Follow me on Twitter The garden has had many butterflies this year.
Aug 252010
Aug 122010
Have you ever wanted to grow garlic yourself? A few years ago a friend told me that she grew garlic by planting some organic bulbs she bought from the grocery. I tried it and a few years later I still have garlic growing.
I planted the cloves in my asparagus patch so the tiller wouldn’t get them. Once before I bought a seed packet of garlic to plant but it disappeared. My theory is that since garlic growing looks so much like grass, I think it got ‘weeded’ out.
These cloves are small but flavorful. I harvested them late. Garlic is best harvested when the leaves begin to die down. The longer they stay in the ground the less protective layers of paper are left.
Give it a try. Or if have grown garlic in your garden, let us know about it.
Jul 212010
One Jar at a Time.
Recipe for 1 pint jar of lacto-fermented dill relish.
1 cucumber, about 7 inches
1/4 cup onion, organic
1/4 cup green pepper, organic
1/2 tsp Real Salt
1/4 tsp mustard seed
1/4 tsp dill seed
1/4 tsp dill weed
1 Tblsp whey
1/8 tsp tumeric
Coarsely grate the cucumber, (for 1 jar I seeded it, the other jar I did not) chop the onion and the green pepper into tiny pieces. Stir in remaining ingredients, mix together. Spoon into a pint canning jar leaving 1/2 inch head room. This mixture will bubble up slightly (some more than others) meaning that the lacto-fermentation process is working. Put the lid on lightly. Leave out in the counter for 24 hours. Tighten lid to store in cool place (the fridge or celler)
I have found that the rubber seal on the canning lids keeps the air out of my lacto-fermented foods. When I store them with a non-airtight lid, they turn a darker color on top. With my saurkraut I just took a fork and romoved the top layer of kraut and ate the rest. Not at one sitting. Lacto-fermented foods are made to eat in small quantities.
For other interesting Real Food topics visit Kelly the Kitchen Kop for Real Food Wednesday.
Jul 062010
Goal: Lacto-Ferment Zucchini
This July my kitchen will be busy with the harvest from my garden. I have exchanged my old heat canning methods with lacto-fermentation. I like it better because I can preserve my veggies one jar at a time instead of a huge batch. When I would wait to get enough cucumbers to make a heat canned pickle batch, the first cucumber would start to go bad (a problem with a small garden).
Sauerkraut and Kraut slaw with peppers
Pickled Cucumbers dill or spicy
Now I looking for a recipe to lacto-ferment zucchini. Can anyone help? Have you lacto-fermented zucchini before? What other lacto-fermenting have you tried?
This post is part of Real Food Wednesday.
May 262010
Do you love gardening, but can’t seem to keep up with all of the weeds?
A few years ago, someone suggested mulching with cardboard.
So I gave it a try.
I planted my plants. Here in this picture you see newly planted zucchini.
Then I took cardboard boxes and layed them down on the dirt around the plants. I put bricks or wood on the cardboard to hold them down until we mowed our grass. (we never spray the grass so I always have organic mulch) Then I put the grass down on top of the cardboard. Then I wet the whole thing down. The water helps keep the grass from blowing away. I have heard that worms love the cardboard cover. I didn’t ask a worm myself but they do seem to be happy in my garden. haha And I have lots of them.
My husband is getting some more boxes today. Often a grocery store will have lots of extra boxes they are happy to give away. I am going to overlap the boxes for full coverage. In a few weeks I will be able to see where I have cardboard and where I didn’t put it down.
Cardboard helped me a great deal in the garden. The weeding was much less. I have a nice grass carpet to walk between the rows and plants.
This post is part of Real Food Wednesday
May 132010
The rhubarb is ready!
Apr 132010
The seedlings we planted got white mold on them. I tried Apple Cider Vinegar diluted in water. The next morning the mold was gone.
It didn’t take much, just a splash of vinegar in a spray bottle of water. I also used it on some of my houseplants that had some suspicious looking white on the dirt. Whatever it was, the white is gone.
So simple! I try to avoid chemicals. My sister also recommended watering from the bottom and allowing the top of the soil to dry between waterings.
Have any of you overcome mold on your household plants or seedlings? What natural method did you use?
See us planting the seeds.
Mar 172010
Spring shrubs are begining to show life. Bulb shoots are now seen popping out of the brown landscape. Spring has sprung.
Mar 102010
We started seeds for the garden.
Feb 172010
Oregano from the garden
Make Your Own Oregano Oil
2 cups fresh or dried oregano leaf
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup extra virgin coconut oil
Warm oils gently, add oregano leaf, allow to sit in a warm place for 24 hours. Drain herb from oil, pour oil into a glass jar, and use.
Uses for infused oil -
1. This my favorite oil for oil pulling. Not because of the taste but becasue of the properties of oregano.
2. Add to homemade salad dressing.
3. Oil pizza crusts
4. Take internally by the spoonful.
5. Rub on skin
I liked using the dried oregano better than the fresh. I think it was stronger.
Have you tried infusing oil? What type of herb did you use? What did you use the oil for?
