Category Archives: garden

Aug 15 2011

Huckleberries

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Huckleberries

Yummy, yummy it’s huckleberry time.  I don’t grow this in my garden but these tiny berries grow wild in the mountains not too far from our home.  Growing up we used to have a cabin at Warm Lake Idaho. Warm Lake is about 30 miles from Cascade Idaho.  We would spend much of our summers up there and when it was huckleberry season my mom would load us up in the van and we would spend a couple hours at our favorite huckleberry picking spot and pick.  Then we would  be rewarded the next morning with huckleberry pancakes.

We have lived in this area for seven years now and have known that there are huckleberries here but they have eluded us.  If you ask anyone where to pick they never give you a straight answer.  If they have a spot it’s a well guarded secret.  This year we happened upon a nice spot by accident.  Corey was camping with Levi in Kelly Canyon, that is as close as you will get to the location, and they went for a hike.  While on their hike they noticed the huckleberry patch and started picking.  When they came home we had enough for a batch of huckleberry pancakes.  Of course, I made Corey take me to the huckleberry patch and we picked a couple of quarts of them.  I froze them and now we can have huckleberry pancakes for a while.  I might even try some huckleberry muffins.

Aug 13 2011

Raspberries

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Raspberries

Raspberries weren’t something we planned on growing.  Our neighbors behind us have a huge raspberry patch and the birds have spread the seeds into our yard.  So when we moved here instead of pulling them all up we have decided to let them grow in a certain area.  I had never made raspberry jam before and that same year our neighbor let us go over and pick a bunch.  I made raspberry jam and it is now my favorite type of jam.  I can’t go without it.

Our neighbor has now remarried and they pick and sell the raspberries instead of letting us pick them.  So this year we bought some bare root plants and planted our own raspberry patch.  Something you should know about raspberries is it takes a year before you get any raspberries.  They shoot up a cane the first spring and the next year is when they start to produce raspberries.  So this year we didn’t really have enough for jam but luckily I have a wonderful friend who had more than enough and she gave me enough to do three batches of jam.  Thanks Amy.

I have some kind of pest problem not sure what it is.  It’s a bug that likes to make a lot of holes in the leaves.  It hasn’t hurt the production of raspberries but I’m afraid that it might affect the plant. I’ve done a little bit of research and it could be earwigs, Japanese beetles, or some kid of fungus.  I’ve never seen anything actually chomping away at the plant but I have seen earwigs in that area before.  What do you think?

Aug 11 2011

Green Beans

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Green Beans

Green beans are a requirement for my garden.  I can green beans every year.  I do the normal canned green beans and I also do dill pickled green beans.  My kids love both.  I’ve noticed that I need to plant at least twice as many as I have. There are so many different varieties that you can plant.  You can get bush or pole.  I prefer the bush over the pole.  I just don’t like to steak anything up.  My parents like the Kentucky blue bush (also comes in pole).  That was really difficult to find in my area so when we had our own garden we asked people for their opinions.  We were looking in the local garden store and lady told me she really liked the Slenderette variety.  I had never heard of it.  One thing I don’t like about certain varieties of beans is that they have a tough and fuzzy skin.  The Kentucky variety doesn’t and so that was one of the requirements for my beans.  The lady told me that the Slenderette is tender and high yielding. It also has the soft skin.  So I bought some and haven’t gone back.  They are wonderful and produce what I like every year.  I just need to plant more.

Aug 9 2011

Strawberries

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Strawberry plants

Strawberries for me have been difficult.  We planted these a few years ago and it has really done a good job of covering the area that was designed for them.  The problem I have is I’ve planted the wrong variety.  We got the variety that is supposed to produce all season long.  That means we get one or two strawberries at a time.  That’s okay if you only want to put it in your cereal once in a while.  I like to make strawberry jam so I think that the variety I should have gotten was the one that produces all at once.  There is also another variety that is just a ground cover and doesn’t produce strawberries at all.  Another problem we have is birds.  We wait and watch for the the strawberries to ripen.  Then one day we wake up to find that all of our waiting was in vain because the birds ate the strawberry before we even had a chance.  This year my husband built a cage to go over the strawberries.  It has windows on the top so we can still pick and we have had some success with it.  I also think we might have a slug issue with the strawberries.  So here is my dilemma do I pull up all the strawberries and start over with the right variety or do I just leave it the way it is looking nice?

The cage that Corey built

Aug 7 2011

Parsley

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Italian Parsley

Parsley is a great herb to have around.  It’s pretty easy to grow too.  Like most herbs you will want to plant it in a pot because it has a tendency to spread and take over.  I have another spot on the side of the house that really nothing grew in because it is too shady.  We planted some parsley there and it loves it and is now starting to take over.  I planted parsley in this pot because I wanted something that was a perennial.  We have planted rosemary, mint, and basil in this same pot but because of our harsh winters they always die out.  This pot doesn’t have a bottom it really is just a cylinder and I think is actually part of the chimney  that I just recycled.  If it was a normal pot I might consider bringing it in during the winter to make the herbs last.  Parsley is great in soups and stews.  It’s really easy to dry and store so you can potentially have parsley all year round.  Parsley is also nice as a garnish.  I just used it this week to garnish my beef stroganoff.

 

Aug 5 2011

Onions

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Red onions

I know it’s been a while since I have posted anything.  That is one thing about gardening that is really tough.  After all of your spring harvests like peas, radishes, spinach, and lettuce it’s just a waiting game.  We planted some red onions this spring.  My onions have already fallen over (that’s how you know they are ready to pick).  They weren’t very big but then again mine never are.  I grew up in Ontario Oregon, the onion capital of the northwest, and they always have these huge onions.  I remember getting in the car, and if there was an onion truck in front of us and it drops a few onions, my mom would stop the car and make me get out and pick them up so we could take them home.  I don’t remember my parents ever growing onions.  I don’t think we had to because we could just go and pick them up off the road.

The best way to grow onions is to purchase the onion starts and not plant them from seed, unless you have some kind of green house which I don’t.  You know they are ready to be harvested when the green tops fall over.  Then you take them out and let them dry for a few days.  I’ve already used some of mine in a salad.  Onions are pretty resilient and don’t have a lot of pest problems.  This is the first year we’ve planted the red onion.  In years past we have planted a yellow onion.  If don’t like onions but don’t mind having green onions you can plant the starts closer together and harvest the green tops.

Jul 16 2011

Asian Lettuce Wraps

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I just made this a few nights ago.  I’ve seen these and have always wanted to try them.  Now I have to ask myself “Why haven’t I tried them before”.  This was so good.  Well at least I thought they were.  My kids didn’t like them as much but that leaves more for me right!?  I thought I would share the recipe with you so maybe you could give them a try.  I got this out of my “Taste of Homes” cook book.

Asian Lettuce Wrap

Asian Lettuce Wraps

1 lb ground turkey

1 16 oz package frozen oriental mixed vegetables, thawed

4 green onions

Sauce: 1/3 Cup teriyaki sauce

1/4 Cup hoisin sauce

3 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter

2 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger root

3 cloves of garlic

1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 Tbsp sesame oil

I used fresh veggies instead of frozen.  Just use what you would normally get in the package.  I used red pepper, onion, mushroom, green and yellow zucchini, and cabbage.  I chopped them into small pieces and put them aside.  Then I mixed the sauce and set it aside.  Earlier in the day I picked fresh lettuce from my garden washed it and put it in the fridge.  Heat a little bit of canola oil in a pan and then brown the turkey.  After the turkey is brown add the veggies and mix.  Pour the sauce over the top and mix until everything is covered well.  Cook for another 5-10 minutes stirring occasionally.  You know it’s done when the veggies are still  crisp tender and everything is heated through.  Sprinkle with the green onions.  Put a spoonful into a lettuce leaf  and enjoy.  Our leaves were a little small so we wrapped them like a taco instead of a burrito.

Tip:  When I buy ginger root I never use it all.  I peel the whole thing and put the rest in the freezer.  It last for quite a while in the freezer.  When I need some minced ginger root I just take it out and grate however much I need and then put it back.

Jul 13 2011

Peas

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Peas growing in my garden

I have the fondest memories of peas.  My mom always grew peas in her garden and I remember sitting on the porch with my mom on a cool summer night.  My mom would have a bag full of peas and a bowl.  We would just sit there talking and opening up peas and, of course, eating them.

I love to eat fresh garden peas.  In previous years we grew a Lincoln pole pea and didn’t have very much success.  We would only grow enough for a handful and the kids always ate them before I could do anything with them.  This year we tried a new variety called Little Marvel.  This is a bush pea.  So far we have a lot more peas than we ever had.  I have enough to feed the whole family peas, as a side, dish for dinner (although I think they like them better raw).  Corey said that he didn’t think he planted enough last year.  He really packed the seeds in together this year.  Along with a better watering schedule the peas have really taken off.   I think next year I’m going to grow at least twice as many so I can have some to freeze.

Pole verses the bush pea.  On the package of the Little Marvels it said that there was no need to stake the plants.  Pole peas grow tall vertically and will fall over if not staked.  When I bought the Little Marvels (a bush pea) I was under the impression that we didn’t have to stake them.  They did pretty well until the pods started to form and now they have fallen onto themselves and have become a tangled mess.  I think that maybe next time we will set up a trellis along side them so they have something to attach themselves to and maybe stay standing.  Picking the peas can be a back breaking job.  It is better if you have somewhere you can sit or kneel.  I, however, had to bend over for about 15 minutes to pick all the peas.  When I finally stood up my back was very stiff.  Over all I’m pretty satisfied with the results.

Freshly picked

Carrying on the tradition

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sophia and her peas

What we have so far

Jul 10 2011

Radishes

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Radishes fresh from the garden

This year we planted some radishes.  I’m ashamed to say that I haven’t had very much luck with these in the past.  I say “ashamed” because they are actually very easy to grow.  In previous years when I’ve planted them the bulb never developed and grew.  My theory is that we just weren’t giving them enough water.  This year we have a more consistent watering schedule due to putting in a sprinkler system last year.  My radishes this year have really taken off and are doing so well.  I love to put radishes in my salad.  I like the crispiness they add to a salad and I also like the slight spiciness they have.  This is another crop that we like to plant in small amounts and then after they have sprouted plant another small crop.  This way I have radishes the same time I have lettuce for salads.

Jul 7 2011

Lettuce and Spinach

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Lettuce and Spinach earliest planting in back to new planting in front

I love love love having lettuce and Spinach in the garden.  I’m a big salad person and it is great to be able make one anytime you want.  My husband and I have found that when planting lettuce and spinach it’s better to stagger the planting rather than plant a whole row.  We never eat a whole row of lettuce and spinach before it starts to flower.  Once they flower the leaves start to turn bitter.  By staggering the planting I can continually have lettuce and spinach throughout the season.

Spring mix variety

 

Lettuce is a pretty easy plant to grow.  It is tolerant to cold weather, which is great around here.  I usually get two different varieties.  One is a spring mix and the other a buttercrisp. The spring mix is a mix of different lettuce varieties put together.  I like those because you get a colorful and different tasting variety.  Some leaves are purple others have a different leave shape.  Some taste a little bitter or more salty, and some are sweeter.  I also plant a buttercrisp variety which is your usual green leaf lettuce.  I happen to like the taste of this variety so if I were you just pick a variety that is your favorite.  I don’t usually have any problems with the lettuce I guess the only issue I have is sometimes when I pick them there are earwigs on them.  I absolutely can’t stand earwigs.  So before bringing the heads in the house to wash I just give them a good shake.  The lettuce when I pick it sometimes feels a little wilted but that isn’t a problem.  All you need to do is bring it in and wash it really good and put it in a container and then put it in the fridge.  It crisps right up after it chills for a while.

Spinach

Spinach is nice to have but takes a little more work to grow.  I haven’t been very successful with growing spinach.  This year has been better than most.  Spinach loves sandy soil and we just don’t have that.  Our soil has a lot of clay and makes it really tough for spinach to thrive.  The best solution would be for us to amend our soil with some sand but we just have not done that yet.  Another problem I have discovered is that something is eating my spinach.  The leaves were turning a weird almost opaque color.  At first glance I thought it might have some kind of fungus.  Then I picked a leave and noticed some kind of grub eating between the outer layers of the leaf.  Yuck! I don’t want that in my salad.  I don’t usually like to use pesticides or harsh fertilizers on my garden.  This time I decided if I wanted spinach I had to do something.  So I removed all the infected leaves and spayed on Fungicide 3.  It’s a product from garden safe.  It is supposed to be a fungicide, insecticide, and miticide all in one.  I’m not sure what I’m trying to kill so I’m not sure if this will work.  You’re supposed to spray it on every 7 to 10 days until all leaves are uninfected.  I sprayed it on last week and again today.  Each time I remove the infected leaves.  Hopefully the spinach starts to look better soon.  Do you have any ideas?

Infected Spinach Leaf