Cukes anyone?

[jal_ut]

A pic from last summer. This is what you get when you plant a 33 foot row of Marketmore 76 Cukes. I was suffering from the winter doldrums when I stumbled upon this pic and it cheered me up. Hope it gives you a lift too. Spring is coming....................

[gumbo2176]

A pic from last summer. This is what you get when you plant a 33 foot row of Marketmore 76 Cukes. I was suffering from the winter doldrums when I stumbled upon this pic and it cheered me up. Hope it gives you a lift too. Spring is coming....................

Surely you are selling a lot of what your garden produces. I mean, I love cucumbers as much as anyone but I'd be hard pressed to even give them away to family, neighbors and friends in that quantity.

That reminds me of the time I had a huge mirliton vine (chayotes) to the rest of the world outside Louisiana. I was harvesting tons of them and giving them to everyone I knew. It wasn't long before they said enough is enough.

[Richard L.]

I had three vines last Summer and had more cucumbers then we could eat. Gave a lot away to friends... What do you do with the vegetables you grow?

[jal_ut]

Yes, I like pickles. For the pickles I pick those 3 to 5 inches long. To get enough of those smaller ones to do a batch of pickles, it takes a lot of vines. So when I get the pickles I want, I get loads of slicers. Like others have said, I give them away, and also sell some at the Farmer's Market. What is left goes to the food pantry.

I do sell some things at the Farmers Market, however making money on my garden is not my primary goal. The small town market here is more a social event than a money maker. It does give me enough to buy seed and fuel.

[jal_ut]

What do you do with the vegetables you grow?

I answered this question regarding cukes, but you asked about vegetables. I could go on a bit I guess...................... If you can stand my rambling.

I had a large family. The garden fed us pretty much. Now there is just the wife and I, but I still grow a garden. Not quite as much as when the kids were home, but a good sized garden. The kids still drop by and carry some off.

Eat lots fresh from the garden! Yes, this is the best part.

Berries and fruits: Some are bottled and some are frozen. We sometimes dry fruit too. I still have a bunch of apples in the extra fridg in the garage. They will keep quite a while at 40 degs.

Corn: We have bottled some using a pressure cooker, but prefer frozen cut off the cob corn. I dried some one year, but didn't like it.

Green beans: Bottled using a pressure cooker.

Onions: Dried whole and stored in mesh bags. They will last all winter. We have dried some slices at times. Put the dehydrator outside.

Winter squash: Just storing them in the garage. Some will keep until spring.

Potatoes: Kept a few in the garage for usage in November and December. Those won't keep much longer than that in the garage. I put some in a pit for usage when I get up enough ambition to go dig some up. I need some now, but the weather is awful for that chore. They will keep until spring there in the pit

Carrots: We have bottled sliced carrots. Mostly just eat them fresh. They will keep in the fridg for a long time. They keep all winter in my pit. When I dig up some taters I will get some carrots too.

Turnips: I put some in the pit. We eat them in season, fresh raw or cooked.

Beets: Pickled or bottled with the pressure canner. I store some in the pit.

Cabbage: It will store a long time in the fridg. It will also keep over winter in the pit. I wrap it in newspaper. We have made and bottled sauerkraut.

Greens of all kinds: Just eat them fresh.

Asparagus: It could be bottled, but we have never done that. Just eat it fresh.

Tomatoes: Tomato juice bottled. Salsa bottled.

I guess that sums up the major crops. I don't think a day goes by that we don't eat something from the garden. Besides the veggie part we have apples, plums, apricots, strawberries, currants, raspberries, and grapes.

It certainly must make a big dent in the grocery bill?

As with the cukes, use it, give it away, sell it at market or it goes to the food pantry.

[Richard L.]

Whoa! you do keep yourself busy in the garden, good for you, way better to be doing something then to sit around doing nothing.

I know with my small vegetable garden I give away a lot. We eat a lot of vegetables over the Summer then when Winter comes we still are eating frozen green beans, winter squash & etc. A lot of the tomatos we freeze & later on use in chili & spaghetti. Can't wait to plant this spring.

[Intriguedbybonsai]

And what a large, and beautiful backyard you have! So this is Utah huh? Amazing.

I love cucumbers. My favorite veggie by far. I love to slice them up, add a little salt, pepper, and let them marinate in apple cider vinegar.

[gumbo2176]

And what a large, and beautiful backyard you have! So this is Utah huh? Amazing.

I love cucumbers. My favorite veggie by far. I love to slice them up, add a little salt, pepper, and let them marinate in apple cider vinegar.

Try this sometime if you are so inclined. Take a clove of garlic and mince it fine, add a teaspoon or so of salt on top if it and use the side of your chef's knife to make a paste with the garlic and salt. Slice your cucumbers and add a tomato or two cut up in bite size pieces. Then add your vinegar and other seasonings and let that sit for a couple hours in the fridge. This has a good bit of pep in the taste.

Just don't do it if you have a meeting and you want to impress folks. That garlic can sometimes seep out of every pore in your body.

[jal_ut]

This is where I live. A rural community nestled down in the valley. This is an autumn picture.

[!potatoes!]

you know, i've been to paradise, utah once...a friend and i wrote a song about it, too.

[dustyrivergardens]

And I thought I was overloaded with cucumbers I only had an 8 foot row of Marketmore 76 goodness that is a ton of cucumbers.lol

[dustyrivergardens]

I have grown Marketmore 76 for years they are just a good cucumber. Some of my friends have lots of good luck with Straight 8 but I stick with whats been working for me.

[Intriguedbybonsai]

Though I don't use garlic too much in my cooking I'll have to try that recipe sometime, Gumbo.

Btw, my cucumber seeds have really taken off. I have them growing in a seed cell kit. Already a week has gone by, and I now have a few seedlings with leaves. I had no idea these guys grew so fast. Same results with my squash and watermelon.

[jal_ut]

I have grown Straight Eight and other varieties, but keep coming back to Marketmore. They just do it for me as you can see. I will plant them again this season plus some Armenians and some kind of burpless. I might even toss in a Lemon.

[DoubleDogFarm]

I have a catalog that offers Marketmore 97. Any big difference?

Eric