Life in the 'Old Days'~ Part I~

My grandmother made the best of everything. And if you don't believe me...well, you can just ask me, or any of us grandchildren...smile.

I don't know how she made her mulberry pies, but I have a notion she probably mixed some other kind of berry with it. I don't know what it would have been though, because that early in the season there weren't any other 'wild' berries that I can remember. I have tried mulberry pies, but mine always are missing that 'je ne sais quoi'~ that little something that I don't know what...

We picked our mulberries, as I remember it, I do not remember shaking the tree. I've tried 'shaking' the tree, and yes, you do get mulberries. You also get twigs, stems, bugs, worms, and bird...droppings. Ew! George!

The time spent with my Grandparents was fun. Well, as much fun as growing up times can be...with all of our 'growing pains', and what not. They were older, but not really 'old'. There always was something or other going on when I was younger.

One of my older cousins loved raspberry picking. I don't know why. It was always hot, and to pick raspberries you always wore; long heavy blue jeans, long sleeved heavy shirt, and of course a hat, and anything else to keep the insects --as well as snakes-- from off of the body, . We had rattlesnakes in the 'timber' where we went to pick berries.

Sometimes we would go en masse to pick berries, and bring home buckets full of them. Now days we would freeze them, but I don't know/remember exactly what Grandma did with them other than make the most wonderful pies. Maybe she made jelly, but I don't remember.

Then there were the other times when cousin would decide she wanted to pick berries, and I, being the youngest of the bunch, happened to be the only one she could bully into going with her...sigh. Growing pains.

We didn't garden, so our chores and work revolved around inside and outside work. Outside we helped Grandpa feed and water the stock, gather eggs, and field work. We brought in the hay during the summer, and I helped with the 'corn shucking' at harvest time. Although I was in school most of that time of the year, I would help on the week ends. Very seldom did we girls milk the cows, that was Grandpa's chore...

During the summer, we girls would help Grandma with the household chores. In the morning we all pitched in washing the breakfast dishes, sweeping the floors, and preparing the noon meal. After lunch we would quickly wash up the dishes, and as Grandmother would say, "We work first, then we play!"

Out came the Canasta cards and we would play a couple of games of Canasta before time to do evening chores and supper preparation.

Quite a few years ago now, since my Grandfather passed away in 1992, a year or so before his passing he said to me, "We sure did have fun, didn't we?"

Of course I answered him in the affirmative, because it was fun, and we should never expect life to hand us only the good and not some of the other.

In retrospect...I sometimes feel like I'm sitting on the pinnacle of a mountain. Maybe I am, if we call it 'Mount Time'. Those were good times, and --from my vantage point-- yes, Grandpa, we did have fun.

'You see that hill over there?' Grandpa asked me one time. 'We used to have that all in garden.'

It was a good sized piece, well over an acre of ground, maybe as much as three acres. I could not imagine keeping that much garden in shape.

Gardens in the past generations were not just a passing fancy, a hobby, or something done just to keep busy. Without their gardens, homesteaders, and even town dwellers would not have survived, and it certainly made a difference throughout the depression era of the '30's. During World War II they also had the 'Victory Gardens', which meant a lot to those families as well.

As I mentioned, we did not garden, yet, Grandfather would plant some sweet corn along with the field corn, he had a friend that would give us apples and fruit from his 3 acre orchard in trade for Grandpa doing things for him. Often there were tomatoes or other things that came our way from friends or family members. I don't remember Grandma ever canning corn, but she did many jars of 'open kettle' tomatoes. I don't remember ever having a 'canner' either, so that would have limited our ability to preserve food, and there was no such thing as a 'freezer' in my day.

We raised our own beef and every Saturday when we took the laundry in to the laundry mat to do our washing, Grandpa and Grandma would do their grocery shopping at 'Ed and Martha's' grocery and locker where the beef was stored.

Grocery stores back in those days--at least in our neck of the world--were a far cry from today's glitzy grocery centers that you can find everything including the kitchen sink at. I remember when a few years younger standing on "Indian mound" overlooking the valley below, and watching the few twinkling lights from town. And about the same time going into the grocery store and stumping down the few aisles of wood flooring. It was somewhat of a Laura Ingalls, and Little house on the prairie moment in time.

When in Junior High and High school, I had a close friend that her mother had a very large garden. Louise's mother canned and pickled what seemed like a whole store of food. My husband's family never really left the good sense life style of gardening and living close to the land.

Marie would tell of growing up during the '30's. They lived in town, and her father was the barber in Greenfield. Her family utilized one city block for garden and orchard as well as a second area with a barn or shed that they kept a milk cow in. Her mother (Grandma B--for Bricker)was what the Bible would call a 'worthy woman'. She kept her household fed and clothed by the plain old fashioned hard work of keeping her home, and part of that was with canning and preserving their food. Marie would tell that some people of the community would take government assistance (their children seemed to have money to go to the children's matinee) but Marie's parents would not take the government assistance. (They usually didn't have money for the show either...) but they ate well, and did provide for their own. They all learned how to care for a garden, to keep house, how to cook and sew and be independent.

Marvin's family was the same except they were from the farming background. When Marvin and Marie were married Grandma Westphal helped continue Marie's education in wifery. There was more to being a wife than being just a pretty face!

I believe back in those days they just canned and preserved whatever came to their hand. As long as there was a supply of something--they preserved it. Back when I first began homemaking that was what I did as well. Probably for the first fifteen years I followed that routine, but there was a problem. I found that as our household grew I needed a 'better system'. I began by looking at the problem. In the years gone by they had access to a better food supply. Many places, especially farmsteads, had their own orchard and garden area, or at least they had access to local grown fruits and vegetables. The problem was I needed to plan in order that we had sufficient food for a year's worth of eating for our family and whoever happened to 'show up' for the meal...without much aid in the line of outside sources.

In looking through the garden catalogs some of them tell how many feet of row the seeds or plants will cover, and with research a body can find out how much this or that SHOULD supply. Now this begins to be somewhat complicated, but, start by making a list of the foods that can be supplied by your self and that you like. Also start by a realistic appraisal of what you WANT to supply for yourself.

Let's say you only want enough tomatoes for summer consumption, mostly in salads, or for sandwiches. Or perhaps you are hampered by only having a balcony for growing things. There are creative ways to grow at least a few fresh items. We at one time sold systems that had a plastic container about the size of a medium trash can. We had mesh 'stockings' that held approximately 8 cups of growing medium (peat/perlite mixture) that sat down in the larger plastic container. More medium was poured into the plastic container keeping the stockings spaced apart, and there was a plastic lid with holes for the tops of the mesh stockings to stick out. There was also a watering tube in the lid. You would plant your seed into the mesh stocking medium, and this was where it would germinate, grow, and live it's entire life. Since it had the three mesh stockings, you could plant any combo of plants in your container. Tomato, cucumber, pepper...just about anything. A couple of these would/could fit even on a balcony, or several on a patio. Another clever idea that was a part of our growing system was a ? tower for lack of the correct word here. It was a pole type contraption standing about five foot high with approximately 2" diameter holes at regular intervals all the way to the top. The pole/tower sat in a base that had a pump for a watering system, and the center was hollow. In the hollow center went a five foot length of tube containing growing medium (again peat/perlite). When you were ready to plant, because you planted into the medium through the holes, you would take a utility knife, cut an x or a cross into the hole and open up the tube enough to stick your plant into the spot. It was quite pretty with Strawberries, but there were other plants/flowers you could use as well. This is another interesting idea for a small space garden.

If you have never gardened before starting with a ten acre garden is probably not the best idea. Maybe just a few rows, and continue expanding as your expertise and confidence grows. Not only do some catalogs tell how much a certain length of row will supply, but the seed packets themselves often tell how long a row they should sow at a certain rate.

For example in looking at my Twilley catalog, for beets it gives at the beginning of the section: Approx. 1,600 seeds to the oz., Pkt (packet) plants approx. 25' of row, 1 oz. plants approx. 100' of row.... Johnny's Select Seeds catalog has an excellent page (page 2) that tells how much yield to expect as well from the different crops/per row. These are handy guides in order to avoid over/under planting.

In my case for my family I could make a list of things we like: beans, beets, broccoli, (we like brussels sprouts but I haven't had any success with them, so I pass on over them) cabbage, cauliflower, cantaloupes/melons, carrots, corn, cucumbers, egg plant, kohlrabi, lettuce, onions, peas, okra, peppers, pie pumpkins, potato, radish, spinach, squash (summer, zucchini, winter, spaghetti), tomato, and turnip. Most can be preserved, but some such as radishes and lettuce will be only raw, and only grow best at certain times of the year.

Again, using beets for an example, if you want a 100' row (the symbol ' stands for -foot/feet--, the symbol " stands for inches), you would need 1 oz. and could expect approximately 100# (pounds) of roots and 40# of greens. Maybe I should have turned that around~ smile.

With the advent of the internet one could probably google/search and find out how many jars that would make...but a better idea is a good canning/freezing cook book. Mine tells me that 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 # of beets will give me approx. 1 quart. 100# should yield around 30 quarts.

Ecclesiastes 11:1 Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after many days.

Springtime gardening: Rhubarb

Rhubarb
Rhubarb is a spring plant harvested during the cool of spring. It is a northern plant that needs a period of cool/cold weather, winter temperatures below 40 degrees to break dormancy and stimulate spring growth. Planting should be done in the early spring, rows set 5 to 6 feet apart, and 3 feet apart in the rows. We usually dig a trench, fill it with manure, put a layer of soil on that then the rhubarb roots are planted on the top of this layer. They are planted in the shallow furrow with between 1/4 to 1/3 of the crown surface above the ground. According to the 'book' you do not want 'organic matter' around the roots. Do not bury the crown under the soil. The black crown with the white buds must remain above the soil. These are the flowers and will rot if under ground. Below should be a picture of Mr. LaHaven planting my 'Mother's Day' gift a few years ago. Smile...




At one time there were several thriving spots of rhubarb on this property, but for some reason they just petered out.

One reason may have been the growth of the trees. You don't want your rhubarb in the shade. It likes open, sunny spots. It also likes to be 'used', at least after it is well established. The first year it was planted I left it alone. The second year I may have taken enough for a pie or sauce, but not very much. Last year I harvested a little more, and this year I have made several pies and even put a wee bit in the freezer. It is always a treat for Thanksgiving to have a couple of rhubarb pies along with several apple pies.

According to the instructions, harvest no more than 4 weeks the third season of growth;
about 8 to 10 weeks the fourth season; do not remove more than 1/2 of the developed stalks from any plant at one time. And DO remove the seed stalk or it will set your plant behind. You don't want the energy of the plant going into the seed stalk. The leaves, of course, are poisonous, do not use the leaves...use only the stalk.

In harvesting, I reach down, and as close to the base of the stalk as I can, I gently pull up on the stalk, and hopefully it comes free from the root. If we have had quite a bit of rain the stalk will be crisp, and often if I'm not far enough down it will break off. I don't like it when that happens, but not sure that it harms the plant. It always LOOKS like there is quite a lot of rhubarb, until I cut the leaves off. I wash the stalks off, and check for insect damage. I cut out anything that looks damaged. No matter what the fruit or vegetable (even onions!) there always seems to be a pest for it.

Here are some nutritional facts about rhubarb:
A rhubarb is:

Low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium
High in Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Calcium, Potassium, Manganese and Magnesium

The nutritional value of rhubarb means that it's good for:

Maintaining good general health
Losing weight

Avoid rhubarb if you're interested in:

Gaining weight

Nutritional Values

The following table outlines the basic nutritional values of rhubarb.
Preparation Portion Carbs (g) Fiber (g) Fat (g) Energy (kj)
Raw Rhubarb 100g 1.5 3 0 75
Rhubarb, stewed (with sugar) 1/2 cup (125g) 14.5 2 0 265

Rhubarb also seems to be a cure for constipation, so some caution is in order.

I was looking for a quick recipe for rhubarb crisp, but apparently 'quick' doesn't go with anything I'm looking for...The following recipe is from 'Taste of Home', and it sounds very good, and yes, quick:

Rhubarb Crisp Recipe
Rhubarb Crisp by: Taste of Home Rhubarb Crisp Recipe


I found this recipe in a box of Quaker Oats about 20 years ago. It's quick, and easier to make than pie. It's versatile, too, because you can add strawberries in spring or apples in fall. I usually pop it into the oven shortly before we sit down to eat so it's still warm for dessert!


Rhubarb Crisp Recipe

Prep: 15 min. Bake: 45 min.
Yield: 8 Servings


Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 cups sliced fresh rhubarb or frozen rhubarb, thawed
2 cups sliced peeled apples or sliced strawberries
1 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Vanilla ice cream, optional

Directions

In a large bowl, combine sugar and cornstarch. Add rhubarb and apples or strawberries; toss to coat. Spoon into an 8-in. square baking dish.
In a small bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, butter, flour and cinnamon until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over fruit. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until bubbly and fruit is tender. Serve warm with ice cream if desired. Yield: 8 servings.

Editor's Note: If using frozen rhubarb, measure rhubarb while still frozen, then thaw completely. Drain in a colander, but do not press liquid out.

Nutritional Facts 1 serving (1 cup) equals 320 calories, 12 g fat (7 g saturated fat), 31 mg cholesterol, 124 mg sodium, 52 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 3 g protein.
End of article/recipe~

*I do like rhubarb, and it is a seasonal plant that is also good for you. We also like to take ? maybe five cups of rhubarb (cut into about one inch pieces) cook it in a sauce pan...no I don't use any water in it, but I do put some sugar with it and a lid on it. Start it out on maybe medium heat, it should make its own 'water'. Once it's cooked down into a sauce I stir a box of jello, or gelatine into the sauce and refrigerate...or maybe we just eat it warm on bread and butter like a jam.

A Fifth Post on: Gardens

Some folks learn from observing the mistakes of others, or perhaps goodly advice. Then there are people that others watch to learn how mistakes can be made...and what to avoid doing. I try to fall into the first category, but alas, I often find myself wandering through the latter.

Some mistakes are as the painter Bob Ross used to describe, 'happy accidents'...some mistakes are not. I've made them both--happy and not so happy. And like a person with a large knot on their head, I ask, what did I do wrong, and what SHOULD I have done right?

My 'experiment' with the large box with the large plastic sack has been just that--an experiment. (I should put a picture with this, but it may come 'later'.) One thing I learned was, in an experiment, remember it is an experiment. Do the experiment on a SMALL scale. Mine was much too large... A second thing I learned-- don't take short cuts. I used the peat moss that we had on hand, and yes, that was because that was what I had on hand to use. I thought I had most of the stray pop corn that was in the peat moss sorted out, but I eventually discovered that I had far too much still in there.

So, what happened was-- it is difficult to keep the peat moss damp. It absorbs the water like a sponge, or worse. The pop corn sprouted and came up very well once I watered the growing medium --even if the peat moss wouldn't stay damp. I know how sensitive corn in the field is. If it gets frosted at a certain stage, it's history. I hoped if I just pinched off the leaves, voila! Corn gone...but not so when 'corn gone' is the intended goal. It came back, and back, and back again. Tomatoes may like carrots... but apparently, broccoli, cabbage, and what ever else I had in my experiment didn't care so much for the corn. (Kind of snickering, but not real happy here...) And I don't think the other plants that germinated liked living in the peat moss (only) either.

I may try the box, or something similar, idea again, but I definitely have learned some things NOT to do. I think I have most of the corn pinched out of the peat moss, and am sprinkling some regular planting medium around the poor struggling plants that are still waving/gasping at me.

Rain is a good thing. We have had some nice rain, as well as some heavy rain in the last two weeks, therefore there has been no more planting outside. My husband, Chris, has planted the 100 Whopper strawberry plants we purchased from Gurney's this spring. I will need to get out with the 'photographer' du jour--whoever that may be, and take some pictures at the progress that has transpired. We still have ten blackberry plants to set in the ground. I believe it was the variety, 'Triple Crown'. We ordered them from Indiana Berry & Plant Company. Originally, about six to seven years ago, we purchased three 'thornless and seedless' varieties of blackberry bushes from Gurneys. It runs in my mind they were Apache, and either Arapaho, or Navaho, and the Triple Crown. We planted them down on the road bank in front of the house with the idea of keeping my father-in-law from mowing the lawn too far down the steep bank.

Of course, he promptly mowed down beyond the berries, giving us heart palpitations, and almost 'doing himself in'. He didn't like those, @#$%^ things any way, but most of them survived the occasional mowing off...for the next 2-3 years. Yes, we have an interesting family. Smile

The berries have excellent flavor, and they are HUGE. Which is why we now have more plants sitting on the 'sun porch' --along with the fifty pounds of seed potatoes to be planted when the garden dries out a wee bit more, and some echinacea plants I've almost killed...

ASPARAGUS: ~GOOD FOR YOU~
A natural source of Folic Acid, A natural Detoxifier-- Antioxident-- Help in preventing kidney stones, and A well-maintained planting will produce up to 15 years...

Lately we have been harvesting asparagus. I was aghast a week or so ago to read elsewhere someone's comment that 'asparagus shouldn't be eaten anywhere...' That is one thing that doesn't happen on my side of the genetic pond...there are very few vegetables that we don't enjoy. In the springtime asparagus is one of the first things to poke it's welcome spear through the ground. We have 'wild' asparagus that grows out on our field bank which we have harvested, as well as my in-laws, for a number of years. Marie especially liked it, Marvin not being a vegetable fan.

Every spring however, even though it is on our land, we have to be pretty sharp, because there are marauders that comb the country roads looking for 'free' asparagus. Some of them are from town, and some are folks from who knows where. We don't look kindly on these folks, some are unaware that it isn't 'free' asparagus, and that they are actually trespassing on our land, especially when they climb up the steep road bank and cross our property fence.

In some cases the landowner doesn't use their plants, be it asparagus, or wild herbs and if asked would not care if they were harvested. In some cases such as older people who can't harvest their own --if they were given some of the harvest by the person wanting to harvest it-- that would be fine as well. The point is if possible it is best to ask. We do usually get quite a bit of asparagus...we are pretty sharp, and we keep after it.

Three years ago we also invested in 75 asparagus roots to plant an asparagus bed as well as our 'wild asparagus'. Now, asparagus plants can be male or female plants, and the older varieties such as Martha Washington, and Purple Passion have both male and female plants. The male plants produce a larger spear, and there are no seeds. Two of the new all male hybrids are Jersey Knight and Jersey Supreme.

You cut asparagus with a sharp knife. The directions from the book instruct: 'Cut with sharp knife below the ground. Cutting below the ground is better and will increase your yield in two ways...'

In preparation, I rinse the asparagus with cold water, and of course we only want the tender asparagus. With a sharp knife I start at the base of the plant and when it get tender --somewhat as soft butter, I cut it into chunks about an inch long that we will save for consuming. I have seen lately a 'asparagus' steamer, for steaming asparagus spears instead of cutting them into the inch long lengths. I have never used the steamer, but they look nice...

I throw the tougher ends away of course, and after we have eaten several messes fresh, I will begin to freeze it. To freeze asparagus, after rinsing under cold water, I do the same test for tenderness as well as cutting it up. I then blanch it (this involves bringing water to a boil, preferably in a large kettle/saucepan, putting a portion of the vegetables into the boiling water, timing them for 3 minutes, then the vegetables are drained out of the hot water, plunged into ice cold water for 3 minutes then drained again and packaged.) I have two large pans that I alternate for the boiling water. I place a large colander over the empty pan (in our case it is either 'Walter's pan', or the pasta pan)then pour the hot contents of the one pan into/through the colander. Lift the colander filled with asparagus out shaking to get any remaining hot water out of the vegetable, then pour only the vegetable into the prepared cold water. --I fill my sinks with cold water both of them, for blanching.-- I put the pan with the hot water back onto the stove, restart the burner, and repeat the process with the next batch of asparagus, or what ever other vegetable I may be blanching/freezing. While the next a batch is in the hot water I move the first batch of vegetables to the second cold water sink...

I can usually use the first sink of cold water twice, but after that it needs drained and replaced with cold water. And I use my judgement on the second sink as to whether it should be replaced at the same time or not. I will dip the vegetables out of the second sink either right before or right after the second batch is ready to come out. There is usually just a small window of opportunity between the changing of the vegetables.

The next step is out of the cold water, drain, and(I will put the blanched vegetables into a large bowl until I have the time to bag) bag in freezer bags. I usually bag them in quart size baggies. I save the liquid from the blanching process, or at least enough that I can put just a dab of sugar on the veggies in each bag, and a ladle of the reserved liquid. There is probably 1/2 cup of liquid in the bag, then I zip it shut, expelling as much of the air as possible. It does take some amount of expertise, but after doing this process for many years it isn't as difficult as it sounds.

Because this is dealing with very hot stuff I usually clear the kitchen when I'm working with this stuff. No children allowed (probably no pets either for more than one reason, but we don't have any inside pets). And it is something a person MUST be very careful in using.

My Grandparents never had 'running water'. They chose to carry their drinking water 'up the hill' from a well, or we used 'soft' water from our cistern that we used a hand pump to provide for dishes or bathing in the house. When I was young--under ten years old--my Grandmother was moving a tea kettle full of hot water-- either to use it or just moving it from one burner to another. She accidentally spilled some hot water on the linoleum floor, slipped and scalded herself in the water. My Grandfather spent weeks dressing the burn at least twice daily (he used DEM, or Denver Mud as we called it). I can only half imagine how terribly painful it must have been. Grandmother never would go to a doctor for it. Having used DEM on my own burns I know it was very effective. The best thing, however, is to avoid the burn in the first place...especially since you can not get Denver Mud any longer.

I kept the 'recipe' for Denver Mud (somewhere). I asked a pharmacist quite a few years ago if he could compound it for me. He researched the ingredients that I gave him and told me he could obtain all of the ingredients except the main one--I believe it was 'silicate of aluminum'. That product would take the pain out of the burn almost immediately, and it was wonderful. Sigh

Psalms 90:14 Oh satisfy us in the morning with thy lovingkindness, That we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

Next in Garden

Tomatoes like 'settled' weather. They, in the same manner as the peppers and egg plant, don't like cold weather, or a frost. I have read that tomato plants need to be protected from 40 degrees and under or your fruit (tomatoes) will be misshapen as in 'cat faced' or other deformities. Now, I do not remember if the plants have to be blossoming at the time, or if it is the plant itself with out the blossoms.

We have planted cabbage (several thousand plants when we were 'truck farming') only to wake in the morning to have a couple of inches of snow on them. They will take some cold weather, and the snow did not last long when the sun came up.

Not all plants of course are tender to cold weather, and not all plants need to be started inside. I've read an old timey booklet by Otha B. Warrin in which he stated an old adage: Any one can be a farmer.

As odd as it may seem, my mother used to have an adage: Any one can be a teacher. I have spent a good many years as a teacher, as a 'farmer', and as a 'gardener'. One thing I can attest to is that, yes, anyone can diddle at these things, but only a few are called to be able to put the adjective 'excellent' along with those terms.

Today my husband and I began planting our outside garden. We put in a few rows of onions, carrots/radishes, beets, turnips, and some spinach. There is still much to put in. I would like to put in our peas and set out our first planting of cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli. We could also set out our tomatoes and peppers, but only with protection of some sort.

The weather this year is far warmer than normal. The local farmers are planting even though a frost would kill the corn, and the potential is definitely there. How ever on the other side of the coin as our neighbor said Sunday, 'I am wondering if we won't have an early fall'.

Gardens, well, the soil needs to be dry enough to till. No mud balls. It is worked up either with (in our case) a tiller, or dug with a spade until it is loose. Somewhere along the line, and I'm thinking it was Benjamin and his Uncle Jeff, made a 'row marker' for me of two electric fence posts with hooks welded on each one to run my twine through. There is approximately fifty foot of twine that connects our two posts. The length of the twine is an individual choice. Not all of our rows are that long either, sometimes we tie the excess twine up for shorter rows. It is important that the twine be pulled tight...Push the one row marker well into the prepared soil, pull the twine tight, push the other row marker into the ground firmly. Run your hoe along the twine digging a trench in a straight line. We dig a trench for onions, drop a plant every couple of inches, then cover them so that only the green top is showing, which means the root end goes down...smile.

Carrots are slow at germinating, and are teeny tiny little green feathers when they do come up. In a garden setting the weeds will definitely over take them and they will be lost. So, what does a gardener do? We plant our carrots and radishes in the same row at the same time using the radishes as a 'row marker'. Radishes are fast growers. They are generally up...and out with in three to four weeks. It takes carrots about 21 days to germinate...just right.

An interesting thing about beets? One seed may produce more than one beet. Turnips are good raw, or cooked (in an earlier post I shared a recipe for creamed turnips). Kohlrabi is an unusual vegetable that not everyone is familiar with. It is along the lines of a turnip, very crisp and sweet when harvested early. Home grown spinach is very tasty either cooked, or throw it into a salad along with the lettuce.

We also planted some cheap sweet corn. Sweet corn seed is very expensive. Just a few years ago farmers were often treated to 'free sweet corn seed' when they ordered their field corn, but not in these days. Sweet corn seed varies from around 16 dollars a pound to as much as almost 30 dollars per pound. No more free sweet corn seed...I don't know exactly where we got the two small packets of sweet corn, but it was probably given to us and may not grow. It is too early for sweet corn by the calendar. About ten days too early, but like all the farmers around us the temptation is there, and...

Well, as I said we planted just two rows of cheap sweet corn..."Where," I ask my husband as we are planting the corn, "is Jeremy when we need him?" He isn't sure what I'm talking about, so I continue.

"Remember the year Jenny sold baked goods at the farmer's market? That was the year we had all of that sweet corn..."

The memory began approximately fifteen years ago on an evening. My boys, Nathan and Jeremy are helping with the garden planting. I am making the rows, Jeremy is dropping the seed corn into the rows, and Nathan comes along covering them up and tamping them in. I have made more rows than I care to remember, and I'm thinking we surely must be getting close to done...finally I say, "Jeremy, are we about done yet?" (My back of course is killing me by now.)

Any one who knows Jeremy knows exactly how precise that boy is...and he has been dropping a kernel of corn just about 6-9 inches apart for the last 20 rows, and we still have about half of the bag left...

"Give me that bag... You make the rows, I'll plant the seed!" It's funny now, and we had the best harvest of sweet corn! We sold sweet corn, we gave it away, not to mention our own 100 quarts we froze...and it is funny now. Did I mention it is funny now?

Job 8:21 He will yet fill thy mouth with laughter, And thy lips with shouting.

Proverbs 17:22 A cheerful heart is a good medicine; But a broken spirit drieth up the bones.

Smile, like someone used to say, "Thanks for the memories..."

Gardens: Post Four

Spring type weather in this year of our Lord, 2012 is precocious. We don't generally plant corn (of any kind) until April, but some reports have been heard that in a few locations a least, there is some corn up. It is a gamble of course. All it would take is a freeze and their corn would be lost.

In Iowa our 'frost free' target is May 8th/10th (also known as 'vine' day, for when people can plant their 'vine' crops. Crops such as cucumbers, watermelons and squash.). We very seldom get a freeze after that date.

In order to get a good garden--for me at least--I start some of my own plants inside. I do this for a number of reasons. It is more cost effective for me because I grow more than most gardeners, and starting my own plants offers me the option for varieties you will not find in the general greenhouse market. This year will be a challenge as we are attempting to expand from just growing for our family to growing for fresh market as well. Therefore, before the end of January I have finished my seed selection and ordering and received most of my selections.

Starting my seeds goes like this: I purchase seed starting 'medium', or soil mix.
Not all are created equal. I look for something from a reputable company. It doesn't have to be expensive, but I do want it sterilized, and I don't want fertilizer in it. Sometimes it is difficult to find with out the fertilizer. I have used it anyway, but I want the seedlings to develop a strong root system, and they don't need fertilizer until they have developed their first set of 'true leaves'. The first leaves aren't their 'true leaves', the second leaves are true leaves.

In the past I have used flats--long black plastic trays, and grow packs--smaller sectioned plant packages usually sectioned into 6 or 9 individual cells, for starting my plants. I fill the grow packs with the wet soil mixture, and gently but firmly push the mixture into each individual spot filling the cell until the pack is about half to 3/4 full. I drop two seeds into each space, cover with more soil/mix, push in firmly and water again. I label each grow pack either with a homemade marker, or a boughten one, set it into a flat. (That's the long plastic tray. I prefer flats that don't have drainage holes.) When I'm done I should cover the newly seeded packs with a paper or plastic to keep the moisture in. I don't always, but it is important to keep it moist. Usually the seed packet should give a ball-park figure of time in which it should germinate. *Do not use tap water, or water with chlorine (etc.) or water softener softened water. Some say if you take tap water and let it sit in the sunlight for ?24 hours? that takes care of all the additives. Or you could purchase purified water from the store...





Now, above should be a picture of plants that I started first. They were begun at the last of February and beginning of March. The next picture should be a picture of the cold frame that Chris made for me.





*note: Chris made this small cold frame with some salvaged lumber and leftover windows. I found some Styrofoam lying about that just fit in the bottom of the frame, covered it with a black plastic trash bag, and voila! It works well. Flats are, as I said, long plastic trays that the grow packs nestle in, unless you are like me. I scavenge things, so that I end up with various and sundry shapes of flats (that I have brought home from the store. Forlorn plants that were about to be discarded). Their original grow packs nestle in them fine, but the next year when I reuse them...my old grow packs don't always match.

In February I start the peppers. They germinate slower, and take more time. So, even though they will not be ready to set out until the weather is settled, they are the first to be started. In times past I have seeded peppers, tomatoes, and cole crops (cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower) all at the same time.

The peppers germinate slowly, tomatoes will germinate within the second week after seeding, about two weeks for most of them. Cabbage and it's com-padres will usually germinate within the first week. Egg plant, on the other hand, needs to be started with the peppers. So that starting them all at the same time can work if you are going to be able to transplant the cabbage early enough. And Tomatoes can be set out in April if you can cover them if needed. (Because of the weather. My next post deals some with weather, etc.)



These two pictures show my homemade calendar. I have taken a roll of butcher paper and tore it into large sheets. Labeled and made into months with large enough spaces to write in. The idea behind this is because this is more than a one person project. I can write my projection as to what to plant and when, as well as how many days and when to start looking for the harvest. In this fashion, if I happen to be absent for some reason...whoever the helper is can look and say, 'well, here we are!'



Some of my pictures are out of sync, and not being real computer savvy, it is easier for me to tell about the picture, and with any sort of success ~smile~ the dear reader can put two and two in the right place. LOL (Laugh out Loud...)



Levi was my photographer of choice today, and he shot some extra pictures of my lovely comfrey. The last three pictures are of my 'experiment', and some of the sprouting plants.




Last year (2011) I used flats and grow packs and my plants came out quite well. In some years, -and this happened to some extent this year-, I have had 'leggy' plants that were rather tall and spindly. Since the weather has been so nice, I put them out in the cold frame early. The increase in light really seems to be the main source of remedy.

*Another note: When the plants get the leggy look I try spooning more starting mix around them. This year I have started an experiment in order to combat the 'leggy' problem. Chris is thinking that the first year our truck-farm began (20+ years ago) a local greenhouse started some plants for us in flats, and when they got large enough they transplanted them into the grow packs. Since all of my flats are occupied, I'm wondering, what do I have that I can improvise with? It's in the genes...it comes from the long line of farmers in my ancestry. The idea that farmers have long been known for making things work using baling wire and twine.

I have taken a box in which we bring home frozen meat from the locker, lined it with a black plastic trash bag, put in sections with strips of cardboard, and...




well, we'll see how it works. This is how I laid it out, and some sprouts can be seen peeking through the soil, if you look carefully.



For the sake of brevity, I will bring this post to an end for the time being. It does seem that this is a long story, and there are many aspects yet to cover.

Ecclesiastes 11:1 Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. 2) Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.

Gardens: Pictures/Post Three

In January: Beginning

Garden catalogs, a nice hot cup of tea, and my journal of the last year in hand; it is time to begin planning and ordering the garden seeds and supplies.  This is the time to dream of the lush days of warm summer to come. 

 Outside during January, February, and into March can be cold and snowy.  This view is taken from the ridge above the garden as the sun is peeking over the horizon.  The snow is melting, but it isn't time for outside garden work yet.
 

 Here is a view from the garden toward the setting sun.  Brr!  Only a few straggling weeds  standing between the field and the garden.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Spring At Last!

 

 

 

 

 

  The snow is gone from the garden.  My photographer/son, Benjamin, gives us a good shot of the garden spot looking to the east.  The garden (spring of 2011) starts approximately where the tilled land juts out to the right.  It is a peninsula shape that covers an acre, give or take a wee.

This year we intend to expand that amount and add a little more sweet corn, as we are intending (with the Lord's blessing) to have some fresh market produce for sale.  This season apparently will start earlier than it did last year.  I do not know how that will affect our projection to begin selling our main produce in June. 

This year could--just very well could be--very interesting!  And may God bless us everyone!

Ecclesiastes 11:6  In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not which shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.

Gardens: Post two

So, what do you look for when you are looking in those wonderful catalogs? Everything in the catalog looks great. There are no insects, no disease, the leaves and fruits are sooo tempting, especially in the month of January.

Years of experience are invaluable, but if you're short on that area here are some tips:

What are you hoping for? This may sound like an odd question, however, if you only want a few salad vegetables, or you like preparing certain dishes, or perhaps you are into herbs, whatever it is, you need to define where you are going. A patio garden could be what you are looking for, or a large garden plot.

Look over the area you intend to use for your planting. Take stock of your area. What types of plants will grow in your area. Most garden catalogs have a map that tells you what 'area' you live in and the range of plants that will grow/survive in your area. Mostly that would have to do with trees, bushes, and plants that last for years. Most vegetables are only grown for a one year cycle in our area. However, in some states/countries the growing season may not be as pronounced as ours, or it may be a shorter growing season.

Some terms to know would be: perennial- lasting, something that doesn't need replanted yearly. Biennial- a plant that lasts two years. Annual- needs planted every year.

Knowing plants and their growing conditions or necessities is also a must. We are currently in the spring of our year. Today is cool and rainy. I would not even consider trying to plant watermelons today. I know they wouldn't survive. Watermelons like hot weather and will not withstand a frost. Most plants won't stand a frost, but...

Cold weather crops would be things such as peas, spinach, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, turnips, probably kohlrabi...my comfrey always seems to like the cool weather as well, but I'm not sure of any other of the herbs. Sage seems to do well, but is slower at greening up in the spring. Lettuce is early, but not as early as the spinach. Spinach 'bolts' (goes to seed) in hot weather, so it is definitely a cool weather plant.

Peas: the varieties I prefer are the edible pod peas. Years ago I grew the standard English Pea such as Green Arrow, Alderman, Lincoln...but after I shelled them, what had begun as a huge bucket turned into a couple of quarts. Which is another factor in deciding what to grow... time factor.

I like the edible pod peas because they fill my pot faster and there is less waste. I purchase the Super Sugar Snap, and the Sugar Sprint because the pods are plump and sweet. There is a flat pod edible pod pea as well, but I don't prefer those as I have found they are more difficult to wash and clean.

Spinach...I'm not real picky about my spinach. I like Bloomsdale, have used Skookum frequently. I like spinach and it seems most of it is the same. (Any of you readers that would like to weigh in on varieties, feel free to add comments).

I will say right here, I have not had a lot of success with Brussels sprouts. I do like them, but have only tried growing them twice and neither time were they a roaring success. It was a 'time factor' thing for me. I didn't have the time to perfect the technique. Carrots are another thing that I have not had lots of success with, but I do persist in trying with carrots. Carrots don't take a lot of time, or space, and if I would take more care with them they would do better. But carrots are not a cool weather crop, so more on them later.

Cabbage- this year I am trying three new types of cabbage besides one old stand by. Three varieties are from Twilley Seeds and one red cabbage is from Johnny's. I have never tried red cabbage before, but since we are planning on selling fresh market vegetables this year, I decided to add two red cabbages to my repertoire. The first is an early red: Red Express from Johnny's Select Seeds. It is supposed to be a '63 days (this is from time transplanted into the garden/field not start time from seed). The second was chosen for late summer/fall harvest and is Super Red 115 (it is rated at 115 days from transplant time). The third is an early type of green cabbage 'Charmant' at 52-64 days. These last two as well as my old standby, Solid Blue, are from Twilley Seeds.

Brassicas-- I have been searching for several things in my broccoli and cauliflower. Every year I have been hopeful, so maybe this year is it? Broccoli hasn't been too bad, but I'm always looking for nice large heads. This year I have Blue Wind, Arcadia, and Green Magic from Johnny's. Blue Wind was recommended at a work shop I attended. It is an early variety, I chose Green Magic because it is more heat tolerant. Therefore I'm looking for it as a 'through the summer' variety, and Arcadia was chosen because it tolerates cold well. Hopefully it will extend the fall season.
Cauliflower is a picky vegetable that sometimes requires more fussing with than I have wanted to give it. Last year I ordered Broccoli and from Seed Savers and must have had some maverick seed in the package. I had a few heads of broccoli and cauliflower that were not something I had ordered. I am believing that the cauliflower was a 'Snowball' type, consequently--this year I have ordered an Early Snowball cauliflower from Seed Savers.

I like the old fashioned turnips, Purple Top White Globe. We eat turnips raw, peeled and sliced, or I will peel them, cut them up and boil lightly. I don't drain the liquid off, I put some butter in the liquid, some salt and pepper. I make a paste with water and corn starch and slowly add that to the liquid for creamed turnips. If I have cheddar cheese I will also add that to the creamed turnips. This is a favorite and we don't seem to have it often enough according to certain people in our house...smile.
*note: wash the dirt off turnips, cut the top and root off. To peel, I cut two light lines down from top to bottom of turnip. With knife I grasp that section of peeling and pull it off. I continue to cut a light line in the peeling and pull off until the turnip is completely peeled.

Coming next: starting seeds inside, more on cool weather 'crops', and growing tips...I will leave you with this thought from the scriptures:

Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. 20) Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Ephesians 1:2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.