Garden 2016 let's get this thing going.

I feel like I'm really behind in terms of the garden this year. It's already May and there's NOTHING done! Well... not nothing, the compost is spread and the ground has just been tilled. Now it's time for the really hard work. Building the rows.

check out the before (top two) and after (bottom two). Huge difference!

Enjoy the garden while you can girls, you're getting fenced out. 

This year we opted for a tractor and harrow instead of just rototilling. My goodness, what a difference! The soil is so smooth! We have heavy clay, this year it was better but still very heavy. I added compost and that helped. I might add sand next year but that's not even worth thinking about yet.


Now for the hard work, building rows, then landscape fabric, planting and drip irrigation. I'm going to use straw in-between the rows. It'll break down quickly, help keep the weeds under control and it's cheap.

We've been doing a lot of work outside and with each step of each project I want to do more. More more more!We have a few more fence panels to put up. I'm like to run them out to the field, but we might just stop where the long grass starts. We'll see what happens.

In case you're wondering what our garden looked like last year, here's a few highlights (The first tilling and what it looked like by July)

I can't wait until I have more produce than I know what to do with!
Are you growing anything this year? Tell me about it! I love to know what other people are doing!

Pickles fail.

So, this is what happened. A handful of my jars of pickles went a bit wonky. I'm certain it was all from the same batch.

Obviously something was off, the jars either didn't seal properly, weren't heated thoroughly, the ph was off or they came unsealed. Either way the bottoms of the jar turned milky, the lids popped up, as soon as the rings were loosened the tops popped open and fizzed. All roads point to fermented. It happens. Toss them and try again next year.

I'm constantly checking for sunken tops, turning them over and checking the brine. If there is ever a doubt about something, just throw it away. There is all kinds of yuck that can grow in those sealed jars. Don't open them and give em a taste to see if they're off. Just say no! Milky Brine, popped up lids, wonky color. Toss em!

 You can see the tiny bubbles in the top photo and the larger ones on the bottom. This is not was is supposed to happen! Sure, it sucks and is a waste but it's better than poisoning yourself.

Next year I'll be a bit more careful, making sure to wipe every top and check the rings sooner. Lesson learned.

Pickled zucchini and yellow squash. Holy moly so good.

You may remember I mentioned canning a few weeks ago. Well, I cracked open a jar and oh boy! They were delicious! I made some more and actually remembered to take some photos. We still have a ton of squash and zucchini but the plants have slowed down their production and I've started to make a dent in what we have. Now we have a new monster to deal with. Spaghetti squash.

I didn't end up using all of these squash, but I think I used about 8 of each. I used my mandolin on the thickest setting and went to work. I did all the slicing while the jars were boiling and the brine was brining. 

After slices the veggies and boiling the jars and lids, I filled the bottom of each jar with around 2 cloves on diced garlic, a heaving teaspoon on pickling spices and a heaping tea spoon of dried dill. I'm waiting for my dill seeds to arrive to make more pickles this week. 

After stuffing the jars in and attempting to make them pretty on came the brine. 1 cup water, 1 cup vinegar and 1.5 tablespoons of salt brought to a boil. 

A quick 5 minute boil in a water bath and easy-peasy pickles are done! Next time I'm going to run the jars through the dishwasher on the sanitizer cycle, boiling them just takes too darn long! I spend most of the my time boiling jars.

I don't know what I waited so long to try canning! I think I'm hooked! I'm picking up more jars this week and going to try my hand at pasta sauce and doing something with the enormous cauliflower heads. I have a mountain of cucumbers that need pickling too. Check out the recipe and some tips on the kitchen, I used their brine recipe and the spices as a guide.

I'm off to snack!

First time canning pickles

Our garden is if full production mode. We have a ton of cucumbers and zucchini, maybe not quite a ton but a lot. A few hundred pounds I'm sure. I've been baking, shredding, and cooking everyday and barely making a dent. I need to pick up a new Grandma skill!

It's time I learned to pickle. Yesterday I followed the directions from the Kitchn . It was really easy. I found the whole process of canning a bit intimadating before getting started. Lots of "What
If" questions. What if the cans don't seal, what if they aren't good, what if I do it wrong. "What's ifs" be gone! I read the directions, check a few other sources to double check what I was unsure of and dove in. I can't wait for these babies to be ready. I'll admit I probably didn't choose the best cucumbers. I have pickers in the garden ready to go but used what was in the house already. I didn't use dill seeds or whole garlic cloves, I used what I had on hand. I will, however, order dill seeds for the next batch and a filler funnel.

I made a batch of fridge pickles from zucchini as well. We'll see what happens.

Do you can? What's your favorite technique, resources, recipes? I'm so eager to learn and try more!