Whatcha Up To???

[w_r_ranch]

Made bread.

Made a buttermilk pie.

Seasoned up a 2" thick sirloin steak that will be smoked over post oak coals for supper. It will be served with asparagus spears & twice-baked potatoes.

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[Waite]

Okay, can't stand it anymore. You make buttermilk pie like I make trouble, very often. I checked the recipe section and sure enough, there it is. Going to try it. If we gain weight it's your fault, just sayin'!

 

[w_r_ranch]

Might as well splurge & eat a big slice with ice cream or whip cream like we do!!!

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Check out the Dewberry Pie recipe, it's very popular too & put a smile on your face!!!

 

[Waite]

Don't know that I've ever seen or heard of a Dewberry. What's a good substitute?

I have a jar of bourbon pecan pie filling from Heaven Hill Distillery. Holding onto that one for Father's day.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Waite, you can substitute blackberries... they are very similar, although there are subtle differences between dewberry & blackberry plants. The southern dewberry (Rubus trivalis) has a low, vine-like growth habit & rarely reaches heights greater than 2 feet (they can normally be found growing wild along fence lines throughout the south). The blackberry (Rubus fruticosus) has a very upright growth pattern & commonly reaches 3' to 6' in height. In addition, dewberry stems commonly have slender thorns with red hairs, while blackberry stems have hard, tough thorns & no hairs.

I personally prefer the taste/texture of dewberries over blackberries, there is just something about them...

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[Waite]

Could maybe substitute mulberry?

 

[w_r_ranch]

Sure. You can use whatever you like, It's a very basic recipe...

 

[Waite]

Kraut done and in freezer containers. As soon as they're solid I'll transfer to vacuum seal bags for the long haul. Ended up with four 2lb. containers for dinners and seven 1/2lb. for sides and toppings. Turned out excellent, well worth the extra two weeks. I love fresh kraut juice almost as much as leftover pickle juice!

Taxes done. Coulda' been worse.

 

[ksk]

Waite, you can substitute blackberries... they are very similar, although there are subtle differences between dewberry & blackberry plants. The southern dewberry (Rubus trivalis) has a low, vine-like growth habit & rarely reaches heights greater than 2 feet (they can normally be found growing wild along fence lines throughout the south). The blackberry (Rubus fruticosus) has a very upright growth pattern & commonly reaches 3' to 6' in height. In addition, dewberry stems commonly have slender thorns with red hairs, while blackberry stems have hard, tough thorns & no hairs.

I personally prefer the taste/texture of dewberries over blackberries, there is just something about them...

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I'm with you on the taste of the dewbeery Ranch.My fence lines are thick with them this year.On a down note,I picked about 2 gallons last year and made a lot of jelly but could have picked more if it not been for the copper heads.I saw two that were over 18'' long and as round as my thumb.I planted thornless blackberries on my fence around my garden last May.I'm hoping I get enough where as my days of picking berries in the ''thick stuff'' is over.

 

[ksk]

Watered fruit trees and rose bushes.Cooked a Boston Butt in the oven and did a rack of ribs on the pit.Also cooked a pot of pintos.Family coming in from Memphis [12 1/2 drive] tonight for Spring Break.

 

[Waite]

Busy boy, I should've waited to post until the end of the day.

Built a new squash bed, started transferring soil out of the old one to the new tomato bed. I watched for vine borers, didn't see any yet. I'm reluctant to use it in the new squash bed, but since I injected the plants with BT last year I doubt there are any grubs in the soil.

 

[Mr_Yan]

@Waite the squash vine borers you need to watch for are a highly mobile moth which lays eggs on the vine. The eggs hatch and the larva go right into the vine. They may not pupate and hatch in your garden but your neighbors may not be as diligent. The option I took to combat this was to change from the hollow vine squashes to a solid vine plant.

There are three species of squash Cucurbita moschata, C. pepo, and C. maxima. Both C. pepo and C. maxima have hollow vines and are highly susceptible to vine borers. C. moschata has a solid vine and I've never had a problem with borers.

 

[wolffman]

I'm really thinking about planting this sign on a property line. That is all.

 

[Waite]

@Waite the squash vine borers you need to watch for are a highly mobile moth which lays eggs on the vine. The eggs hatch and the larva go right into the vine. They may not pupate and hatch in your garden but your neighbors may not be as diligent. The option I took to combat this was to change from the hollow vine squashes to a solid vine plant.

There are three species of squash Cucurbita moschata, C. pepo, and C. maxima. Both C. pepo and C. maxima have hollow vines and are highly susceptible to vine borers. C. moschata has a solid vine and I've never had a problem with borers.

Trust me when I say I am intimately familiar with the little beast. The vine borer adult is an orange/red and black moth with clear wings that resembles a bee more than a moth. Unlike most moths they fly during the day . They lay right at the base of the vine. The grub eats it's way through the vine, then overwinters in the ground below. One of the best ways to combat them is to till the ground just before it freezes. It pulls them close enough to the surface for the cold to kill them.

Last year I had 24 squash/pumpkin, and I lost only one to the borer. It's the only thing I use sevin for, and only at the base. I also use aluminum foil at the base of the vine, and inject the plants with Bacillus thuringiensis, or BT. I do that as soon as the first bloom appears and again a few weeks later.

 

[wolffman]

I did a little experimenting a few years back regarding the dreaded squash vine borer. I painted the entire vine, about 8" from soil level, with some rubberized latex paint to see if I could prevent them from entering the vine. Nope, the experiment crashed and burned. Insecticide seems to be to be the only cure.

 

[Waite]

One thing that seems to help is to wrap the bottom 8-10" of the vine with aluminum foil. The grub can't get in and dies. Sometimes.

Move some dirt away from the vine and start the foil below grade.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Cut the grass.

Made stuffed jalapenos.

Mixed up a load of dirt (sand, topsoil & composted peat) and filled in some low spots in the yard.

Watered the porch pots, hanging baskets & the seed flats in the greenhouse.

Harvested more asparagus.

 

[wolffman]

Revisited the dirt work I did last year along a property line. Cleaned weeds, etc and dug holes in preparation for the shipment of bamboo that is to arrive tomorrow.

 

[RLwhaler]

Got that call from my whole sale crawfish guy.." Hung-Dong" His brother happens to be "Hung- Lou" LOL!!. "Hung-Lou" ask me to go by "Hung-Dong" to pick up my crawfish . Cooked 4 bags this weekend..Had enough crawfish for a year..
while crawfish was cooking, I'd started on my asparagus bed.

 

[RLwhaler]

Could maybe substitute mulberry?

Waite: My kids would substitute with all kinds of different berries over the years with Ranch's pie recipe's. It's a big hit at our house.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Took down the suet block & put out a big seed block (the wood peckers like the peanuts).

I had to replanted the Cilantro... apparently I have another armadillo that needs killing.

Started spraying RM43 around the home site.

 

[wolffman]

UPS driver just dropped off Qty 10 "Angel Mist' Bamboo plants (aka, annoying neighbor countermeasure). I was surprised to see how nice they looked being that they were boxed up for a few days. These things are going to get huge, haha!.

 

[RLwhaler]

UPS driver just dropped off Qty 10 "Angel Mist' Bamboo plants (aka, annoying neighbor countermeasure). I was surprised to see how nice they looked being that they were boxed up for a few days. These things are going to get huge, haha!.

View attachment 2962

Wolfffman, I planted those bamboo in one of my rental property just to get that "Zen" feel LOL! boy...did they sprouted everywhere! I swear I can't kill them/get rid of them! They will be big for sure!

 

[wolffman]

RL, I made sure not to get the spreading type of bamboo, this is a 'clumping' type. It's supposed to get about 8' in diameter and grow to about 35' tall. Annoying neighbor will have plenty of Zen in his life in about 3 years.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Watered the garden, the spider plants on the porch & all the trees (along with the Lirope under them).

Finally got around to welding up the 2 T-handles for use with the new irrigation valves. After prepping them, I applied the paint.

Finished spraying the RM43 around the home site.

Harvested more asparagus.