Posted on 09/09/2023 5:09:42 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you.
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It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread. Planting, Harvest to Table Recipes, Preserving, Good Living - there is no telling where it will go - and that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us! Send a Private Message to Diana in Wisconsin if you'd like to be added to our New & Improved Ping List.
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Your pantry or just a stock photo from the net?
15 Tips On How To Store and Preserve Your Garden Harvest
It’s not uncommon for many of us to pick our homegrown fruits and vegetables, toss them into the no-man’s-land of the fridge, only to later find they wilted, got mealy, or worse, became a complete science project.
Throwing away what you grew is like throwing away your hard work, time, and money. So what can you do? How you handle and store your produce will determine how long of a shelf life it will have, putting more of it on your table and less into the trash.
Try these tips on how to best store your garden harvest to keep it lasting longer.
1. Bring it Inside
2. To Chill or Not to Chill
3. Utilize Your Crisper
4. Wrap Your Greens
5. Keep Some in The Dark
6. Pick The Right Time To Wash
7. Handle With Care
8. Treat Them Like Flowers (Fresh Herbs)
9. Make Herb Cubes
10. Freeze Your Surplus
11. Make Green Cubes
12. Can, Pickle, or Dehydrate
13. Store Onions and Potatoes Separately
14. Leave Them in the Ground
15. Share the Bounty
https://www.farmersalmanac.com/how-to-store-preserve-fruits-vegetables-garden-124627
Not mine. ;) I’ve been canning for WEEKS and everything is on the dining room table right now - waiting to go into the Pantry on a day I get motivated to organize it all! :)
Good morning ‘early bird’!
Those are your shelves, right? 😊 One day, I would love shelves that look like that - beautiful & food security.
https://asformeandmyhomestead.com/a-well-stocked-pantry/
Every year for decades my Dad took pictures of his shelves full of canning jars full for the winter. I have been more busy this year than in previous years, canning, dehydrating, vac sealing and freezing. We are getting our biggest bumper crop ever this year. I literally can’t get anything new in the freezer unless I take something out. I am so grateful for my upbringing especially the canning and preserving I grew up with and have carried on. It’s work for sure, but worth it for the quality and this year the food prices. I tried the bacon tomato jam and love it. Grateful for the friends here, the advice and sharing that continues. Happy Thanksgiving. It feels like it.
Eyes flew open at 6am, today! Waiting on the fog to clear so I can get some things done in the garden without getting soaking wet.
The weather has changed practically overnight; it was only 49 degrees when I got up - a REFRESHING change. I love Fall! :)
Sun is coming up over the mountains...my favorite time to go out and walk among the 156 pepper plants as they are highlighted by ‘solar glare’...
The Tomato Jam is on my To-Make list this weekend. :)
Fall is my favorite!
Some relatives touched base 2 days ago- they were in International Falls on their way home from a 4 week fishing trip. It was 56 there & we were sweltering in 98 degree heat (& lots of humidity). Quite the contrast!
For the past couple of years I have been putting different combos of herbs into a blender and freezing the results in flat sheets so I can break off whatever amount I need to add to recipes: basil pest, dill + chives, parsley + chives.
Greetings from southern New Hampshire!
It has been a tough year for Barb. Started with cucumber beetles, then white flies, squash bugs and vine borers. Rinse, repeat! Very discouraging.
Also, she planted a lot of yellow tomatoes, like Kellogg Breakfast, and the taste was disappointing.
A lot of the summer squash plants were taken out by pests.
My Autumn seedlings are ready for transplant…broccoli, Brussel Sprouts and cabbage.
Our green beans are spectacular! We put a pair of cattle panels between two of the beds in Murderers’ Row and planted Blue Lake Stringless pole beans on either end and the result is incredible! I need to harvest again, today
Our five new beds in the area we call the “North Forty” have been reasonably successful.
It has been a tough year, weather-wise. But, we carry on. Our pullets are laying and the ducks are molting.
Walking into the kitchen while my wife is cooking Menemen with fresh Urfa Biber peppers really cleans out the nasal passages...
We put up 25 pints of pickled cukes (dill and HOT), and 6 pints of salsa, ("slackers" - yeah I know).
Not sure what to do with all of the hot peppers (Jalepeno and Hot Cherry) - not nearly enough to pickle (maybe two, three pints total), but I cannot safely eat that many before they turn.
Suggestions are welcome.
I take my excess jalepenoes, mince them up, and put them in bags in the freezer. I use these minced peppers in my chili and some chinese dishes, so I always have some available in the freezer for this. I also do this with my extra tomatoes: dice them up and freeze them for pasta sauce and chili ...
We are in the midst of a mini-heat wave for a few days with temps near 100 - not uncommon for So Cal in September. Hopefully this will be the last one.
I have many monarch butterflies flitting about the yard - swallowtails too but they are difficult to photograph b/c they move so quickly. Hopefully, the population has recovered, it was decimated by 90% at one time:
Plumerias seem to thrive in the heat:
And, my helpers, who prefer to stay inside with the a/c blasting away...
Happy Gardening, and as usual, Pray for Rain.
Ping
I have been more busy this year than in previous years, canning, dehydrating, vac sealing and freezing. We are getting our biggest bumper crop ever this year.
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You are so lucky to have good weather. I have been hauling water up from the stream for my garden most of the summer. In this draught, I refuse to draw water from my well. Watering is just an add-on to the rest of the gardening and preserving work, but there would have been nothing if I hadn’t watered.
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