Comments on: Independence Days Update: Summer Visiting

By: Robj98168

Robj98168 — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 20:52:26 +0000

1. Plant something: Transplanted lettuce starts and Dutch Corn salad starts into larger growing pots, planted radishes
2. Harvest something: My garden-Some baby lettuce and some Baby Dutch corn salad, Tomatoes, some greens, hot cherry peppers; fennel; Community Garden: Swiss Chard, Tomatoes, Basil, Chives, Radishes
3. Preserve something: Pickled fennel (found recipe in Ready Made magazine);
4. Reduce Waste (recycle, reuse, reduce, repair or compost something): Turned the compost pile, did the usual recycling and composting
5. Preparation and Storage: Gathered up seeds I have collected from plants and from order and sorting and put into a metal storage box, Ordered some seeds for fall garden from company over in Ellensburg, WA
6. Build Community Food Systems: From Community Garden to food bank- donated about 2.5 pounds of Swiss Chard, Tomatoes, Basil, Chives, Radishes; did my watering day at the community garden; Attended a SUBU (Sustainable Burien)meeting
7. Eat the Food (cook or eat something new)- Omelet with marinated grilled vegetables, Broiled Tomatoes with Provolone, Ate and Used Leek Flower Blossoms in salad and omelet.

By: Deborah

Deborah — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 00:21:43 +0000

I raised two batches of 25 cornish crosses this year. They are disgusting and aggressive when I go to feed them. Never again. I read that dorkings won a heritage breed taste contest and now I am very interested in them. Although dark cornish eating mice sounds awesome.

By: Chile

Chile — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 18:48:27 +0000

I haven’t been updating lately because I’ve been so busy I just haven’t thought about keeping track. This is generally what’s been goin’ on around these here parts.

Plant something: ask my sweetie. I can’t keep track of what he’s experimenting with. He’s got stuff in the shadehouse and is always piddling around with his hydroponics set-up.

Harvest something: couple of cherry tomatoes, prickly pear fruit, and CSA share. Also drove out to some orchards to pick peaches and apples. Shared the ride with two other CSA members and friends.

Preserve something: prickly pear jelly, prickly pear liqueur, a fruity ‘steak & burger’ sauce, peach-pepper relish (actually I’ll use it as a stirfry sauce), frozen peaches, and the beginnings of two different vinegars – apple and plum/peach

Waste Not: used leftover prickly pear fruit pulp from juicing for jelly to make the liqueur; used peels and trimmings to make the vinegars; started a second compost pile for prickly pear parts and mesquite beans.

Want Not: got a little pump to get water out of a 55 gal barrel for emergencies; still looking for a home

Built Community Food Systems: took watermelon rind to neighbor who has chickens; told a gal at my self-defense class about the websites with canning info since she mentioned that she wants to can some peaches and apples from the nearby orchards.

Ate the food: yes! Other than rice, oatmeal, sugar, and spices, most of our food is coming from the CSA or pantry.

By: Green Hill Farm

Green Hill Farm — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:21:29 +0000

Same weather here in Central Ma, the most challenging year of growing in our 12 years as a CSA. We’re coping though and members seem to be remaining cheerful, each got to pick two cherry tomatoes this week .

I raised Cornish x last year and I rather liked them, I kept them in a simple circle of wire in the 3 sided barn and let them out each day, they foraged quite well and I thought they were rather friendly. I let them go about a week too long and lost one and had a couple looking lathargic.

I made lots of chicken broth with one (plus a few grocery store wings I had in freezer) yesterday, made a crustless chicken pie and served over rice. It contained various garden veg, carrots, onion, leeks, zuc (for the green instead of peas). Rosemary, thyme and sage. Its was fab I am always impressed when I impress myself. I am going to make soup from the rest.

I don’t have suggestions for other birds to raise, the only other birds I’ve eaten are unwanted roosters (have some now annoying creatures).

Due to your autumn garden suggestions I have actually got some more lettuce, bok choi, arugula, and a few other greens in. Hoping to wow folks with late lettuce . I need to plant beets if the soil would dry a bit .

Beth in Massachusetts

By: Shira

Shira — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:48:07 +0000

A bit late posting, as I was recovering from 47 pounds of green beans. Green beans frozen, canned, resold, given away, and eaten. It was my first time using a pressure canner. It mostly worked, after I called a friend and got her to call her 80 year old mother for advice. One jar sealing failure and one exploded jar in the two batches canned. I learned that pressure canning, even more than jam, requires a space of several hours of close hovering and monitoring the canner. This after the work of cleaning the beans and filling the jars.

Still no tomatoes, but they went in late this year. Lots of kale and zucchini.

Time to go outside and hoe out a spot in the weed explosion (previously clear winter garden bed) to plant beets.

Shira in Bellingham, WA

By: risa stephanie bear

risa stephanie bear — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 05:53:22 +0000

Who’d'a thunk we’d have so many Risas here? We’re like the Stony Run chickens, always named by batch. The current Rhode Island Reds are all named Rosie.

By: NM

NM — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 04:52:00 +0000

Planted: nothing. Gleefully watched seedlings coming up, but I have a mystery. The leeks are finally coming up, right where I thought I put them. Which begs the question; what the heck are the things that already came up in those rows, and how did they get there???! They look like some type of cruciferous vegetable. Did I go into some sort of non-waking state and plant two things in the same rows? It’s always possible, I guess …

Harvested: tomatoes, strawberries, blackberries, local eggs, CSA vegetables.

Preserved: dried plums and blueberries. Apricot, uh, syrup. Just ignore that jam label.

Attended gardener’s mini college and had the time of my life; learned many many interesting things. Also went crazy buying books (important reference tools!) Came away more excited than ever about starting my own CSA. Must find land!!!

It’s raining here, which is delightful after that heat wave a week back.
We call years like Sharon is having cabbage years. Or at least the old-time gardeners used to. I guess because that’s about the only thing that did well. I always look forward to them — although they are rotten for tomatoes. Gardening does change one’s outlook on weather …

By: Risa

Risa — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 04:33:03 +0000

Sharon,

Right now I have the quail in a bunch of old rabbit cages I built when I had angoras. I have a dozen birds per cage (2′x4′) two males ten females. Each cage has a chick waterer, a rabbit feeder, a little nest box and we give them a daily bowl of dirt to bath in. This set up is temporary. I didn’t want to spend any money till we were sure. Soon (once the chickens are gone) I will get around to building a raised cage system in our barn so they can live with the goats and keep each other warm in the winter. Also easier to maintain when everybody is in the same place.

We are hatching like crazy right now. We are working towards 60 layers and canning as many as possible before it gets to cold to incubate. The temp in our house is not stable in the winter and the incubator is a piece of crap.

I look forward to seeing how the dark cornish do for ya.

Risa

By: Sharon

Sharon — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:12:04 +0000

Risa, that’s what we mostly do for ourselves – these are for sale, and thus, the requirements are different. But I love stewing hen!

Sealander, I love the idea of a brooding cupboard – what a great idea. I’ve got just the thing, too!

Risa, I am thinking about dark cornish, and you’ve pushed me over the edge. Thanks also for the info about quail – I’d like to try them at some point. What kind of set up do you have for them?

Sharon

By: mnfn

mnfn — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:27:45 +0000

We’ve also had a lot of rain here in my part of the southern hemisphere – meaning that we haven’t had frost for a couple of weeks now. I may be getting over-enthusiatic about my plans for planting out next weekend, but I’m trying to head the locals who say it could snap back to clear and frosty anytime. Last weekend we were away in the capital – and spent too much time developing grandious ideas after walking around the botantic gardens.

Planting: nope

Harvest: nope

Preserve: HELP! I tried to make crabapple jelly, but got distracted, let it overcook and ended up with jars of caramellised crabapple toffee. Any suggestions on how to use it? BB and I would prefer not to eat it as straight toffee.

Waste Not: Just the usual – compost and recycling.

Want Not: Picked up sheep manure on the way back from capital, and pea straw in my work lunch break the other day.

Community Food Systems: Took apple marmalade to hosts at the capital.

Eat the Food: I swear we cooked this week, I just can’t remember anything. Ummmm… lentils, biscuits, zucchini pasta, stuffed vegetables, at least.