Summer thunderstorms bring relief and cooling

The thunder booms in the distance, lightning flashes as the mighty oaks have their leafy petticoats over in expectation of the approaching summer thunderstorm. The thunder gets louder as the storm approaches and the electric rain begins to fall, bringing a refreshing relief and the aroma of rain from super-charged clouds. A colorful rainbow appears as the afternoon sun reappears and reveals the spectacle of one of summer’s greatest displays.

Staying ahead of summer weeds

It does not take long for the weeds in the summer to get a grip on the garden as they try to take over. They will try to overwhelm the summer vegetable garden. To prevent weeds from choking out the summer vegetables, take a bucket and go through the rows and pull the weeds up by their roots and place in the bucket and throw them out of the garden. Make sure you pull the morning glories up by their long roots before they get tall. Pull weeds in their early growth stage because that is when they are easier to pull up. Spread them out on the lawn and mow over them with the mower.

The grass of summer is tougher to mow

As the days of summer get warmer and we experience the thunderstorms of summer afternoons, the summer grass will grow and get tougher to mow. Morning dew is now becoming another factor. Wait until dew dries to mow the grass even if its later in the day. Also don’t mow grass laden with moisture from an afternoon thunderstorm. Wet grass sticks to the mower blade and housing and promotes rust. It makes a mess, piles up on the lawn, and shortens the life of the mower. Wait until the sun dries the grass before mowing it.

Protect deck umbrella from storms

Summer thunderstorms can blow over the deck umbrella and possibly flip over the deck table. When a storm is in the forecast, remove the umbrella from the table before the storm arrives. When you go on vacation, remove the umbrella from the table for peace of mind while you are away. Another wise thing to do when going on vacation is to turn off the ice-maker on the refrigerator.

Using Plant-Tone and Flower-Tone

For best productive results on flowers and vegetables use the organic products of Plant-Tone, Flower-Tone and Garden-Tone on flowers and vegetables. These are made by the company that produces Tomato-Tone and Rose-Tone. There are totally organic and come in four- and ten-pound plastic zippered bags. A four-pound bag costs less than $10. It is finely-textured and absorbs quickly into the soil. Plants and flowers respond quickly to these products. You can purchase Holly-Tone products at Ace Hardware, Home Depot, Lowe’s Home Improvement, and at most hardwares. It’s zippered bag makes it easy to apply.

Verbena makes colorful hanging basket

All types of annuals such as impatiens, petunias, portulaca, and verbena make great hanging baskets. All these will have a cascading effect with plenty of blooms and foliage. The verbena comes in colors of red, white, pink, and purple cover a hanging basket with a cascading umbrella of flowers and deep green foliage for a summer of beauty. You can set out as many as four plants in each basket. Feed them once a month with Flower-Tone organic flower food and water daily on hot summer days until water runs out of the hole in bottom of the basket.

Blueberry season

The season of the blueberry harvest is approaching in the Piedmont. There is a pick-your-own field near where you live. It takes a lot of blue berries to fill a gallon bucket but they are well worth the patience and effort and work they require to yield a gallon. The best time to pick blueberries is early in the morning before the sun heats up the fields. Don’t take the kids, but leave them with grandma because blueberry field and kids don’t mix well together. Be patient, set a goal, pick and keep your eyes on the bucket and not the berries. You can purchase the berries ready picked but they will cost you much more and this is where the patience in the patch pays off. Be determined that you are going to pick the number you came to harvest. The picking is labor-intensive but the rewards are worth the effort.

Blueberries are easy to freeze

Blueberries may require patience, determination, and effort to pick but they are easy to freeze. All you have to do is place a quart at a time in cold water in the sink for a minute. Remove tiny or unripe berries with a tea strainer as well as berries that float to the top of the water. Place the quart of berries on a towel to dry and place in plastic quart or pint containers. Repeat the process for each quart of berries. Another plus of frozen blueberries is they are fresh and you can use them directly from the container in pies and cobblers.

Making a purple blueberry salad

This is a great dessert for a warm summer evening. It is colorful and easy to prepare. You will need two three-ounce boxes of Concord grape Jello, two cups boiling water, one one-pound five-ounce can of Comstock blueberry pie filling, one quart fresh blueberries, one can large crushed pineapple in heavy syrup. Dissolve Jello in boiling water. Add pie filling and blueberries. Add pineapple. Pour into a 13x9x2 inch glass baking dish. Spread the topping of one carton of sour cream, one eight-ounce pack of cream cheese (softened), one cup of sugar, one fourth cup chopped pecans. Spread the topping over the Jello mixture and refrigerate. Serves twelve.

Enjoying a golden harvest of squash

As June moves toward its final week, the straight-neck and crookneck squash of summer are nearing harvest stage. We like the straight-neck variety best because they have fewer and smaller seeds, and they are less watery. They can easily be cubed or split and the seed taken out so you can stuff them with cheese and stuffing mix or make casseroles. To fry squash, an old-fashioned frying pan works well. To pan fry the squash, cube them into one inch cubes, add two cubed onions, and a stick of light margarine. Fry on medium heat until tender. Add salt and pepper. Add no water because the squash have enough water in them.

Cucumbers may hide themselves under vines

Cucumbers and their vines are almost the same shade of green which makes them hiding places for the elusive cucumbers. To find the cucumbers, use a rake and lift the vines to discover and harvest the cucumbers before they turn yellow or get too large to harvest. Check the vines each day to be sure you don’t overlook any cucumbers.

Glossy beauty of begonias of summer

The glossy leaves of begonias add much to the beauty of their flowers. The begonias come in colors of red, pink, and white. These annuals will bloom all the way until frost. they are still available in garden centers, nurseries, and hardwares.

Hoe hoe hoedown

“A worry wart.” Worry is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but doesn’t get you anywhere.

“Inflation.” Grandpa framed the first dollar he ever made in a ten cent frame. Today the frame is worth a dollar and the dollar worth ten cents.

“No perfection.” Wife: “You’re lazy, you’re worthless, you’re bad-tempered, you’re shiftless, you’re a liar.” Husband: “Well, my dear, no man is perfect.”

“Ideal wife.” Bill: “Boy, if I had a wife like yours, I’d stay home every night of the week.” Will:”I’ll say you would or you get your neck broke!”