Thread: In the Garden 2019

Upstate New York has finally thawed and just might be warm enough to garden. Unfortunately, it has been terribly rainy, and most folks have not planted anything yet because its just too darn wet. Gonna be a slow garden year.

I put in about 100 miles on the bike today just out riding the back roads as it's really nice today. I stopped by my friend Carolyn's and she was in the back yard with her two small grandsons working on her raised beds and I mean Raised Beds.

They sit on concrete blocks stacked two high. The base is a small pallet and the side come on the pallet for where her son in law works. She's going to see if he can get me and my friend Annie some.

Prettry Cool--

Looks like I'll be making Strawberry Jam here in a day or two--

2 and a half pounds after sorting and cleaning:



These damn things keep eating at them. I've also found 'Rolly Poly's'



Oh well, I don't use any pesticides so they get to stay.

Look out Roy - my strawberry patch is coming for ya! One flower so far...

Back in '79 when I was working as a cutter for a mom and pop store I went looking for a better paying job as we had a child on the way. I asked one of Safeway's meat managers if they were hiring and he sent me to the District Office. I met the District Manager and he said that there weren't any openings for cutters but they were looking for someone who could work produce. Well when the guy who was the produce manager at the mom and pop store had a day off I would take care of his little department so I knew a little bit.

Long story short, while I did many things for Safeway in my 36 year, 7 month and 6 day career, I was basically a produce clerk.

More times than I care to remember some customer would bring a container of strawberries to me and tell me that they were moldy. 90% of the time what they were seeing was part of the strawberries white flower. I'd politely say; "I'm sorry but that's not mold, that's simply the bloom.

You wouldn't believe how many would take it back and re-check only to find that I was right. Amazing how disappointed some people could get not being able to ding the product.

After culling and cleaning I have another 1.5 lbs of berries in the freezer. I now have enough to make a batch of jam tomorrow so I'm off to check on my supplies to make sure I have everything I need on hand.

I sure don't want to get started only to find I don't have enough pectin, sugar, jars etc.

Cold, raining and damp

Had to turn the furnace on