thats one thing that i'd never try to do..even the thought of trying gives me a headache.lol
How did you preserve your garden?
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thats one thing that i'd never try to do..even the thought of trying gives me a headache.lol
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You guys know how to make a girl blush 
. . . Today I put on some beef soup bones to cook up a broth while I was out in the garden. Came in to make up and can 11 quarts of Beef/Veggie Stew and then canned up 8 pints French Onion Soup with the rest of the broth. I like to pour the French Onion over roast while they cook and also make a great gravy. Since the Beef Stew came out to fill my quart jars, I went ahead and did all of it instead of saving out some stew for dinner. Ended up making Baked fish, peas & creamy pasta
. . . Today I put on some beef soup bones to cook up a broth while I was out in the garden. Came in to make up and can 11 quarts of Beef/Veggie Stew and then canned up 8 pints French Onion Soup with the rest of the broth. I like to pour the French Onion over roast while they cook and also make a great gravy. Since the Beef Stew came out to fill my quart jars, I went ahead and did all of it instead of saving out some stew for dinner. Ended up making Baked fish, peas & creamy pasta
I somehow managed to get 14 quarts of apples canned tonight. I started working on the sons place at 7am, and just now finished cleaning up the kitchen, at 9:53pm. I'm really beat. I also managed to make a bag of yellow rice and a chicken breast while I was waiting for the timer for the apples.
God, you're good!
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Thank you, but that is what you do when you have a bumper crop of cucumbers! And it was last year. . . this year was a struggle for my cukes so I am thankful I still have jars leftover now cause that will hold us over till next year. Now just praying for a good crop next spring. I did get some cukes when I replanted this year but those were only enough to eat fresh. This year has been so different in weather. I normally am eating cantaloupe by July, this year didn't happen till the end of August. . . those had to get replanted too.God, you're good!
I had a rough year too. Hardly any okra or cukes, and no squash, melons or eggplant. The canning is great though as what does produce well gets put away. I still preserved enough to eat over the winter even if we had no grocery stores. Potatoes were my bumper crop this year, and will always be planted from now on. They produce a lot and are easy to grow.
This was not a good year at all, almost half a tomato crop didn't produce good tomato's, peppers done bad, corn not so good, our beans ok but not the best year, our cabbage, potatoes, cauliflower, cucumbers and carrots done super. Overall a disappointing year. The weather confused our gardens.
I think the weather is changing regardless of the cause. We are all going to,have to keep changing to,adapt to it. The greenhouse helped a lot, but it's not ammune to the effects of it either. My best suggestion is plant as many different things as you can. This alone increases the odds that at least you'll produce something to eat over the winter. I'm stuck on bed rest at the moment, but am allready itching to go out and plant some more fall stuff! In a couple days I will plant more carrots, beets, sunflowers, spinache and peas.
Things certainly are changing, even the birds, tree rats, rabbits have all been confused that's totally out of sync, the humming birds have been in unusually low numbers, one butterfly and only a handful of dragonfly's seen this year. Least I have a full pantry from last years crop, diffidently have a lot of beets and peas.
I was looking into an indoor garden using artificial lighting that's temp controlled according to growing season temps something in the order of 100' x 100' but the cost would be prohibited.
You can literally spend tens of thousands of dollars on a greenhouse, or you can do like I did and scavenge some leftover materials and get one for two or three hundred dollars. I do want to upgrade the roof on mine to an acrylic or lean panel as it will last a lot longer than the plastic sheathing. The beauty is you can start with something, and upgrade a little as you can. If ever possible, go to the builtmore mansion in Asheville N.C. and check out the greenhouse. You can probably find info online about it. I don't even want to know what it would have cost in today's dollars. 100x100 ft would be awesome. I can produce a lot in 20x20 even.
I was looking for something to build for winter growing that would emulate growing season through automation such as at atmospheric control (temp wise)
I would love to have heat and cooling, but am ok for now with just prolonging and jump starting the growing seasons. I saw a 10,000 sq ft greenhouse in Fla that had a large radiator with a well. The water was 72 degrees year round, so worked for cooling and heating. This guy was a dentist, and I have a feeling it cost more that my house. Was really nice though. He grew orchids, no veggies.....
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I have honestly not ever had such a struggle growing and producing as I have this year. With all the rain things wanted to drowned and then if I could get it to grow, it didn't want to produce the fruit. . . I have bees on the property so pollination was not an issue. My okra grew and produced, but they never did reach the height they normally do. The only thing that produced very well was the lettuce, carrots, radish, green beans and the 'dry' beans. My melons which I am normally eating on by the first of July didn't produce till the end of August. It was a mild summer for us. . .the temp never did reach over 100 (calculating humidify level yes) and there were not too many days we didn't get a breeze which is also unusual.
I am afraid it's a sign of the times to come. The weather is changing, regardless of the cause. We all will have to find ways to adapt. The controlled environment of a green house is just one way, looking for new things to grow is another. All I know for sure is we need to learn to find ways. I've read and watched shows on the 'salad bowl' for N America. The area out west where big ag grows 70% of our vegetables. They are running out of water trying to irrigate in a desert from a limited supply of an underground resevour. It won't be very long before they can't produce enough to feed the masses, and prices will start to climb. Feeding yourself may become a lot more than just a healthy hobby in the future, but a necessity.
Something going on when we are importing strawberries from egypt!
It has been a good season. Canning is coming to an end and I am looking forward to snow, lots of snow, please. And a mowed garden space again. Our garden has been prolific except for the tomatoes. Corn is all gone now- roughly 1000 ears cut off and in the basement deep freezer. Lots of pickled beets, okras, peppers, beans, veggie soup, apple sauce. We are stocked. Except for jelly, haven't made any jelly at all- yet. Grapes are coming in. I bought my first order of freeze dried foods from my little boy's school teacher-thrive life. I am pleasantly surprised at the quality and taste but it is too expensive for storage in my opinion. Watching the lambs quarters go to seed-thinking of harvesting this wild Appalachia "quinoa" grain. Pumpkins and candy roasters all very big-piled up in the basement with the potatoes. Watermelons and cantaloupes were ate, so so good. Any one have any experience with home freeze drying successfully? My husband does hvac and has a vacuum. Dehydrater is humming with habaneros.
I'm glad someone had a good productive year! Most had problems with the weather. I managed to put away a decent amount, but it certainly wasn't a record year. I have learned to plant three times what you think you need. A third for Mother Nature when she dosent cooperate. A third for critters, as squirrels and crows are darned determined little buggars, and then hopefully you get the final third.
I just read a blurb that someone made a home dehydrator that was more economical. It was still out of my budget so I didn't pay too much attention to it though. If I come across it again I'll post it.
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We had our first frost this morning. Doesn't look like it did any damage though. We're still getting some jalapeno peppers and a few tomato's and have a lot of pie pumpkins. I don't have a clue what to do with them. Hopefully they will last until the wife comes home in a few weeks. A green house is on my list of building projects for next year.
Were a long way off from frost, but at least it's getting a little cooler. Our biggest problem is needing rain. It's been dry for so long the stream in the front just stopped flowing. I probably have a week before the main pond dries up, as it's about a foot low now. I have a larger creek on the back of the property that never stops flowing. I really need to get my irrigation from it instead of the front one. I watered the greenhouse yesterday, but won't be able to again until it rains.
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We haven't had any rain in over 3 months now. Some meadow areas are sub irrigated but they are drying out too. The pond is about 8' low. It still has plenty of water to last until it rains again. I hope.
I just checked the weather and nothing heading my way for at least ten days. So much for the front pond.
Rain for the next week starting tonight, morning temps have been in the low 40s a crisp coolness, the signs are showing an approaching fall.
upper 60's and lower 70's in the mornings here.but heating up in the day where i wanna spend that time in doors.chances of rain,for all next week.
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Yesterday my wife ordered an All American 921 pressure canner. I don't know anything about canning yet but I am looking forward to learning.
good luck with it..
Uh oh, you'll be on a watch list now! Seriously, to me canning your own food is a major part of prepping and self reliance. When your garden has a great year, what the heck are you going to do with 2500 tomatoes if you don't can?
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Well I will be canning my chicken broth from what I boiled on Thursday, also have some chicken sausage gumbo that will need to get canned. From the garden since I have my pressure cooker going, I will be doing some Mustard Greens. Yes, that is one of those things that the Blue Ball stays away from, but I do it anyway.
Yep I have to second that, Brent. When a garden is on form, you can forget going to the store. Home preserved tastes so much better too.
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That's a major part of why I'm trying to learn to grow things, the tasting better. I swear the tomatoes at Walmart are completely flavorless. The healthier is a good motivator, and the self sufficient aspect just tops it all off.
