Archive for the ‘Crops – Vegetables’ Category
September 16, 2011 – Light Frost
We were hit with a scattered frost. All the squash and cucumbers and beans are dead, but the basil and tomatoes were just lightly touched, if at all. The peppers were somewhere in between
But all in all, we’re happy the tomatoes were spared, since there are many more still on the vines.
one year ago…”Thingamajig Thursday #225″
August 27, 2011 – Putting Tomaotes Up
Today was a long-anticipated day. Last year, we only had enough tomatoes to can seven quarts (it was a good thing we had canned 89 the previous year and had enough left over to get us through). This looks like a great tomato year. It was wet to get them going, hotter than blazes in July, now bone dry in August (avoids bacterial wilt and fungus).
Martin with the first sweep through the garden of the year looking for ‘maters.
A bushel of Romas waiting to be skinned and peeled.
To enable safe boiling water canning of tomatoes, we add 2 tbsp of lemon juice and a tsp of salt for taste.
We throw the tomatoes in boiling water until their skins crack and then put them in cold water to cool.
Then cut out the stem and slip the skins off.
Take about 1/6 of the tomatoes and crush them and bring them to boil, then slowly add the rest (no need to crush). After all the tomatoes are added, bring to a boil and boil for five minutes.
Put in cans and boil for 50 minutes. Today’s haul was 28 quarts of tomatoes. Seems like a lot, but it’s only about two jars a month. These are a staple in our cuisine. Love them as the base of a minestrone soup and an essential part of red hot dish!
one year ago…”Ag Incubator Ribbon Cutting!”
August 15, 2011 – Green Beans
The green beans are a reliable crop, and this year is no exception.
These guys are headed to the freezer.
one year ago…”Fruits of the Season”
August 9, 2011 – Squash Pollinator Study at High Hopes
We’re in the second year hosting a study to investigate squash and cucurbit pollinators by some researchers at Iowa State.
Portions of the garden are staked and outfitted with catch buckets that are painted blue, yellow, and white to catch bugs roaming the area.
A look inside one of the buckets.
one year ago…”Squash Tunnel Grown Over”
July 30 , 2011 – Budato or Potabuddha?
We dug up the first row of potatoes today (and boy it’s nice to boil up the small “new potatoes with a bit of dill).
We kind of thought that this one looked like a Buddha statue!
one year ago…”Thingamajig Thursday #218″
July 27, 2011 – Garlic!
The first garlic of the year has been cleaned for personal use!
Garlic crop was mighty fine this year!
June 19, 2011 – Chinese Cabbage
This spring’s rugged growing season has not been kind to all the crops, but the Chinese Cabbage seems to think it’s ok.
Not much longer before we start munching on this crop.
one year ago…”Same Story; Different Day”
June 14, 2011 – Early Spring Crops
The pea tendrils reach out to grab the cattle panel provided as a trellis.
It won’t be long before we’re stir-frying fresh pea pods!
one year ago…”Putting Martin to Work”
May 25, 2011 – Plugging Away on Getting Garden Planted
It’s been a slow start to the gardening season – mainly due to weather, but also due to Linda’s trip to DC and now her trip with Claire to the BWCA wilderness.
So Martin and Emma are enlisted to set some starts out in one of the beds.
one year ago…”Getting Tomatoes In”
May 17, 2011 – First Tomatoes in the Ground
It’s rather a long job, but one that only needs to be done once a season. The first couple of rows of tomatoes are in. It requires laying the weed barrier down, hauling the stakes and cages from storage, cutting out the milk cartons, spreading the straw, planting, and putting the stakes and cages up.
But it leads to practically no weeding this bed the rest of the summer and offering the tomatoes a more constant supply of moisture. These are the best-looking beds on the farm at the moment – the rest still need some work, but this photo shows tomatoes, garlic, potatoes, fall raspberries, and blackberries in the distance.
one year ago…”Garage as Test Case”
May 15, 2011 – First Annual Edibles
The first annual edibles came out of the garden (asparagus is a perennial) today – a bit later than usual.
Radishes, lettuce, and spinach are ready for consumption. Scratch expensive organic salad mix off the grocery list for a while!
one year ago…”Eight Year Old Boy ‘Records’”
April 22, 2010 – Spring in Suspended Animation
Despite a couple of 85 degree plus Sundays in April, the rest of the month is just short of miserable. We should be in the mid-60′s by now, but it seems many days it struggles to reach 50.
Most everything seems to be in suspended animation. This asparagus is purple because of the cold and hasn’t shown appreciable growth in a week since it poked out.
Fruit tree buds, like these plums, are likewise, just holding steady and not advancing like they usually do. Last year the plum trees were in full bloom on April 14 – looks like this year could be two weeks or more behind last year’s blooming time.
Despite being the 8th warmest March on record on a global scale, we did not contribute to that warmth. There’s blue dots over us. April will likely be even much colder from average than March.
one year ago…”Thingamajig Thursday #205″
November 27, 2010 – Putting Garlic to Bed
We finally had a calm day to get the garlic mulch over the garlic.
It’s been a windy month, and I had an afternoon to get it on, so that was #1 on the list for the day..
one year ago…”Thanksgiving Meal”
October 22, 2010 – Getting Garlic in the Ground
Well, it’s that time of year again – time to get garlic in the ground. The last time I used the tractor, it was running really rough, almost to the point of conking out. The first check was the inline fuel filter, so today I went to get a replacement, put it in and it ran better, but still not very well – at any rate, I hustled to take of the tiller and put on the potato digger to make trenches for the garlic.
Then it was time to enlist help of the children to plant. First, they are “de-cloving” the garlic.
Then, drop it in the ground. We usually put a couple of rows in one trench. Today we got about 500 feet of row in the ground. Wet weather was bearing down upon us, thus the urgency to get them in the ground. Now, I need to become more familiar with the fuel system of the tractor before snow flies!
one year ago…”Thingamajig Thursday #181″
