Update on the seedlings

So my little seedlings are doing great - Most of them have come up and are about 2 inches tall. All my tomatoes are up and getting bigger. I have the grow light, and the heating mat on a timer - Now if it would just STOP snowing!!!

Start your seeds Now for 2014 Fruit and Veges

Hello Everyone out there. I know I have been lax about my blog the last few years I am back, and am sure that it will be much better this spring into summer. I have already planted my indoor seeds over the weekend on Feb 23rd. I have planted a variety of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant. I have also planted Culantro which is a Peruvian herb that tastes like cilantro, but about ten times more potent. Rhubarb, Okra, Swiss Lupine, Lavender, and purple Tomatillo. I was out of some of my favorite seeds like Swiss Chard, Basil, and a few heirloom lettuces so I have ordered them - and will plant indoors when they come.

This year I am using a new technique that I am hopeful will produce better germination for me. I got a professional heating mat designed specially for seed starting, and I also got a real grow light, like the kind that the hydroponic growers use. The mat is great and stays about 70 degrees 24 hours a day. When the seeds do finally start to germinate I will set up the light on a timer. My old technique was just ok - but the harder seeds to grow just never got a good start like my peppers and eggplant, so I didn't get to eat any. Also, sometimes my tomatoes were a little stringy, Maybe the light wasn't strong enough, who knows.

Using the Jiffy organic seed starter mix in egg cartons works the best for me. I usually put three seeds in each cup, and pinch the weakest seedlings and the sprouts that grow deformed leaves as they start to get a little bigger (about 3 inches tall).

Deformed Leaves = Deformed Fruit

Here is a good shot of what my seed starting trays look like.

Bees Wonderful Bees

Oh the joy of these wonderful little BEE girls!

The really big ones are Drones those are the Males - they are actually pushed out of the hive and starved to death in the fall when the Queen no longer needs them for reproducing. You can see here in this real close up picture a Drone and a worker bee side by side how much bigger he is, also the Drone bees do not have stingers.

My neighbors Charlie and Ann Francis have two hives, they were trying to see if they could get their Queen to clone to make another hive this morning. (the guy with the white beard is Mike Charlie's friend who also keeps bees)

I was totally amazed at how close I could get to the hive!

The bees were so calm.

The sound of the humming workers, and the smell of the honey was astounding and a little overwhelming too. The color of the honey is just beautiful. That crack in the middle is PURE honey!

 

Charlie's friend Mike was there helping too, they are all suited up - of course I was not, and with my curly hair one of those little girls buzzed right in there, and got stuck, freeked out, and stung me right on top of my head. Lucky for me I am not allergic. But now I know what it feels like to have a bee sting. It is not so bad, and totally worth it.

 Charlie gave me a little honey comb, and that sweet nectar, oh so good. Yum!

The bees live off of it all winter long, so it is important not to steal too much of it from them or else they will die - we have to remember that it is there food.



Thank you so much Charlie, Ann Francis, and Mike for letting me watch you guys hard at work today doing your thing with the bees. I loved it! and had a great time. Even though I got stung. Next time I will wear a Hat! 

Putting it away now

Sad to say but the garden is going to sleep for the winter - I picked all my last stragglers - and made 9 jars of pesto. There are still a few tomatillos, and peppers on the vines. It is getting cold.

See you in the Spring

October Gardening tip - When to Plant Garlic

 

Garlic is a tasty plant that can serve to liven up a wide variety of dishes. It is extremely popular in a wide variety of cultures  from the Orient to Latin America. Fresh grown garlic retains a lot more flavor as it can be taken directly from the ground and used. Your garlic crop will flourish if you know the appropriate time to plant it.

That time is NOW for Baltimore ( I usually plant on Columbus day) that is how I remember when to plant my bulbs. You also must buy bulbs for a reputable seed catalog - do not plant bulbs you buy at the grocery store - those are most likely treated with some kind of chemical for preservation, and will not grow in a home garden.

Garlic only grows well in either temperate or warm temperate areas, so Baltimore is PERFECT!

Find a mostly sunny spot that has well draining soil - loamy soil is best - you can add peat moss to get this desired soil. Then plant the bulbs 6" apart from each other.

Mulch the ground around your garlic in the late fall, to prevent the bulb from being forced out of the soil (a process known as heaving). Make sure to move away the mulch when spring rolls around. - You can use fallen leaves for this - the decomposition of the leaves is great for your soil.

Although the warm temperatures will keep the bulb in a hibernating state for several weeks, it will begin to grow slowly during winter. The cold of winter is necessary to encourage the growth of the side buds which form the cloves of the garlic. They will form into those tasty cloves in the late spring or early summer.

ABC = Apple • Butter • Cayenne

Today was really fun!

I got a bushel of apples at the Waverly farmers market yesterday. I bought seconds - and they were only $2.50.



The plan was to make apple sauce - but there were too many apples, so I had to think quickly. A bushel is a lot - about 40 pounds of apples!

 Look at how many peels I have!!!

 This is the second batch of apples I cooked - Spiced apples with Cayenne pepper!  "D"licious

First I made the Apple Sauce - it is Delicious!

Then I made Apple Butter - but with a kick - I added a 1/4 teaspoon of my dried and ground pepper mix from my garden! along with other tasty ingredients. If you want the recipe - email me.


Then I also decided to make Spiced Apples - and they are really good too.

Lots of Jars of Apple stuff!!

Everything looks like Okra!

I have so much! what do I do?

Well - lets see - I can freeze some - and dry some - Good.

Okra goes into a cookie sheet for freezing.

What ever doesn't fit goes into the dehydrator.

Inside the freezer raw.

This is totally amazing - that sticky gooey stuff that comes out of the Okra made these little hairs come out of the ends when it froze! It is absolutely beautiful. I had to share. When winter comes - the gumbo will be delish!