On Wednesdays Ken harvests vegetables and brings them to the tubs and I clean, sort and box them up for the CSA members and the on line orders. Once he has harvested he cooks our lunch. Often he takes the culled vegetables – not cute, but still fine – and uses them. This week in addition to apple pie and tomato sauce, he made an interesting bake. A couple weeks ago he made pancakes with …
Ken plants all season. This week he has been transplanting fall greens. Here are some in the garden He has been clearing space, and preparing other beds for late season crops as well. He pulled the sunflowers and gave the seed heads to the chickens to enjoy before the rodents ate them! Ken likes to wait a bit before planting so he can rake or cultivate. This gives the plants a …
Pollinators are crucial to a garden. About a third of our food requires pollination. Think of all those flowering plants that produce a “fruit” for us to eat – peas, beans, cucumbers, squash, melons, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, apples, plums, raspberries, strawberries, etc Ken keeps honey bees, and we encourage all pollinators. We try to have something blooming for them . Now the anise hyssop is blooming. It is a …
We raise eggplant. Ken often combines eggplant with other summer vegetables like onions, pepper, garlic, tomatoes, and tops with cheese for a bake. I was looking for a new eggplant recipe and tried this. Slice and salt eggplant; they will weep so you can absorb some moisture in a towel Season some bread crumbs in a flat dish and beat an egg in a …
Greetings from the Garden! This week’s CSA box has tomatoes, potatoes, cukes, peppers, onions, garlic, beans, beets, greens and lettuce. Field Notes. Ken transplanted fall greens. Ken starts them , moves up to 2″ soil blocks and then transplants to the garden. This means more time in that garden space for other things and more importantly transplanting a small seedling in a clean bed gives the plant a decided edge over the weeds. Ken is …
Greetings from the Garden! This CSA box has tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, peppers, eggplant, onions, garlic, carrots or beets, greens, beans, and basil. Field Notes. Ken has been pulling crops as they become less productive so he can make room for later crops. He got beds ready for fall greens, and will transplant in the next few days. He likes to let the beds rest and then rake any weeds …
It is a great pepper year here! After Ken had started the pepper seed, we had an opportunity to participate in a U W Madison seed trial program, and there were some great peppers in the trials – in addition to our usual excellent varieties. I froze a couple batches of chopped peppers for later use. Then Ken requested I make a red pepper jam. So I checked the internet and found two very similar …
Ken is constantly planting from February through November. This week he pulled out the determinate tomatoes in the garden and some summer squash plants. Then he started mulching and preparing the beds for fall crops – Then Ken ran the wheel hoe through the beds and added compost Finally Ken spread out the compost, and now he will …
It’s that time of year! Each Labor Day Ken announces the pigs have become hogs. Gone are the cute little piglets, and even the gawky, funny adolescents. They still are characters and they are full of energy The pigs get broader and they start to have jowls, and with the longer, cooler nights, they become most serious about their food. These pigs will go to the locker …
Greetings from the Garden! This week’s CSA box has tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, cucumbers, onions, garlic, cabbage, kale, eggplant, carrots or beets, basil and parsley As I write this on Monday, Ken is thinning the fall beets and carrots. They are varieties from a UW vegetable trial program. We have found some new great varieties in greens, tomatoes, and peppers that we would not have tried if we were not participating in the …
