please God, no frost!

The guys talking over the septic system. Josh is the man to the left, in the blue shirt.
Ta da! The septic tank is in place, in the ground, ready to be buried after inspection.

Yesterday, I picked a 10-foot section of our 50-foot row of Provider green beans I put in so our friend, Heather, could have plenty. She did take about a 10-foot section last week, but those beans keep on cranking out lots. I didn’t want them to get tough, so I picked a big basket full and got them cut up this morning. In just a little while, I’ll be canning them up. I tweaked my “good” bad knee yesterday so I’m kind of gimping along with my knee brace on today. Hopefully, it will soon mend.

I just finished cutting my green beans on the front porch. Now I’ve got to get them canned up.

— Jackie

10 COMMENTS

  1. Sounds great Jackie! I’m finishing the move the wouldn’t end. Problems with movers, trucks, my health, my brother in law health and my husbands health. Both men had to go to the hospital brother in law for a week and hubby for a day, then I got to help them get well at home. This is along with anything and everything that could be a problem. Almost done with it, it’s been one thing after another to interfere with getting into our house. No garden this year and probably a whole lot of plants in pots next year. I’m probably going to have to have knee surgery. But I will roll with the punches and keep going. I’m still praying for Javid. I hope you find a place for him to go to that’s good. Good luck with your harvest and new seeds.

    • Thanks so much. I sure hope all of your big problems are much better. Moving sure sucks but sometimes we just have to do it. I hope you get into your new place soon and can have a bit of a breather.

  2. Potatoes became overgrown with weeds and thought they were a loss. Dug the first row today and couldn’t believe how they produced. I might not ever weed them again!!??
    Tomatoes are still dragging their feet.

  3. Hi Jackie- it’s always great to hear about David’s progress on his house! Sounds like things are moving along nicely.
    Boy you and Will are busy! I’m canning, but on a tiny scale compared with what you do. Still, it’s nice to have my pantry filling up and especially with news about shortages due to drought, etc for 2023. I’m on a pension and every bit I put away makes a difference.
    Hope your knees hang in and take time to rest them even though at this time of year that’s not so easy!

    • We’re so thankful that progress is happening on all fronts; the harvest, David’s house and filling up the pantry. With such a huge drought in some areas, water shortages and floods in other spots, I can’t help but think we will be experiencing food shortages. So, I can, can, can!

  4. Finished off the last of my tomatoes 2 weeks ago. Planting more this week. Too hot for them here in the summertime.

  5. Is that a two tank system? We had one at our old house (and the tanks were old). Crossing fingers the inspector gets out there tomorrow and weather stays dry for burying.
    The last of my slicing tomatoes are still being stubborn about ripening. Plucked a couple off as a few paste tomatoes that got knocked off are ripening quite nicely in the house. If they don’t, then green tomato consumption time.
    Time to do some next year planning as garlic will be planted mid-September. And of course, weeding, the never ending chore. Better half has now realized that the type of grass growing in the asparagus bed a kind of grass he doesn’t like (go figure). Now the last of the 90%+ humidity days have passed (I hope), removal is next on the list. For the first time this year, mosquitoes are bad. Hopefully the bats will gorge on them.

    • Nope, just one big tank. The system is now inspected and covered up, ready for adding some rotted manure and straw mulch so grass grows over the area, holding the soil in place. In New Mexico, we usually had difficulty getting ripe tomatoes as it was so hot in the summer the plants dropped their blossoms. But thankfully, we did get green ones to ripen indoors so I could can. We’ve got mosquitoes fairly bad this year, due to all the rain. Being on a hill, way above the creek and ponds, we usually don’t have them. But, hey, it IS Minnesota, where they’re called the “state bird”.

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