
Hot and humid days are really helping the garden to produce a lot of tomatoes, bell pepper chilies, and herbs. I haven’t gotten around to building a chicken coop yet but it’s on my to do list! It’s so hot and humid lately! Daytime temperatures have reached as high as 106f a week ago! Luckily we have had enough rain to keep the rain barrels full!
Monthly Archives: July 2012
Fresh from the garden!
Filed under Food, Vegetables
The Best Ever Banana Bread
I remember back in college at East Carolina University I would stop by The Wright Place on my way to class in the mornings to get banana bread and a chai. I have been making my own banana bread since then.
This recipe I found is, like it’s name suggest, the best ever banana bread!
Best Ever Banana Bread
Mix the dry and wet ingredients separately then combine.
Cook for about an hour and twenty minutes or until done in a 325f oven.
This banana bread usually will not last around the house more than a few days because it’s that good! I often will heat it in the microwave for about 30 seconds if I want a warm and quick breakfast.
Ingredients
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/3 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup mashed bananas
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Spray one 9×5 inch loaf pan with non-stick spray coating.
- Blend together the eggs, buttermilk, oil and bananas.
- Sift together the sugar, flour, baking soda and salt. Add to banana mixture and stir in pecans. Mix well.
- Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Below is a link:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Best-Ever-Banana-Bread/Detail.aspx
Filed under Food
Tomatoes!
The tomatoes are performing exceedingly well this season. I chose one large variety, Better Boy, and one smaller, cherry tomato type, Large Cherry Red. Each year I add a few bags of Miracle-Grow Garden Soil in each raised bed to improve the soil. It has a time release fertilizer which slowly releases nutrients over about a three-month period.
There are a few common problems that gardeners may encounter. Here are some tips I use. I water on a regular cycle to help prevent splitting. Blossom-end rot can sometimes be a problem, too. Most sources state it is caused by a lack of calcium. I help increase the calcium in the soil by watering with a milk jug after I have finished the jug. I fill it with water. Shake it to mix the milk residue with the water than water around the base of each plant. Sprinkling egg shells around the plants can also help increase the calcium and decrease blossom-end rot. You may also select varieties that are resistance to diseases. This is usually indicated on the tags by letters:
Tomato Varieties and Disease Resistance
Tomato Variety Resistance Growth Type
| ACE | VF | DET |
| YELLOW PEAR | IND | |
| EARLY GIRL | VF | IND |
| BETTER BOY | VFN | IND |
| CHAMPION | NFT | IND |
| LEMON BOY | VFNT | IND |
| CELEBRITY | VFFNT | DET |
| FLORAMERICA | VFFAL | DET |
| HEATWAVE | FFAL | DET |
| ROMA | VFD | DET |
| BEEFSTAEK | VFN | IND |
| BRANDYWINE | IND | |
| BEEFMASTER | VFN | IND |
| SWEET 100 | VFNT | IND |
| SUPERSWEET 100 | VF | IND |
| CHERRY | VFAL | DET |
| GRAPE | SDET | |
| PATIO | VF | DET |
| LEGEND | LB | DET |
| SUNGOLD | F,FF,T,V | IND |
The letter codes after the variety name mean resistance to the following:
V – Verticillium Wilt
F – Fusarium Wilt
FF – Fusarium Wilt Races 1 and 2
N – Nematodes
T – Tobacco Mosaic Virus
L – Septoria Leaf Spot
A – Alternaria
St – Stemphylium
LB – Late Blight
Growth Type:
Det- Determinant, IND – Indeterminatn









