Expanding my garden life with home brewing

I am expanding my gardening hobby into another area...home brewing.  Those who know me have come to realize that beer and gardening go hand in hand in my backyard.  I like to keep a cold beer close by while sitting and weeding.  I do weeding as a method to relax and unwind.  It is not a job, but therapy.  Beer is self-medication in my self-therapy sessions.
The next logical step for me in my quest to learn new things and become a bit more self-reliant is making beer.  My daughters bought me the starter kit as well as a couple of brewing options to get going.  I finally sat down and spent some time on Northern Brewer which has lots of tutorials.  My kit was purchased here, so this was the first logical step in my learning process.  I decided that I needed to purchase a hygrometer to do this right.  I was in the neighborhood of the Purple Foot Store so I stopped there to get a hygrometer for beer making.  I have picked up items for hard cider and such from this smaller store in the past.  You would be amazed at how much hobby can fit in a small space.
The next step was acquiring enough bottles that could be recapped for home brewing purposes.  You have to love social media for how quickly you can get the word out and find something odd that you need.  I finally tackled the task of cleaning all these bottles and removing the labels.  In the end, I have enough to bottle two batches of brew...almost.  I was fortunate to have the old dibble boards that have been collecting dust in the potting shed rafters for over three decades, at least.  They ended up pairing with old bulb crates beautifully to create a drying rack for dozens of bottles.  Now that I have this step done, I will allow myself to open the boxes and start the home brewing process.  Stay tuned.

Garden goings on

In between all the big work of the nursery and greenhouse, I snatch moments in my own garden life.  I don't do marathon gardening sessions like I used to.  Even less now.  Here is my list of garden jobs you can do in small snatches of time and still enjoy gardening on your terms:

• Weeding.  You don't have to do the whole garden all at once.  If you have to pick and choose, get the ones that are starting to flower first.  Get a small hand cultivator (single hook for small spaces is my choice) and work small patches.  Something is better than nothing.
• Watering.  Most plants are better off allowing to dry in between watering.  Concentrate on containers first and do it in sections so you aren't out there for hours.  Consider soaker hoses and drip lines where it makes sense.  Turn it on and have a beer.
• Planting.  It doesn't have to get done all at once.  Prep an area and plant.  Have another beer.  Prep another area and plant.  Do a little each day, don't save it all for the weekend.  A hidden reward in planting over time, especially with edible crops, is your garden keeps producing all summer long.  The one caveat is to watch the days to maturity on your seed packets.  Don't wait too long on those long season crops or you will be disappointed.  Space out greens, herbs, and short season root crops for extended harvest.
• Harvesting.  My favorite thing in mid-summer is to take my morning coffee out to the garden early in the morning.  The neighbors are sleeping, but the birds are singing.  What better atmosphere can you ask for if you have some work to do?  Morning is also the best time to harvest many things since they are not wilted by the heat of the day.  Keep buckets or bags in a small deck box or even a plastic covered bin so they are always handy when you find yourself picking more than fits in your hooded sweatshirt.
• Dead heading.  Yup, you really should pull, pinch, or snip off those spent flower heads.  Early in the season, this will keep your plants blooming better.  If you plan on collecting seed, then you should let some go later in the season so the seed can mature on the plant.  Keep a garden scissors or snips in the same box or hang it on a hook by the door.  If you don't have to look for your tools, you are more likely to do the job.  Purchase a couple so you can keep them close to different garden areas.  You can also enjoy a beer while doing this task.
• Smelling the flowers.  Don't forget that the main reason you garden is for the beauty of it all.  Put chairs out where you can sit and enjoy the fruits of your labor.  I like to have sitting areas in the most unexpected places.  It is fun to look at things from various perspectives.  And have another beer.

Mother's Day Tribute to my Mother (and Happy Birthday, Mom)

Door County cherry pick, Mom and Gwen

Mom knew how to eat local.  This is from a Door County cherry picking trip.  It wasn't exactly local eating from where we had to drive to pick the cherries, but it was a day trip which meant lots of pitting and canning the following day.  Going out to pick berries from the surrounding area was local and it happened every year, in each season of ripeness.  There was also the gardens that we grew as well as trips to the "muck farm" for massive amount of fresh produce for home preservation.  Canning is a skill I learned through observation and repetition.  

Mom with her camp cookware

Cooking outdoors was also a skill I learned from my mom.  In my 6th grade year she gave my dad an ultimatum.  Less time in the bar, more time with her.  They bought a camper.  Mom was quite an outdoors cook.  I think it stemmed from growing up with wood stoves on the farm.

Mom and Dad at Boulder Lake September or October 1970's

Those camping trips with my parents were special times.  Half of my sisters were grown and out of the house by the time the camper came into being, but that didn't stop them from becoming family trips.  These photos are from sister #3 and the car in the background belonged to sister #2 and her husband.  (I am #6 in a line of seven girls.)  We would take week long trips in the summer.  Sometimes it was a long weekend trip to go hunting or fishing.  It was always good to get away from the TV and spend some time talking around a campfire.

Mother's Day camping trip late 1970's

Mother's Day weekend became our first official camping weekend of the season.  Our most memorable trip was to northern Wisconsin (more north than we already lived).  The temperatures were in the high 70's when we left on Friday.  They never were that warm again the rest of the weekend.  The kids wore socks on their hands to warm up as we didn't bring winter gloves.  We also warmed rocks by the fire to warm our hands.  There's a whole story there which ends up with stitches in the emergency room...another time for that one.

Picnic 1970's Mom and Dad

We went on picnics frequently as a family.  We didn't stop and eat in restaurants.  The large number of people in our family made that cost prohibitive.  We would pack a lunch and eat it in some nice spots somewhere along our route.  Dad and Mom liked to take Sunday drives through the woods that surrounded our area in the Nicolet National Forest.  Dad never owned a 4-wheel drive vehicle in his life, but that didn't stop him from taking us boldly where only logging trucks have gone before.  Dad gave us an adventure every time.

Lunch during tree planting 1970's

We also learned a work ethic from our parents.  No one was too young to contribute in some way.  In order to earn tuition money for my older sisters to go to a different district's high school (this was also a lesson in political activism), we went in groups to plant trees for the Forest Service.  Grown ups would make the hole with the planting bar while we little ones put the trees in for them.  Looking back, it was the little ones that carried the bag of trees and did all the bending.  I'm sure some would consider that child abuse, but we lived through it with mostly fond memories.

Mom in front of the old Red Owl store

Even after dad passed at an early age, Mom continued to teach us how to make it in this world.  She went back to work to earn some extra money beyond Dad's pension.  She also passed on her great sense of humor to all of us.  Dad was the prankster in the family, Mom had a finely tuned wit.  Laughter is a gift that should never be over looked when considering the legacy you leave your children.  We have a rich legacy from our parents in that department.

Gwen and Mom 1960's

I also learned early on how to enjoy a cold beer after a hard day.  Before any one out there gets the wrong idea, my parents did not get us drunk to sit and laugh at us.  It involved a sip or two to see our reaction to such a different taste.  No children were harmed in the taking of this picture.  Enjoying the little things in life is really the best take-away my parents could give me.  I still can be happy with the small stuff in life.  It's all the small stuff that makes a big impression.