Anyone stareted on their "survival" gardens yet?

[Uzi2]

Pickling beets today!

Since my beets got in the ground a little late in the season and I'm not getting enough in bulk to process, I took a ride to another local farmer's place and bought 2 bushels(about 40lbs per box) of "tops off" beets. I separated them out into three batches of like sizes, large, medium and small and cooked up the large and mediums yesterday evening.

This morning, they'll be sliced, jarred and brined then water bathed for 30 mins.

This is 16 quarts and thats 2/3 of a bushel in processed state. Still have all the smaller ones to cook up this afternoon. The stainless pot contains the beet water from cooking those in the jars and will be reused for the next batch as well as the liquid to make the brine. I strategically used the maroon towel to avoid staining anything of lighter color. Yes every gun pictured except for the Marlin Camp 9 on the right IS loaded to capacity including the Mauser in the center.​

They were $26 / bushel and I think that is a very fair price considering the price of canned beets from the store @ .98 per can and there's only two beets in it. Should have about 15 quarts and several pints from each bushel when finished.

Hopefully next season, I'll get mine in the ground earlier.

 

[Fritz the Cat]

At $26 a bushel, it's hardly worth growing them yourself.
I am growing Beets for the first time. I don't like them so much but Mrs Fritz and little Fritz both do. Do you ever eat the greens? How do you prepare them?

 

[Uzi2]

At $26 a bushel, it's hardly worth growing them yourself.
I am growing Beets for the first time. I don't like them so much but Mrs Fritz and little Fritz both do. Do you ever eat the greens? How do you prepare them?

Yes, that price is pretty cheap but last year that farm didn't have any because they didn't do well so I had to wait on mine to mature so planting them myself was a little safety net. This year he has all kinds of them so I'll have a more continuous supply as time goes on.

Yes, we eat the greens. We blanch and freeze some and cook some fresh. Sauteed with a little oil, some chopped onions, a beef bullion cube and some balsamic vinegar. We chop up the stems and all, its delicious.

 

[Mountain]

I could eat roast beet and goat cheese salad until I pop. Seems to be a good outlet for undersize beets.

Are the beet greens similar to turnip greens?

 

[Uzi2]

I could eat roast beet and goat cheese salad until I pop. Seems to be a good outlet for undersize beets.

Are the beet greens similar to turnip greens?

Yes, but I think they are a little less pungent. They are slightly more of a sweet tangy flavor but similar consistency.

 

[Mountain]

Yes, but I think they are a little less pungent. They are slightly more of a sweet tangy flavor but similar consistency.

Thanks- guess I need to try those sometime.

 

[Uzi2]

Thanks- guess I need to try those sometime.

If you blanch either beet or turnip greens and chop them they keep well in the freezer. I had a crop of turnips once and processed 189lbs of greens alone from them. All pesticide free.

 

[ThePreBanMan]

Picked my first dozen zucchini yesterday and about 20 beets this morning. We've had about a couple of inches of slow steady rain in the past 72 hours with a 1/4 to 1/2 inch possible daily for the next few days and the gardens are loving it.

First planting of beans are ready to flower and second planting are doubling in size every day.

As much as I dislike using pesticides, I did manage to spray all my plants with a weak mixture of Spinosad a week ago and it significantly knocked down the critters feeding on the beans and eggplant leaves.

Sweet corn is up about knee high and looking good.

Very happy with things so far.

Check out neen oil. (Organic) and keeps bugs away. Mix 1:10 with water and spray them down.

 

[Uzi2]

Twentytwo more quarts of pickled beets this morning which brings the total to 42 guarts from 2 bushels of "tops off" beets. That works out to about $2.00 per quart including the sugar, vinegar and spices.

Next come the green beans and cucumbers........then the tomatoes. With about 136 tomato plants producing, I'll likely have to buy more regular mouth quart canning jars come August.

Then comes chicken and beef in wide mouth jars which I've got plenty of.

Very satisfying having a well stocked pantry!

 

[Fritz the Cat]

While on a trip to the big city (Pittsfield) I happended to be in the Walmart parking lot and saw apple trees marked for clearance at $15 so I brought the tag in and said I'll take 4 of these clearance sale trees. The nice lady informs me they are no longer $15. Now they are 6 bucks. Well Hot Damn! Give me a dozen! So now my Saturday will be spent planting apple trees along my road frontage. And I will now have an edible fence.
It sure pays to check the box stores for end of season clearance plants.

 

[Uzi2]

Nice! Good timing!

Be sure to give them enough space in between and give each a good size hole if you can. Some composted manure in the hole and mixed with the back fill, and regular deep watering should give them a good start.

 

[Fritz the Cat]

I got the trees in by lunch. Generally the digging is hard here in the hills but I got lucky with only one big rock to remove. I keep chickens so I had plenty of manure for the bottom of each hole. Each tree got a mulch moat and a good soaking. I will be watering every evening until they go dormant. I have found a lack of water has needlessly killed way too many transplanted trees.

 

[Uzi2]

I got the trees in by lunch. Generally the digging is hard here in the hills but I got lucky with only one big rock to remove. I keep chickens so I had plenty of manure for the bottom of each hole. Each tree got a mulch moat and a good soaking. I will be watering every evening until they go dormant. I have found a lack of water has needlessly killed way too many transplanted trees.

Might think about supporting them too until the roots get established and the trunks gain some girth, and definitely before winter. Happy Pruning!

 

[Uzi2]

With all the rain we've had recently, I'm picking half a bushel of cukes a day from my plants. Noticed this morning that deer had chewed off the tops of a few vines near the edge of the garden but nothing too bad, the vines are all well established and there's plenty of new growth coming on. They didn't touch any of the cukes, just leaves and vine stems.

Today I'll be making another 12/14 guarts of dill spears then a batch of hot/sweet relish tomorrow. Have to go shopping and get a few more gallons of white and cider vinegar and some peppers and onions.

Lots of tomatoes on the vines but they are small yet.

How are the gardens doing up north?

 

[Choctaw]

I have a small greenhouse and some raised beds outside. We planted tomatoes in both this year. The greenhouse ones are almost 4' tall with small tomatoes. The outside ones are maybe 1' tall and looking a bit anemic. (same soil composition). In my opinion we are just now getting to some summer growing weather in the north. We have had good rain just not a lot of continuous sun.

 

[Fritz the Cat]

I am out harvesting from Nature's Garden today. Gathering of sassafras leaves to make filé powder. I fill up a paper bag full of these, let them Dry, and grind in a coffee grinder. I will also use some fresh on a garden salad for a little added flavor.

 

[Uzi2]

View attachment 291147 I am out harvesting from Nature's Garden today. Gathering of sassafras leaves to make filé powder. I fill up a paper bag full of these, let them Dry, and grind in a coffee grinder. I will also use some fresh on a garden salad for a little added flavor.

Beware of "safrole"....... Look it up, you decide.

 

[Fritz the Cat]

I am well aware of safrole. I believe the safrole is in greater concentration at the root of the tree, where true root beer is derived. I only use the leaves.
Besides, I'm far more likely to be killed by a jealous husband than a Sassafras leaf.

 

[Uzi2]

I am well aware of safrole. I believe the safrole is in greater concentration at the root of the tree, where true root beer is derived. I only use the leaves.
Besides, I'm far more likely to be killed by a jealous husband than a Sassafras leaf.

 

[Cowgirlup]

How are the gardens doing up north?

Not as well as I had hoped here. The weather has been mostly cold and rainy. The plants were looking stressed with yellowing leaves and not as good on the growth. We've had a stretch of warmer sunny weather so things are looking a little better. We've had lettuce, broccoli and asparagus. Snap peas are about ready. Bean plants look good. Squash plants aren't very big but getting blooms. Cabbages look great. Tomatoes look sad. Basil barely grew then bolted but I can probably get new plants and start over.

Looks like a good year for Paw Paws.

I cleared the side of a hill and planted some grapes, strawberries and fig. Started last year with blackberries and blueberries.
I bought a dwarf self pollinating nectarine and apple tree. The deer came and ate most of the new growth off the apple and the ends of the branches on the nectarine. They are now covered and I hope they do OK. I was not expecting a deer issue until winter.

 

[Mountain]

With all the rain we've had recently, I'm picking half a bushel of cukes a day from my plants. Noticed this morning that deer had chewed off the tops of a few vines near the edge of the garden but nothing too bad, the vines are all well established and there's plenty of new growth coming on. They didn't touch any of the cukes, just leaves and vine stems.

Today I'll be making another 12/14 guarts of dill spears then a batch of hot/sweet relish tomorrow. Have to go shopping and get a few more gallons of white and cider vinegar and some peppers and onions.

Lots of tomatoes on the vines but they are small yet.

How are the gardens doing up north?

Nothing to pick yet. Blueberries and raspberries almost ready. They are late, but it was a cold spring. Had just a few grape tomatoes getting close, but I screwed up and thought I was pruning a sucker but clipped the main branch. Carrots a long ways off but doing OK. Peppers blooming. Sunflowers about 2-1/2 tall one month after planting and looking like they will live up to their 'Mammoth' name.

 

[Brucewillis4316]

Been picking about a quart of strawberries a day for a week now... yummy fresh and freezing many.

 

[Uzi2]

I picked 3/4 of a bushel of pickling cukes this morning and half a bushel of zucchini.

It is truly amazing how well they both do in well rotted wood chip compost. I cannot recommend it highly enough for anyone who has access to and space to compost them.

Moved 22 4x5' bales of hay out of the fields last night right at dark. It hit 90 degrees yesterday, so much of the day was spent indoors making relish and pickles, took a late nap then out to the tractor about 8:30pm to move hay that I mowed Friday and had a friend bale on Sunday. The hot temps here dried it quickly.

This is my normal daily yield of cukes.
Life is good!

The yellow "footballs" are ones that I missed hiding under the vines two or three days ago. Each day there's a couple. They are perfectly edible and they will get used in relish.

 

[Uzi2]

Just picked 50lbs of Roma green beans this morning and it was less than 1/8th of what is ready to pick. I'll be out there this evening picking again and up all night pressure canning what we just picked then back out in the early morning to continue.
Still getting 1/2 to 3/4 bushel of cukes daily. I stopped and picked as I was coming back from the local store and there was a flurry of bee activity on the hundreds of cuke blossoms. The corn is doing well, as are the tomatoes.
Going to need more jars ASAP.

 

[Fritz the Cat]

Just picked 50lbs of Roma green beans this morning and it was less than 1/8th of what is ready to pick. I'll be out there this evening picking again and up all night pressure canning what we just picked then back out in the early morning to continue.
Still getting 1/2 to 3/4 bushel of cukes daily. I stopped and picked as I was coming back from the local store and there was a flurry of bee activity on the hundreds of cuke blossoms. The corn is doing well, as are the tomatoes.
Going to need more jars ASAP.

Sounds like you need more hands, too.

 

[Uzi2]

Sounds like you need more hands, too.

Absolutely, more hands would help alot. We picked 50 more pounds of beans this morning.....was up until 0200 last night pressure canning beans. Now I need ten more cases of quart jars to finish canning what I expect to pick from this patch alone. The next wave of beans will be coming in two weeks.

In between, pressure canning times I've been making 14 quarts of pickles at a time which are water bath and cooking and pickling beets.

The cukes just keep on coming.......day after day after day.

Then will come the tomatoes.....OMG!!!!!!! This has been the best producing garden I've ever had. Everything is working out right.



This ^^^^^^^ is what is really making the garden work. Composted wood chips! They hold lots of water, they drain excellent and are LOADED with nutrients. The cukes, zucchini and tomatoes are loving it.

 

[Uzi2]

Another bushel of green beans this morning and 24 zucchinis. Haven't gotten to the cukes yet.

Been very hot here, 90's yesterday and going to be as hot today. Humidity is at about 90% thats why we start picking at 0630 while its still cool.

Had a 4.5 acre hay field turned, disked and smoothed out the past few days and drilled it last night with millet and soy beans that will be cut for hay before they mature. Makes great feed for cattle.
The field had lots of settled stump holes from being logged out in 2007, its much better now, not so bumpy.

Oh well, thats life on the farm here in Kentucky.

 

[Choctaw]

^^ sounds like heaven

 

[Uzi2]

^^ sounds like heaven

I don't know what heaven is like, not been there, but I'm pretty happy with what I've got here and if it gets better that will be a great bonus.

Just finished up a 16 pint batch of hot/sweet relish......I've made so much of it over the years that I can estimate the quantities literally down to the spoonful. They are cooling now and listening for the tops to "click" as they draw a vaccum and seal.

Then its on to pressure canning green beans. That is a lengthy time consuming process having to bleed off the steam for ten minutes then up to temperature/pressure then cook time then cool down. I need to get a bigger canner and put it on a bigger flame.
My wife is taking about half what we picked this morning to some friends......less work for me!! Got them just in time too, they were just the right maturity and every bush was heavy with beans. I clip off the base of the plants leaving the roots in the ground and is easy to beams off into a bin and you can work standing up......easier on the back than bemding over and picking, plus it cleans the rows as you go.

 

[Choctaw]

I have toyed with the idea of a freeze dryer for the last couple of years. I just haven't been able to justify the cost with the small amount of vegetables and fruits that we currently produce. I would love to be able to store blueberries, strawberries, tomatoes, etc. for use in the winter. We currently freeze them.