Tag Archives: Vegetables

Apr 27 2016

Signs of Spring

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Our spring wreath

Our spring wreath

I love this time of year. Spring is one of my favorite seasons. I feel lucky because I get to experience it twice this year. The first was in Grants Pass when everything there was in full bloom and the second here at home. When my children were pre-school age I used to take them on walks around the block. I would always ask them to look for the signs of spring. They would tell me about the flowers and the leaves on the trees. They would hear the birds singing and see them flying around. They could feel the sun on their face and the warmth in the air. Even though my kids are a little older I still like to walk around and see the signs of spring. It’s been really fun this year because we are in a new area. I have so many little surprises popping up at my house that I didn’t know about. For example the tulips that popped up in the front. I didn’t plant them but I think I like them so much I’m going to add more for next year. Another surprise is the tree in our front side yard. It has these pretty blossoms coming on. I have no clue what kind of tree it is but I’m really enjoying the blossoms. One of my favorite signs of spring is the garlic in our garden. I plant the garlic in the fall and I know it’s planting time when the garlic pops up out of the ground and starts to grow. I can’t wait to get out there and start planting my spring veggies like onion, lettuce, peas, and even getting the beans in the ground. I’m grateful that I have the chance to see all these beautiful things and that I have time to enjoy them. I like to say it makes my soul smile. It just plain makes my world brighter. So take the time to enjoy the signs of spring and give your soul a chance to smile.

The surprise tulips

The surprise tulips

The blossoms on the tree

The blossoms on the tree

Garlic sprouting up

Garlic sprouting up

I even have strawberry blossoms.

I even have strawberry blossoms.

Aug 4 2012

Cabbage

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This year Corey and I planted 4 cabbage plants.  That means we now have 4 cabbages.  A few years ago we made sauerkraut.  I was a little nervous about it at the time but it turned out pretty good.  So this year we have decided to do it again.  As part of cleaning out my fridge (see previous post) I had finally decided to get started on the sauerkraut.  The recipe I have calls for 20lbs of cabbage.  That is a crap load of cabbage.  With our 4 heads we only had 12lbs.  I started shredding and after two I decided that was plenty of sauerkraut for us.  We only need a few jars and it last us a long time.  I used my food processor (thanks again Corey’s mom for that) to shred the cabbage.  Then you salt the cabbage and let it wilt for awhile.  After that put it in the brining bucket.  I had to make some extra brine so my cabbage was covered in liquid.  Then cover with cheese cloth and place something heavy on top to keep the cabbage submerged.  Now all you have to do is wait 3 to 6 weeks.  Yes that is weeks.  Now you see why I was so nervous about making this before.  Everyday you have to skim the foam off the top.  So I guess you’ll see the finished product in 3 to 6 weeks.

Shredding the cabbage

Salted and wilting

My brining bucket

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheese cloth on top and ready to sit for 3-6 weeks

Jul 30 2012

Canning has begun

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Sink full of green beans

I spent last week up in the mountains with the girls from our ward up at girls camp.  When I came home my fridge was full of green beans.  We planted twice as many beans as we usually do and in one week we got a whole sink full.  So the canning begins.  The boys were wonderful in helping me snap the ends and then snap them to bite size pieces.  It took all three of us about 30 minutes to prepare them for canning.  When all was said and done we ended up with 19 pints of green beans.  Not too bad for a weeks worth of beans.  Next picking we’ll pickle.

A couple of great helpers.

Voila! 19 pints of green beans.

Sep 6 2011

Pumpkin

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Pumpkin Blossom

Pumkins, are the bane of my gardening skills.  I have tried for many years now to grow pumpkins. I’ve tried many different varieties including the great giant, jack-o-lantern, and now Howden.  I’ve searched the internet to see what I’ve possibly been doing wrong only to hear that pumpkins are really easy to grow. Urrrrgh! So not helping.  All I wanted was at least one sizable pumpkin to carve for Halloween.  Most years the pumpkin plant has barely grown.  Last year I got a soft ball size pumpkin.  This year all plant and no pumpkin.  I know it’s not the area I live in. Friends in my neighborhood grow pumpkins just fine.  One even had nearly 20 pumpkins growing in her garden last year.  I’ve eagerly awaited thinking this year was going to be different.  The plant took off and has been doing great.  Lots of male blossoms but no female blossoms.  We would see the female blossoms start to develop only to see it wither away before it even had a chance to blossom.  Until this morning.  Yes!  I quickly went out there and hand pollinated the blossom to ensure pollination.  It was in the 30s last night and not a lot of bees were buzzing around this morning.  So I took a q-tip and rubbed some pollen from the male blossom and transfered it to the female blossom.  I wonder if it’s too little too late.  It’s already starting to get chilly.  I hope this pumpkin takes and grows big enough for Halloween.  Obviously something I’ll be updating on later.  I do have a great recipe for pumpkin pie filling so maybe I’ll try a sweet pumpkin next year.  Any suggestions on what variety to choose from?

The pumpkin plant taking over my garden

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 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.