Some Harvest Pics
think the weatherman may be right this time. We are finally in for some rain. It’s been pretty nice to actually not have to plan around getting wet all the time. Winter squash has been harvested and moved to storage, the final sweet corn harvest is done and being readied for the freezer. Flint corn has actually dried down considerably in the field, a first in my garden book, it still needs to finish in the house, but wow, amazing to have dry husks! More kraut crocks bubbling away, and last but not least, I harvested the final Italian prunes tonight before dusk.
Broccoli – Veronica F1, Arcadia F1
Welcome TSW F1 sweet corn
Sweet Meat OP winter squash
Roy’s Calais OP Flint corn
Charmant F1 cabbage
Italian Prune
We are getting stuffed to the gills here pantry-wise and it feels pretty good 
Food Renegade
Simple, Green, Frugal Co-op
What do you use flint corn for? I only came across it when I lived in the US for a couple of years and wasn’t sure what to do with it then
Joanna, it makes great corn meal, and the red flecks in the meal add a little interest
Oh right! Well thanks for that
Beautiful! Have Sweet Meat on my list to try next year per your recommendation and hoping it does well in my climate. Since I grow most pumpkins and squash well it should… I would think. I am also curious about your thoughts and experiences on the Veronica broccoli including taste as compared to traditional broccoli. Great harvest!
CQ, I think you’ll like it – it a wonderful squash and it keeps easily until the next year. Some folks shy away from Sweet Meat because of its large size (12 – 18 lb) but I like it just for that. I use about one a week during the winter months and I like the fact that I can store it and just get one out without any extra processing until I want to cook with it. I usually cut it in half, and store the unused half in the fridge with plastic wrap on the cut edge. I think you’ll have better luck with Sweet Meat than we do, since you’re summer is warmer. I can’t grow Butternut unless I put them in the greenhouse…
As for the Veronica, you see it advertised as both broccoli and cauliflower, and I think tends to be more cauliflower-like. I prefer it hands down to broccoli. It takes longer though to mature than broc, and likes to mature in the cool fall weather. I seed in May, tranplant in mid-late June (it weathers the heat as its growing) and it is ready in September. Not sure how that fits in your with your temps. The downside compared to broccoli, is no side shoots, but that is fine with me
You’d better keep yourself anonymous or people (like me) will start camping out on your doorstep, lol. Do you have pigs too?
AMF, he he, that’s what all my friends say, nom, nom. My pig lived at the neighbors this year – and I won’t see it until Monday when I pick up the packages
I hate to disappoint everyone, but I really liked NOT having pigs to deal with this summer. I sent all my extra milk to the piggy though, so he should taste pretty good. He lived where my daughter takes her riding lessons so we visited him a lot. “Oink, Oink, Squeee” is what he said when he saw the milk buckets coming!
That’s what our pigs say when they see us collecting acorns. I must admit, I love having them in the pasture outside the back door, but next year’s pigs will have to move because they’re a bit hard on the grass. We don’t have any more grubs, though! The pigs have dug them all up!
How do you grind your flint corn?
Mimiswardrobe, pigs are funny and very useful aren’t they?
We use a Country Living mill and sometimes a neighbor takes the corn to a mill in Washington state to have a bunch ground for storage.
I bought some sweet meat seeds to plant next year. I hope they do well in the mid-west climate since it only seems that the squash is planted mainly in the NW.
Kay, I hope they work for you, they are pretty nice squash.
Here are some squash in Missouri.
http://hickeryhollerfarm.blogspot.com/2012/10/canning-butternut.html
Thanks. I have grown butternut squash, and they do good here.
My sweet meat seem to have more ‘warts’ on them this year, looks like yours do to. Any ideas why? More heat?
I have no idea! Some are as smooth as a baby’s behind and others are pretty rough, and both types on the same plants…
When did you plant your Roy’s Red Calais and from where did you get it? My Abenaki Red Calais wasn’t ready when the rain started, but I picked and shucked it anyway. I have it in the oven on the dehydrator setting. I don’t know if it will work.
Paula, I planted the flint corn on May 20th, and the sweet corn June 5th. I got my seed from a neighbor who got it from Fedco when it was still the 8 row, and I’ve been re-selecting for red (more cold hardy) since. You might want to just hang it to dry and let it happen. I’m just going to hang mine on my sock dryer over the wood cookstove, but I have no intention of building a fire in the cookstove anytime soon.
I think High Mowing carries the 8 row, Fedco is re-selecting for more rows per cob.
The High Mowing strain I planted this year was all over the map, some were 8 rows, some 10, and a couple even 12! Seems maybe they aren’t selecting for consistent row numbers maybe?
Ben, I read that somewhere a while back but maybe they aren’t being so “selective” anymore. It’s funny since I started growing this corn I have never seen anything but 8 rows. I stagger my planting dates though, so I don’t get any cross-pollination with the sweet corn.
It’s a tough call too, if you’re hurting for space like Paula, maybe the higher row count is a good thing. I’ve had some duds in the heirloom department this year – Carol Deppe’s sweet meat failed to germinate, and my Red Bull Brussels sprouts look like crap. Sigh. A surprise though was Pantano Romanesco tomato, not the most stupendous tasting tomato out of hand but it sure lent a bunch of flavor to soups and sauces, and verrry productive. I wish I had planted more than one plant.
ETA: I should know to never say never – I have some 9 and 10 row cobs this year. And I planted all red kernels and have more yellow and orange cobs than red
thank you!