by kb / Tuesday, July 31, 2012 /
The start of our tomatoes!!















7/29/2012

25 peas
7 pickle cucumber
1 zucchini
5 crook neck yellow summer squash
2 butter cup squash
4 cherry tomatoes

12 lbs


7/30/2012

4 zucchini
3 crook neck yellow summer squash
2 cherry tomatoes

5 lbs


Year to date total:

19 heads of lettuce
33 peas
12 snap peas
30 pickle cucumber
29 zucchini
30 crook neck yellow summer squash
4 baking pumpkins
1 head of broccoli
5 butter cup squash
32 hot peppers
6 cherry tomatoes

lots of basil

Total: 87 lbs


More shots from our garden this season















zucchini, yellow summer squash, butter cup squash, watermelon, pumpkins and potatoes
















peppers, cabbage, butter nut squash, broccoli, onions and our wall of tomatoes






















tomatoes, onions, carrots and peppers















red cabbage


corn

a bee in our pumpkin flower

watermelon :)





buttercup squash now growing up our fence

mini pumpkins!



Also, this past weekend we canned a batch of kosher dill pickles! Yum!

See the pickle recipe below:

Kosher Dill Pickles Featuring Ball® Kosher Dill Pickle Mix, now with Pickle Crisp® Granules for crunchier pickles! See just how easy it is to make this traditional favorite!

You will need:

For every 2 quarts of pickles: 3 1/2 lbs pickling cucumbers (about 14 small to medium)
2 cups water
1 cup vinegar (5% acidity)
1/4 cup Ball® Kosher Dill Pickle Mix
2 Ball® Quart (32 oz) Fresh Preserving Jars with lids and bands

Directions:
Prepare Kosher Dill Pickles1. CUT ends off cucumbers. Cut into spears.
2. COMBINE water, vinegar, and Ball® Kosher Dill Pickle Mix in a medium saucepan. Heat to a boil.
3. PACK based on ENJOY NOW or FRESH PRESERVE steps below.

ENJOY NOW (Refrigerate up to 3 months): 1. POUR hot pickling liquid over cucumber spears in a large bowl. Cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
2. PACK cucumber spears into jars. Ladle pickling liquid over cucumbers. Place lids and bands on jars.
3. REFRIGERATE pickles. For best flavor, allow pickles to stand in refrigerator for 3 weeks.

-OR-
FRESH PRESERVE (Store up to 1 year): 1. PREPARE canner, jars, and lids according to manufacturer's instructions.
2. PACK spears into hot jars. Ladle hot pickling liquid over spears leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rims. Center lids on jars. Apply bands and adjust to fingertip tight.
3. PROCESS in boiling water canner for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude*. For best flavor, allow pickles to stand for 4-6 weeks.




by kb / Wednesday, July 25, 2012 /
more produce!
















7/23/2012


3 peas
2 pickle cucumber
2 zucchini
1 crook neck yellow summer squash
1 butter cup squash

5 lbs (estimated)


7/24/2012

1 zucchini
1 crook neck yellow summer squash

2 lbs (estimated)

Year to date total:

19 heads of lettuce
8 peas
12 snap peas
23 pickle cucumber
24 zucchini
22 crook neck yellow summer squash
4 baking pumpkins
1 head of broccoli
3 butter cup squash
32 hot peppers

lots of basil

Total: 70 lbs


Also, one thing I really didn't think of when planting my garden this year was pest control. Look what we found in our garden last night. ... a very large tomato hornworm. We have also found several cabbage moths / cabbage worms over the last month. I'll be doing a lot of research the next few weeks on how to limit harmful insects in the garden.

by kb / Tuesday, July 24, 2012 /
http://archive.org/details/victory_garden

Here is a great historic victory garden video. Enjoy!

by kb / Monday, July 23, 2012 /
7/21/2012 produce total

7 crook neck yellow summer squash

3 lbs (estimated)


Year to date total:

19 heads of lettuce
5 peas
12 snap peas
21 pickle cucumber
21 zucchini
20 crook neck yellow summer squash
4 baking pumpkins
1 head of broccoli
2 butter cup squash
32 hot peppers

lots of basil

Total: 63 lbs

We made raspberry jam this weekend and wanted to share the recipe we used, see below. It turned out great!

Raspberry Jam
Recipe from the book, Blue Ribbon Preserves, by Linda J. Amendt.
Before measuring the raspberries, sieve about 3/4 of the crushed fruit to remove the seed or the jam will be mostly seeds. While fresh raspberries usually make the best jam, frozen berries also produce a very good jam. A 12 oz bag of frozen raspberries will yield about 1 1/2 cups of crushed fruit or about 1 cup of seedless pulp.
4 cups crushed, fresh ripe raspberries (6 - 8 pint baskets)
1 tablespoon of strained lemon juice
6 1/2 cups of sugar
1/2 teaspoon unsalted butter
1 (3-ounce) pouch of liquid pectin
In an 8-quart pan, combine the raspberries, lemon juice, sugar and butter.
Over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, heat the mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Stir in the entire contents of the pectin pouch. Return the mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat. Skim off any foam.
To prevent the jam from separating in the jars, allow the jam to cool 5 minutes before filling the jars. Gently stir the jam every minute or so to distribute the fruit. Ladle the jam into hot jars leaving 1/4 -inch head space. Wipe the jar rims and threads with a clean damp cloth. Cover with hot lids and apply screw rings. Process half-pint jars in a 200°F (93°C) water bath for 10 minutes, pint jars for 15 minutes.






These are some pictures of the jam that we have made this season so far.

Seedless Raspberry Jam
Strawberry Jam
Strawberry Lemon Marmalade
Blueberry Cherry Jam

The summer of 2012

by kb / Friday, July 20, 2012 /


This is what we are dealing with this summer... Thank goodness we have irrigation but I would love to have more rain!!
by kb / /
7/18/2012-7/19/2012

1 head of lettuce
4 pickle cucumbers
7 zucchini
3 crook neck yellow summer squash
1 butter cup squash
20 hot peppers

19 lbs total actual



Year to date total:

19 heads of lettuce
5 peas
12 snap peas
21 pickle cucumber
21 zucchini
13 crook neck yellow summer squash
4 baking pumpkins
1 head of broccoli
2 butter cup squash
32 hot peppers

lots of basil

Total: 60 lbs
by kb / Wednesday, July 18, 2012 /
7/17/2012


2 heads of lettuce
5 peas
1 pickle cucumber
2 zucchini
4 crook neck yellow summer squash
2 baking pumpkins

lots of basil

7 lbs (estimated)



Year to date total:

18 heads of lettuce
5 peas
12 snap peas
17 pickle cucumber
14 zucchini
10 crook neck yellow summer squash
4 baking pumpkins
1 head of broccoli
1 butter cup squash
12 hot peppers

lots of basil

Total: 41 lbs
by kb / Tuesday, July 17, 2012 /
Now that we are getting regular produce from our garden the question is what do you do with all of it. Our plan this season is to do a lot of freezing, a large amount of canning and some drying / dehydrating... along with a lot of baking and eatting fresh produce.

FREEZING

In my research for freezing fresh produce I came accross a great website http://localkitchenblog.com/2009/08/07/freezing-vegetables/.
This site provided a good overview and a great step by step guide for freezing fresh veggies.

Blanch & Shock
There is a good basic set of instructions, as well as blanching times for various vegetables, on the National Center for Home Food Preservation’s website. The basics are simple and similar for any vegetable you wish to store frozen (hot & sweet peppers being a notable exception – they do not require a blanch).
  1. Wash and prepare your fresh vegetables. I like to prepare veggies so that they are most convenient for their anticipated use; this includes trimming the stem ends off of kale, cutting the ends off of green beans and trimming to 2-inch lengths, chopping broccoli into florets. While sometimes I am pressed for time (or simply lazy) and will stick a full Ziplock of jalapenos, unadulterated, in the freezer, it makes life much easier down the road when you come to using your frozen vegetables if you put in the time now.
  2. Boil a big pot of water. Fill a large stockpot with water and bring to a boil, covered, over high heat. You should have approximately one gallon of water per pound of prepared veggies.
  3. Prepare an ice bath. Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice; use plenty of ice (about 1/3 ice to water works well for me) as it will melt with the heat of the par-cooked vegetables. Keep this near the stove so that it is easy to quickly plunge the vegetables into the ice bath once blanching is complete.
  4. Blanch veggies. Drop your prepared veggies into rapidly boiling water (a basket makes this much easier for beans, broccoli, etc., but I find tongs are easier for leafy greens). Put the cover back on the lid until the water returns to a boil. Boil for 2-5 minutes (times are specified for common vegetables below) or until the vegetables turn a very bright green and are still tender-crisp.
  5. Shock. Immediately plunge the blanched vegetables into the ice bath, and push well down into the water with tongs. Allow to rest in the ice bath until completely chilled, about 5 minutes.
  6. Dry. Spread chilled vegetables on clean kitchen towels to dry; press another clean kitchen towel over the top of the veggies in order to soak up excess water before freezing.
  7. Freeze. Fill Ziploc bags, Tupperware or other freezable containers with your produce. Squeeze as much air as possible out of bags or containers; double-bagging will delay the onset of freezer burn. Label each container with the vegetable, the date, and cooking time (par-cooked or fully cooked).
Blanching Times:

  • Asparagus: Wash, trim ends, cut into 2 to 3-inch lengths. Boil 2-3 minutes and to a bright green color.
  • Beans, Green, Snap and Wax: Wash, trim ends, cut into 2 to 3-inch lengths. Boil 3 minutes and to a bright green color.
  • Broccoli: Wash and cut into 1 to 2-inch florets. Boil 2-3 minutes and to a bright green color.
  • Brussel Sprouts: Wash and remove any yellowing leaves. Boil 3-5 minutes and to a bright green color.
  • Cauliflower: Wash and trim into 1 to 2-inch florets. Boil 3 minutes.
  • Corn, on the cob: Shuck and snap off large stem ends. Boil corn on the cob for 7 – 12 minutes, or until fully cooked and kernels are tender. Chill in an ice bath then cut kernels from the cob with a sharp knife.
  • Eggplant: Wash, trim ends, and slice into rounds or large julienne. Boil for 3 – 4 minutes.
  • Greens, leafy (kale, collards, chard, arugula, spinach, bok choi, etc.): Wash and trim off tough stems. Boil 2-3 minutes and until a very bright green.
  • Herbs (leafy herbs like basil, sage, parsley, cilantro): Wash and keep leaves on the stems. Swirl the stems in boiling water for about 1 minute, until leaves turn bright green and are wilted. Plunge into ice bath; then dry. At this point, herbs can be frozen on the stem, or leaves can be removed, chopped, and frozen in ice cube trays for ease of use. A small amount of olive oil over the top of each ice cube will keep the herb-cube in cohorent form and aid in the prevention of freezer burn.
  • Okra: Wash, trim and boil for 3-4 minutes and a bright green.
  • Peas, in the pod or shelled: Wash, trim ends and peel strings, or shuck peas from the pod. Boil for 2-3 minutes and a brilliant green.
  • Peppers, hot: Peppers do not need a blanch & shock. I often freeze small hot peppers (jalapenos, habaneros) whole, that way I can use the seeds or not as I wish. However, it is convenient to have a certain amount of peppers trimmed, seeded and minced, and packed into teaspoon-full balls. I freeze these little balls of minced pepper individually, on a baking sheet, then once frozen I pile them into a Ziploc.
  • Peppers, sweet or Bell: Wash, trim seeds and ribs, and dice into 1-inch squares, rings or long strips. Freeze.
  • Soybeans, green (edamame): Wash and boil for 5 minutes until bright green.
  • Squash, summer (zucchini, pattypan, crookneck, etc.): I don’t blanch & shock summer squash as I always freeze it grated, for use in quick breads; my theory is that the water released upon grating protects the vegetables from enzymatic degradation. To freeze this way, wash summer squash, halve it and remove seeds. Grate, with skin, through the large holes of a box grater and freeze in 1- or 2-cup portions (I freeze about 2 cups, or 1/2 pound, portions as that suits my recipes). To freeze summer squash for stir-fry, saute or other uses, wash, trim and seed the squash, then cut into large julienne or rounds. Blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes.
  • Squash, winter (pumpkin, butternut, kabocha, etc.): I don’t always freeze winter squash, as it will last for months on a cool (55 degrees is ideal; my kitchen runs about 65 degrees in winter) windowsill or counter. A wipe with olive oil over the skin of a pumpkin or squash will protect the squash from bacterial attack. If I do freeze, it is often when I only need half of a particular squash for a recipe; thereupon I will peel & seed the squash, then dice the flesh into approximately 1-inch chunks. I freeze these separately, on a baking sheet (like IQF for berries) until solid then pack into a Ziploc bag. You can also prepare a puree of roasted or boiled winter squash and freeze the puree in 1- or 2-cup containers. Squash does not require a blanch-and-shock.


    • STORE
    Vegetables preserved in this way should last 6 months to a year. I try to use mine within about 8 months, which takes me from August, or peak produce time, to about April, when the first spring veggies are showing up at farmer’s markets. Double-bagging will certainly help in preventing freezer burn as will keeping enough space in your freezer for air to circulate.


    CANNING

    A great website for canning recipes is http://www.sbcanning.com/ . This website also provides a good how to for water bath canning and pressure canning. See the following list below for all that this site has to offer. We haven't tried many recipes from this list but they offer a wide variety. Enjoy!


    Water Bath
    Eggplant Appetizer (Caponata)
    Figgy Pear Jam
    Orange Pomegranate Marmalade
    Peach Champagne Jam

     
    Fruit Lemonade Concentrates
     
    Water Bath Pie Filling

    Water Bath Mustard
    Water Bath Salsa

    Pressure Canning
    16 Bean Soup
    Bean and Sausage
    BBQ Beans
    BBQ Beans (Renee's)
    Black Eyed Peas
    Butternut squash (soup base)
    Chicken & Garbanzo Bean Soup
    Clam Chowder Base
    Condensed Tomato Soup
    Corned Beef Hash
    Pie Pumpkin (pressure canned)
    Pinto Beans
    Pork Loin with Apple Butter
    Salmon (Miranda's)
    Sauerbraten - Beef in vinegar marinade
    Spaghetti Sauce with Meat (Sausage)
    Split Pea Soup
    by kb / Monday, July 16, 2012 /
    This weekends produce total!

    7/14/2012

    2 pickle cucumbers
    1 zucchini
    2 crook neck yellow summer squash
    1 head of broccoli
    1 butter cup squash

    6 lbs (actual)
















    7/15/2012

    2 pickle cucumbers
    3 zucchini
    4 crook neck yellow summer squash
    12 hot peppers

    9 lbs (actual)
















    Year to date total:

    16 heads of lettuce
    12 snap pea
    16 pickle cucumber
    12 zucchini
    6 crook neck yellow summer squash
    2 baking pumpkins
    1 head of broccoli
    1 butter cup squash
    12 hot peppers

    Total: 34 lbs


    One of our favorite recipes this time of year is zucchini bread!!

    Zucchini Bread
    Adapted from several sources
    Yield: 2 loaves or approximately 24 muffins

    3 eggs
    1 cup vegetable oil
    1 3/4 cups sugar
    2 cups grated zucchini
    2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    2 cups all-purpose flour
    1 cup whole wheat flour
    3 teaspoons cinnamon
    1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    1/2 teaspoon baking powder
    1 teaspoon salt
    1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
    1 cup raisins  (optional)

    Preheat oven to 350°F.
    Grease and flour two 8×4 inch loaf pans, liberally. Alternately, line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.

    In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Mix in oil and sugar, then zucchini and vanilla.
    Combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt, as well as nuts,  and/or dried fruit, if using.
    Stir this into the egg mixture. Divide the batter into prepared pans.
    Bake loaves for 60 minutes, plus or minus ten, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Muffins will bake more quickly, approximately 20 to 25 minutes.

    Mid-Season Evaluation (2012)

    by kb / Friday, July 13, 2012 /
    We are now getting regular produce from our garden and are starting to realize the good and the bad from our plan.

    Lessons learned and what to keep in mind next season:

    - Don't plant pumpkins, zucchini, summer squash, watermelon and winter squash within the fenced in garden area. We really thought we needed to keep those plants away from our deer and rabbits yet, they haven't touched any that we have planted outside the fenced area. In addition to that they are really taking over.

    - Don't plant zucchini and summer squash in consecutive rows. They are hard to walk between. Line the outside perimeter of the garden with them to help deter animals and allow you to walk around and not in between each plant.

    - Plant cabbage closer together ... 3' spacing between each plant is more then enough.

    - Plant more pickle cucumbers! We planted less then 10 plants this year but don't get enough pickles at one time to do a full batch for canning.

    - Make carrot seed tapes to allow more even spacing. See link below
     http://www.gardengirltv.com/how-to-make-seed-tape.html


    Photo updates for this week:

    7/12/2012

    2 baking pumpkins
    2 pickle cucumbers

    3 lbs estimated






    Year to date total:

    16 heads of lettuce
    12 snap peas
    12 pickle cucumbers
    8 zucchini
    2 baking pumpkins

    Total: 19 lbs (estimated)
    



    Garden photo updates:

    7/13/2012






























    Red Cabbage




    
    Green Cabbage

    
    Zucchini and Buttercup Squash beyond


    Bush Beans


    Tomato Plants and Basil
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