Putting It Up! - Freezing

When I first decided to be a stay at home farm wife, this year, the obvious thought for me was “I need to have a big vegetable garden and try to put some veggies away for winter”. Well, a large garden I had!  After the initial “Wow! That radish was amazing!” and the “These peas are so succulent and delicious” came the “Oh my God… what am I going to do with all this?”

So we ate them fresh; which really is the best way to enjoy and relish the terrific flavor of home grown vegetables. Then, when the produce started coming in by the laundry baskets full (over 50 lbs of green and yellow beans picked one morning) I decided it was time to “put it up”. That was when I started to freeze. Now, not having done frozen vegetables for a number of years I refreshed my memory by going to a wonderful website, which was my bible this summer, called www.pickyourown.org.

I found out that it is necessary to blanch; immerse them in boiling water for a certain amount of time prior to an ice bath.  This is done in order to kill bacteria and stop the enzymes that deteriorate your veggies while in the freezer.

So I started freezing. And it kept on, and on, and on… as each new product ripened and came through the door. Eventually I gave some away to family, then friends, then complete strangers! But on the bright side, my freezer is full and I have enough frozen to last our family for the year. So it was all worth it!

Then I moved into pickling, fermenting, canning and lastly cold storage. But that is the topic of another article!

Blanching times for common vegetables:

• Beans (yellow and green), 3 minutes
• Carrots (sliced), 2 min
• Peas (shelled or edible podded), 2 minutes
• Summer Squash, 3 min
• Cauliflower, 3 min  
• Broccoli, 2 minutes
• Corn, 4-6 minutes  
• Peppers (bell or hot), no blanching necessary
• Beets, pressure can 10 to 15 min 

Originally published in The Planterbox October 2012 issue.

Compost Project

Just finished this project. Serious gardeners may appreciate this one. Lengthy but worth the time and the a few extra $'s for the cedar fence boards. This six foot compost bin has been a hit with the neighbours. (six feet was the length of the fence boards) and the width 36 inches (that was half the length of the fence board).
I used some 4 X 4 timbers (scraps) as a base and 2 X 4's for corners. I used deck brackets and stainless steel screws to mount the back and end boards "angled in" for proper ventilation. The top has two lids made from some 1 X 6 fence boards ripped down to 3". The covers are hinged with stainless steel hinges. The removable fronts were made  with the remaining cedar (you can probably figure out their dimensions).

As I said the neighbours like it, certainly a lot more efficient and  attractive than my chicken wire cage they said was filled with garbage. Now they are bringing their vegetable scraps and leaves etc., knowing that if they put some in they can take some out (compost). Well that's the concept, but I know who will be turning it and keeping it working. Does the story of the "little red hen" come to mind? A worthwhile project that only a gardener can appreciate. *(please note: there are no drawings available)

Originally published in The Planterbox, October 2012 issue. Article contribution by member Ken MacDonald.

Fall Planting: Garlic

roses love garlic

Fresh garlic is a staple in many kitchens, and good cooks know that a hint of garlic can enhance many dishes. The pungent bulbs are incredibly easy to grow and homegrown garlic will be far better and keep longer than what is sold in the
supermarket.

Fall is the best time to plant garlic. Garlic cloves may be planted in well-drained soil from about the time of the first frost up until November. It is harvested in the summer after the bottom half of the leaves have begun to turn brown.

To plant garlic, break apart the bulbs into individual cloves. To grow larger garlic bulbs, plant only the largest cloves. Plant the cloves about two inches deep and four to six inches apart in rich soil. The roots will start to grow over winter, but you won't see any top growth until spring. Give your garlic a blanket of mulch to protect the bulbs from heaving out of the soil over winter and to help keep down weeds.

Young garlic can be mistaken for grass when it begins to sprout, but a quick pinch of the leaves will release their aroma and eliminate any mistakes when weeding the patch.

There are many varieties of garlic available to choose from, but two main types; soft neck and hard neck. The soft neck varieties have a soft stem that makes them easy to braid. Soft neck garlic bulbs have larger cloves on their outside layer with smaller cloves towards the center of the bulb. Soft neck garlic generally stores well, up to nine months.

Hard neck garlic has a stiff central stalk with fewer but larger cloves. It tends to be more winter hardy than soft neck varieties but doesn't store as well, typically only five to six months. Hard neck garlic is a bit easier to peel than the soft neck varieties.

If you enjoy garlic, try planting some this fall. You'll be glad you did!

Dividing Daylily

Daylilies are one of the easiest flowers to grow in the garden. They will reward you with their bright blooms for many years to come. Daylilies are not fussy plants, they prefer growing in full sun and will continue to bloom profusely, especially if they're divided every few years as they multiply and become overcrowded. As daylilies become overcrowded they will produce fewer blooms.

Dividing the plants and giving them more growing room will revitalize daylilies. The ideal time to divide daylilies is in late summer to early fall, after they are done blooming for the season.

To divide daylilies, use a sharp spade or garden fork to lift the clump from the soil, carefully digging about 6-12 inches from the plants to completely pry out the clump. Next, take two garden forks - garden forks look like smaller, stronger versions of pitchforks - and push the forks back to back into the midst of the clump. Then gently pull the garden fork handles apart, forcing the roots to separate into two smaller clumps. If the clump is really large, you may have to separate it into several divisions.

To replant the daylily divisions, start by digging a wide, shallow hole about six inches wider than the root ball of your daylilies. Place the root ball in the hole at the same depth the plant was at before it was dug up. Tamp the soil into place, water thoroughly and add an inch of mulch around the plants to keep down weeds and help the soil retain moisture. Trim back the foliage to about 12 inches to help the plant put its energy into reestablishing itself in its new home. The next summer, your daylilies will reward your efforts with bountiful blooms.