Posted on 01/12/2018 9:09:30 PM PST by greeneyes
The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds.
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https://www.gardensalive.com/product/worm-composting-system
Check out the above link for a system to grow worms. Several years ago I was researching red worms and this was what I settled on, if I ever decided to do that.
However, we do well enough with outdoor composting that I really didn’t need to do this.
It really is cold, and it’s hard to believe that spring is getting close enough to start some seeds. One of these Years, I’m going to experiment with winter sown.
I have grown spinach and lettuce in the house during the winter in front of the patio door - with the greenhouse, I would move them out there as soon as possible.
New Zealand spinach (not real spinach, but similar) does excellent indoors.
I have grown lettuce and spinach outdoors even during snow filled and below zero. At the first frost, I cover them with row covers, and if the weather gets really cold, cover that with straw-the row cover makes it easy to raise up the covering and harvest the crop.
Plus on warmer and sunny days you can simply roll it up a bit and let the sun help kill any tendency to damp off or mold. The row cover lets it breathe and get enough sun that you don’t have to do this though.
How close are you to the Mo./Ks border? Truly birds are not a hijacking-they are part of gardening.
Wrens for example are territorial birds who like to eat protein rather than berries. They will help drive off the birds that would steal your black berries etc.
Hubby had a book that he used to use to identify birds. He goes through phases, and that one was a long time ago-still have the book somewhere - Also the Gibbons books on wild food.
I’ve been making a weekly pot of chili in the crock pot-makes several meals for us.
Hubby has been eating the pickled beets and grape syrup on waffles-I rarely eat this stuff - too much sugar which just makes me crave more.
Wanting more space to grow more. Me too. LOL We have been concentrating on reading and brainstorming how to have “free heat” for green houses, and how to build a 14 x 24 ft. porch with almost floor to ceiling windows and a fireplace-for the upper patio-which will likely never happen.
i’m going to have to get some row covers for next winter then! any advice for what kind to get? i suppose i can also use them to provide summer shade as well?
that’s nice of you to help the owl out!
pickled beets on waffles?
i love beets but i’d skip that!
so glad he is doing better!!!
I assume you use grow lights....any suggestions?....
I just order whatever they have when I order seeds from whatever company I happen to decide on. There is more than one thickness, but I don’t order the lightest one and not usually the heaviest.
I usually just use an old sheet for summer shade, as it holds up better than the row covers.
in early spring, I used to have my husband throw the wet fresh grass clippings in the hot house...they put off heat...sometimes, if they haven’t been treated, I’ll put them around my young tomato plants to keep them warm....
LOL. No the grape syrup on waffles. Pickled Beets with lunch food.
That’s a good point and it would smell better than manure which can put off a lot of heat. LOL
I usually scrap up the grass clippings close to my garden beds and use them as mulch/fertilizer.
This looks like a great site. Thank you for the information.
You are welcome, glad you find it helpful.
ok thanks i’ll do the same.
i used sheets last summer for the lettuce too / it seemed to work well and was easy enough since the lettuce was in raised beds that i put chicken wire around to hold the sheets up.
btw i’m glad your husband is better - and without surgery!
Do you happen to have a recipe for *sour* squash pickles? I’m trying to teach myself pickling with limited success...the squash ones are tolerable but not as good as my mom’s were, and the cucumbers don’t bear thinking about. :)
My husband used an Emrils recipe. I don’t enjoy squash very much, so I don’t know how good or bad it is! He likes it, but I think it is a sweet and hot thing. I will check with him. I will paste my full cucumber pickle recipe below. It has ALL the steps detailed and ingredients.
My Dill Pickle Recipe
First: know that approx 2.5 to 3 medium (6 in. in length) cucumbers will fill a pint jar, sliced or spears. Also, you will NEED a “jar lifter” to get the jars out of the boiling water after processing. You will need a canner or appropriate pot to use for a “water bath” canner.
Second: prepare cucumbers a few hours ahead by cleaning and slicing as desired, then place into a brine of of 50/50 cold water/white vinegar (5% or 6%) with one heaping tablespoon of pickling salt dissolved. Sprig of dill if desired. Keep in refrigerator until ready to process. THIS STEP IS NOT REQUIRED, BUT WILL HELP WITH WORK FLOW AND PRODUCES A CRISPER PICKLE
Third: prepare jars and lids. Wash, rinse THOURGHLY, and sterilize either by boiling water method, or (jars only) by oven @ 225 degrees for 20 minutes, leave in oven until needed. Lids must be simmered (separately from jars) in water for five minutes, then left in same water until needed. Sterilize funnel, ladle, etc. in water also. Get your canner about 60% full of water (you will want the tops of the jars covered by about an inch or two of water when processing) and get it heating up. It will need to be at a full boil when you begin to process the jars - works best if you have a lid for the canner.
TIPS: Have clean DRY dish towels to set jars on. Have plenty of clean dish cloths or paper towels to damp-wipe rims of jars after filling. Make sure there are no drafts when you pull processed hot jars from water bath to cool - it could result in cracked jars. Have pot holders handy.
Need: CUCUMBERS of course! 6 to 8 inches. Fresh, firm and not yellowing or white (if they are supposed to be green!) About a dozen or so will make a batch of six pint jars.
DILL - fresh, cleaned/rinsed dill sprigs. (One good bundle will do about 6 pint jars)
fresh grape leaves if available (helps assure crispy pickles)
cheesecloth to make a spice packet
cotton string
2 1/2 tablespoons pickling salt (3 tablespoons if you like a spicer pickle)
3 tablespoons of white sugar
2 cups white vinegar - 5 to 6% acidity
3 cups of filtered water
1 teaspoon all purpose “pickling spice”
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
pinch of red pepper flakes
6 black peppercorns
4 whole cloves
1 teaspoon celery seed
4 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
1 medium onion halved/thinly sliced
________________________________________
How to combine it all to make the pickles:
Place into a pan:
2 1/2 tablespoons pickling salt (3 tablespoons if you like a spicier pickle)
3 tablespoons of white sugar
2 cups white vinegar - 5 to 6% acidity
3 cups of filtered water
and bring to a simmer while stirring to dissolve salt and sugar, keep it at a simmer - then:
Make a 6in. square of cheesecloth, and put the following ingredients in the center:
1 teaspoon all purpose “pickling spice”
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
pinch of red pepper flakes
6 black peppercorns
4 whole cloves
1 teaspoon celery seed
Pull the corners up and tie closed with the cotton string to make into a spice packet, then drop into the simmering water/vinegar/salt/sugar mixture. Simmer for 6-7 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of water if needed.
While the spices simmer, set your jars up: Place one grape leaf in bottom (if desired), put a sprig of dill in, add a little onion and a little chopped garlic. Not too much of either as you will want to layer these a bit! Next - add the prepared cucumbers about 1/3 way up jar - a bit more onion, a bit more garlic, another good sprig of dill, more cucumbers to 2/3 way & repeat ingredients. Then finish packing cucumbers (snugly, but not smashed in) to the shoulder of the jar (about an inch from the top). Once your jars are packed, remove the spice packet from the brine and just bring liquid to a boil. Turn off heat. Ladle into jars to within 1/2 inch of top of jar. (ALSO: Make sure your canner “bath water” is at a boil)
NEXT: (jars will be hot) carefully wipe top edge, rim and screw ridges of jar with a clean damp cloth or paper towel. (If not clean, it will not seal properly) Then, seat lids carefully in place and screw bands on - snug, but do not over tighten them. Once all are ready:
Lift using jar lifter and place carefully into boiling water bath. Jars should not touch. Once all are in, bring back to a boil and make sure jars are covered by an inch or two of water. Cover and boil for ten minutes, checking periodically to make sure they are still covered with water.
Have a dry dish towel down (I place it on a wooden cutting board) and when you remove the jars from the canner using the jar lifter, place the hot jars onto the dry towel. Jars should not touch. AVOID drafts or fans - the hot jars could crack. After a while you will hear a popping “ping” - that is the lid sealing. Allow to cool for twenty-four hours before moving. Let “pickle” for ten days before enjoying.
Actually it would be better to fill to about 1/4 inch from top I think. :) If doing spears, tuck some of the garlic and onions, dill in the bottom - then when you have about 1/2 to 2/3 of the spears in place tuck more onions, garlic and dill in the center before adding the rest of the spears.
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