Grapes and Blueberries...

My Stark's order came in yesterday.

Everything  looked pretty good. The blueberry plants will need very slow acclimation to sunlight, they have many tiny leaves that are VERY pale and tender looking. It looks like they broke dormancy in their shipping box.  But they are nice sized, the leaves are numerous and i'm sure they will take off  once they adjust.

2 Patriot:

And Blueray:

Since the grapes were just budding but not leafing out i was able to plant them immediately.  And it helps that today is rainy, they will have an easier transition with moist air and soil.

This Marechal Foch vine was the most impressive one

I had intended to take pictures of each before i planted then after, but i just needed to get them set in and watered, so i didn't.

Frontenac:

Reliance:

I pinned the planting holes in the weed barrier closed with ground staples. Later i will edge the barrier with either timbers or decorative brick and put on a light layer of bark mulch.  But i have to plant the blueberries  first and hopefully Burpee will come through with my Edelweiss grapes soon so i can get this project completed.

My Fig plant from Henry Field's came in also.  It looks ok i guess.  Its a spindly little green sprig that looks light-starved. Has 3 leaves, one large and 2 tiny. One of the small leaves has what looks like powdery mildew on it (baking soda spray will fix that). I think i might put in a complaint.  It should pull through, but really...i waited since February (and i know they could not ship it then) i submitted my order early so i thought i wouldn't end up with their late spring dredges.  I'll give it a few days, if it springs into some fresh growth i won't be too irritated. But it will be a number of months before its a $14 plant.   If i consider the whole batch of plants i bought including the citurs, it wasn't a bad buy, but the Fig is definitely the last and least in regard to value.

So, i have not heard from Burpee yet about my grapes, but they did send out their "Last chance" perennial sale email, so i take that to mean they are still doing summer shipments. I will be beyond irritated if i get a note telling me that they will send my plants next spring.... or worse, this fall.  This fall would be the worst thing because they won't have enough time to send out enough roots to get themselves established before winter. I won't have anyplace to store the plants over winter either.  I submitted my order a week ago... so i hope there is movement soon.

Oh and i have to add this, since i am recording  online ordering results.  I finally got to get a closer look at the Big Hip rose plants i bought from Oikos  at their eBay store.  They wrapped the roots well enough that i have just had them sitting in the shade until i can get to them, but by now i really had to make sure they were not going to languish there, so i opened up the wrapping and found that they had definitely sent me more than the 5 i ordered. I had guessed maybe 7 plants on arrival,  but separating them i found that they had sent me 10 of them.  This is great, cause if i end up killing half of them, i'll still have the original number i needed for their use.
It also saves me the effort of propagating the extras i thought i'd need to fill in the space.
Since i still don't have time for them for another few days, i took another kitty litter bucket, used the wood burning tool to make drainage holes in the bottom, filled it part of the way with dirt and left the rose plants in their paper pots, put them in and filed around them with dirt. Then i watered it well and set it out in a bright spot. They should be fine just like that until later.
So i was really thrilled to get an unexpected double order. Can't beat $2 a plant, shipped free. :o)

More digging...and harvesting.

My weed block roll came in from Burpee's this morning.  So we got the ground in front of the fence tilled and the material laid down and pegged and marked for the posts that are intended to support the grape plants when they arrive...  no word from Burpee when the Edelweiss will arrive and the Stark order is due tomorrow. I expect to try and get the plants in as soon as i possibly can.

I don't know how i'm going to drive those posts in though. They are 6', so the tops are above my head when they are upright and i can't whack at them with the mini sledge. That and the ground is rocky, so about every six inches, tilled or not, i peg a rock.  I think i could use the hooked crowbar and sort of pilot drill a hole with that, then put the post in that hole.  We do have a post-hole-digger but i'm not so good at using it.  But i might have to try.

I need to pick the Pak Choi. It is too big and it wants to bolt now. It really should have been harvested  last weekend, but i have never grown it before and i was curious about how it does at a larger size. But now that it is actually threatening to bolt, i will harvest it and plant some more. I tasted it and its still quite nice. Not bitter and still tender.  So i think i will put some pak choi on the grill with a couple tilapia fillets for a nice light supper.

I also need to plant a tomato in the Topsy-Turvy planter my oldest daughter found for me at a yard sale last year.  I admit i am curious to try it.  I have known people to use 5 gallon buckets as suspended planters for tomatoes, but if you look online about the Topsy-Turvy there are many conflicting reviews.  I really want to see if many of the bad reviews were for real. The buckets were always said to work really well both upright and suspended...

*****************

Ok, i  got the "vineyard" all ready.  It needs a better title....  or does a handful of vines make a Vineyard?
Mini- vinny- yard.
Mini-Vineyard... i like that.
At any rate, it is ready to accept the plants as soon as they arrive.  There is even enough room on either end for the blueberries.

Roll out the red carpet...erm, the black carpet rather.

I had to pin it down with whatever was at hand cause of course the wind was blowing.

Oh, before i did that, i drew a line 3' away  from the fence so i had a guide and i used this:

(which, by the way,  my Grandfather gave me :o) )
to till the area so i could make sure the soil was mostly sandy loam as i remembered it was and not all hardpan and clay like i was a bit worried there was.

So anyway, i rolled out the "20-year" weed barrier, then marked out where the posts need to go.  I decided that i will attempt the minimum recommended 6' between posts. Its going to be at least a full year, maybe 2 before i will know if it was a good decision or not.

I used yellow fluorescent spray paint to mark where the posts had to go through the weed barrier...  if the wind blew things out of their straight line i wanted to at least not have to measure every 6' again.

I also made my own ground staples out of a pile of old wire coat hangers i bundled and saved years ago. Those things are good for so many things but i finally used up my coat hanger stash today.

Pounding the stakes in was no treat but they did go in and except for the first 3 posts (which kept hitting potato-sized rocks) they all went in without too much of a fuss.

I took the picture kind of low because i am so darn sick of that ugly house being in all of my pictures.


Glad the hard part of this project is over now.  Still not certain how i plan to tie up the vines when the time comes. I'm still leaning toward a low set cordon,  i'd like it to look purposeful in the winter (and be low enough to be sheltered somehow in the winter), not just a scribble of vines all over.  But the 6' posts don't look as tall when they are 1.5' in the ground.  I may have to save some more money and replace them with 8' or find a non-ugly way to raise another wire to take care of the higher vines.  I have probably 2 years to figure that out.  I don't plan to string the wires until fall since i will be using the posts as both wire supports and growing stakes.  I bought 7 posts because i wasn't certain if i was going to try to keep the Suffolk red or not, so acted as though i would in case i did.

I did go pick all the pak choi.  It filled one half of my two bay kitchen sink most of the way.  I should have weighed it but i forgot.  I ended up wrapping the tilapia fillets in the larger leaves with salt and pepper and steamed it in my bamboo steamer. They tasted quite a bit like fresh trout that way. A little milder in flavor, but nice.

There are actually some frost warnings out in the state tonight:

But not in my area,  though it does make me nervous.  All the white areas are the higher elevations and their valleys, so they get colder there. We are expecting an overnight low of  40 degrees,  which is chilly compared to what we have gotten used to.

I think that is all i wanted to take note of today.

Lots to do....

Since i didn't feel like writing for a couple days, i have some stuff to catch up on.

I need to start taking some pictures too.  I took the cover off all the hoops to do some work under them the other day.  I left off the cover that was over the melon row since the plants have grown quite a bit.
It rained all weekend so the ground is now nicley moist. We even had some tornado warnings yestrerday.  The system that had what was reported to have a funnel cloud actually passed within 5 miles of where we live. So it was a bit surreal for a while watching radar loops and the news station.  We did get some pretty hefty winds and some huge rain drops.  I didn't look under the hoops yet, but the wind only pulled one hoop out of one socket but everything stayed put.

I have a few mail order items to expect in the next week or so. Henry Field's does not have an estimated arrival date with their UPS tracking feature.
My grapes, blueberries and lingonberries are on their way from Stark's, that should b here by Wednesday
Burpee has shipped my weed barrier, but not my grapes yet. But the weed barrier is expected to arrive tomorrow.

My Big Hip roses came in on Friday and they look good. The ebay auction was for 5 plants but it looks like i got 7. Yay!

I did get the corn planted on Friday as planned. Three types.
Incredible,
Stowell's Evergreen
and
Golden Bantam

I planted them in the last half of my Tomato row and it rained shortly after they were planted, so i should see them come up fairly soon.

I need to try and get my stakes in the ground soon, for the grapes.  I don't know if i should dig up the Suffolk Red.  I need to take down the little trellis i made for it to put up my new stuff....  its not going to survive a winter up here.  I think even if i go to heroic lengths to shelter it, it won't ever recover enough to fruit. I might try to keep it in a pot if i can't find a home for it.

I tried to Round up the grass and stuff under the electric fence, but it rained less than 3 hours after i sprayed it.  So i might have to do it all over again today.
I think i'll put the cardboard down too.  I think i will lay that out, plug in the posts and then put the weed barrier right over the cardboard and then plant the grapes.  I hope the cardboard will attract the worms as it breaks down. The area that i plan to put the grapes in looks pretty barren right now so it needs some compost too.  I don't know if i can get the Mantis into it, but i'd like to.

I spent some time trying to decide what trelising method i want to use on the grapes. I'd kind of like to be systematic about it. Make a real plan instead of just plant them and watch them take over everything. My first thought was to do what turns out to be similar to what is called  Four Arm Kniffen.  It looked like the simplest plan, but i guess it is better for some grape types and not so much for others.  I'm having a hard time finding the info on which method is best for which of the grapes i have.  Its been a bit confusing trying to research this.
I have gotten a lot of use out of the charts at Double A Vineyard's site.  The chart recommends Top Wire Cordon for 3 of the four grapes that i am getting. The last wants a Modified Munson. After much research, i know what those are and in finding that i also read that those styles may not be the greatest for cold areas like mine.  These training methods carry the cordons on the topmost wires- and in the winter they are very exposed to cold.  I do not have any desire to lay down these plants each fall, which is why i chose Zone 3-4 hardy vines. Except for Reliance. Hopefully the extra padding of a lower zone will make up for lack of extensive winter protection.  The most i would intend to do is wrap them in burlap or sandwich them with straw bales.

ANyway, the most asthetically pleasing trellis method i have seen is the Low or Mid Wire Cordon. The main part of the vines take on a candelabra shape.  I have read that it is an acceptable method for cold regions since the snow cover will help protect the cordons and in the summer the heat radiating back from the ground is helpful for ripening.

Good thing is that it will take a few years to establish this shape and as long as i don't lose the vines to a harsh winter, i have plenty of time to decide before i am committed to one method.

You Tube has actually been quite helpful in picking up the vocabulary of the world of grapes and also lets me get  an idea of what to look for as the plants grow.

I think we have decided to let the big apple tree go. It looks pretty sad this year. The leaves are small, it has no apples, and its such a mess. I was advised that i could just lop it off at the point where it bends over and it might re-branch itself.  I'd like to try that, but it dosen't solve the issue of the trees being within 4' of eachother.  If the big tree wasn't so thin this year, the little tree wouldn't be getting half the light it is getting now.  If we get the big tree healthy, the little tree will decline.  The little tree is in decent shape so far, so it would be a real shame to let a declining tree ruin a good one.
I think there is a chance if we cut the big one down to a tall stub, i could send it to my parents.  They have an apple tree there that is about to go, this might make a fair replacement once it recovers.  At the very least,  this tree can be stripped of bark and chipped up for smoking meats. It won't go to waste.
I don't know for certain, but with all the wild apples around here, i might not need a second apple as a polinator. I'm not 100% sure-  but i did learn a bit from a Chuck Ingals video i came across that if you don't have a polinator tree, the next best thing is to find another apple tree that is in bloom, pick a few stems and bring them home to your own tree.  It was kind of funny because in the example picture he used (it was a filmed power-point lecture) he had used a vase to hold the bunch of blossoms and had to carefully balance the vase in the branches of the tree. He had laughed at himself because he was asked at a previous lecture why he didn't use a bag of water and just tie it to a branch....  it was amusing.  I'm not exactly sure where someone might get fresh apple blossoms from a distant place, but i could get them from my parents' and maybe a nearby orchard won't object if i ask to carefully pick a few small twigs.  Anyway, it is an option at least until i could get another apple  to blooming size if i discover next year that the wild apples weren't enough.

After a few days of rain, its nice to see the sun out.  We are getting some stiff breezes but the air is warm.
I'm also going to try and get the Grapefruit tree outside. I usually get its summer vacation started a few days earlier than this and the rainy days would have been perfect, but i kept putting it off.  The plant is upstairs in a window and though its not really heavy, the pot and stand is awkward and Grapefruit trees have thorns!

Oh, did i mention that on Friday i also got all my little marigold seedlings planted out in the garden, most of the basil, all the rosemary, the sage, nasturtiums, and all those little odd herb and veggie seedlings from the re-sown onion flat (the ones that had blown over in the greenhouse). I put out the chives too and most of the Welsh onions.  They are perennials like chives, but thicker, white-flowered and more like garlic in flavor. I'm giving some to my parents as well.
I'm also giving my mom most of the perennial seedlings i sowed. I hadn't decided for sure what i was going to do with the front and side flowerbeds at the time i planted the seeds, but by the time we dig out the flowerbeds this fall, it will be too late for the seedlings to get a good grip before winter.  So i hope to plant some at my mom's within the next handful of weeks.  They are gaillardia and ornamental rudbeckia and a couple of the rose root plants.  I might keep the pleurisy root since its more of a wildflower and though i love the half-wild look in most plants, my mom prefers the more refined looking things, so it might not be as welcome in her garden. The rudbeckia would be pushing it if she didn't like the wild ones as much as she does.

I really want to just start ripping the messy flower beds out right now, but i need a more reliable babysitter and stronger pain medicine for that.

My niece, who is now expecting her first baby, helped me dig it out the first time.  I sure wish she was here to play in he dirt with me right now. lol

I have to coordinate prepping the fenceline for the blueberries.  I don't think my soil is quite acidic enough. It seems to be close to neutral, so i want to try and take a few large Rubbermaid type totes to my parents' and load up on fallen pine needles. I could till them in before planting or i could mulch the plants with it.  It shouldn't take much i imagine. I'll have to watch for ticks though!

I still haven't harvested castings from the worm bin yet.
...and i think it might be too late to plant annual seeds and expect much.
I can't say i don't have enough things to do!


****

i just checked my email and i got a note from Stark's.  I won't be getting my Lingonberry this year, they ran out. *sniffle*

They are going to refund me the difference.  I hope i don't get another email telling me they are out of something else i ordered. I can accept the lingonberry, but i can't accept the grapes or blueberries not being available. I may be downright angry if anything else is out of stock, especially after they already told me everything was sent.  I'm bracing myself for more frustration. Grapes take 4 years to bear, i don't need any setbacks.

Of course, the refund of about $10 will allow me to buy a book on grapes through Amazon for Kindle for PC.
 I may order lingonberries again next year if i have enough room, i tend to fill up spaces quickly.  Nature abhors a vacuum, and i have a lot of goji seedlings....and 2 beach plums...

My Grandfather.

My Grandfather passed away on Saturday.  I didn't really want to post about it because it makes it feel too final. I think i need to though,  i don't think it has hit me yet that he is gone. The man has been there for my whole life.  We were very blessed to have had him for so long. He got to be a Great Grandfather many times over.  If we could have had him another 8 months, he would have been here to add another "Great" to his Grandfather title.
But he really was ready to go. He had cancer in a number of organs and had survived impressively with MS since he was 40...  The dear man was plain worn out. It was hard to watch him go, but he really assured us that he was ready and often said that he was often surprised to have gotten this far.  We tried to visit him when we could and he took a huge amount of joy in seeing my little one. My youngest daughter was born on his birthday and i don't know if he could have ever gotten a better birthday present.  I do wish the littlest would have had a chance to get to know him better, i don't think she will be able to remember him from 15 months of age, but as i told my husband, "Grampy makes a great  legend".

I don't feel ready right now to write a lot about this. I also didn't want to start my blog journal again without saying something.  Even if it were a private journal, this page would have been hard to write. I didn't want to not say something either... that just wouldn't be right.

He really inspired my interest in gardening.  He used to grow things like 12' sunflowers that he was quite proud of.  I spent a lot of time with him when i was younger. Much of it was either wandering through the gardens that he and Memere put together, or sitting inside and talking about strawberries and beans and tomatoes and peonies... just everything.  It doesn't sound like much and i'm not a great gardener, but he really was the major influence for my efforts.
To describe him would take days, weeks, months and to put it into a few sentences is not easy. But i didn't want to leave a blank page.
He really was the center of the family.  We revolved around him in many ways. Not just because he had MS and was stuck in a power chair, but he was the main consideration when family gatherings were planned.
Most families gather around the Christmas tree during Christmas parties. We gathered around Grampy.

When i was little and the subject of dying came up (he'd lived through a few heart attacks as i grew up) he never said "buried".  He said when he died he wanted to be "planted".  I liked the way it sounded much better than burying.  It had some expectation to it. When you bury an item, its gone. When you plant something, there is the expectation that something will happen to that which was buried....like a seed.
It reminds me of a couple verses in the Bible... particularly:

1 Th 4:16-17 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

The "dead in Christ" are like seeds, planted and waiting to be raised up...

1 Th 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.


Soon.....we will meet again.

Well, i'll be....

I just got my email notification from Henry Field's. My Fig plant has been shipped.  Yay.  On a Friday.

Its funny cause i just checked into my account on Wednesday (i think) to see what was up. Last i knew it was supposed to be shipped around a week ago. I'll have to check to be sure,  but anyway, last time i checked the ship date was for the middle of this month and i was too irritated to even bother saying anything about it.  But this morning i get a ship notification.  I have not gotten a tracking number yet, but a number appears on my HF's website account... but its the number for my already-delivered citrus assortment.

Well, hopefully all goes well and they are sending me a nice plant.
So far the Meyer Lemon and the Key Lime are looking good, the Venous Orange is struggling... The leaves that were curling when it arrived have fallen off and the wind actually blew it out of its pot the other day, so i plunked it back in and put a small bamboo stick against it to prop it up. It seems to be no worse for the wear due to that. It seems to be simply hanging on.

My Big Hip Roses should be delivered today, i got them from one of Oikos Tree Crops' eBay auctions. Five plants for $20, shipping included.   The tracking page states that the package is out for delivery.

My Stark's order is scheduled to be shipped this coming Monday.  That has my grapes, blueberries and lingonberries.
Burpee has not sent me a ship estimate yet. They have my Edelweiss grapes and that weed barrier fabric.

I finished the "Food Drying" book. It was quite useful to read, many recipes for using your dried items and of course, the instructions on how to dry them.
I was particularly interested in the dry soup mixes. Soup is so convenient when you have a bunch of things on hand that need to be used, but not a lot of time to babysit a frying pan or an oven.  You can put anything in a soup.  I have.  Radishes and lettuce work surprisingly well in soup.

I'm also wondering if i slice eggplant into long strips and use them in a casserole (without rehydrating them) if they would make a great noodle substitute in a lasagna.  I have tried doing a low starch lasagna  using savoy cabbage or fresh zucchini slices in place of the noodles, but it ends up being watery and the cabbage and zucchini have no cling or body.  I hope dried eggplant will absorb juices and stay just a tad firm through the cooking process.  Hopefully my Slim Jim plants will do me a favor and produce a lot so i can experiment.

I am going to plant corn today. I have to.  I have to do some real weeding too and direct sow some herbs.
And lay out some cardboard.

Weather

It rained off and on most of Tuesday, yesterday it was cloudy much of the day with heavy fog overnight. It seemed to be raining at times, but it was so humid that the trees were catching the fog and they were dripping. But it wasn't really rain.
This morning we still have that heavy fog. It is pleasantly warm, not so warm that it is uncomfortably muggy and not a chilly type of cool.
Its not the most cheering of weather, but i'm fine with it because we really need to have the moisture.
I was getting tired of dragging out the hose.

The fennel was up as of yesterday- this is the bulbing type.  I need to get out there and do some real weeding so i can start interplanting some herb seeds. If i don't weed well, i may accidentally weed out my herb seedlings once they sprout.

Where i visited the library yesterday i came back with a few books. So i have plenty to read. I got some books on food preservation like "Food Drying" by Phyllis Hobson.  I would like to dehydrate some of my leavy green produce to powder and use as a sprinkle over fresh salads and meats.  I like the idea that dried foods don't need electricity to be stored.  I have a vacuum sealer setup and i save glass jars (much to hubby's dismay) so i am pretty much ready to go when my garden is.

Here comes some rain now.  I think the dog would like to come in. We have her under a shade tree, but no actual house for her yet.
************

Back to books.

I also got "Carrots Love Tomatoes"  by Louise Riotte
I did a lot of interplanting research, but when it came to planting time i was too overwhelmed and i simply used GrowVeg to make sure i had room and plunked in whatever i thought was ready and safe to go in.
I know i have a few things next to each other that may compete according to the interplanting principles.  I don't know if the issues will be dramatic- failure to thrive, or if i am simply missing out on some optimum productivity, i guess i will find out. But if i read the book, i might bet a better understanding of the reasons for the method, more than i got from a quick scan of suggestion charts that i found scattered about online.

I also took out "The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest" by Carol W. Costenbader
It said on the cover that it has pickling recipes. I'd also like to see more preservation techniques. I almost bought this book used at Amazon but i wasn't sure i'd need it, so i am glad my library has it.

I wonder if i am going to have to preserve anything from my garden this year...  Tomatoes i am sure (i planted out about 10 plants when 4 usually cover us), but i wonder about other things.  I think if i actually follow up on succession plantings, i will.  We (I) use so many onions i think i should plant an entire row next year. I only put in 20 of each, red and white, this year to trial them.

Part of the reason i am not sure is from the charts i read in "Root Cellaring" .  One of the parts of the book (its all good) that i found to be the most informative for my immediate needs was the chapter on how much food to to cellar for a family of 4.
I don't know if my little garden can produce that much, lol!

Here is the chart:

Beets: 1-2 bushels (i had room to plant about 20)
Carrots: 2-3 bushels (i planted a 4x4 bed)
Cabbage: about 30 heads (i have room to plant 6 at a time)
Brussels Sprouts: yield from  10-20 plants in the garden (i planted 6)
Chinese Cabbage: 20-30 heads
Celery: 10-20bunches
Turnips or Rutabagas: 10-20 plants (i have that)
Sweet Potatoes- 2 bushels (this is not a sweet potato growing area anyway)
Irish Potatoes 6-14 bushels
Squash and Pumpkins 30-40 fruits (this i could do that)
Onions: 1-2 bushels
Parsnips- 1-2 bushels
Salsify: 1/2-1 bushel
Garlic: as desired (they suggest a 25' row with width enough for 4 sets across) about 8# yield

Its a great guideline, but for some things i have room for less than half.  I'm not freaking out or anything, but i am beginning to fully appreciate the need for full productivity in a garden. Right now we don't need to rely on ours in earnest, but i would like to get it to the level that takes it beyond a hobby garden. My hubby works hard and i'd like some physical proof of my work too since i am home. I'd also like it to be a safety net of sorts if it becomes necessary.  I have a way to go there. lol

Oh, i did also love their suggested storage plants list and was happy to see that they listed Pinetree Garden Seeds as a resource for some of them. I went ahead and researched how many of the recommended plants Pinetree has the seeds for and i set up an example order to go from next year so i don't have to do it again:

Along those lines i also got "How to Live on Almost Nothing and Have Plenty" by Janet Chadwick
I'm not sure how useful it will be since it assumes i live where town zoning at least allows chickens.
You know, i am only about 3 blocks away from where zoning allows chickens. Any idea how annoyed i am about that?   Anyway, the book should at least be informative and interesting.

If i do anything outside today, i might just spread around some slug bait.

I did manage to remember to buy a second hose-end sprayer. I needed a second one because i an using the first one for Bonide (fruit tree spray) and the other one i need for using my home made beer-based fertilizer and for using worm tea as a foliar spray.  I got the Miracle Gro brand sprayer with the 3 different spray options. It came with a full tank of that blue fertilizer granules. So i guess i will use that up first then  go in with my home made ferts.

I found that Burpee carries the Edelweiss grapes and a 20 year weed barrier fabric.  I think i should get both of them soon.  I will have to decide how i plan to put the grapes up. Probably the post and wire method.
As a friend suggested, i think i will smother the weeds with cardboard first and then set up the posts and wires, apply the weed barrier then plant.

I think that covers it for the day.

Book search help request.

I read a particular book a fair amount of time ago and i enjoyed it enough that i often think about it. I would like to find it again, but i don't remember the title and have no clue about the author except that the author was a man. As far as i can remember, the book was nonfiction and it was not really a journal, maybe it could be called a memoir.  It was probably written before the 1970's... possibly in the 1950's. 
It was an old hardcover book, maybe green fabric binding...  it was found at the local library, which has been rearranged to the point that i don't know that i would know where to look for it. I remember where it was shelved, but its not setup that way anymore. The Librarians there did try to help me find it, but after combing through the area where books on similar topics were kept, we didn't find it...  they said it is possible that if it hadn't been checked out in 8-10 years it may have been culled. *sniffle*  They could probably find it from another location if i can find Author or Title at least.
Anyway, it was about the author's decision to basically get away from society as it was then - rat race, impersonal, etc.  He had a few acres out someplace (maybe Ohio???)  i don't remember, but it was north where it snowed. He put some affairs in order, i think he bought some basic tools and off he went.
He either made himself a cabin from scratch or there was an existing structure that he had to repair...  anyway, i remember he had to dig a latrine and had trouble with his ditching system....   He came across as a cranky soul and i think he left a wife behind, but i'm not sure. But i do know that he didn't go with any family. I think he did have a neighbor stop in once or twice with some supplies from town. Things like lard, candles, maybe a spade....  maybe reading material?
I think his outhouse got washed out once as well.... 

....he may have had a pig at one time, or i'm confusing that with another  tale.... 
i think he had to make bread with acorns too--  or i am mixing that up too.  i read a lot of this sort of stuff, it gets confusing with this much time away.

It was  an interesting story. Much like the story i saw a couple times on PBS, the guy who went to Alaska and set himself up there. I'd like to find that too...  but they are different stories...(Alone In The Wilderness/One Man's Wilderness)... i actually saw the PBS one shortly after i read the book and thought for a few minutes that it was the same story, but it wasn't.

We found a few similar titles/themes from women and one geared toward kids... and on Amazon i did see one with Elk in the title and maybe another one about Alaska...

I notice a number of visits to this blog, but few comments....which is OK,  but if any one of you out there ever happens to come across or recognize the book by this skeletal description, please post a reply. I would be so grateful! :o)

Cultured Butter

Oh, yes.  I was reading something somewhere about my "French Breakfast"  radishes.  I understand that they are commonly served for breakfast (no real surprise) with butter (woah) on them...  i think i twitched when i read butter.  I usually have mine with salt.  Butter and fresh radishes never occurred to me as a logical combination, i'm still not sure. But since i live on a carbohydrate-controlled eating plan,  butter is my friend not my enemy.
So i did some research.  It seems that it is true, and its not usually just butter, (though that is acceptable) it is made into a sort of open faced sandwich. Bread is buttered and then thin slices of radish are placed on top to be enjoyed. Well i won't bother with the bread so i'm still intrigued and making  a mental note.  I figured there must be something particular about the butter because even though i want to like the idea, something is simply not clicking.

The key may be that the butter commonly used is not the butter we in the US are used to. Cultured butter seems is supposedly what is used and over here its unusual, over there it is apparently the commonest type.

So, up for a search for how to make this at home. It can't be that hard...

And it really isnt:


Full fat yogurt and heavy cream are all that is needed. Maybe some salt.

I have all that!


One quart of heavy cream mixed with 1/3 cup of full fat yogurt...

Mine is  frozen in cubes because whole, plain yogurt only comes in big containers and i only use it to make more yogurt.
Use a very clean container.  I'll be using the Pyrex measuring cup that i measured the quart of cream into.


Mix the milk and yogurt well (after it thaws), but don't beat it in.

Cover and let it sit someplace warm for about 24 hours.
I decided, since it was cool last night, to use my yogurt incubator. I understand anything over 70-75 degrees F is good enough.

It should look thicker the next day, like yogurt does after incubation...

Cut the thick top with a whisk and stir to make sure it is all smooth

Now its time to make butter. Well, not quite. I decided to chill the culture because butter gets really soft at warm weather room temperature and i have "churned" butter before. It goes easier if everything is at least chilled.
I didn't take a picture of that part. ;o)
So, on to the churning. 
Since i saved a large pickle jar for this, i can shake it and roll it.  It takes a while, but if you pawn part of the task off on your kids it will go faster. (You could use a blender set on low speed i guess, but what would be the fun in that?)

And, shake, roll, slosh until it starts to grain...once that happens things go faster and you might not even notice the grainy stage. I tried to get a picture, but i can't really see that the camera caught it.

The butter will happen suddenly. Its almost like a magic trick,  give it a few more shakes to compact the clump of butter.

Strain the buttermilk out and save that for other yummy uses. (hmmm, pancakes, biscuits...a soak for pieces of chicken destined to be battered and fried)
My hands were too buttery to photo this part...

Rinse your butter with very cold water until all the buttermilk is out- or the buttermilk will spoil and make the butter taste rancid.

Taste it and salt lightly if you like.

Cultured butter and buttermilk.... Now those radishes need to grow!!!

Since its another cool day, i'm going to be making beef jerky with ground beef.  I use ground beef because it is so much cheaper than any steak i can get, even chuck and london broil are ridiculously expensive.
But that isn't really an exciting or unusual enough activity to blog about. But that is the activity of the day.
I'm too achy to plant corn like i wanted to.

An interesting giveaway.

I don't normally do this sort of post, but this is a website and product resource that is well within my interests.  They are also giving away a fascinating looking  DVD set of Home Craftyskills lessons , aka: Homemaking , from http://franklinsprings.com/

So i will share their site (giveaway) here:
 
Raising Homemakers

Just spent most of my "allowance" on some berry plants!

I went to Stark Brothers' online, i have been getting their catalogs for years but never got to get anything from them before.

I got Lingonberries, Patriot blueberries, Blueray blueberries, Frontenac grapes, Marechal Foch grapes and Frontenac grapes.  I still want Edelweiss grapes, but its going to be hard to find them since the only grape vineyard/nurseries i found that carry them want to do 25 vine minimum orders.  I don't have room for 6 vines, much less 25. No room to hold and then resell either.

Maybe i can get in on a large order with someone in the Gardenweb community. I think i have seen people do that before.  They get together, make an order and have it shipped to a trustworthy ringleader who distributes them to the recipients and shipping is reimbursed.

Or i will have to make do with the 3 grapes i have just ordered....  which won't be all that bad, really. (!!!)  I only got one of each in case they don't do well here, i won't be out  more than the 3.

We have gotten some decent rain so far today, enough to make some big puddles. So that is a relief.  Lots of thunder storms in the state but they are all skirting my area and it looks like that will be all the rain we get for the next 24-48 hours.

Hoping for rain.

We aren't getting  a lot of rain so far this year, so i really hope to get a good bit today. I'm not a big fan of having to use the hose so often, if we had well water it would be different. My dad is looking into getting me a couple 55 gallon drums we can use to catch roof runoff from the shed to use in the garden.
But it looks like the rain that is heading towards us is going to be hit-or-miss (and drying up before it gets here) and maybe amount to about a half inch.  But the sun not being strong today and little to no breeze, means less drying out.  Nothing in the garden seems to be suffering from the dryness and the part of the yard we haven't done anything with yet just looks dusty.
I'm making cultured butter today, since its a hands-off project i can be doing other things until its time to *churn* the cream.

I still have not started the annual flowers i wanted to have. I think there is just about enough time if i get that done in the next 3 days or so.

I am waiting on some "Big Hip Roses" from Oikos Tree Crops this week. I ordered them off their eBay store. 5 of them for $20 shipping included.  I hope to plant them on the outside of our fence that runs along the road.  Its all barren and dusty there and it needs something to keep the kids from leaning on the fences and snooping through the cracks.  Hopefully i can use the petals for rosewater and other interesting things like rose petal beads and such.  The plants should be able to handle being covered in snow from the plow.

I need to get some sort of heavy duty landscape fabric so i can smother out the weeds and grass from the inside of the fence where i plan to put the berry plants. I think i should get that going now.  Especially after it rains, if its wet under the fabric, it will steam the weeds faster and the worms will love the cooked plants. I think.

I have things to do today, but if the rain holds off or even if it doesn't i will try to plant  sweet corn later on today.

Long weekend

We were away too much to do anything gardenwise, but i did get to look things over and take a few pictures. The Roma tomatoes don't look like they ever endured a frost.
 The weeds are starting to really ramp up too.

The brassica row has grown noticeably.

Its been dry though. We have been watering and i'm sure the covers are helping too.  I think the Parsnips are sprouting, the radishes are almost 6 inches tall now.

This coming week is supposed to be warm and it is almost 100% certain to rain tomorrow and the rest of the week looks like half the days are going to be rainy. We could use it so i won't complain.

I planted the Zsa Zsa peppers today, they acclimated to full sun over the weekend and did well, i also planted the Graffiti Claulflower and the Bubbles Brussels sprouts. The cauli and the brussels had just begun to sprout last week , but they were  drying out too fast in the flats so i put them in the rows before i lost them entirely.

The Salsify are looking good, no seciond leaves yet, but they are giant seed leaves.

While i was gone, hubby said the cover over the cukes and melons kept blowing off. They did get some flea beetle damage where they were exposed the most, but it does not look too bad at all.  The bush beans also sprouted, i think the rutabagas and beets are too, but i had to get back inside before i could check closer  to be sure.

Oh, and i put in the Siberia and Empire tomato plants, got the clothes bar rack things in there too...  i don't think they will work great, but they will be better than nothing.

The rest of the seedlings will go to my parents' garden, if they have time to come get them and then plant them. I don't know if they have had time to get their garden ready much past tilling it.

Other than sweet corn...  my planting is done.  I will do  that this week.

Well, maybe a few lettuce seeds will go in.

Weeding is next.

Lilac Wine, part 3

I got the wine in the secondary, the glass carboy.  It has a nice blush shade to it. It is rather cloudy but that will settle out with frequent transferring.
I took some pictures but i don't have time to post them, i will edit them in later.  I mainly wanted to record the activity so i know what days to count from for the next steps.
So far the taste is pleasant, apple like , slightly bitter... i have no idea if that goes away as it continues to ferment, age and such. There is also a pleasant floral scent, it seems to retain that, it still does not quite smell like lilacs, but its nice anyhow.  Maybe the scent will concentrate when its bottled and the vapors won't be vented through airlocks.
So far things seem to be going well.

Finally...!

The carrots are up!

I was not expecting anything interesting  to happen when i went out to check if anything needed water, so i did not take pictures. But i did look up some carrot sprout pictures yesterday and due to the regular spacing of the sprouts in the plot, i am sure they are my carrots.  I planted them on the 11th, so i guess they are right about on time- within the 14-20 day period they are said to. I'm just used to seeds with that time frame popping up for me within a handful of days.
Still no love from the parsnips. But i am happy enough about the carrots. Funny thing is that i recently made up my mind to plant something else there by the middle of next week if they did not come up.  That must have scared them straight.

Very pleasant weather today. Sunny and a little breeze, temperatures in the high 70's. But we really do need rain. We never got any of the thunderstorms that the weather forecasters expected, it even fooled my weather module and my leg.

Oh, and  i think a local farmer is manuring  his fields right about now. It carries on the breeze. A very bovine aroma.  First i have smelled it this year. It truly is Spring planting time.  Glad it doesn't bother me like it does some people, i grew up around farming areas and it could get quite pungent. But nothing like when the pogies come ashore in Harpswell.  That is close to unbearable!

Amazing

its suddenly gone to 62 degrees,  after a full day close to, if not into, the 90's, its a sudden shock.  no visible thunderstorms forming, but the front is definitely moving through. the temps are not forecast to tumble past  52 degrees overnight.

this should be a comfortable night for sleeping if the breeze stays gentle

8am. 89 degrees already according to NWS
My weather center gadget is saying its 84.2 in out yard right now. We have a nice breeze that comes through the windows so it isn't horrible.
We didn't get any severe weather, rain or Tstorms yesterday.  I wonder how hot it will get today.

I need to get the Zsa Zsa pepper seedlings acclimated to outdoor life. We will likely be out and about for the long weekend and i will probably forget them. Usually this is the big planting weekend for this area. Everyone hits the garden center and its a one-time gardening glut all at once.
I think i'm glad i was able to start so early this year.

I do have one concern though, i read the blog of a lady who is about a zone South of me (Skippy's Vegetable Garden) and she just posted an entry yesterday about her broccoli buttoning.  She said it was possibly from them getting too warm too fast or being left in the seed flats too long.  So i wonder if i can expect a similar result.  I had my broccoli in 2.5# ground beef trays.  They are almost the same size, volume and dimension as the brown pulp trays i used to get my seedlings in when i went to the nursery.  I tried to keep them out of the greenhouses so they wouldn't get too hot. I don't know if they did get too hot when i kept them out, they only went under cover when frost was expected.
Its something to watch for.
Broccoli usually continues to head from the sides for a while, maybe that is what hers will do and hopefully mine would too.

The breezes feel nice.


I planted  some Germander seeds the other day and they are up now.

I took the seedling flats out from under the covers. I couldn't see them well enough to make sure they weren't drying out. Since they are in small cells, it will happen fast if i don't pay attention.
I told my parents to take the extras, they will probably do that sometime next week.

School is almost over now. One more day to go. Our school gets out about 2 weeks ahead of the public school.  We don't do the 'early out' day that the public schools do, so even if we have a bad winter and school gets canceled due to snow storms we end up with an abundance of  total classroom hours. So that translates into a longer Summer vacation for our kids. My daughter says that the extra 2 weeks is a fair trade for the uniform code. 

I'm trying to figure out how long to keep the row covers on in the garden.  In normal years, they would be needed right now.  But its so warm out that the heat advantage isn't really necessary.  The bug advantage is what i'm leaning on now.  I'm not sure how this will balance out.   I think it is likely that it will cool down.  We normally only get 14-30 days of temperatures above 86 degrees in my area.  Many of those happen at the end of June through the middle of August.  So, um, yeah... this year is weird.
There are different types of row cover fabric. Mine is the grade that is supposed to help moderate temperatures in the garden. It lets through 85% of sunlight, holds in moisture and does not block rain. Maybe it is moderating the temps inside... i have never put a thermometer on garden soil before, so maybe it stays cooler in there than it does on the outside soil surface.  I remember the garden's surface soil being so hot in the summer that it felt like it was burning my bare feet. I know plants can handle surface temperatures like that to some extent....  My parents never watered their garden unless it was just after planting or it was super dry for a long time.
My Reemay cover is comparable to Agribon-19 according to my local Paris Farmer's Union (without the bells and whistles of seams and possibly without the UV stabilizers), and here is the description of what the Ag-19 does:

High quality spun-bonded polypropylene cover is light enough (0.55 oz./sq.yd.) to be laid directly over plants without hoops or frames but strong enough to withstand light to moderate wind and other stress. No need to remove it during the season because it is porous to water and air and has 85% light transmittance. It provides up to 4°F of frost protection, warms the soil and is a good pest barrier. It also conserves water by reducing evaporation. It is similar to other rowcovers but generally longer lasting. UV stabilizers increase expected field life to 2 to 3 seasons.

Agribon™ rowcovers have all the qualities of other brands, while being more affordable and with seams double-bonded for ultra-strength.  These floating rowcovers increase yields, prolong seasons, reduce soil erosion, protect against frost, speed up germination, minimize wind damage, conserve soil moisture, deter insects and birds and protect against extreme temperatures.   source

That is what i remember reading when i first decided to So,  i'm just not going to worry about the inside temps anymore.  I'll still look and write it down, but i won't worry about venting the ends anymore.

I had found and read a few PDF papers on tomato and squash growing under various row covers while i was researching it. The studies used slitted plastic, Ag-19 and a type of grow mesh that is fairly common in other countries (and is expensive to get over here).  The plastic was slitted for obvious reasons, the mesh didn't need slitting and i don't remember there being mention of venting the Ag-19 at all.



So second-guessing is over for now, lol.


I did some research on grapes and this article was very helpful  Grapes for the North

The University of Minnesota's page was also very helpful. Many of the grapes in that article were developed by UofM and the UofM site lists licensed sellers of their varieties (and others') of wine, juice and table grapes. There are a lot of commercial growers, but there are also some vineyards that are willing to sell retail in small amounts...  not sure if they are willing to sell as small as me, since i can only have maybe 2 or 3 of any one kind, and only 5 kinds at the most. But around the middle of this winter i will be emailing my questions.


These seem to be my choices:

Vailant (purple)

Frontenac (purple)

Edelweiss (white)

Kay Gray (white)

Niagra (white)

Catawba (red)

Swenson Red (red)

I'll see what i have room for if my berry seeds go anywhere.






For blueberries, i think i'll try "Patriot" next Spring.





I'm looking into how much room thornless blackberries would take.

Ack

Its really hot. 89.8
So i put out a couple loads of laundry to dry and opened the ends of the rows to ventilate when the temperature monitor read 100. Luckily the humidity is low so the heat is not quite as bad as it could feel... unless you are standing right in the sun or working in it.

Being the sweltering day that it is, i went for an indoor project.

I saved a few containers from store bought sushi, they looked like they would be useful for something!

They have these grooves in the bottom that  make great little moats so when used for chitting, the seeds aren't standing in water, but they should stay moist.

And they have clear lids that snap on almost snug

I use napkins, they are moderately thick.

I just cut them to size in one stack then wet them and press out the excess.

Wet but not quite dripping seems to work for me.

Toothpick dipped in water

Huckleberry seeds are small

Some people scatter their seeds, i can't.  I have done this before by putting the seeds in a wet paper towel then folding it and putting them in a plastic bag with a label. But i can't see whats going on and i usually miss it until the roots are out and have to be pulled from the paper.
This way i can see what is going on and i can pull any seeds before they have emerged too far.  If they need darkness i can cover them with a small piece of heavy fabric.

Labeled and ready for a fortnight vacation in the Amana.

Did a few more assorted trays of seeds.

I had taken a few pictures of the garden. Just weeds so far where the carrot seeds were planted.  I need to look up a picture of what carrot seedlings look like right after they germinate. So i can weed things a bit.

This row looks like something actually is planted.

Tomato row.

This is one of the Roma tomatoes that got frosted. Its making it back very well.

I tried to get a good shot of Melon Row, but its just not wide enough. Sometimes the wind will billow out the cover and i can see straight down the row, but it was too calm this morning.

I sort of cheated on the cucumbers normally i do one set of 3 per hill, but i ran out of hills. So doubled them up. We like tiny cucumbers so hopefully it works out.

They look so tiny,  if things grow right the comparison pics later in the year should be pretty dramatic. :0)

The Goji seeds sprouted like crazy but they grow super slow.

 

 My little weather unit says its going to rain.  Nothing on the radar according to the NOAA's  National Weather Service page and nothing i can see at Weatherunderground's live radar.  Lots of white puffy clouds though.

Expecting a hot day

Under the hoops this morning at about 6:30 the temperature was 67, outside temp was 62.

Expected to be unusually hot, some forecasters are calling for low 90's.  Others are staying at 87-89.
Its already 74 at 8:00am

I have the dog outside under her shade tree. I'd like her to get her outside time in now, cause she'll want to nap the rest of the day on the cool kitchen tiles.
We have air conditioners, but i don't like to use them much.  The cold from them is too direct, and once i turn it on, outside becomes even more intolerable.

On the weather maps, our state is mostly in red for severe weather (depending on what channel you watch),  I am right on the edge of a red and yellow zone. If we are going to get storms, i hope they bring some rain. I expect that the row covers will protect my plants from a heavy rain.  I may not be happy to see if they hold up under hail,  but if they get a test today, i have plenty left to rebuild as long as the plants don't get whipped. I don't really expect that to happen though.

I still want to try and do something in the garden today. I might end up just lifting the edges of the covers so things don't cook under there...  mid 80's got the undercover temps to almost 100...  90's will put it well over that i expect.  Little to no breezes are expected.
I'm glad i watered yesterday, if i hadn't i bet things would be try as toast by tonight.

Watering...

I dragged out the oscillating sprinkler today. It got to around 86F up here. Under the hoops it read 99.5

I hope that is going to be ok. I don't think it will cook the veggie plants where they stand.  But i watered to cool things down a bit and since the air has been very dry- humidity about 28%- so i am letting it run for a while.
I looked underneath and it seems like things are growing quite happily from what i can see. I didn't have time to really pull up all the covers and check each row- that is the only problem so far with the covers. Its an extra step just to see what is growing.  But they only need to be there for the first handful of weeks until the plants get big enough to fight off pests and hopefully miss a breeding cycle or two. Then they'll on again in the fall when i hope they will extend the season past the first few frosts.

I'm considering some sort of drip irrigation system.  Something that can be installed and left under the hoops and stay there all summer. Maybe i will look into it throughout the winter. I sure don't need to be testing anymore ideas in the garden this year.

But i do have a better idea for my tomato trellising.  Right now i have some standard cages, but i am short at least 4, maybe 6, so i need something else. I do have a pair of clothes racks that i bought cheap- but they didn't work... The footings were not strong enough and the whole unit falls over when i put stuff on it-  But with the footing removed, it is a  metal structure made of 1/2" tubes that i should be able to push into the ground and tie some trellis twine to. I may have 2 of them i can use. . that might be just about enough for the last tomatoes. So i have to remember to try and see where i put  it when i took it apart, and where i put the second one that never made it out of the packaging.

I hoped to run another strand of wire on the fence today, but i don't think i will be able to get to it.  I need to remember to take the time for it next chance i get.
I also need to find some sort of venturi attachment for the hose so i can run some liquid fertilizer through it for when i water. I have seen some that attach inline to the hose and you just put the tube in your fertilizer concentrate container and it sips it as the hose is watering.  I just have to find out what they are called and what types exist, then either order my choice or look for it at a local shop.

The Weather.

The forecast for this week is just amazing.
 High 80's Tuesday and Wednesday, low chance of rain, overnight lows as high as 62 (Tuesday night).
I hope we do get a few thunder storms Tuesday night, we will need the rain. Only 30% chance of showers on Friday.
I don't plan to plant anything today. House stuff to do and gardening chores will likely be held to watering only.
Only thing left to plant is corn and some slow Brussels sprout seedlings anyway.
The Zsa Zsa pepper seedlings appear to be cooperating. They remind me of a teenager rolling out of bed in the morning.  Of 6 peat pellets, 5 have come up. Still, there were 2 seeds in each and most of them only have one seedling.

I have to run a couple more strands on the electric fence, just to make sure i discourage any over-and-under visitors, completely.

8:30 am and its 67 degrees already.