Category Archives: Gardening

Slugs and a super failure in weed blocking

Looking out in my veggie garden would make most gardeners cringe. The weed problem is really out of control. If I wanted to have a weedy lawn then I would be all set. This is the current state of my … Continue reading

Posted in Gardening | 7 Comments

Preserving in sucrose

From jams and jellies to canned fruit, preserving in sugar (sucrose) is a common method of saving food. Robin has canned peaches and cherries before, but during the past week we’ve expanded into candied vegetables and jam. Cowboy Candy Robin … Continue reading

Posted in Gardening, Homestead Skills | 6 Comments

Oh BABY, I got me some sweet potatoes

It worked! I planted some sweet potatoes and they actually grew. Okay, well, I planted four, but one bit the dust. Since I was down to three, I then had all my hopes and dreams centered on those three lovely … Continue reading

Posted in Gardening | 6 Comments

Garden this and that

I’ve been out in my garden puttering around getting a few thing done. I planted some fava beans and peas along with some more garlic. Hopefully they will all come up. My winter broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, pac choi, and rutabagas … Continue reading

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Food preservation roundup

As our Oregon weather hastens quickly toward winter, Robin and I have been scrambling to gather and preserve any garden produce that survived the crazy summer season. Here are some of the highlights, in no particular order: These are ground … Continue reading

Posted in Gardening, Homestead Skills | 9 Comments

Beat up by beets

I harvested all my beets today. Well, maybe I should say I did it this evening. Since it was so hot earlier in the day I thought that I would can them when it cooled down. I was feeling so … Continue reading

Posted in Gardening, Homestead Skills | 9 Comments

Drip, drip, goes the irrigation

Oh Yum! It’s the first cucumber of the season for us here. They are almost ready. I can taste it in my mouth already. It may just not make it back from the garden one day when I am out … Continue reading

Posted in Gardening | 8 Comments

Potato issues

This year we planted several types of potatoes purchased at several different places. We had potatoes that were saved from last year’s crop, potatoes bought on the cheap ($0.99/lb) from two different farm stores, and potatoes that were certified disease-free … Continue reading

Posted in Gardening | 7 Comments

I have a carrot!

I have a confession to make. I never thinned my carrot patch. Granted, I didn’t think that I had any carrots growing for the longest time. So I finally got around to thinning out a few, and while munching on … Continue reading

Posted in Gardening | 3 Comments

Broccoli

I harvested most of my broccoli crowns today. YUMMY! We ate a big ol’ serving of it and then I blanched and froze about 5 quarts. I think I should plant more of it next year because I am sad … Continue reading

Posted in Gardening | 4 Comments