What's happening today 2016?

Hang in there Sara,the fruit will come. Brady

Nice! Those birds are beautiful. We have them around here too.
I noticed some damage on my tomato plant. Horn worm damage, so I started looking for it. They really blend in! I found it full of wasp eggs, so I left it.

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Record Michigan apple crop

I’m guessing Wisconsin and MN should have a huge crop also…

Interesting they credit the high density planting as part of the reason. MSU is pushing pedestrian orchards. Looks like the growers are listening.

Drew what an amazing picture! Right out of Nation Geo. Good going!

Drew, I have seen that before, just I didn’t know they were wasp eggs.

My Concord grapes are getting darker and darker but still to not have that wonderful smell that Concords have. Do they need a frost for them to start having that heavenly fragrance? It was almost 90 degrees today. Oh brother. We had three cooler days in row; back to heat!

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Cold front is moving through here right now…should be cooler by you by Monday…the second cold front has more cold…should see first 40Fs here in months. Extended looks September ish …up and down.

No more rain. I hate rain.

http://e360.yale.edu/digest/insecticide_neonicotinoids_queen_bee_eggs/4801/

so there is this, scientific evidence

It needs to be duplicated in other studies to confirm results, then it’s evidence.
In the meantime pulling products would be fine with me. What popular products have neonicotinoids? I don’t think I ever used them?

Harvested some trellis-grown butternuts (11.25#) and they turned out beautifully - completely unmarred. There are a few left on the vine which will hopefully ripen more quickly. So the stems held them up out of harms way through maturity.


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What do you do with butternut squash? I’ve never actually eaten it. I’ve growth what I call summer squash but it’s really no different from zucchini except for the color

Haha, not a summer squash fan at all - something in it makes me gag, BUT, I had this winter squash many years ago in a restaurant sauteed with garlic and some red bell peppers and it was to die for.
An extra plus is that, being a ‘winter squash’ it is a good keeper - if the skin is unmarred and the stem dries well, it will keep until summer in a cool place. Last year I had to can some of it up in order to preserve it because of the damage from being on the ground - the skin softens and ants/insects, etc get to it and it begins to spoil.
Last year one of the vines grew over a tomato cage and set fruit that dangled from the wires. I let it alone and it held fine til maturity and had a good clean skin. So this year (and forevermore, LOL) I’ll trellis them.

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Great job! They look perfect! I myself make a dessert out of them. The flesh is sweet. I make a souffle out of them. It’s a recipe for sweet potato’s. And if you never had them they taste a lot like sweet potatoes to me, not as sweet but a very similar taste, texture is different, this recipe works great with them. I don’t have it handy. Not sure where I put it? On paper somewhere?
Here most people cut in half and bake, add butter and brown sugar. Maybe after baking? I don’t remember? Last time I had one was maybe 4 years ago. I never had them how Anne mentions, sounds good! I won’t object to anybody making it for me! :joy:

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I’m a big fan of butternut squash soup. Butternut squash soup with curry flavor. Butternut squash soup with sausage in it or on the side.

It is also good cubed and roasted with salt and pepper and served as a side.

One thing to know about butternut squash is that it has something in the outer skin that can give you contact dermatitis if when you peel it. I always wear gloves when I peel it, because it gives me dermatitis badly.

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Butternut squash soup really is good.

I’ve made pies with Butternut Squash.They taste close to Pumpkin. Brady

Butternut squash mashed or pureed

Oh my, that sounds like a winner. Love savory foods in the winter. Haha I even turn sweet potatoes into something more savory than sweet. Pass the cumin and garlic thisaway, :smiley:

All of it sounds good to me! I need to make more soups! I hardly ever do.