Grandpa Witmer's Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Mixer Review and Stuff

After the tainted peanut butter last year (which I had a jar I had eaten half of ) I decided to start buying one of the natural (non-hydrogenated oil) brands. Anyone who has purchased this type knows that when opening it there is a layer of peanut oil on top that you have to stir into the peanut butter itself , not just to mix the oil but also the salt. Sometimes this can get very messy so I decided to purchase Grandpa Witmer's Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Mixer from Lehman's.
I am very pleased with it. All you have to do is screw the included lid on to the jar, insert the crank and turn for about a minute. The lid has a built in rubber grommet so when you remove the crank it comes out clean as a whistle. It is advised to return the original lid so you can clean and store the mixer pieces.
The mixer set's lid from Lehman's fits small jars but you can order larger diameter lids from the manufacturer, Witmer's.
I don't have much other else going on. The corn is about knee high, the first cantaloupe is growing, green peppers are finally producing and I'm getting about 5 pounds of squash a day. Hope everyone else is having a bountiful harvest and staying safe.
Jerry
P. S. I tried to upload some pictures but once again something screwed up!

Busy for a lazy guy

Well,I have managed to get some things done the last few days. To start I decided against the Foodsaver. I had it in my basket and I started getting buyers' remorse before I even paid so I may just not get one. Can't decide. I did try for the sorbet' machine but they were out of stock(our Wal-Mart is awful). I was intending on buying some red chili plants and ended up with strawberries. They are everbearing Ozark Beauty. After buying them I did some research and discovered they may not produce for a year which kind of sucks because I don't know if I'll be in this house that long.

I went to a little produce stand by my house and bought four jalepeno plants and came across some ornamental christmas peppers and a new variety called "Black Pearl". I asked about the "Black Pearls" and they are supposed to be very hot so I had to buy both. The "Black Pearl" plant is black along with the peppers but when the fruit ripens it turns red.

I bought a straw bale for my strawberries and after I put it on my berries I decided it may work well for keeping the grass from coming back in the garden so I started using it to mulch the garden today. I don't know if it will work but a little straw goes a long way so I'm not concerned about wasting money.

Last of all I have have been starting to freeze this years batch of squash. I gave some to my parents already along with some of last years. I decided to slice it up so I can be more aware of how much I'm cooking each time. I'm trying to knock out out last years but I don't want to get sick of squash.

The corn is doing well but I don't believe the cilantro will appear this year or at least until fall. We'll see.

I was sooooooo wrong

By some miracle of nature I managed to sleep late today. When I did finally get out to the garden I thought I'd pick a few squash and retire to the a/c since it was already 90 degrees but it was not to be.

First off there was a lot more squash than there was yesterday. No it didn't just appear over night but the few small fruits that were showing the day before had grown a lot.

Well I figured since I was already out I would cut and clean a monster batch of lettuce and gift it to a neighbor. It would bolt soon and I hate to see food go to waste. Unfortunately it had and I tasted it just to make sure. Oh holy night! Bitter lettuce is just that. Too bad all that stuff was wasted but I guess I can grow some this fall. So I proceeded to pull up all the plants that were left and gave them to the compost pile.

I can't say I'm too bummed that the lettuce is gone. I usually put something in it's place and I think this will become the new home to some jalapeno plants. I plan to jar some salsa this year and maybe pickle some peppers. I love hot stuff and it's hard to find a good pre-made salsa at the store. Now all I have to do is con my dad into bringing the tiller over one more time. I don't have my own tiller and even if I did I couldn't use it very well with the state my back is in.

The corn and cilantro I planted yesterday and the day before in the front yard haven't peeked their heads out so I finished the afternoon by sitting and watching the birds. I used to use a birdfeeder but now I just throw the seed under the mulberry tree. A Baltimore Oriole came to the hummer feeder to eat and even though I had seen him before he seemed extra beautiful today. The bright orange yellow on his breast stands out among all the green around it.

Back to my coffee,
See ya'll later

It's just too hot!

I picked my first squash of the season today and they look great. Although I prefer the straight neck variety, I suppose the crook neck taste just as good.

Please excuse the poor pictures. I only have a 10$ Wal-Mart camera, but I think you'll get the idea.

Amazingly enough my lettuce hasn't bolted or gotten bitter. It's great to still have salads but I usually use the space they're in to plant something else .

Other than watering the garden (we've been taunted by clouds all week but no dice on the rain) I finally came to terms that the heat had killed my poppies. Since the the Bermuda grass overtook my corn I planted in the garden I replaced the shriveled flowers with corn seeds. My only concern is the neighborhood cats will dig up the bed before the seed has a chance to sprout. We'll see if it's too late to grow but since it stays warm here until Thanksgiving I thought I'd give it a shot.