Gardening Thread - Show me your gardens!

That looks great! Is the juice acidic enough to can/preserve, or do you have to add lemon juice or citric acid?

 

Thanks! No need to add anything. Sugar to taste could be added, but these are ok without. 50 minutes in the steamer-juicer, drain off, water bath and that’s it. They are good for 12 months, but growlers I drink sooner than that/give away. I can’t completely submerge them for the water bath part. The growlers and the large mason jars hold the same amount. 1/2 gallon. This is it so far, I think I’m about half done. Probably looking at 20 gallons!

 

I only have 4 jalapeno plants this year but they are producing way more than my wife and I can keep up with. Found this recipe for preserving candied jalapenos a few weeks ago, and thought I'd share. Opened my first jar on Friday night and put them cream cheese and crackers, and they're amazing. Tangy from vinegar, sweet from sugar, heat from peppers, and spicy from garlic, turmeric, and celery seed.

https://www.foodiewithfamily.com/candied-jalapenos/

I've found that ~2 lbs of peppers (been getting that every weekend, and plants are still blooming) cooks down to 4 half-pint jars. Slicing into rings is a bit tedious, but totally worth it. Plus I've been canning the leftover syrup to use as a glaze for chicken or pork chops.



Also made some refrigerator hoagie/sandwich spread and pickled a few pints for the heck of it.

 

final total from my deck pergola is 35 gallons of grape juice, which would be over 450 pounds of grapes. Might be time to prune the vines back.

 

Still harvesting peppers, but they've been small this year. Probably not enough fertilizer. Planted radish and spinach last week and they're poking through.

 

Very cool!

 

I planted turnips for the deer.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Burgon-Ball-...RH?_encoding=UTF8&refRID=87WQPEYQBQY744KXVVTC

When we get back into gardening this looks useful

 

Need that for the gravel around my garden beds.

 

My peaches ripened in July, but I am in GA. 1 peach and 3 nectarines here. Figs are finishing up.
If you have a garden, this is a must have. Do not have to peel or core fruit. I use this to make apple sauce, pear butter, peach butter, salsa, tomato sauce, seedless blackberry jelly, etc.

$76 Weston Food Strainer and Sauce Maker for Tomato, Fresh Fruits and Vegetables ,White

https://www.amazon.com/Weston-Strainer-Tomato-Vegetables-07-0801/dp/B0000BYDR1

 

Peaches bear fruit on the new growth. Winter trimming is necessary to prevent fungus issues inside the tree

What varieties of grapes? Seedless/cultured varieties do not do well in GA (diseases), Muscadines are the only grapes that will grow. I lost 3 seedless vines, and then gave up on grapes.

 

Muscadine are a very interesting variety. They are not for the faint of heart grape eater/consumer; tough skins and large seeds. I want to try some muscadine wine before I write them off entirely.

 

I wanted to like them. I am OK with seeds, but skins were very detracting. Very disease resistant, though. Rust and fireblight are big issues here.

 

We have the one that goes on the kitchenaid lol

 

What varieties of grapes? Seedless/cultured varieties do not do well in GA (diseases), Muscadines are the only grapes that will grow. I lost 3 seedless vines, and then gave up on grapes.[/QUOTE]

Hmm… that’s interesting. I didn’t know GA didn’t work well. If I lived in GA still, I’d go for wisteria. This grape gig is getting to be tiresome! I have two varieties. They are pretty standard concord varieties I think. They have seeds. The juicer/steamer makes pretty fast work of them but it’s still a big project. Grapes go in there stems and all. Grape vines are one of my limited choices, Boston Ivy could make it as well. One thing I like about my area is no fleas. Too dry here I think and the winters can be rough. Not usually though.

 

Nice! Last few summers we've been deluged with rains. I have to spray everything with fungacide every couple of months.

 

This spring I planned to can tomato soup so we could have a taste of summer during the dreary, wet winter months. Harvested celery first in July, which we cut, blanched, and froze. Carrots came a month later, same process. Tomatoes were harvested all summer, and I would just wash then freeze whole as they came in. On Sunday everything came to fruition. We thawed all of the frozen stuff, added some fresh bundled thyme and basil from the herb garden, and ended up with 24 pints of soup. It will be great with grilled cheese sandwiches in January

Had 4 large celery plants of the herbal variety (i.e. less mass, but way more pungent and flavorful)


Single 8' row of heirloom carrots.


Frozen tomatoes thawing on Saturday night.


Tomatoes, carrots, celery, onions, thyme, and basil ready to simmer.


Milling setup.


Cooking down the soup after milling to thicken it a little.


Final product after about 6-7 hrs of work. Doesn't seem like much but it will get my wife and I through the winter

 

That is going to taste so good on one of those long cold spells when everything is frozen stretches in the dead of winter.

 

Thanks for sharing, that’s inspiring!

 

Morning Glories and Pentas. Even I can't kill them.