thanks for all the congratulations about my award. Greatly appreciated and a little overwhelmed. Just posting the picture of this honey bee because I love the picture. Taken from Old Farmer's Almanac image from publicdomainpictures.net Good morning. First, I want to thank all that sent congratulations on my honor of getting inducted into the 4H hall of Fame. I am very humble about all that has been written. Thanks for the texts, phone calls, cards, and posts from all of you.
We all have been enjoying this very almost perfect weather with cooler temperatures, and lower humidity. It is going to change, they say for this weekend, and next week. Noticed one thing abut cracked tomatoes. I didn’t know…. Ripen those tomatoes faster and more tomato harvest tips by Robin Sweetser It’s tomato harvest time! See my tips on how to encourage ripening of tomatoes, rescue imperfect tomatoes, and what to do with all those tomatoes—from roasting to other delicious ways to enjoy! Rescuing Imperfect Tomatoes Tomatoes do not need to be those perfect, round (and often tasteless) specimens you find in the grocery store. Don’t throw a tomato because it’s “wrinkly” or a weird shape. Don’t throw away cracked tomatoes, either! If you’ve had a lot of rain and your tomatoes have cracks or blight or blossom-end rot, it’s perfectly fine to cut around the cracks and eat in salads, sandwiches, salsas, and sauces. (However, do not use these tomatoes for canning!) Taste it! If the tomato doesn’t taste good (sometimes the case with blight), that’s another issue; just toss it in the compost. But rest assured that it won’t harm or kill you. Also, if any pests or larvae are inside the fruit when you cut it, then discard that tomato. When to Pick Tomatoes We like to keep our tomatoes on the vine as long as possible. However, don’t let those tomatoes get too soft! Pick them and don’t waste your bounty. A tomato that’s ready to eat will feel slightly tender to the touch. Give it a tug. If a tomato doesn’t want to separate from the stem, leave it a little longer. Encourage Faster Ripening Tomatoes will keep ripening on the vine until a freeze. To accelerate ripening on the vine, reduce watering, pick off extra blossoms, harvest smaller fruit, and shift the roots a bit to encourage tomatoes to ripen. If you pick green tomatoes, you can help them ripen more quickly artificially. Place them in a paper bag, wrap them in newspaper, and set them on a rack in the garage or basement. See how to ripen your green tomatoes both on and off the vine—and also when it’s your cue to remove those tomatoes from the vine. If you get a local warning for an overnight freeze, pick your green tomatoes and bring them in. Ripening Tomatoes Indoors Tomatoes are one of the edibles that do continue to ripen off the vine. If you want to pick a little early because you’re afraid of tomatoes getting overripe or eaten by pests or cracking, then you can pick the tomatoes as soon as they have more red than green. To ripen tomatoes, simply place them on a countertop at room temperature. Yes, you can ripen them even faster in a brown bag with a banana, but it doesn’t take more than a few days for them to ripen naturally. Taken from https://www.almanac.com/what-do-all-those-tomatoes? Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa beckmall@netins.net 641-794-3337 cell 641-903-9365
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AuthorHi! My name is Becky and I am a Master Gardener. I own Becky's Greenhouse in Dougherty, Iowa. Archives
September 2023
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