Tips from a Gardener’s Garden »
As a kid, every time we had fresh fish for dinner, my mom would have me bury the unused fish head by her roses. She said it was good for them. I never questioned her, I just dug a hole and threw the fish head in. Her roses were always healthy and bloomed profusely so [Read More...]
Lettuce in Winter: Part 1 »
Starting lettuce in winter was successful for us. We transplanted it into a raised bed inside our unheated greenhouse. We covered the raised bed in a low tunnel as well, we then snaked a heating cable through the bed and set out a heat lamp that turned on when it got close to the freezing [Read More...]
The Hallowed Rutabaga »
The Rutabaga certainly surprised last year year. We planted it before, but I don’t think I really gave it a chance. I probably had this idea in my head that all it was was a giant turnip – not that turnips are so bad, but they aren’t something I relish either. But this year changed [Read More...]
How on Earth Do I Dry Gourds? »
When I am not farming or gardening I make and sell gourd art. I’ve been a gourd artist for over a decade now and share my knowledge and experience in this unique art form through writing and videos. In this post I want to show you the first step in making a gourd creation – [Read More...]
Don’t take a chance on old seeds… »
Another good day ~ I went out to the hoop house, pulled all the tiny little weeds out of the planting bed, and replanted in areas where things did not sprout. That is what I get for trying to save money by using old seeds. It was not worth it. Now our plant propagation is a month [Read More...]
Heirloom Tomato Review »
My family has grown over a dozen varieties of heirloom tomatoes these past 6 years or so. Heirlooms are typically open-pollinated, but they can also be hybrids. So what’s the distinguishing factor? People call unique looking tomatoes heirlooms even if they were bred no more than a decade ago, but on average most heirloom tomatoes [Read More...]
Make your own “Crushed Red Peppers!” »
To make this lovely spice, I used mature Jalapeno peppers – most of them had turned red. I washed them in cold water and patted them dry, cut off the stem ends, sliced them thinly and arranged them on dehydrator trays covered with the sheets that are used for fruit leather. That is important so [Read More...]
It Can Be Embarrassing This Time Of Year. »
This morning I spent some time in the garden. I picked tomatoes, peppers, herbs, and dug a few potatoes. Earlier in the year our garden was a thing of beauty! Absolutely pristine! See what it looks like now? To me, it’s still lovely. I know about all the bounty we’ve had. I also know that [Read More...]
Freeze your Sweet Corn the Easy Way! »
The traditional way to freeze corn on the cob is to take off the husks, silks and stalks, blanch the cobs in boiling water, plunge them into cold water to cool, and then pack them into freezer containers or bags. That is OK, and certainly nice to have, but I have a way that is [Read More...]
WHY do we “snap” green beans? »
I was thinking…when I cook fresh green beans from our garden for us, all I do is cut or snap off the stem ends and steam the rest without breaking them into pieces. They look much prettier on the plate and… it saves considerable time, so why do I need to snap them into [Read More...]