Is that a hornworm?
Yes! And this is what the egg I found looks like, and this is a hornworm egg.
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One of those bastards did a number on my kale last summer.
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I’m going to try and find that egg.
Same
That and those friggin white moths
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They make me so stabby! But at least they don’t invade in hordes, like the stupid aphids.
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Cabbage moths kinda felt that way
Oh look - pretty butterfly!
Oh no - murder all those nasty caterpillars leaving kale skeletons in their wake…
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What are those things that destroy cucurbits?
Those too. Killed every single cucumber and squash - after they had started flowering and fruiting.
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Bacterial wilt. Currently killing my cukes, just like last year and the year before, despite my best efforts (netting the plants, replanting after I thought the danger had passed).
ETA carried by cucumber beetle larvae that bite the stalks and infect the plants. Next year I might get all new dirt.
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Found it!
And look at the other beasties!
Such a beautiful, jade-green orb, LOL! Who would think it’d turn into a monster?
Plant Parenthood is going to get after me for peach tree neglect!
That tree came up from a seed that sprouted near the house. I ignored it until this year, when it loaded up with fruit. I had to shove an old stepladder under it so it wouldn’t snap in half. It’s overloaded with fruit, despite my thinning it.
It started dropping fruit, which is kind of crisp, but sweet and good flavored. Eventually, if the fruit gets softer, or remains hard, I’ll have a better idea what the parentage is and if it’s worth grafting so the original tree can be removed.
I know, because of the fruit’s red-streaked flesh, that at least one parent is “Indian Blood”, a variety with a horrible name, which was around in the 1600-1700s, possibly earlier. That variety often sets seed which are like the parent, unlike modern selections. There’s a Lemon Heath Cling peach nearby, also a very old cultivar; so, this tree may be a cross, especially if the fruit doesn’t soften. Lemon Heath Cling stays firm so they are a superior canning variety or for making jam.
If the tree is a keeper, it’ll get a less offensive name. Cool-looking fruit!
It’s a “cling” type, where the pit adheres to the flesh. One can cut around and twist to get one free half, as was done above. The other half requires a knife to cut/pry the pit out.
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That’s sort of amazing! What size is the fruit?
Growing up in the Philippines, peach is not available unless we import them from HK… That and plums are only affordable by the wealthy purchased from gourmet groceries. However, we can buy pickled green peach from Chinese stores which are so good and more reasonable but still expensive. They are sweet and sour. Arriving in the US where peaches are plentiful when in season., I find I am sort of allergic to them unless they are canned or cooked. Last. year, my son planted 16 fruit trees. One of them is a peach tree. He harvested a few very tiny peach this year. I do not even know where the trees are but I had a couple of peaches . They were very sweet. I did not have any problem with losing my voice or swollen lips. My son remembered the pickled peaches that were my neighbors years and years ago, that were hanging on my side of the property. They were green, so I pickled them. He reminded me how good they were. I remember there is an ingredient called KAM CHO, which they add to pickle the peaches. I have to investigated with internet available nowadays.
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The fruit are around 3 inches across, but I imagine they would be larger if the tree were properly cared for, in a sunnier spot, and the fruit number were thinned down more than what I did. Also, I didn’t water it during the drought, not knowing if the fruit was any good. When the rains came, a lot of fruit cracked, but most healed up. I’ve been using a powdered sulfur fungicide spray to keep the brown rot at bay; but that was started later than usual.
I suspect that all the fruit dropping is due to the tiny tree making too many fruit and the heat stressing the tree. Plus, the thin trunk is bent like a horseshoe, some of the vascular vessels ("veins) may be damaged. Still, it’s a tough little tree.
A cook test will show if the color changes or not. Red peach jam would be lovely!
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Lovely pictures! Are you going to use the hops for a home brew? Looks like a lot of hops!
As hot and humid as it is, there’s reason to cook tomato sauce down outside!
Fortunately, the Neverburn 15 quart pot doesn’t need constant stirring until the sauce gets really thick. 11 quarts reduced to 3 quarts, using the Blue Beech tomatoes, which made a thick reduction. That was freeze dried for storage. It’ll need either some bones or butter to mellow out the final sauce. Today, I’m peeling, slicing and dehydrating tomatoes, for variety and to save space. I better get back to it!
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I don’t know if it’s better to have no cucumbers, or to have plenty like I do, and they’re nearly all bitter. No fun either way.
No good! Is it just the peel, or the cuke flesh?
Flesh. I have tried chunking and salting and letting it sit, but it doesn’t make a noticeable difference…
