Saturday, March 11, 2006 -
An ode to Gena's gardening future

... Posted in Recipes and Food how-to

I did have this started over at Gena's but I gave up and put it here instead. Gena asked 3 questions- one about canning stuff, one about gardening, and one about something else I'll have to go back and look at before I publish this entry.

I can some things. Pickled beets, green tomato chow, cucumber pickles, pickled eggs, broth, tomatoes.... I've never tried jam, but my stepmom cans everything and she brought lots of jams, pickles, and tomatoes, and antipasta (AWESOME stuff, but oily)

I cheat, kinda. I put stuff in the jars really hot, and whatever doesn't pop down (lids), I re-heat in the microwave, and stand it on its head til cooled, then when I turn it right side up, it usually pops for me. Whatever doesn't pop down goes in the fridge.

My version of pickled eggs is to put the peeled hard-boiled eggs in the brine leftover from an empty bottle of dill pickles (homemade-- store bought makes the eggs go a yellowy-greeny colour. Ewww). It is really VERY good. Beets are really easy, and so is chow, although everything gets really sticky when you make that.

Now for my garden... I plant a little in the ground, and lots in those huge Rubbermaid containers.  Basic items include tomatoes, cucumbers, beans (yellow and Scarlet runner), squash, radishes, peas, and sometimes beets, potatoes, and carrots. It's amazing how much you can squish into a small space.

We didn't get any pics of last year's garden, but we have some of the year before.
Here, and here, and better ones here.
Last year we moved stuff by the fence and we had scarlet runner beans, cukes, and even squash climbing up the fence. Real pretty but a curse to take off in the fall. (to be kind to the lady who lives behind us)

Oh yes. Lastly was a mutton question. I have no idea.

By the way, it is warming up... a few degrees above freezing, and the snow is melting. Which means that backyard of mine is going to be a swamp until about the end of June. Hello, mosquitoes... once they thaw out.

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Comments

Saturday, March 11, 2006 - Sounds like you are really good at canning!

Posted by Tami

My DH insists he knows how to can better than I, so I let him do any canning that he wants. My boys love pickled green beans and pickled okra. And DH likes to make his pickled eggs in the left-over brine from Penrose sausages.

Have a blessed day! Tami

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