Apples!

This Saturday, I picked a bushel of Gala apples. We've been drying them ever since; we should be done by Saturday, just in time to pick some more :) Last year we dried 2 bushels and made apple sauce out of a couple bushels. This year we plan to dry 3 bushels—1 Gala and 2 Jonathan. That should give us enough to eat and give away.

In other gardening goodness, I canned 8 pints of pickle relish and 4 pints of beet pickles. My second planting of cucumbers is full of blossoms; I just hope this cold weather (high of 65º yesterday and 60º so far today) doesn't keep them from producing. I still would like to can another 10-15 quarts of bread & butter pickles.

I should take a picture of the canning shelf in the basement to match last year's. I don't know why, but it seems to be fuller this year than last. There's room for the dried apples, but the space for the apple sauce is full of other things. Not sure what I did differently...

In the "this didn't work so well" department: The cabbage butterfly caterpillars are devouring my cabbage. I should have left the row cover on them :( They also are enjoying the Brussel sprouts and kohlrabi, but the cabbage is the big sufferer. I might not get any to speak of. Oh well, next year.

We dug our first potatoes last week. I did straw potatoes again this year; low maintenance, high productivity :) They sure beat store bought potatoes—even organic ones.