Summer apples are really yummy. I just grafted a number of the Summer apples listed in the previous posts above, i can't wait for fruit. This year my William's pride is fruiting for the first time, I await with great anticipation. Summer apples are a big deal here in Santa Cruz county given that you have to go all the way to Anchorage, Alaska to find Summers as cool as ours. As you can imagine, we get some pretty high quality Summer apples thanks to the cool temps. Viking: Top of the list, flavor is a cross in between lychee and rose, totally yummy, ripens late July just before Gravenstein and has a 3 week window for us here, and will keep under conventional cooling storage for about 3 weeks if picked early. Red June: good but only because there's almost nothing around at that time of the year, ripens before Viking, early to mid July, decent flavor, goes mealy in the blink of an eye. Atlanta: this one is yummy, but doesn't keep well. Ready in late July. Pink pearl: yummy, pink fleshed apple, slightly tart but very aromatic, makes strawberry flavored apple juice. It comes in right around with Gravensteins, keeps very well, at least 6 weeks ripening in our climate. Yellow transparent: early July, excellent if you don't mind waiting next to the tree for the 3 hour window when it's perfect. Picked too early makes it too sour, picked too late makes it mealy. There are far superior selections of this type of apple that have been made in Europe. Transparente de Croncels comes to mind, it's a much larger apple and it's supposed to be one of the best. Pristine: Oh, one of my favorites, delicious, firm, crisp, ripens mid July, and keeps really well, up to 6 weeks. It becomes real fragrant and smells up the entire house. Gravenstein: One of the best all around apples, an apple just doesn't get any better than this one when it's grown in the cooler parts of the Central Coast of California. Ours keep very well because of the lack of Summer heat, up to 3 months in cold storage. They are so fragrant and delicious, everything anyone could want in an apple. Our Summer apples will be late this year - 58F outside as of 3PM and it's almost the 4th of July here. Burr, I wouldn't mind a little Summer feeling.

Funny I should see this thread - this is the year that some tough decisions will be made. . . I used to think I could learn to grow anything, then I would learn to grow everything! Yeah - no more. We have access to some wonderful Amish growers that spray very little, will tell you what has been sprayed if you ask, and sell for cheap, cheap, cheap. So, this year, I am planting *everything* and anything that I have a repeat bad performance from, or that seems to be fussy gets the boot. Why should I continue to pour over books looking for information on cauliflower when I can buy 2 heads for $1 all summer? The only things I will fuss with will be things we eat multiple of in one day - I am willing to put the work in for some sort of sweet peppers since we easily go through 10 pounds in a week. More, I think, if we grill. Not even trying this year: Eggplant Okra Most peppers - (putting all of my energy into sweet) corn carrots On notice - behave or be cut next year: Spinach (interesting about chard - we like chard) limas and shell beans winter squashes watermelon melon cukes - I must be the only person who struggles with these? Cauliflower Broccoli Things I am giving up starting from seed myself: Lettuce heads (Amish greenhouse sells a 4 cell pack for $1, and I can't seem to start the seeds to save my life. With the way we eat salad, I'm OK with paying 25 cent each head.) Tomatoes - one last try this year with WS Pepper - same as above My plan is to have a list of what is reliable for me in this climate, on this property, with my personality, and then go from there. I would like to concentrate on different varieties of what grows well and we like real well, like radishes, rather than spending my summer fighting things that just don't want to grow for me. It looks like I am cutting a lot - don't feel bad for me, though. Here's what we eat a TON of (like every day) and we are keeping: Radishes -can't seem to plant enough. Kids are like bunnies Greens like Kale and Collards - and they last pretty far into the winter. Kale is still looking pickable, even after all of this crazy snow. . . Adding more kinds of greens this year. Summer Squashes - want to add varieties this year Tomatoes Turnips - I chunk them up and freeze and use in every pot of soup I make. Snap beans - they wil eat all that I plant, so adding varieties Peas - they will eat all that I plant, so adding varieties This thread is good - permission to let go of what doesn't work. . .

Never saw a hornworm in 26 years growing tomatoes, that is until year 27. Didn't even know what one looked like and had never heard of them before either. Year 27 was last year and anyone who wonders how quickly they can destroy a tomato plant, trust me, it doesn't take very long. This was a tiny tim on Monday. 14 inches tall. It rained all day Tuesday, so was not outside to check anything or even see anything that was going on. Same tiny tim 9AM Wednesday morning. There was nothing but a few stems left and a couple of tomatoes. Luckily though, there was enough left in the season, half of August and all of Sept. for regrowth and toms before the frost set in. regrowing tiny tim This was on the other side of the yard, so none of the other tomato plants where affected, but trust me, i was going through those plants with a flashlight several times a day looking for any sign of them and found none. By the way, those hornworms measured 4 inches long and there where 2 of them on that poor little plant. So far this year no sign of them. A question though. My grandparents had a summer veggie and flower farm and my grandfather always swore by companion planting of marigolds and tomato plants. He always had marigolds surrounding his tom plants. and he had at least 150 tomato plants. I've always done the same thing when I plant them in the ground and when I use pots for the toms, I always plant a small growing marigold in the pot, right at the edge of the plant. I've never had an insect problem before in now 28 years of growing my toms, until last year. That one tiny tim didn't have a marigold in the pot with it, all the others had marigolds surrounding them and in pots with them and they never got any hornworms. Does anyone think that the marigolds help to keep the hornworm away or was last year just a coincidence and I've just been lucky all these years? Fran

My mother made chicken salad in the summer. To go with it we'd have some nice buttered toast or rolls. It really makes a great hot weather supper or lunch. My Mom's Chicken Salad 2 skinless bone-in chicken breasts, *cooked, deboned and cubed 1 1/2 c. uncooked pasta, cooked accdg. to package directions, drained 1 c. diced celery 1 red delicious apple, diced 1 can baby peas, refrigerated and drained 3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped Mayo **Miracle Whip, opt. salt to taste Mix chicken, celery and apple with mayo until very moist. Gently blend in pasta and add more mayo if desired. Carefully add in the peas and hard-boiled eggs, again adjusting moistness if necessary. Chill and serve on lettuce with buttered toast. Note: I always start to make the salad a day or 2 before putting it all together because everything should be cold when you mix it up. *I used to boil or poach the breasts. Now I put them in the crockpot with a can of chicken broth. No fuss, no watching them cook. I strain the broth from cooking and use it to make soup. I also cook the pasta and eggs the day ahead and keep refrigerated until ready to mix the salad. **You can add some Miracle Whip if you like the salad a little sweeter. Most of the time I just use Mayo because the apple provides enough sweetness.