The four o’clocks are still standing tall. The August heat and Dog Days may have slowed them down a little, but they are still showing off as we get ready for the arrival of September. No other flower seems to produce as many flowers over a whole season as the lowly four o’clock. It is no wonder that it was my Northampton County grandma’s favorite!
The season to make a batch of chow-chow relish. With the harvest of green and red bell peppers as well as plenty of green tomatoes on the vines, it’s time to make a batch of chow-chow relish to use on collard, kale, and mustard greens as well as pinto beans, ham, burgers, and hot dogs. The recipe is simple and so are the ingredients. All you need is eight to ten red bell peppers and green bell peppers, 40 green tomatoes, three heads of cabbage, and six onions. Chop up all the ingredients and run through the blender in the grate mode. Mix all the chopped, cubed, or grated vegetables together in a canner, add a full cup of salt, stir, and let set overnight. The next day, drain off the liquid and rinse vegetables in a colander and place back in the canner. In a large pot, combine four cups of apple cider vinegar, two and a half cups light brown sugar, four tablespoons pickling spices, and one cup water. Stir all and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for half hour. Pack into sterilized pint jars, seal, and process in a boiling water bath canner for fifteen minutes.
Curtain call for sowing a row or bed of purple top turnips. August has only one more day remaining. Make a practical use of that day to sow a row or bed of turnips. They are a root crop that needs to be sown before August ends. Plant turnip seeds by pinching two or three seed about three inches apart to allow room for the turnips to develop. Cover seed with a layer of peat moss and a layer of Black Kow composted cow manure and top with Plant-Tone organic plant food before hilling up soil on each side of the row. Once the turnips sprout, apply a side dressing of Plant-Tone every 15 days and hill up soil to the row. Water every week with the water wand when no rain falls.
Keeping records of August fogs. We hope you have been keeping a record of all the fogs and dews of August. Tomorrow is the last day of August. Keep the records and dates in a safe place. They may give a prediction of the kind of winter precip we get as we head into the months of winter.
Taking care of the roses of mid-summer. The roses of mid-summer are still beautiful and with a little bit of extra care they will continue to bloom until we have frost. Keep all spent rose blooms dead-headed. Check for beetle and mite infestation and spray to control them if necessary. Cut back long canes that do not produce any roses. Apply a layer of Rose-Tone organic rose food every fifteen days and water each week when no rain falls.
A freezer of homemade ice cream to end the heat of August. Homemade ice cream is good because nothing is as cold as homemade ice cream on a summer day. It is actually so cold, you have to consume it slowly to avoid a headache. Carolina peaches are great ingredients for a freeze of fresh peach ice cream. Use eight or ten fresh peaches, peeled, diced, and ran through the blender in puree mode, and set aside. In a large pot or mixing bowl, beat five large eggs until stiff. Add three cups sugar to the eggs and beat until creamy. Add two cans evaporated milk and one tablespoon peach flavoring or vanilla. Add the pureed peaches and mix well. Pour into a four-quart ice cream freezer container. Mix a layer of ice and a layer of rock ice cream salt, add a cup of water to bottom of freezer to prevent ice from jamming up in the freezer. Continue to add layers of ice and salt to the top of the freezer. If your freezer is electric, allow it to run until it stops. If you have a hand cranked freezer, turn the handle until you can’t turn it any more. You can “season” the ice cream by placing a towel over the top of the freezer for half hour if you have that much patience.
The crows of mid-summer are noisy and active. The crows of mid-summer are flying over the house every afternoon. They let us know we are there by cawing three times. There must be plenty of corn harvest going on and they are looking for the fields. They have plenty of roots in the area on the other side of the U.S. 52 and that’s where they seem to be heading each afternoon. One positive things is when you see a lot of crows, the chicken hawks go into hiding.
Plenty of residue from summer harvest provides compost materials. As the month of August ends, it’s time to start stirring up a bath of compost. The harvest of summer’s bounty has produced residue in the form of stalks, vines, foliage, grass clippings, and storm debris. All these ingredients will get a pile or bin started. The grass clippings will help heat up the compost. You can also use a bag or two of Black Kow composted horse manure or several sprinkling cans of Alaska fish emulsion mixed with proper amount of water and poured over compost bin or pile. Soon the first of the leaves will be falling and they can be added to the pile or bin after running the mower over them or vacuuming them up.
The scuppernongs will soon be ripening. The autumn harvest of scuppernong grapes, those bronze-hulled unusual tasting grapes will soon be here. Their tangy taste makes them a favorite for scuppernong jelly and grapehull preserves. My grandma always prepared several batches of grapehull preserves after using their juice to make jelly. On a winter morning in Northampton County, a huge cathead homemade biscuit filled with grapehull preserves would stick to your ribs!
Enjoying the majesty of the orange Monarch butterflies. The Monarch now frequents the zinnia bed every afternoon. They really highlight these flowers with their bright orange color highlighted by white dots on a black border. Soon they will be flying south to warmer climate and it is a wonderful sight to observe them in late summer in all their majestic beauty. You could say that God used his best art brush when He painted wings on butterflies.
Getting rid of choking morning glory vines. As we move closer to the month of September, weeds such as the morning glory are making a determined effort to produce a crop of tiny seed pods to produce next year’s infestation. One seed pod can produce hundreds of tiny seeds. Morning glory vines have deep roads and long vines. When you see one growing, trace the vine back to its origin and pull it up by the roots and throw it out of the garden.
The slowdown of fireflies of summer. As we close out the month of August, the fireflies are getting fewer. The lateness of August, the cool subtle nip in the air and August fogs may have gave them a signal. We will miss their lemon colored glow and flashes and certainly hope they laid many eggs for a great display of fireflies next season.
Tomatoes are the fast food of the garden. Tomatoes are one of the longest producing vegetables of the garden. You can take the salt shaker to the garden, pick a sun heated tomato, wipe it off, put salt on it, and eat right there in the garden. A great meal in a bowl consists of chunks of tomatoes, cucumbers, cubes of lettuce, ham chunks, or bacon pieces and mayonnaise or ranch dressing with salt and pepper.
Hoe-Hoe-Hoedown: “All in the Family Tree” – As Darla was getting to know Joey and his mom and dad, she was impressed by how much Joey’s parents cared for each other. “They are so thoughtful,” Darla said, “Your dad even brings your mom a cup of coffee in bed every morning.” After a month or two, Joey and Darla were married. On the way from the wedding, Darla again remarked about Joey’s caring parents, and the coffee in bed. “Tell me,” Darla said, “Does this run in your family?” “It sure does” said Joey, “and I take after my mother!”
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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