Planning 2012 Garden Part Two

Backyard Raised Beds!

Since I was writing about our plans for this year's garden, I found I could not do it all in one post. So to continue from where I left off, I had to write more. You see our garden is one very important part of our homestead. In fact, if we moved to a piece of land to build a house, the very first thing we would do is to put our garden in or prepare our garden area for the future garden. I always say "water, food, a roof over our heads and heat in that order."

Pumpkins In 2010!

Pumpkins is something we love and eat all year, if I have enough to can. My pumpkin plants didn't start last year. I make a lot of pumpkin pies or pumpkin bread as those are my husband's favorites. I really need to increase the amount of pumpkins that come up. So far, I only get one or two on each plant.

Hot Peppers!

Hot peppers are another of our favorites here. This year though I am looking to reproduce the ones I like for the store, so will be buying new seeds for those. They seem to produce a lot on each plant and I like that.

Green Bell Peppers!

Green bell peppers is one of my favorites also. These are really good. But some years I have grown them and had beautiful plants, but no peppers. I don't know why that happens, but I will be increasing the number of plants I grow of these also.

Our First Time Broccoli Plants Grew Good Last Year!

Last year we tested an area to see if I could get broccoli to come up. I read where someone said anyone could grow it. So I thought I'd try. Broccoli without doubt, is a favorite here too. Never could grow enough to preserve some. I'd like to try dehydrating some though.

Cherry Tomato Plants Growing Wild!

Our cherry tomatoes have been coming up on their own in our back raised bed. Don't have to plant them, they just come up. So I will leave them be. They do not get the Late Blight, so for some reason it doesn't affect them. This is an heirloom plant that I planted when I first moved here.

Potato Plants

Potatoes is a plant that I can grow! If I have room for it, it will come up with no problem. One year, I had almost all our beds full of them. My parents have always grown their own and stored them in their root cellar. So I know the value of the potato. I'd like to try growing them in straw. Potatoes is a food that you can eat in so many ways. It is worth growing and can be grown in little spaces too.

Kale grew good too!

Kale is a plant I like. It even grew under the snow and we ate it as a salad green in the winter. Liked that about it. I still have some that I canned. It is a good addition to soups and casseroles. It is very healthy so you should at least try it.

One of our lettuce and salad greens bed!

Lettuce grows good for us. I pick it daily for our salad and the next day it has grown back. I plan on adding two more beds of lettuce this year. We eat tons of salads all year. It is something I have always done.

Pale Gray Hopi Squash

Pale Gray Hopi Squash is a winter squash I almost forgot to put on this list! I will be growing it and hopefully will get more this time. We liked it and it can be stored fresh or canned. This is an heirloom plant. I was so fortunate enough to have a Homesteading Today member send me some free seeds! I have treasured them ever since.

The Jurassic Bed.......giant plants grow here!

This list is still not complete. I will be adding the foods I did not grow and show you what my final list will be before I order any seeds I do not have. I will also do a list of the fruits too. Need to add more of them as we do not grow enough. If it wasn't for the wild ones, we'd be fruitless! What are your gardening plans for this year? Please share!

Copyright © 2012 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2012  Kathleen G. Lupole

Canning Pickled Hot Peppers

Peppers came in great this year!

This year my peppers came in really good. I grew five plants of hot peppers and two of bell peppers. The hot peppers came in plentiful. I could not believe my eyes! This has to be my best year yet for peppers and squash, both kinds, winter and the summer varieties. It was a good gardening year starting with a very gentle spring for a change. I had started most of my plants inside around April first. I got a head start on most plants by doing that, especially the squash. I will do that from now on.

One little bell pepper showing here!

I picked a basket full and then realized I did not have the proper gloves. You MUST wear gloves, like plastic ones, so that the juice cannot seep through when cooking or preparing them for canning. They are VERY hot and can burn your skin! My husband says it is weird that something you must protect your hands from when handling, you will put into your mouth and eat. Yes, it is! My son and I took a bite of one pepper last night and it burned our mouths! I had to eat a spoonful of sugar to get rid of the burning sensation. One good use for sugar I guess.

Sliced for canning.

I like to cut the peppers in little circles for canning. That is the way the ones I like to buy are cut. I use them on sandwiches and in salads. I am cutting these in thin circles as they are VERY hot. Won't need much to add some heat to a sub. The recipe I used is the basic one in the Ball Book Of Canning. It is just a matter of processing for 10 minutes in a water bath canner. Since these are so hot, I am canning them in my smallest jelly jars. We won't need a lot a lot of them. Probably I will be the only one in my family eating them anyway.

I had a whole bunch here!

When you are cleaning the peppers you have to cut inside of them to cut out the whole membrane with the seeds. Try not to get too many seeds into the pot with the slices. I got more than I wanted in there, but heck, it's only me eating them. They are time consuming. But whatever vegetable you are canning, it is always the most work during the preparation. Once they are in your canner it is easy. I usually clean up while waiting for the canning process.

The finished product!

I used the smallest jelly jars because I don't need a big supply of these. I think next year I will find a different variety that is not quite so hot. And if possible a heirloom seed. I like to save the seeds but didn't with these since they were so hot.I saved some of the peppers to dry whole upstairs too. Be careful handling the seeds also as they are very hot. I washed my hands last night but had to get up during the night as they got really hot again and I had to wash them again. Like I said before, wear gloves, which I did. But my hands were still feeling some heat. Whatever you do while working with hot peppers do not touch your face in anyway or one of your children or your pets. I am serious! This stuff is VERY HOT!!!!

Nine small jars are good for us.

Copyright © 2010  Kathleen G. Lupole