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  • From: "SISU!" <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Notes From the Farm (Summer 2006)
  • Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2006 16:36:11 -0400



Bill Jones wrote:


I didn't measure. I peeled and skinned and seeded about 2 gallons of
tomatoes, and added them to a mixture of one bulb of sauteed garlic,
2 onions, and a pimento. I simmered this until the tomatoes fell apart, then added just one large can of tomato paste, to thicken it up. Then I seasoned it liberally with salt, pepper, and oregano. You
can do this days ahead. When I added the squash, I sauteed it first
in very little olive oil in a wide cast-iron pan, to sweat out the water, then added it to the tomato sauce. Usually it works according
to the Pickle Principle: one volume of sauce or brine is required
for 2 volumes of solid chunks. But this time there's more sauce than
squash, which is fine, since I always have it with noodles. I
sealed the jars in boiling water, although I'm not sure if its pH
quite matches the 4.2 value recommended for water bath canning. In
Mexico squash is often cooked in tomatillo sauce flavored with
cilantro. That makes a nice change of pace, and tomatillos are more
acidic than tomatoes.

That sounds really good. I have added shredded squash to spaghetti
sauce before, but it was a minor ingredient instead of a major one.
If you do a lot of canning, as it seems you do, you might want to invest
in some pH strips for the acid range. They aren't too expensive and it
would give you peace of mind.


I'm starting to wonder whether that's really it, after I went online
to look at picture of grape varieties. How do I tell Interlaken
from Himrod? The red one is definitely Canadice, but there's another
that doesn't look like any of the table grapes I mentioned. It ripens to a much lighter red than Canadice. In any case, the Interlaken/Himrod vine than I have has wonderful grapes. All fruit is better if it just is allowed to ripen, something that never happens commercially.

I pulling the information from my personal "fruit" files. I got it
online somewhere and sadly don't remember the source. It might help you
determine which variety you have:

Himrod
A white seedless with large, loose clusters of somewhat soft, but
flavorful berries. Vine is excessively vigorous and not very productive:
20 pounds per vine is a good crop, and 15 pounds is more common. Very
early, about five weeks before Concord, so it ripens in cool areas.
Berry stems are weak and the clusters tend to shatter if fruit isn't
picked soon after ripening. Has some susceptibility to powdery mildew,
but usually doesn't need control if grown well. A W T,R VE.
Interlaken
A sister of Himrod with seedless green to golden berries. Less vigorous
than Himrod, but ripens about a week earlier and is much more
productive, up to 30 pounds per vine. Good for cool, short seasons.
Hardy to about -15oF. Berries are firm, get good high sugar (22oBrix) on
well-filled to compact clusters and are the best variety I have tried
for raisins. They also make excellent frozen fruit. A W-Y T,R VE.
KEY

A = American. These are either hybrids of vinifera grapes with American
species, or even entirely American species. May or may not have the
flavor of Vitis labrusca (Concord type flavor). Generally hardier and
more disease resistant than vinifera, but this varies with the varieties.
V= vinifera. Vitis vinifera is the Old World grape of commerce. Fruit is
standard of quality, but vines are reliably hardy only to about 0oF and
are susceptible to all fungal diseases of grapes, requiring heavy spray
in many areas.
FH = French Hybrids. Hybrids of vinifera with American species other
than labrusca, usually with fruit quality closer to vinifera. Developed
in France, the majority of French Hybrids are wine grapes.
Color
W = white. Y = yellow. G = green. Gy = gray or grayish. P = pink. R=red.
B = blue. RB = Reddish blue. BL = black. Blue and Black may be very
similar as blue varieties can look black when the powdery bloom is
rubbed off the berries.
Uses
T= Table or fresh eating (or for freezing). Other uses include J =
juice, or jam and jelly. W = may be used for wine, R = may be used for
raisins, L = leaves suitable for cooking, such as in making Dolmas. Uses
are listed in order of best one first; i.e. "W,J,T" means avariety is
first a wine grape, but makes good juice and is good to eat.
Season
VE = very early to ripen, 6 or more weeks before Concord.
E = early, 4-5 weeks before Concord.
EM = early midseason - approximately 2 weeks before Concord.
M = midseason - ripening with or within a few days of Concord.
LM = late midseason- a week after Concord
L = late - two weeks after Concord.
VL = more than two weeks after Concord.


I also have other varieties in that file, so if anyone is interested in
something specific, I'll post what I have.



I don't know if attachments are allowed, but I'll try to send the pattern for my latitude and longitude. Each infinity shape (they're
called analemmas) represents one particular hour of the day, tracked
over the course of a year. The long part of the analemma describes
the position of the shadow in winter and fall, the place where the curve crosses itself shows the shadow at the equinoxes, and the stubby part near the center is for spring and summer. Can you believe I was actually able to find the formulas for making these curves online? But I'll be using the actual shadow position, not the
predicted one, to ensure accuracy.

Right. I saw a post where you tried to send the pics, but it did not
come through on the list. You can send it directly to me at
erthnsky AT bellsouth.net.
Thanks bud,

Bev
--
Bevanron in NW Georgia EarthNSky Farm 34.498N 85.076W
SISU! (Finnish--There is no single word in English that encompasses
all that sisu means, but it combines the following ideas: guts, pep,
determination, stubbornness, perseverance, hardiness, stamina, go, do,
nerve, spunk, pluck, and grit. It's like "Just Do It!" & "Go for It!")
GO NAVY!





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