A week later plant beans, corn, and early potatoes.

Early Summer, which usually means Memorial Day, you can plant eggplant, pepper and tomato plants, as well as cucumber, lima bean, melon, okra, pumpkin, and squash seeds, along with winter potatoes.

Refrigerate tightly wrapped cut pieces of winter squash, such as banana, and use within five days.

Harvesting Squash:
Squash is ready to start picking approximately 50 to 55 days after planting or about one week after the flower sets fruit. You will need to harvest every other day as squash matures very fast.

Pick when tender. Elongated types, such as yellow and zucchini, pick when they are not more than 6 to 8 inches long. Over mature fruit deepens in color and develops ridges. Scallop or patty pan types should be harvested when they are 3 to 4 inches in diameter. Do not leave overly mature squash on the vine as it will literally shut the plant down from producing.

The first thing to determine is the acidity level of the food you are wanting to can.

Fruits are usually considered as high acidity level foods.

Vegetables are usually considered low acidity level foods.

Tomatoes fall right in the middle.

High acid food can be canned using a boiling water bath.

Low acid food must be canned in a pressure canner in order to kill botulism bacteria.

Pressure canners cost between 110 and 120 dollars.

God left us a great clue as to which foods help which parts of our body!

(Note: These foods are best and more powerful when eaten raw.)

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and

radiating lines look just like the human eye… And YES, science now shows

carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

Tomato Image 1

A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four

chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with

Lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grape Cluster Image 1

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart.

Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows

grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

Walnuts Image 1

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere,

upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut

are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than

three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans Image 1

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and

yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

Celery Image 1

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones.

These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and

these foods are 23% sodium. If you don’t have enough sodium in your

diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak.

These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Avocadoes Image 1

Avocadoes, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function

of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs.

Today’s research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances

hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers.

And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado.

From blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (Modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

Figs Image 1

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the

mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome

male sterility.

 

Sweet Potatoes Image 1

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the

Glycemic index of diabetics.

Olives Image 1

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries.

Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary

glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the

movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions Image 1

Onions look like the body’s cells. Today’s research shows onions

help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears

which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also

helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.

 

First collect green acorns in early fall. Ones that are free of worms holes and fungus. Put them in a bucket of water for a couple minutes. The ones that float are discarded. Take out the remaining acorns and place them in a large ziplock bag with damp sawdust. Place about 250 acorns in the bags and place in the refrigerator for a month or more.

The root end will begin to crack through in early December. Once the root has cracked through, the acorn can be planted. Plant each acorn in 2 inch diameter pot deep enough so the tap root can grow. Place the acorn about 2-4 inches below the surface with the root facing down and water regularly. After the oak has grown about a foot, which usually takes about one year, it can be planted into the ground. Or the acorns can be planted directly into the ground by clearing a 2×2 foot area and placing two acorns into that space, with one or two inches of soil on top.

To transplant the oak seedlings into the ground from a pot, a three foot circle must be cleared of all vegatation. In the middle dig a hole about a foot or two deep and a foot wide. Place the oak seedling into the hole sloping the soil away from the seedling so that the water does not sit at the trunk of the tree. Oaks do not like water sitting on their trunks. Next pack down the earth and water. Place a stake into the ground with a screen around it so animals do not eat it.

Cucumbers, relatives of squash, melons, and pumpkins are a nutritious and tasty fruit [veggie-fruit], and are a good source of many essential minerals. They are also said to help aid digestion and constipation. Many people use cucumbers on their skin as a beauty aid, a cleansing cosmetic to soften and whiten. Cucumber juice is used in beauty products.Cucumbers can be planted directly from seed, or from transplanted seedlings. Place cucumber transplant or Seeds outside only after the danger of frost has passed in your region In USDA zone 4 and north [USDA Zone Map], though, you’ll need to use short-season varieties and utilize cold frames. I generally plant my seeds indoors , in peat pots several weeks before moving them outdoors, this practice leaves time for a second planting for fall harvest in mid- to late summer.

Loose, sandy loam soil is preferable, but cucumbers are a highly adaptable plant and will thrive in any well drained soil. Remove rocks, large sticks and trash before preparing the soil. Leave fine pieces of plant material such as dead grass and small weeds. They will help enrich the soil when turned under.

About a month ahead of planting, Spade the soil to a depth of 8 to 12 inches. This is about the depth reached by most shovels or spading forks, and is ideal for growing cucumber transplants.

Plant cucumber seeds 1/2 to 1 inch deep and thin the seedlings to one plant every 12 inches in the row or to three plants every 36 inches in the hill system. Plant cucumber transplants 1 to 2 feet apart in rows 5 to 6 feet apart when they have two to four true leaves

Don’t allow the transplants to become overgrown within the containers this will hinder the transplant and adaptation process. Cucumber vines have shallow roots and require ample soil moisture at all stages of growth. When fruit begins to mature, adequate moisture becomes essential in growing cucumbers.

For best yields, incorporate compost or well-rotted manure before planting. Side-dress with nitrogen fertilizer when the vines begin to develop. A cucumber fence or similar support is also recommended Cucumber plants in individual peat pots or cell packs experience little or no transplant shock and become established quickly.

Cucumbers can be grown in hills, in rows along a wire trellis, or trained to climb a wall or wooden trellis. They also make an attractive container plant.

I have had the best results using trellises. They produce more - and straighter fruits, get better air circulation and fall prey to fewer disease and insect problems than cucumbers permitted to sprawl across the ground.

Tip: Pinch off the growth tip of the plants after they have developed 6 or 7 true leaves. This will encourage the production of side shoots

Watering Cucumbers

Cucumbers have a shallow root system and suffer from inadequate irrigation , provide adequate moisture. Water the garden to provide uniform and sufficient moisture to the soil - a depth of at least 6 inches.

The critical period for moisture is during fruit set and fruit development.

Cucumbers need at least 1 inch of water weekly during the growing season. Always soak the soil thoroughly when watering. this helps to promote good root development. Inexpensive Water timer systems are available.

Fertilizer and Soil

Cucumbers are a quick-growing crop, and must be well supplied with moisture and plant nutrient elements throughout the growing season. Scatter 1 cup of a fertilizer such as 10-10-10 or 10-20-10 for each 10 feet of row. Work the fertilizer into the soil and leave the surface smooth.

About a week after blossoming begins, and again three weeks later, use a high nitrogen fertilizer to side-dress the hills. Do not excessively fertilize as this will produce luxurious vines and scrawny low quality cucumbers.

Compost and Mulches will conserve soil moisture, prevent soil compaction and minimize rotting of the fruit, as well as suppress weeds. Black plastic mulch can be a valuable aid in keeping the soil moist and minimizing weed problems.

The soil pH should be between 6.0 and 7.0.

Cucumber Varieties

Slicing Cucumbers -usually 6-9 inches (15-23 cm) long, but may be as short as four (10 cm) and as long as 14 (36 cm) inches.

Pickling Cucumbers - (6 inches or 15 cm) “blockier” than slicing cucumbers, have a bumpy or spiny skin.

Exotic Varieties include

Round, yellow “lemon cucumbers” -the size of a tennis ball. English hothouse cucumbers have a ridged or smooth skin, virtually no seeds, and do not require peeling. Oriental Cucumbers which are also long, slender, many over a foot long, thin-skinned, and virtually seedless. Armenian cucumbers are long and light green with thin, ridged skins that also don’t need peeling.

Steps
Harvest regularly. For each of these methods, always check regularly. If you can, pick green tomatoes that have a tinge of color at the blossom end and feel a little softer than the solid young fruits. If you pick them any earlier than this, they will not have matured and thus will not ripen at all. Cook immature green tomatoes as is.

If you’re not sure whether your green tomatoes are mature, cut a questionable tomato in half–if it has yellowish interiors and jelly-like or sticky tissue, it is mature enough to ripen. Obviously, the one that you cut in half won’t ripen, but observing how it looks on the outside will give you an idea of what to look for with green tomatoes on the vine.
If you know there’s a frost coming that will ruin all of the tomatoes, don’t pick individual tomatoes; lift the entire plant out of the ground, making sure that some roots are still attached. Shake off as much dirt as you can and hang it upright in a dry, sheltered location, such as the garage. Avoid extremes (direct sunlight, total darkness). The tomatoes will still ripen almost as well as they would have on the vine.
Before storage, always remove vines, twigs, stems, leaves etc. that might rub on other tomatoes and cause damage during the ripening process. If the tomatoes are dirty, wash them gently first and allow to air dry before trying to ripen them.
Use one of the techniques outlined below to store and ripen the tomatoes off the vine.
Keep an eye out for decay or mold. If you see any, remove the affected tomatoes immediately and give the tomatoes more air circulation. The cooler the storage area for the tomatoes, the longer the ripening process. Expect about 2 weeks for ripening under normal, warm household conditions. If the house or storage area is too cold, the tomatoes may never ripen or will result in flavourless tomatoes.
Jar method - For a few tomatoes

Assemble the jars.
Remove the lids.
Put in one ripening banana per jar.
Put in two to four medium-sized green tomatoes per jar. Do not overfill the jar, or the tomatoes might bruise.
Screw on lid tightly.
Leave in a warm, semi-humid place, out of direct sunlight. Check regularly - if your banana starts to rot before the tomatoes are ready, remove it and replace with a new banana. This method should leave you with ripened tomatoes within one - two weeks.
Cardboard box method - For many tomatoes

Prepare a cardboard box. If possible, add some foam or fruit cardboard in the base; or simply line with newspaper.
Place a layer of tomatoes in the box, each one next to the other. If you have a lot of tomatoes, a second layer on top is okay but be gentle. Do not make any more than two layers in case you bruise the fruit at the base.
Add some ripening bananas if you’d like. The tomatoes are likely to ripen anyway, as they release their own ethylene and influence each other. However, using bananas will help to speed up the process.
Place in a cool, slightly humid room away from light. A pantry shelf is ideal if you have one.
Plastic bag method - For a few or many tomatoes

Assemble plastic bags. Punch a few “air circulation” holes in each bag you are going to use.
Place 3 - 4 tomatoes with 1 banana in each bag. Depending on the size of your bag, you may be able to add more (or perhaps less). Be guided by the size of the bag, tomatoes and banana.
Store in a warm, semi-humid area away from direct sunlight.
Paper bag method - For a few tomatoes

Open paper bag and insert ripening banana and amount of tomatoes as will fit.
Store in a warm, semi-humid area away from sunlight.
This method is useful where you don’t have a lot of room and you only have a few tomatoes.

Tips
Removing some heavy green tomatoes from plants a few weeks before frost will help the remaining tomatoes on the vine ripen more quickly because the plant will allocate more energy towards them.
This will also work to ripen green peppers (capsicums).
The bananas must be “ripening” - they are at their most useful when they are yellow with green on the ends. All ripening fruit produce ethylene, a gas that helps ripen the fruit. Bananas are not the only fruit you can use but they generally produce so much ripening gas in comparison to other fruits that they provide the best “booster” source of ethylene. And, unlike tomatoes, bananas ripen very well after they have been picked.
Humidity is also an important factor for indoor ripening. Too much humidity can encourage rotting (and the dreaded fruit flies); too little humidity and you might end up with dehydrated tomatoes. Keep a close eye on their progress and adjust things as you see fit.
For the best flavour, eat the tomatoes as soon as they have ripened. They will gradually lose their flavour after about one week of storage in the refrigerator.
This makes a great science experiment for kids as well. It is another way to enthuse them with the joys of harvesting from one’s own garden.

Warnings
Even though the tomatoes will ripen using any of the above methods, the flavor and texture will never be as sweet and/or meaty as that of a tomato that’s allowed to ripen on a live plant.
Don’t waste your time with diseased or insect-ridden fruit; salvage only the good quality green tomatoes.
Tomatoes already hit by the first frost are no good either; get them before the frost does!
Don’t put the tomatoes in the light. Only the plants (particularly the leaves) need sunlight; the tomatoes themselves ripen best in the dark.

Things You’ll Need
Green tomatoes, freshly picked off the vine (unless using vine method)
Jar method: One ripening banana per jar, 1 large jar for every 3 medium-sized tomatoes; jar must have lid
Cardboard box method: Cardboard box with room for many tomatoes, ripening bananas (optional) - several per box, dependent on box size
Plastic bag method: Plastic bags (large, clear, kitchen variety), ripening banana per bag
Paper bag method: Paper bags (lunch bags are ideal), ripening banana per bag
On the vine method: Shovel to dig up plant, string or wire to hang it.