Seed catalogs and next year's gardens

The seed catalogs have started to arrive.  I look forward to dreaming of perfect vegetables and flowers, just as they are in the pages of the catalogs.  It is hard to imagine what the ground holds with a new blanket of white covering the soil in my backyard.  I can still see the kale plants with their droopy heads in the back of the vegetable garden.  They will probably be the first things I will get a few leaves off of as the weather warms and they resume growth.
I wish I had room for potatoes in my yard.  Unfortunately, the space is too small and they do not like black walnut roots.  I am not going to give up my beans and peas for what promises to be a small crop for the space.  I will continue to get those from the farm market.
I will soon have to pull out my seed box and inventory what I have leftover from last year.  So many things will do just fine the second year from storage.  I grew parsnips this year and have some leftover seed from 2012.  I have read this is one seed that is worth the new purchase every year.  Germination falls off considerably with this crop.
Jung Seed Company is a Wisconsin based catalog which I am going to give a bit more business to this year.  I have been happy with their seeds, but they tend to be more generous than I need for my small plots.  I may have to work out a seed exchange with someone else to avoid the excess.  Their stores are not too far from places I travel.  I have made stops and bought off the rack.  I tend to buy more than I need on impulse purchases.
Pine Tree Gardens has been a good source for seed as they tend to have fewer seeds with a lower price.  This last year had a less reliable germination rate than years past, even with the new seed.  Not sure what happened there.
I also plan on sitting down with my oldest daughter this year to do a bit of planning.  She and her fiance are planning a small wedding, much to the displeasure of extended family members who will not be invited to attend.  She would like me to do the flowers.  I was shying away from the prospect, but was inspired to give it a go after watching an episode of Growing a Greener World.  They talked about buying local and organic flowers.  I had done this for a niece several years ago on a little bit larger scale.  I think I can do this for my daughter.  A fall date presents a bit of a challenge to plant things that will make it through a possible frost and be blooming their best.
Enjoy the perfect garden that can only be a dream of winter. Make lists and then narrow the choices to what will work in your yard.  The time is now to really enjoy the planning.

Christmas Cookies

A gardener has down time come winter and this gives me time for another of my passions...baking.  Christmas is the time that I get out the old family favorites and the Electric Company cookbooks and go to town!  I haven't picked up a copy of this year's book, but the miracle of the internet makes it possible to share with anyone with a connection.  Go to http://www.we-energies.com/recipes/index.htm to see this years book as well as past year's on file. 

Clock wise from top: Pecan/sesame wafers, caramel cookies, cherry winks, sandbakkels, Oreo balls, cream cheese pillows, poppy seed rugelach, currant surprises, date-pinwheels, coconut balls, pecan/chocolate wafer cookies. Center: nutty fingers, pfernusse, cathedral cookies

I am going to share a few of the recipes that I did not get from the Electric Co Book (1969 and 1966).

Cherry Winks                                                                5 dozen

4 C corn flakes crushed                                     ¾ C  butter or margarine

2 ¼  C flour                                                         1 C  sugar

1 t  baking powder                                              2 eggs

½ t  baking soda                                                 2 T  milk

½ t  salt                                                                1 t  vanilla

1 C  chopped nuts

1 C finely chopped dates

1/3 C  finely cut maraschino cherries

18 maraschino cherries cut to 1/4's

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs and beat well.  Stir in milk and vanilla.  Sift together flour, b powder, b soda, salt, nuts, dates, and finely chopped cherries.  Mix into creamed butter slowly until mixed well.

Shape 1 T dough into ball.  Roll in crushed corn flakes.  Place on greased baking sheet and top with ¼ cherry.  Bake 375 degrees about 12 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove immediately from pans and cool on racks.

Cathedral Cookies                                                       5 dozen

2 C  semi-sweet chips

¼ C  butter

2 eggs

1   10 oz package colored mini marshmallows

¾ C chopped nuts

Melt chocolate and butter over heat, stir to blend.  Stir in eggs until smooth.  Pour over marshmallows, mix until coated.  Chill bowl about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.  Form into 3 rolls about 11” long on waxed paper.  Chill about 30 minutes.  Roll in nuts.  Wrap in waxed paper and chill overnight.  Cut into slices about 1/3” thick.  Keep refrigerated.      

Chocolate-Pecan Cookies (formerly Starlite Mint Surprises)   6 dozen

1 C butter                     2 eggs                             3 C sifted flour                    

1C sugar                       1 T water                        1 t baking soda          

½ C brown sugar         1 t vanilla                         ½ t salt

½ # chocolate wafer (candy making type)

6 dozen pecan halves

Cream butter & sugar together; add eggs, water, & vanilla.  Sift together flour, soda & salt in separate bowl.  Slowly add to butter mixture.  Cover & chill dough for 2 hours.

Use 1 T dough (smallest cookie scoop) to form around one chocolate wafer.  Place on ungreased cookie about 2” apart.  Put pecan on top of each cookie. 

Bake 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Cool on rack.

Coconut-Date Balls  (we like to double this one)

¾ C white sugar

2 eggs well beaten

1 C chopped dates

2 C rice krispies cereal

1 C chopped nuts

1 t vanilla

coconut

Cook sugar, eggs & dates over low heat until it turns darker.   Add vanilla.  Add rice krispies and nuts.  Stir until well coated.  Shape into balls while still warm and roll in a plate of coconut to cover.

Nutty Fingers

7 T  margarine or butter (softened)

2 T powdered sugar

1 t  vanilla

½ t  water

1 ¼ C  flour

2/3 C  pecan halves

Cream margarine, sugar, water, & vanilla.  Add flour & mix well to a smooth dough.  Place about 1 t  of dough in palm of hand; press out flat; place pecan in center and form dough around nut to cover.  Place on greased cookie sheet and bake 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until light brown.  While warm roll in additional powdered sugar or colored sugar.

Sesame-Pecan Wafers                            Better Homes & Gardens   5 dozen

1 C  butter                                        ½ C  sesame seeds

2/3 C  sugar                                     ½ C  ground pecans or almonds

1 t vanilla                                          2 oz semisweet chocolate

1 ¾  C flour                                      ½ t  shortening

Beat butter high speed for 30 seconds.  Add sugar and vanilla, beat until combined.  Slowly add flour, sesame seed, nuts.  Dough will be crumbly.  If dough is sticky wrap and chill for 1 hour.  Roll out on floured surface to 1/8” .  I prefer to cut in strips with pizza cutter into 1”-2” pieces.  Place 1” apart on ungreased sheet.  Bake 375 degrees 7-8 minutes.  Transfer to brown paper to cool.  When all coolies are baked and cooled drizzle with chocolate that has been melted with shortening.  Let cookies stand until chocolate sets.

Do not try to double this recipe.

Rugelach                                                             4 dozen

2 C  flour                                                    1 large egg separated

½ C  butter                                                 sugar

4 oz cream cheese, softened                  ½ t ground cinnamon

1 cup canned poppy seed filling (or other flavor)

In large bowl measure flour, butter, cream cheese, egg yolk and 3 T sugar.  Knead ingredients together.  Shape dough into ball.  Wrap and refrigerate dough if too sticky to work with.

Roll out ¼ dough to 1/8” thick and about 10” round.  Spread dough round with ¼ C poppy seed filling.  Cut into 12 equal wedges.  Roll from wide edge to middle point to form crescent.  Place on greased cookie sheets.  Brush with egg white beaten with 2 t water.  Mix 2 T sugar with ½ t cinnamon.  Sprinkle on top lightly.  Repeat with remaining dough.

Bake cookies 350 degrees for 23-25 minutes or until golden.  Cool on racks.  Store in airtight container.

Making a batch and a half will use one can of poppy seed filling and also is a good amount for Christmas giving.

Oreo balls

1 package Double Stuff Oreos

1 8oz package cream cheese softened

White chocolate about 1 pound

Crush Oreos and blend with cream cheese in food processor until blended well.  Make into 1" balls and chill in freezer for 20 minutes. Melt chocolate and dip chilled balls to coat.  Re-chill and double dip if desired.

Merry Christmas and happy baking!

Urban gardens in Milwaukee public spaces

Milwaukee is a big part of the urban garden scene.  Not the biggest, but we have Will Allen and Growing Power who have sparked garden movement which has been far reaching.  The vegetable beds in front of the municipal building are planted and maintained through city resources, but it was Allen who got the project going with his design.
Milwaukee is one of hundreds of cities facing the foreclosure crisis which has left many homes empty.  Banks may or may not maintain these properties.  Sometimes people just walk away from homes.  Sometimes these empty homes fall into disrepair.  Sometimes empty homes attract scrap collectors and the valuable pipes, wiring, siding, and even vintage woodwork is taken from the homes.  Empty homes become empty shells.  If these homes become part of city owned properties, they may end up demolished if found beyond repair.  The empty lots are returned to a seeded state and then it becomes my job to monitor them.
There are almost 3,000 vacant lots within the City of Milwaukee.  Most of them are in central city locations, sometimes whole blocks of parcels have become one big vacant lot.  People use these lots for all kinds of unattractive things which makes our job essential to keeping them from becoming garbage heaps filled with weeds.  The handful of inspectors who watch over these lots are in charge of making sure the garbage is picked up and large items taken away by sanitation crews.  Inspectors also make sure contractors are keeping up with mowing during the summer and snow removal on adjacent public walks during the winter.  If there are trees and shrubs left on the property after demolition, the health and safety of those plants also has to be watched.  I am one of the chosen few who get to keep track of vacant lot activity.
There is one aspect of vacant lots in the City of Milwaukee program that is closer to my heart than picking up trash.  The city has a garden permit process which allows people or groups to obtain a permit to use the lot for urban gardens.  There are several lots within the city on publicly and privately owned parcels.  Some are big and some are many are small.  They provide a neighborhood a place to gather and grow fresh vegetable and fruit within walking distance of their homes and apartments.  See link below for how to obtain a permit for a lot in your neighborhood.
I do not know the total number of gardens on city lots, but I do know that out of the 174 lots I watch, there are six lots being used as garden permit lots.  Some are just adjacent homeowners just getting a few things directly in the ground. Without a soil test, this is not the recommended route if you are growing food crops due to residual heavy metals from prior construction materials.  Most are groups that put raised beds and fresh soil for growing edible crops.  
There are a few of the lots which also sponsor health and wellness classes on sites.  I have seen art classes for kids and yoga for adults.  Some of the larger community gardens have cooking lessons to teach people how to use the vegetables they have grown.  The parcels that were once a blight in the neighborhood have become positive places for the community to come together.  I wish more of these parcels were being used for this purpose.  
If you are interested in knowing more about obtaining a permit for a city owned vacant lot go to:

http://city.milwaukee.gov/CityRealEstate/Neighborhood-Gardens.htm

I hope to see more vacant lots as a positive place in our community.

City garden on Burnham St near Frank Lloyd Wright homes in Milwaukee

Fall is keeping me busy...

Fall is a busy time.  I haven't been on the computer much let alone writing about all the stuff I have been getting done out in the yard and kitchen.  Rather than try to document it all in separate postings, I decided I have to do it in one so I can keep track of my activities for next year.
TO CLEAN OR NOT TO CLEAN...
Different people have different ideas about whether or not you should clean out your gardens in fall.  I clean mine out for many reasons.  First, I collect seeds and it is easier to do if I collect as I go.  This way I can get down to the small stuff and collect that as well as the tall stuff.  I save seed from several annuals.  Asters, zinnias, marigolds, larkspur, love-in-the-mist, thunbergia, and nasturtiums are the usual suspects.  I collect them in envelopes and hang them in my basement with clothes pins on hangers.  I also shake out the plants to direct seed for next spring, allysum and love-in-the-mist are good for this as well as larkspur and cosmos.  You have to be patient next spring to give them time to bloom.  Another reason for cleaning out the garden is to take advantage of the city pick up of some of the vegetation like the old tomato vines and such.  They only do this in the fall so that is when you have to get it to the curb.  Leaves and such find their home at the municipal nursery.  I used to work there and it was always interesting to see what was going to pop out off the leaf covered fields the next year.  Several things still remain standing especially the flowering kale which still stops people in their tracks.
HARVEST, BUY, PRESERVE, AND DO IT AGAIN...
I was on a mission this fall to really take advantage of what I could from the local farm markets.  I share this with my daughters who are both out of the house.  I get some help from them in return with all the cutting, peeling, and canning to get it all done.  We also were able to get half a steer from a local farmer.  My husband and daughter were both successful in the Wisconsin deer season this year.  You have to make hay while the sun shines.
FALL CAMPING...
I have missed many years of fall camping because school and sport schedules didn't allow us the freedom to flee.  This year we got out of town on a regular basis to state parks, private campgrounds, and family cottages as the weather got colder and wetter.  Empty nesting has been very, very good for us.
CHRISTMAS TIME IS HERE...
We went out and cut our tree in the next county this past weekend.  I also have been collecting trimmings and grapevines to hanging up and string lights.  Next on the list is cookie baking and eventually, I will have to shop...I hate shopping.  I want to get some cards out, if only I can find the stamps I bought last month.
DARKNESS HAS FALLEN...
The days have gotten so short that I feel like I am cramming several hours worth of work into the limited daylight hours.  After all that, I sit down and fall asleep.  My children love to tease me about my ability to zone out immediately.  I try to motivate myself, but it just ain't happening.

Merry Christmas to one and all!

Planting Garlic

Some people have never planted garlic before.  Six years ago, I was one of them.  It is such and easy crop and uses garden space during the slower parts of the growing season when you have the space.
The first step is to buy good bulbs of garlic from the farmer's market.  Make sure they are not damaged and are nice and firm.  Size will depend on the type you are planting, but the bigger the better.  If your goal is to braid garlic, then you will need a soft neck variety (ask your farmer, he will know).  If you like a bigger bulb, then the hard neck varieties are probably more your speed.  I have hard neck garlic in the photo above.  You will never braid those stiff stems.  I have one bulb broken into the six individual cloves.  The cloves are what you plant.  So, in this case, one bulb should yield six more bulbs if all goes well.

A general rule of thumb for planting bulbs is to plant three times the depth of the bulb.  A one inch high bulb would be planted three inches deep.  My garlic will go in about 4" deep.  I dig a trench, add some compost, put in the clove of garlic (pointy end up), and cover with more compost.  Done!

I mark the ends of my garlic row so I don't start another early season crop there next spring.  I also put down some of my expanded metal squirrel-be-gone deterrents.  If you have ever planted fall bulbs just to have them come and dig them up, this is an effective barrier to keep them out.  I have had mystery bulbs come up in my yard from squirrels re-burying bulbs from the neighbor's yards.  This year I had a bonus canna.  Other years I have had tulips, hyacinths, and one other spring bulb that has multiplied and I still don't know the name of it.

As long as I had the shovel out, I dug a trench on the north side of one of my raised beds and tucked the Alpine strawberries in for winter.  Unless we get a warm stretch, my berry days are done.  I have not covered them in past years and they seem to overwinter just fine.  I choose the north side to reduce the freeze-thaw cycle that the south side of the beds tend to have.  I also chose to not put my garlic in the raised beds this year as last year's mild winter was confusing the garlic into growing so early.  It didn't matter what side it was on as the soil barely froze last winter.
Tomorrow I will get out to clean out the beds and get my snow drops and daffodils in for next spring's bloom.

My Cold Weather Crops

 All the tomatoes have ripened and are not going to wait for us to eat them all fresh.  Tonight, they became spaghetti sauce with one lone tomato on the window sill as a tribute to all the tomatoes that have gone before.

I am still holding on to my lettuce and cilantro.  The late crop of radishes that I put in have a couple sets of leaves, but I doubt that the gamble I took will pay off in late radishes.  I have a double cover on the bed of row and frost cover.  The rain has been getting through, the sunlight is too low to really push any growth at this time of year.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

The two varieties of kale that I grew for eating are powering through this time of year.  Kale thrives in the cold weather and the flavor improves.  I have to get out and get some of this on our plates soon.

There is still some Swiss chard and radicchio hanging in there.  I haven't prepared as much of the chard as I have in years past (not one of John's favorites).  The radicchio is a new plant for me.  My coworkers enjoyed the first crop preparing it in different ways.  They shared how well it worked in their cooking.  I think this will be on our plates soon.

 Parsnips are just starting the process which makes them best in cold weather.  The starches start to turn to sugars making the plant fused with anti-freeze qualities.  It also makes them very tasty.  I used a couple in some beef pasties a few weeks ago.  They are only getting sweeter as they get colder.

The Alpine strawberries are still trying to put on some fruit.  It is taking so long for them to turn red.  Sunlight is waning and so it the ripening power.  They are still a delight whenever I find one on the plants.  I think the squirrels have been beating me to the picking, though.

 On the other side of cold weather plants are the ornamentals.  The sedum in the background is a lovely back-drop to the Sunrise flowering kale.  The sweet alysum fills in with a bed of snowy white flowers.  Right behind this bed are the stars of the garden right now.

As everything else has died back, the 4-pack of flowering kale I purchase this spring is just glowing!  While walking back from voting on Tuesday, I was astounded at how vibrant these are even from the distance.  It is no wonder I have had so many people stop and ask what they are.  They are like the neon signs of my fall garden.  I apologize to those wondering what variety it is since I did not have a tag with them.  Next year...more flowering kale.  They really do look best when in full sun.

My pot of Sunset flowering kale is also looking pretty good.  The plants brightened up after moving them into brighter light.  I will tuck a few evergreen boughs into the soil to fill it out and take it into the Christmas season like I did last year.  Maybe some lights as well.

Kraut and Maters

The sauerkraut has stopped emitting gas so fermentation has completed.  When you push down on the top and no bubbles rise to the surface, you know you have arrived.  We have enjoyed a couple meals with our fresh kraut by just dipping some out of the bucket and replacing the cover to reseal the kraut from air.  It has been very enjoyable eating homemade sauerkraut after so many years of not having it.  My cut is a bit course since I used the knife instead of a mandolin or cutter to get it thinner.

Last night we enjoyed the kraut along side the last package of venison bratwurst and some store bought perogies.  We do not make our own sausage, but had them done by a Croatian butcher near our home.  Milwaukee is full of different ethnic populations that still make dishes in the old world tradition.  The south side of town is blending in a larger Hispanic population with several grocery and bakery shops featuring Mexican and other Latino foods.  El Rey is even a "chain" of stores with one right down the block from our home.

 There is one sausage shop I really like in one of the old Polish neighborhoods.  They were featured on Wisconsin Foodie if you are interested in seeing how they make sausage in the old tradition.
http://wisconsinfoodie.com/2012/01/24/european-homemade-sausage/
They are only open three days a week, Thursday-Saturday, and only until 4 pm. My job takes me by here at least once a week, so I can make a lunch time stop to get sausage for supper.  They have some of the old "favorites" like head cheese (if that is your thing).  They also carry a few other food items from other local producers, like pickled herring and perogies.  People come in from out of state to pick up sausage at their store on south Muskego Avenue and west Rogers Street.

We are also enjoying the last of the tomatoes.  The green ones are ripening very quickly now, so I have been sharing them with family and neighbors.  Not as tasty as the vine ripened tomatoes, but slightly better than the store bought option.  I have kept them in the basement between layers of newspaper which helps them hold the gases around them for ripening.  Some people will individually wrap each tomato, but I think this is time consuming both for storage and for checking them for ripeness.  Keeping them in a tray as a single layer is just fine.  You are more apt to check them frequently if they are easy to check.
My goal this weekend is to can the sauerkraut.  It will destroy the pro-biotic aspects of the sauerkraut, but I also know I do not want to continue monitoring the kraut for mold (so far nothing has grown on top).  I may keep some in a large jar in the frig and can the rest for easier storage.  Freezing is also possible, but I am reserving freezer space for our beef which is has made its last trip to the butcher this past week.  Nuff said.  Have a good weekend.

Wrapping Up Fall Projects

 I have been wrapping things up for autumn, figuratively and literally.  We may hit 32 for our first freeze this weekend.  I still am hanging on to one tomato plant.  It has become a game to see how long I can keep it going, even if it never has another ripe tomato on it.  Today we hit the 70's again after cool temps and lots of rain.  Tonight I wrapped the tomato in a wall of plastic, topped with heavy frost cloth so it has some ventilation.

I followed through on my plan to wash my pots before storing them this fall.  I brought up hot water from the basement to fill my largest tubs on the driveway.  I added bleach to the water to sanitize them with a 10 minute soak (or so).  It worked out nicely to have so much room to work.  It was hard on the back, but I can think of worse ways to spend a gorgeous fall day. (Like the two days my husband and I worked in a very large, very loud costume warehouse to help the band raise money.)

I have a good variety of pots salvaged from other gardeners as well as ones I have saved myself.  It was good to have some help re-stacking them all back together when they were dry.  It will be much appreciated when I am not doing it in a 6'x6' area this winter.  I also don't have to worry about filling the drains with excess soil.

I kept around some of the flats that have broken corners.  I double them up to compensate for their weaknesses.  Many garden centers box plants, so acquiring more flats is not as easy as pots.  I even wash out cell pack to reuse for planting seedlings.

I am also coming along in the cutting bench.  I root some plants in glass jars in water while others I use a sand/sand mix kept moist.  Most cuttings that require a period of callousing off (letting the cutting lie exposed to air over night) I will also use a rooting hormone powder before sticking them in the sand.  Geraniums are one plant I root in sand.  Coleus have been rooting in the glass jars very well.  I also start some of my vines and small flowering plants in water.
The kraut is also coming along well.  It has been fermenting for about a week and is bubbling well.  I push out the excess "air" each day.  I think there must be at least one more week before it is ready.
Now that the plants are in and the cuttings are started, I have some time off to enjoy a few days off.

Bringing Plants Inside For Winter

It was time to bring the tender plants back into the house.  They have been waiting patiently in the low level lighting of the garage for two weeks.  When the morning temperatures warmed up, I pulled them all out on to the driveway.  One by one I gave them a good cutting back, if it hadn't been done two weeks ago.  Each pot was then set in my large, deep tub and submersed for around 10 minutes up to the top of their pots.  I hope to accomplish two things by doing this.  One, it helps to bring any soil dwelling insects to the surface where they can be flushed away with additional water.  Two, if any small rodents have burrowed into the soil for nesting, they will also come to the surface.  No rodents today.  I let them drain and sprayed them down to knock additional bugs or eggs off of the leaves.  I let them sit while my husband and I tackled a long awaited task.

A friend had many paving bricks in his yard that he no longer wanted.  We have an area of the yard which is next to our "pond" that we want to lay a patio.  About half of the bricks were stacked in his yard.  The other half were in a patio setup that had to be lifted.  We are not young people any more.  The repetitive task of lifting and moving so many blocks was not as easy as it used to be.  Surprisingly, it took maybe two hours to lift, load, move, and unload the whole bunch.  Not bad for a couple of "old farts". 

After moving all the block, I was not looking forward to the job of moving in the very wet pots.  I enlisted the use of our new (albeit second-hand) hand cart.  It was less strenuous moving the taller, heavy plants with this method.  Last year, Dan, my daughter's fiance, helped me carry them in.  It was even challenging for him.  I am thankful for the hand cart.  Now all my tender babies are in the house, safe and sound from the cold.

Sauerkraut...new beginnings

 I started my first batch of sauerkraut...ever.  The last time I remember taking part in the process, I was about eight years old. I was sitting under the legs of the adults while they cut the cabbage on the "kraut cutter".  It was build to fit between our kitchen sink and the adjacent cabinet.  My younger sister, Lisa, and I were in charge of picking up the cabbage that didn't land in the crock and adding it to the rest.  The only other person that came down by us, was our mom.  She would bend down to sprinkle in a layer of salt every so often between the layers of cabbage.  I don't have a kraut cutter, or a mandolin (the miniature version of our kraut cutter, or a large enough food processor.  I do have cutting boards and a large, sharp knife.  Last Friday morning I worked my way through six heads of cabbage one eighth of an inch at a time.  I'm sure that my great grandmother did it this way, so why couldn't I?!

In true style for everything I do, I read up on it first.  The Pickled Pantry by Andrea Chesman was my first encouragement to try something I had very limited experience with.  I consulted the Ball Canning and Freezing handbook.  I had the University of Wisconsin Extension handbook that I picked up at State Fair YEARS ago.  They have the same publication on line in pdf format.  Same words, different format.  I talked with friends and family on-line, at work, over the phone, and even strangers who wanted to talk canning.  The one thing I couldn't do, which would have made me much more at ease, was talk to my mom.  She's been gone for 18 months and there are still times I want to pick up the phone to ask her a question.  I wanted to pick up the phone several times on Friday, but I just sent thoughts heavenward in hopes that some divine inspiration would come seeping downward to get me through.  
I improvised.  I didn't have the cutter, the stomper, or the crock.  I made do with a knife, a wine bottle, and a re-purposed pickle pail (this is food grade plastic, laundry detergent pails are not).  With a bit of advise from my friend's mother (the cabbage from our drought summer was not going to be moist enough), I was able to decide to make up a brine one and one half tablespoons of salt per quart of water to add to the pail.  This advise was my sanity saver.  I mixed my three tablespoons of pickling salt (don't used iodized) to the five pounds of shredded cabbage.  The directions said to let is wilt for five minutes.  I would cut the next five pounds while the first sat wilting.  Layer by layer I added it to the pail while pounding it down with my flat bottomed wine bottle.  It was juicing but not enough to cover the cabbage no matter how much I pounded it down.  I would add some cool brine a little at a time until it came to the surface.  

 Layer by layer, batch after batch.  Cut, salt, wait, pound.  In the end six head of cabbage, which were average size by farm market standards, filled the pail just over half.  My arms were tired, my hands were cramped.  Tasting bits of salted cabbage took me back to the linoleum floor under the cutting board.  I missed my mom more than I have in many months.  My full canning shelf remind me of the hours she put into preserving food for our family.  Hers was at least 3 times the size of my own.
I made more brine and let it cool as I finished up my cabbage lasagna.  The higher the layers came, the easier it got to hold on to the bottle to pound.  I remember Dad standing over the kraut cutter moving the cabbage halves back and forth over the triple blades.  He cut himself every year. In my memory he did.  I will probably be corrected by my older sisters, all five of them.  Dad also did most of the stomping.  We all took a turn, but it was Dad's arms that truly brought out the juice from the cabbage.  Mom was a strong woman in her own right as well.

I had made another gallon of brine which went in to a two gallon Ziploc bag.  After putting a plate on top of my sufficiently salted and liquidated cabbage, I laid the partially filled bag on top of the plate.  This sealed around the edges of the pail to keep the air out of the briny mix as much as possible.  I believe this is working well, as today is the first day I felt the need to skim the scum from the top of the pail.  Bubbles are coming up from below when I push down on the plate, so fermentation is taking place.  As we like to say in our household...it is processing nicely.

I also weighed down the plate with a half gallon Ball jar with more brine in it.  I could have just used water, but if I need more brine, it will be at the ready.  Some liquid has evaporated as it came over the top of the bag.  I have not added more since starting the process.
Most books recommend keeping the crock in an area 68 to 72 degrees during fermentation.  This will keep the fermentation going at a steady pace.  Too warm and it happens to quickly and may spoil.  Too cool and the process takes longer, which means you have to baby sit the kraut with daily visits for skimming.  I also placed the pail on one of my multi-use boot trays.  If the kraut were to be higher in the pail this would be more necessary for possible run over.  I would rather be safe than sorry when it comes to our old, hardwood floors.
I will update as needed so I can keep track of the process for future reference.  In the meantime, we're processing nicely.

Canning Season Part 3 or ...

My coworkers are starting to talk about what I will stick in jars next.  Yes, it has become almost an obsession.  There are just so many recipes out there and so much good produce that it seems a shame to not try it all.  The cooler weather has also made heating up large kettles of water an appealing way to add heat to the house while accomplishing another task.  So many vegetables, so little time...

I pulled my two foot square patch of beets out of the garden and cooked them up the other night.  I popped them in the frig to cool overnight so I could peel and cut them for pickled beets.  I had enough for three half pint jars.  I got everything hot, and sterile except I didn't heat those beets enough.  A couple minutes after dropping the jars, I heard the ping. A lift of the canner's lid revealed bits of orange zest floating in the water.  What a disappointing waste.  It did reinforce past lessons that all hot ingredients are better for canning.  I do get around this somewhat with pressure canning by starting out with just warm water and heating it all together once the jars are in.  I am not a fan of cold pack methods because of liquids being forced from the jars and broken jars.

I found a bag of mangoes in the freezer and thought this would make a good relish.  The newest Ball Canning book has some great recipes for tropical fruits and mango relish was one of them.  I was not about to run out and buy papaya or white grape juice so I improvised with some pineapple I had frozen earlier this summer, juice from the orange I used the zest in the beets, and various peppers from the garden (fresh and dehydrated).  I added a couple of spices that complimented the fruits and heated it all through.  It thickened up nicely and has just a bit of heat from some of the hotter peppers.  I was able to get six jars for the winter pantry.  It will be a nice quick addition to a supper of chicken or pork, possibly even fish.  
The canning experiments also have me thinking about our state fair.  Maybe this is the year I finally get off my duff and enter something in the fair.  One of my favorite parts of the fair is looking at the entries that have one in culinary and creative arts.  It might be fun to have another reason to browse the cases.

Canning and Cuttings

With a conference to attend and family in town, I have had no time at home.  Today was catch up time.  I spent a pretty penny on the precious apples and was not about to abandon my plans of spiced apples and green tomato mincemeat.  
The mincemeat was a little putzy, but I think it was worth it in the end.  I even pulled out the old meat grinder to grind up eight cups of green tomatoes.  I have still been trying recipes from The Pickled Pantry by Andrea Chesman.  Both of these were in her book.  Most of the pickling recipes need about six weeks of shelf time to fully develop their flavors.  The mincemeat is ready to go any time and can even be frozen if that is more convenient for the cook.  It was supposed to make six pints but I had at least two more in the kettle when the canner was full.  I did one pint in two half pint jars for smaller uses, and I ran out of pint jars.  I took some extra to the neighbor who passes produce my way and put a bit in the frig to try a bit in some crust when I make pasties for supper tomorrow.

The other job on the top of my list this past week was making sure I get my cuttings in the house before the plants freeze.  My coleus are done after last night's cold, but there was good cuttings at the neighbor's house who I share a cup of weekend coffee with. We met when I used to walk the dog.  Both of us garden, but he changes up what he is growing.  It is this neighbor I have to thank for my light table as he lost interest in using them himself.  He consistently keeps roses in the mix.  The conversation is never lacking for interest.
It may be time to see about cabbage for sauerkraut on my next market trip.  I look forward to trying another new skill.

Cold Weather Coming...preparations part 1

Things to get done in preparation for a possible frost night:

• Cover lettuce and other crops I am still holding that I don't want "frosted"

• Cut back the plants that I am bringing in for winter so they fit through the door (and then some)

• Put cold sensitive plants in the garage for the night

• Harvest the rest of the peppers

• Water the root crops that are staying in the ground a little longer

• Take some pictures of the garden as it goes into a new color season (the sugar maples and flowering kale are really kicking in this week)

• Cover my lone tomato plant that I am going to see how long I can keep going next to the house

• Start using only rain barrel water so they are empty by the time it freezes

allysum, flowering kale, sedum and sugar maple

Heliotrope and lemon verbena
I wish you could smell this planter right now