Look What We Found!

After lamenting in yesterday evening's post about not haing ripe tomatoes, we went to the garden this morning and there they were! We picked about a dozen ripe tomatoes! YES!

Canning Tomatoes

Exactly one tomato has been harvested from our garden, and that one was picked by accident. So why am I talking about canning tomatoes now? Because you asked, and because I am looking forward to it. Yes, you read that right, I enjoy canning tomatoes.

Last year's tomato crop was a disappointment. Even so, we did get 30 quarts canned. This years crop looks to be a bumper crop. The Roma tomatoes are huge! I'm not sure I've ever seen Roma's so big. They are starting to get ripe, and I am really tired of store canned tomatoes.

There are about a zillion ways to preserve tomatoes. They can be dried, canned, or frozen. They can be whole, chopped, or pureed. They can be made into salsa, sauce, paste, spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, or soup. and well you get the idea. So what do you want to do with your tomatoes?

The biggest task of canning or freezing tomatoes is peeling the darned things. It involves dipping them into boiling water for 30-60 seconds, then dipping them into cold water, and slipping of the peels. There are people who simply puree the tomatoes, skins and all, then can. I tried a few jars like that last year. The family was not impressed.


So, we invested in a Sauce Master. Talk about making the job easier! The tomatoes are quartered and run through. Out one side comes all the seeds and peels. Out the bottom comes sauce. It is a beautiful thing. (As a side note this gadget can be used for a lot more than just tomatoes too!)

If you don't want to invest just quite yet, you can also make juice or sauce by quartering and crushing the tomatoes. Then bring them to a gentle boil for about five minutes, and strain through a sieve.

Either way, the sauce (or juice) needs to be hot before filling the jars. Work in small batches to heat the sauce soon after it has been made. If it isn't heated the solids and liquids will separate. You can still use the sauce. It just won't look quite so pretty.

Tomatoes can be processed in a boiling water canner or a pressure canner. Whole or cut tomatoes can be hot packed or cold packed, but hot packing helps reduce the separation as discussed above. Follow your canning tables or recipes for processing times.

So what do I do with my tomatoes? Last year I made some tomato soup. The rest went to sauce. Most of the sauce was just plain tomato sauce, but I did add a fresh basil leaf to one batch of the jars.

This year I plan to start with plain sauce again. I like having the plain sauce on hand ready to go. I just season it as I cook for whatever I am using it for in that meal. I may add the basil again, if I have extra, but it really isn't that important. If there are still tomatoes to use after I have enough sauce, then I will make some more soup. I may try to can some salsa, but I've not really found a home canned recipe I really like yet. Other than that, I'm not sure, but you know I will blog about it if I try something new!

Was that helpful? Or was there something else you were wondering about? I'm happy to help if I can! By the way, if you were wondering, the pictures are from last year, not the one tomato we have harvested so far this year.

Frugal Fridays

Been Busy

Wordless Wednesday

Increasing Green Bean Production

You've tilled and carefully placed your seeds. You've watch the tiny bean plants emerge. The soil has been gently mounded to help the plants stay strong and the weeds have been removed. Your plants are blooming and suddenly the long awaited fruits of your labor emerge. Green beans are dangling from the stems. You've worked hard and the pay off is about to begin. Be sure to get the most for your labor with the following tips for keeping your beans producing through the summer.

1. No more tilling or hoeing.
Once your plants are blooming you should not run your tiller through the rows or hoe very deep into the soil. This bit of wisdom comes straight from my dad and a long line of Amish ancestors before him.

I don't come across this particular tip often, but it make sense. Beans have a shallow root system. Once they are blooming you don't want to disturb their roots and the fruit making process by disturbing the soil near them. No matter the logic behind it, it seems to work. And it is a good excuse to ease up on your weeding!

2. Pick frequently.
The plant's main goal is to produce mature seeds. Your main goal is to keep the plant from making mature seeds by harvesting immature seed pods. You have opposing goals. Consider it a competition.

Not all plants work this way, but when you stop a bean plant from making a mature seed (by picking the green bean,) the plant will try again. It will bloom. It will produce another seed pod. You will pick the seed pod before it matures. The plant will bloom and produce. You will pick. The plant will bloom. . . The two of you can keep up this game all summer long. In the end, the plant will give up and you will have a pantry full of green beans.

I try to pick at least every other day. I'm not saying it always happens, but that is the goal.

3. Pick gently.
Remember the roots are shallow. You can pull out the entire plant or break off a large part of it by tugging on a bean. Be gentle, but be thorough. Beans have a tricky way of hiding some of their fruit on the bottom side of the plant. Be sure to look carefully or you will have beans with huge seeds in them. That will send the plant a signal that it has made seeds. Well, you know what that means from tip two right? The plant is winning.


After putting so much time and energy into growing the bean plants, you want to maximize their production. These tips are easy and will help you get the best yield from your green beans. Enjoy!

Basic Canning Equipment

Where I live a backyard garden is a common thing, but even here, I've noticed many new gardens go in this spring. Many existing gardens have also been expanded. Pressed by rising fuel prices and the rising food prices that are following, people are stretching their grocery dollars by raising some of their own food.

My garden is just starting to produce, and soon it will be time to break out the canning equipment to put away some of that harvest for the winter. I know many of you have expressed an interest in canning. I am no expert. The real experts are the folks at the USDA, but I am happy to try and help. Let's start with the basics.

There are three very basic items you need to begin canning. You need jars with sealing lids, a large pot for processing, and canning tables that tell you how long to process the jars.

Jars with Sealing Lids
You can find jars in a variety of sizes. The most common used are quart and pint jars. I find quart jars to be the most useful for my large family. I use pint jars mostly for hot peppers and pickles, though it is nice to have some pints of tomato sauce too.

Jars also come in wide mouth or regular. In my opinion, wide mouth are much easier to work with. They also are easier to clean, but they are more expensive.

Some people use recycled jars from spaghetti sauce or other items they have purchased at the store. I personally do not do this, and it is not recommended by the experts. I believe the logic behind this is that Mason jars are made to last the stresses of canning repeatedly. Jars used in the food industry may or may not be made as strong. Yet, I know people do can with them.

The most common type of lid is actually a two part lid. It is a lid with a ring. You have to buy new lids every year, but the rings can be used over and over. They are easy to use. There are other types of sealing systems using reusable rubber rings. I've never canned with those before, so I can't offer too much information on those.

Processing Pot
When you are canning there are two ways to process the jars. You can simply cover them with boiling water and boil for the recommended amount of time. The other way is to use a pressure canner. It is not recommended that low acid foods, like beans, be processed using the boiling water method. All foods can be canned in a pressure canner. I use both methods.

When canning with boiling water any heavy pot that is large enough to fill with enough water to cover your jars can be used. A water bath canner with a rack is much more convenient to use. They really aren't very expensive. I think a canner is a worthwhile purchase if you are planning to do a lot of canning that can be done without pressure canning.

Canning Tables
You need a resource to consult for how long to process your jars. If you buy a new canner, chances are there will be instructions with timing tables included. One of my older cookbooks also has tables. There are whole cookbooks devoted to canning. The most famous is probably the Ball Blue Book. Though a canning cookbook isn't necessary, it is nice to have as a resource. Besides basic instruction and time tables, it gives you recipes for different items. It can help when you are at a loss for what to do with the excess your garden is producing. Of course all canning tables are created based on the guidelines put out by the USDA. Their advice is available for free online.

These are the bare basics of equipment you need to begin canning. There are lots of tools and gadgets designed to make things easier. Before you run out and buy any equipment and gadgets, check around for used supplies. There are lots of people with shelves and boxes full of jars that they don't ever plan to use. Let family member know you are looking for canning equipment. Check on Cragislist. Ask on Freecycle. Look at yard sales. You may find all you need for free or a fraction of the cost of new.

I hope that was helpful for those who are new to canning. If you have nay questions, I'd be happy to help if I can.

Works for Me Wednesday

The First Harvest

I've been waiting for these!

Wordless Wednesday

Making a Tomato Trellis

While we were on vacation the garden exploded. For those of you have been following the growing potatoes in tires posts, five stacks are now complete with four tires. Several other stacks could get the fourth tire, except that I need to scrounge some more tires. There are still a few stacks lagging behind the rest with just two tires, but I'm sure they will catch up.

The other plants also grew like crazy. I think our first planting of corn must have grown a foot. The beans are beginning to bloom. We still have an ample supply of last year's crop, but oh am I ready for some fresh green beans! Of course the vegetables were not the only things that thrived while we were gone. The weeds also took advantage of the hot humid weather that week.

A lot of time has been spent in the garden this week. Thankfully this week's weather has been cooler and comfortable; perfect for garden work. Besides the weeding and hoeing, we also created a trellis for the tomatoes.

Tomatoes will produce better if they are kept off the ground. I've not had much luck with those wire cages or with staking. This year I decided to try to make a trellis similar to those I've seen in other gardens.

Start with stakes. I used wooden ones we already had. Start the row of stakes at the end of the tomato row and put a stake near each plant, ending with a stake on the other end of the row.


Then add rope between the stakes to create lines to support the plants. I used a variety of roping we had left from other things. In my trellis there is baler twine, clothes line, and nylon rope. I made three rows of line.


As the plants grow tie the stems to the stakes and the lines to support the plant and the fruit. My favorite thing to use for ties is old pantyhose or tights. They will not damage the stem and will stretch a bit as the plant grows.


I enjoyed this project much more than the weeding and hoeing. I hope that my trellis' do the trick for my tomatoes. I'm looking forward to a lot of homemade sauce!



memory cards

Wow they grew fast!

Yes, it is another potatoes in tires update, already. I don't know if it was the rain, the warm days and cool nights, or the added organic material from my last update, but those taters grew like crazy over the last week. Wednesday I added more tires and more manure/sawdust. Currently there is one stack of three, nine double stacks, and three still with a single tire.

Lifting those tires and shoveling the dirt isn't easy, but it is easier than I remember planting in rows last year, and the work comes a little at a time rather than all at once. I'd rather get my daily exercise in the garden than with exercise equipment anyway. One tip, if you are thinking about trying this, I'm finding the plants easier to work with when they are about half the height of the next tire. Put on the next tire and fill it enough to allow the leaves to still show and inch or so. Let it grow and add more compost. This works better that letting the plant get so big that it is already above the new tire. Just makes it easier to get the compost around the plants and in the sides of the tires.

In case you're wondering, the rest of the garden is coming along well too, I'm just excited about the potatoes this year! :)

Every Seventeen Years

Seventeen years ago I did not even know my husband. I was living a very different life in a very different place. The place that I live now was entirely covered in trees. In those trees female cicadas were splitting twigs and laying eggs. Those eggs hatched, the larvae fell from the trees, and they buried themselves deep in the forest floor.

This weekend those cicadas once again dug through the soil and emerged above ground. They came through holes like the ones you can see here at my pinky and my wrist.






After coming above the ground they continue to climb the trees or other nearby plants. They shed their outer shell to reveal their adult forms. The shells stay behind.








They will live above ground for four to six weeks. You can hear them in the heat of the day; a low humming in the distance. Some say it sound like they are calling, "Pharaoh." They will mate, the adults will die and larvae will bury themselves for the next sixteen and a half years.

There are many "broods" of cicada (also called 17 year locust.) This is the year for the brood where I live, but different broods emerge at different times. The cicadas do pose a threat to trees, especially young trees. (Glad I didn't plant fruit trees this year!) Young trees should be protected with netting, or other cloth.

Reportedly, Cicadas taste very good. They have been compared to shrimp and crayfish. In my head eating them makes sense. Have you ever seen a whole shrimp? The really are not the most appealing thing, but my stomach can not get past the idea of eating something that looks like an overgrown horsefly. I've eaten a lot of things people may see as strange, but I draw the line at cicadas.

It is hard telling how life will be different the next time these insects make there appearance. In seventeen years I am sure to be a grandma. I hope to still be living here, but hopefully not in this house. Perhaps I will be adventurous enough to fix of dish of cicadas, but probably not. If there still is such a thing as a blog, and I'm still at it, I will be sure to tell you about it!

Cicada Resources
Cicada Mania
Cicada-Licious (recipes and information)

Planting Potatoes in Tires- Round Two

Back in April I shared with you how we were trying to grow potatoes in old tires this year. Today I put a second tire on some of the stacks.


As you can see from the photo, the potatoes have grown at very different rates. All of the tires have some compost in them. The ones on the left were then mostly filled with leaves from last fall. The tires on the right were filled with partially rotted sawdust. The tires with leaves were planted about a week before the sawdust tires. The potatoes came through the sawdust first even though they were planted later. The potatoes in the leaves have come up slower, but the plants seem to be thicker and fuller. The plants on the bottom left corner are about double the size of any of the rest. I have no idea why.



Five of the sets of plants were high enough for a second tire today. I laid the tire on top, and filled it with a mixture of partially rotted sawdust and manure. You do need to be extra gentle to be sure and not break off the stems. I had to use my hands to do this, and to fill in the outside of the tires. So, you may want to wear gloves, or at least take off any designer jewelry before playing in the manure. I left an inch or two of the leaves exposed.

Now if these potatoes do what they are supposed to the newly covered stems will send out roots and make potatoes. The plant will send up new stems and leaves, and when they get tall enough I will add another tire. The process will be repeated until there are four tires on each stack. In the fall we should find those tires filled with potatoes. I will keep you updated!

Making a Planter from Repurposed Items

The vegetable gardens are full, and now my mind is turning to flowers. I don't plant a lot of flowers, but I do like to have a few planters around. I do have a few store bought containers to plant in, but my favorite planters are ones made from repurposed items. Those of you who've been around awhile may remember the planters I made last year from rotten logs. My mom uses an old fashioned cream separator for a planter. This year I planted herbs in an old wash basin.

You can make planters out of about any item that will hold the dirt. Here are a few tips for making a planter out of repurposed items.

1. Choose a container.
You'll want one proportionate to the plants you want to use. Just be sure to pick something that doesn't have any chemical residues that might kill the plants.

2. Do you need fill?
If the container is large you do not have to fill it all with dirt. Put plastic bottles in the bottom. I used shopping bags in the log planter. It takes up space and creates drainage, not to mention keeps your planter lighter.

3. You do need drainage.
Extra water can't be allowed to puddle in the container. You need a hole or two in the bottom. Put drier lint over the holes to allow water to flow out while keeping the dirt in. A layer of gravel in the bottom of the planter can help with drainage also.

4. Fill with dirt.
Use potting soil or your compost.

5. Put in the flowers.
Be sure to choose plants that will grow well in similar conditions and in the location you intend for the planter.

6. Enjoy.
Don't forget to water.

Planters can be made out of so many things. What catches your eye? Planters out of old wagons, bathtubs, or chipped pottery pieces are interesting. Maybe you could create a theme out of a hobby like using a golf bag or other golf equipment if you are an avid golfer. Just remember there can be a fine line between creative and just junky. Never could figure out why people planted in old toilets! What are some different items you've seen used for a planter?

13 Things We Will be Growing This Year - TT #25

A few weeks ago I posted about things I wish we grew. This week my list is about the things we are growing, or at least will be if our clay ground ever dries out enough to till and plant!

1. Tomatoes
Two varieties; one for eating and one for sauce.

2. Potatoes
Grown in recycled tires.

3. Green Peppers
These were a flop last year; hoping for better this time.

4. Jalapenos
Pickled these last year. They were so good.

5. Banana Peppers
Ditto #4.

6. Cabbage
Tried to start these from seed; tiny little seeds. Almost need magnifiers to see them. They aren't doing too well. I may need to buy some plants, or try again in the fall.

7. Broccoli

8. Cucumbers
Sure enjoyed these pickled too.

9. Zucchini

10 Summer Squash

11. Pumpkins
Some for pies. Some for carving.

12. Corn

13. Green Beans


Well I think that was the easiest Thursday 13 I've ever come up with. I think I could almost make another list of thirteen, but I will spare you.

Happy Thursday Thirteen to you!

Planting Potatoes in Old Tires

If you've ever planted potatoes, you know that it is back breaking work. Last year we planted a fair amount of potatoes the traditional way. We dug, planted and mounded the potatoes. We fought potato beetles most of the season. We dug again to find there weren't a lot of potatoes. They were delicious, but we didn't get a good yield.

For several years now I've been reading about alternative ways to plant potatoes. Grandmother Wren's post Grow Potatoes in a Barrel convinced me to try something different this year. I've also seen several articles about growing potatoes in old tires. A good one can be found at Back Woods Home, A New Use for Old Tires. The article discusses using old tires for a variety of garden needs, including growing potatoes.

Since I don't have any barrels on hand, and we did have a few tires and a neighbor who has lots of old tires, I decided to go the tire route. If you don't live in the hills like I do, where old tires are in abundant supply, you can get old tires from your neighborhood tire shop. They actually have to pay to dispose of them, so they would be happy to give you all you need.

Here is what you need to do.

1. Lay out your tires. Create some drainage.
The article suggested digging up the soil to create drainage. Since the soil where I laid the tires is rock hard clay, I put some stone and broken block pieces in to create drainage. I also stuffed dryer lint around the edge of the tire. This isn't necessary, but I had the lint and it will help to keep the soil in while the water drains. (Remember 13 uses for dryer lint?)


2. Put in some dirt and growing material.
I covered the drainage material with compost soil. Then filled the rest with leaves. Be sure to stuff the soil into the sides. You can use soil, leaves, or partially rotted sawdust. We will be using a little of all three.


3. Get the potatoes ready.
You'll want to use seed potatoes, not just some that you've had to long in your cupboard. Seems the potatoes you buy to eat have been treated to not grow. Those that do start growing will not do well.

Cut them in pieces so that each piece has two eyes in it.


4. Plant them.
Put three or four potato piece in each tire, and cover with planting material.


5. Water



6. Wait
This is as far as I've gotten. Next I wait for the plants to be about 8 inches tall. Then I will add another tire, and enough dirt, leaves, or sawdust to cover all but two or three inches of the plant. When I get to this step I will post an update. The process will be repeated until there are four tires stacked. To harvest I will simply remove one tire at a time, and remove the potatoes. A four tire stack is expected to yield about 25 pounds of potatoes.

We started with five tires, but decided it was so easy we would do more. We now have the start for 13 stacks. I will post updates throughout the season.

Starting My Potato Beds

Stayed tuned for more information.

Wordless Wednesday

My Mini Greenhouses

I've got the garden bug; bad. I'm just itching to get out there and play in the dirt and watch things grow. Trouble is it has been too wet to get the tractor into the garden to plow. Two solid days of rain this week did not help that problem. Another problem is the fence that is to turn our chickens into pastured chickens from free ranged chickens is still a work in progress. I'll be darned if I'm going to put seeds in the ground just to watch the chickens scratch them all up. What is a girl with garden fever to do?

A few weeks ago I started two dozen plants indoors. Using cardboard egg cartons for pots, I filled the containers with soil from the compost pile. Then the kids and I put a few seeds into each little section. We started pie pumpkins, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, cucumbers, squash, and zucchini. They all sprouted nicely, and soon were needing a little more space and sun than I was providing.

I didn't want to mess with potting them in larger pots just to put them in the garden shortly. We are almost past our frost date, and some of the seedlings are cold hardy. I just wanted to put them directly in the garden, so I did. I hand dug two small rows of holes for the plants in the back of the garden. When the ground is ready for the tractor, it can be tilled from those rows forward. For protection from the chickens and any late frost we may have, I created mini greenhouses for the seedlings.

To create the greenhouses I used some juice and milk jugs that I had been saving. I simply cut the bottoms off of them, and put them over the seedlings. The clear juice jugs, as shown in the top picture, work the best. In the milk jugs I cut in some "sky lights" to allow more light into the jugs while still keeping the chickens out.

I also created a couple of new garden spots. I used some small banks in the backyard, and the space between two decks. We didn't keep up with these areas last year, and they were an ugly mess by the end of the summer. I planted some of the vining plants there, and mulched them with some hay/manure. I am hoping this will save space in the main garden, and create more attractive and manageable areas in the back yard.

I feel better to have played in the dirt a bit, and to have a few things growing in the garden now. If the weather cooperates this week we may yet get the garden tilled, and the fence finished. Then I can take the greenhouses off, and get more planting done!

Make a Natural Wreath

Today's post is brought to you from How To Me. Every Saturday find a how to post on this great site. Taking the kids for a nature walk and collecting items to make a wreath is a great project to do together.

I love to make wreaths for my home. My favorite base is made of scuppernong or muscadine vines. However, almost any vine or flexible branch will work (but make sure to avoid things like poison oak - eek). In the past I have even used pyracantha. This is how to make a natural wreath for your home.

Materials

• flexible vine or branches
• collected items from your yard
• hot glue gun and hot glue
• nail for hanging the finished product

Winding the Vine

After deciding what shape and size to create, I loop the first half of muscadine vine into that shape. Being about halfway through, I thread the vine through the center until the vines are bound to each other.

Decorating

Collect items from your yard that you love.

Starting with the largest item collected, I hot glue them to the vine base. It’s always important to use caution when using hot glue because it will stick to anything, including skin.

I like to vary placement of sizes and items along the front and sides of the wreath. This is an example.

I was really pleased with the way this wreath looked and would have left it alone, but I wanted some more color.

Adding More Color

So, I collected some hay and some holly leaves. Because I wanted to be careful not to knock off my hot glued items, I wound the hay around the outside edge and back of the wreath to add color and fluff.

The finished product is beautiful, the colors are great and I love it!

More Examples

After winding a grape vine wreath, I arranged some synthetic flowers from our wedding reception.

On another grape vine wreath, I hot glued dried roses, mixed flowers, eucalyptus, and spanish moss (all from bouquets my husband has given me over the years - aah).

The pyracantha bush grows quickly and has to be trimmed often. In early fall it is lovely. It has brilliant green and silver leaves.

The possibilities are endless when creating wreaths.

The Grass Is Always Greener. . .

The multi talented and lovely Becca of Brighthaven Times is our guest writer today. She shares how two of her passions, gardening and sustainability are coming together in her yard. See how it is all coming together in the photos she posted at her blog this week.

If you live anywhere in the vicinity of BrightHaven, you don’t have any trouble making sure your grass isn’t the brownest in the neighborhood. In fact, we bring new meaning to the old adage: “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence…” Our neighbors’ lawns are oases of manicured and landscaped plants while our yard looks like someone spilled a truck of brown paint on it! If you are familiar with my blog at all, you know I’m an avid gardener, so why the ill-looking lawn? Well, I’ll let you in on a little secret. My husband and I are on a mission to eradicate ALL the grass from our suburban plot. It’s grand.

Why on God’s green Earth would we do such a thing?? The answer is quite simple. Grass doesn’t make pretty flowers. Grass takes a stinkin’ lot of water. And, unless you’re old Nebuchadnezzar, you can’t really eat all that grass, now can you? So, James and I are systematically removing all the low-lying greenery and replacing it with strawberries, pumpkins, thyme, apple trees, roses, lilies, rhubarb and a host of other plants: beauty and bounty!

If you, gentle reader, are interested in trying something like this, I do have a few pointers to share, mostly garnered from the mistakes we have made:

1. Have a good idea of what you want to do with the area to be grass-stripped. Moving plants around on a semi-constant basis leaves much of the yard looking bare for a large part of the year.

2. Know which plants are likely to thrive in your area. Don’t go planting sweet peas in July on the Gulf Coast and be assured that some plants really are thugs. Choose your garden inhabitants wisely.

3. Mulch, MULCH, mulch. Don’t be embarrassed. If you really want the grass to go away, it must be covered…for a good long while. All your neighbors who tend their green grass so very meticulously will thank you for taking all their unwanted leaves.

Friends, this about sums up our experience with “lawn maintenance.” James and I both are very concerned with living sustainable lives and feel like these small steps we are taking are leading us inch by inch closer to being self-sufficient. Any questions? Comments? Suggestions? Let us know your experience in this area. We’re looking forward to hearing from you…brown yards and all.

To Answer Your Questions

Before I answer the garden questions from this post, let me preface by saying I am not an expert. I've had some form of garden for about all the years I can remember, but mostly those have been the gardens of others, or just for fresh summer eating. I'm still new to this trying to figure out how much I need to plant.

Rete asked

I canned green beans and several varieties of fruit last year as my first year canning. The fruit was great but the green beans turned out mushy and bland. Any tips? I wonder if it was the type of beans I grew. Are some varieties better to can?

I did answer her in an email, but thought I'd include it here again just in case anyone else had a similar question, or a better answer than I. I have never heard that different varieties are better to can then others, but that may be. As for the mushy, home canned beans are soft, but no more so than store bought. Did you raw pack? The only reason I can think of for mushy is overcooking. Bland? Some add salt when canning. I just season when serving. You may just prefer frozen beans also. They will taste much more like fresh and keep a crispness.

Green Me and Becca asked about the quantity of tomatoes to plant.
Well I am still figuring that all myself, and really there are so many variables to gardening I can't imagine that you could ever hit it right on the head. It depends on what kind of tomatoes, what you want to do with them, the weather, the pests, and 100's of other things. I am going on what I've done before.

We had several varieties of tomatoes last year. The Roma type varieties did fairly well, but we had a drought, and I did not cage them. (They produce more when they are off the ground. I just never got it done.) The round tomatoes did not produce much. Essentially the 30 qt I did get canned came from five Roma plants. The Roma's are wonderful for sauce. They required very little boiling to get a nice consistency.

This year I'll be planting more than five of a Roma like variety. For myself, I guess eight plants would be the right number, but we share a garden with my parents so there will be more than that. I'd probably plant at least one extra just to be safe too. We'll probably also plant a couple of another variety, just for eating.

As for canning them, they can be a lot of work or not all. If you peel and seed them by hand, it is very time consuming. We bought a Sauce Master Food Strainer last year. They aren't too expensive, and cut the prep time at least in half. The kids could even help. Of course, you can't do diced tomatoes with it. You can use either boiling water or pressure cooker to process.

Green Me, I did want to add you may want to check with your CSA to be sure you can't get more tomatoes there. The one we used to belong to would let you go out and pick all you wanted, above your normal share because they couldn't keep up with them. Just a thought.

I hope that helped. Anyone else have ideas? Please chime in.

Garden Planning - Taking Inventory of My Pantry

The other day I was making chili, I reached into the cupboard for home canned tomato sauce and realized I only have 4 quarts left. It was a sad day.

Running out of home canned tomato sauce really came as no surprise. The tomatoes did not do well last year. I canned all I could, but a quick look in my garden journal shows that 30 quarts were all that they produced. The journal also told me that we started getting tomatoes in early August, seven months ago. A little figuring reveals that we use about four quarts of sauce a month. So, when planning the garden this year, my goal is to can at least 48 quarts to keep us in sauce for the year.

I figured that while I was at it, I should take an inventory of the other home canned items in the pantry.

Green Beans
There are still 53 quarts of these. I really thought I had a surplus of beans, and would not have to can as many this year. At little figuring showed that the surplus is smaller than I thought, and I probably need to can about the same amount this summer. Anyone want to help snap?

Pumpkin
I can't believe I have barely used any of the pumpkin! We love pumpkin, but it really isn't a part of my typical cooking repertoire. I need to include it more.

Pickles
There are 10 quarts still! Again, we like pickles, I just need to serve them more. I want fresh cucumbers, and can't stand to waste what we won't eat, so I'll be making more pickles this summer, or giving cucumbers away!

Hot Peppers
Only 3 pints are left. The peppers did not do well last year either. There were almost no sweet peppers. The hot ones fared better, but we could use more of those.

Corn
ZERO! Oh yeah, we didn't get any corn last year! Thank you very much cutworms and drought.

Taking inventory of the pantry was helpful for a number of reasons. First it is good to see what actually is in there. This is true whether you are planning a garden or not. If your pantry is anything like mine, items tend to get shoved to the back, and forgotten about. I need to use what I have on hand before buying (or growing) more.

While taking inventory I also took a a few moments to organize. Keeping like items together and keeping the pantry organized helps me keep tabs on what I do have, and to use what we have on hand.

The main motivation for my taking inventory is for garden planning. The gardening season is upon us. Some are already planting. I'm not quite that together, but it will happen soon. Gardening is enjoyable (to me,) but hard work. It is better weight control than hoodia, and I am ready to get out there. Before I do all that work, I want to make sure we aren't planting too much, or too little. Taking inventory of what is left from last season, and referring to my garden journal for how much was planted, I can get a good idea of how much of an item we actually use, and need to plant.

Are you planting a garden this year? Share some of your plans and ideas.

Make Your Own Suet

Watching the birds from my kitchen window is one of my favorite activities. It is a wonderful way to enjoy nature without enduring the harsh winter weather. It is a relaxing and fun activity while I go about the everyday cooking and cleaning tasks.

It can also be educational. Last year we kept a notebook, a field guide, and the camera near the window. The kids and I kept track of the birds we saw. You can see some of the pictures here.

You don't need fancy feeders or fancy food to attract the birds. In fact, you probably have most of what you need right in your kitchen.

Bird Suet
2lbs lard (do not substitute shortening!)
6 cups cornmeal
3 cups wheat flour
4 cups oatmeal

Soften the lard to room temperature. Stir in the other ingredients a couple of cups at a time until the mixture is quite thick. Freeze in tuna cans or small plastic tubs. Loosen from the tubs, and hang in a re-purposed mesh bag like what onions or apples come in.

This recipe was part of one of our school lessons last year from Further Up and Further In. I don't usually follow it exactly. Instead of using lard, I save grease from bacon or other meats. You can also add in peanut butter, nuts, or berries. You can mix the fat with commercial bird seed. Do make sure though that the mixture is very thick, or it makes a greasy mess. Lesson learned the hard way.

I love watching the birds from the window. It is a relaxing way to enjoy nature in the winter, and it is educational. Perhaps my time would be better spent on a treadmill, but I think I'll just stick to watching the birds.

For more great winter time activities see the Winter Bazaar at Scribbit, and for helpful tips about just about everything Works for Me Wednesday at Rocks in My Dryer.