I dug up some carrots yesterday because the greens were turning black and rotting from the rain. They were big under the ground though. Big--like 7 inches. What's going to happen if all the greens rot. Will the carrots still grow underground? I would love it they could continue to grow bigger. My onions are huge and beautiful. Since they grew so big from all the rain, I'll prolly have them last until next summer. Last year they were so small, they hardly lasted through early winter. They were pitiful and small. All the brassica is producing except for one deformed cauliflour head. Not one single cabbage worm this year. I gave up on my tomatoes and low and behold I started getting red ones this week. Since I got blight, I am happy for atleast some. They are super late and its a race now with the rain and time. Will I be able to pick more soon or will the fungus take them over before I could eat them? It's like playing the lottery. Cukes are growing big from all the rain. It's time to do a test dig of the potatoes and see if they're still alright under all that dirt. I am hoping the rain has made them big as whoppers this year. Leeks are reacting to the excess rain like the onions. I was told they would only get pencil size but they are fat like my thumbs. String beans are out of control producing 3 lbs per week. So far the only diseases is the blight tomatoes. Even the Jap beetles went away prolly due to all the rain. Some zuchini is still coming in but production has slowed and the slugs are back so got to keep laying the Sluggo regularly. All in all, the excess rain is actually helping the yield this year, except for the toms. Plus I hardly need to water and that saves the pump from running hours per day. Do I want more rain? NO. Please make it stop. We have no summer and only used the pool once this year so far. How much worse can it get?

We didn't have a pumpkin sprout from the compost heap but we had a jumbo pink banana squash--which, I guess, is like a pumpkin-in-the-long. It was growing along an old stockade fence that was mostly covered with ivy. I didn't know if any fruit were developing, couldn't tell at all. Then one day I was looking out my window at this fence and I saw something very big and long and peachy-pink. I went out and looked and there it was, a ginormous pink banana squash. Obviously, it had no support other than its own stem, which was very thick and held up this 25 lb monster without aid. We cut the squash down and cured it for a few days and then divvied it up with the family. Yum Yum, free food does taste best ;-) The squash was a volunteer from the compost heap, but I've also grow, on purpose other large winter squashes or gourds and I've never tied them up or supported them. On their own they will thicken their stem and support their own weight if grown on a fence or trellis, or rooftop--where my last squashes grew up to, the garage roof has a slope and they did not slip. If you want you can sling up your punkies with pantyhose, give it try, but if you have a few other pumpkins then let a few grow without assist and see how that works out. Personally, I hate fussing over plants, but I can appreciate the care that man people give their plants.

Sol, that's basically the same recipe I was mentioning. Since I was doing this at home for a guest, I left out the coffee and used just enough milk to cook the pumpkin and other ingredients. That got rid of that nasty grainy textures. Then I put it in the fridge so my guest could use it like a syrup. She used double-strength brewed coffee and warmed the half-and-half in the microwave whenever she wanted a cup. Then she buried the whole thing in whipped cream. She was more after the pumpkin and milk than the coffee, so she was happy. The rest of use could then drink plain black strong coffee, so we were happy. It worked. The base tends to get a little funky after three days, though. At the store, I just did it with the espresso machine for each drink. Much easier. Barnmom, I forgot to tell you that I have selective amnesia about that topic. These days I am simply a picky consumer.

I know a lot of people use a pressure cooker for ribs and it makes for quick ribs (and other foods). I thought about buying a pressure cooker, especially an electric one but decided against it. I usually brown the ribs, give them a seasoning rub, then into the Nesco and slow cook for a couple of hours. Buffets, Inc. closed down over 80 of their locations but all of the ones in MN stayed open. Guess we patronize them enough to stay open. It's interesting to see peoples' choices. I'm not into "people watching" much but sometimes get a kick out of how people dine. I used to be one who liked ribs drenched in sauce. After trying the "Memphis style" at Chili's I enjoyed them so much I went on a search for different rubs (and found hundreds, well, way more than that!) and now experiment with different rubs. I sometimes add some sauce afterward. And I'm really a fan of country style ribs and yes I know they're technically more of a "chop" but when you cook 'em like ribs and the pork boys are satisfied with the name, that's good enough for me. Hi Sooey. I like the Cook's Country and America's Test Kitchen shows and agree, they have a good website. They don't talk down to you like so many of the cooking shows do, they seem to try to teach. Some of their recipes get a little overboard to get the "perfect" whatever but I still pick up some tips and stuff from the show. Once you know the basics of making ribs, they're not difficult. And usually they're always good if cooked tender. (I'm still full from yesterday!) :)