Pickling & Prepping Fall Garden

On Monday, I drove out to one of the gardens, and cleaned up the rows of potatoes. 

I was able harvest some more I dug up; and then I tilled this patch. 

I blocked this patch off with fencing to keep the vining cucumber and squash plants away so I could plant a small fall garden.  

I managed to weed, till, fence off, AND sow seeds actually! I sowed Romaine and butter crunch lettuce, Collards, Spinach, and Arugula seed. 

While cleaning up the cucumber and squash patch, I harvested some cucumbers and pickled these 3 small jars with some apple cider vinegar, fresh garlic, fresh dill from my apartment garden, and salt, black pepper, and mustard seed.

Pickling, canning, & starting fall garden

There is better news to report this week. I harvested tomatoes from the garden and have already used all of them in dinners. 

My grandparents gave me cucumbers that they were donated, and because there were so many, I picked them with fresh dill from my apartment garden. For seasoning, I added mustard seed, dill seed and black pepper, and the brine was made with half white vinegar, half water and salt. I used my instant pot on the steam setting for 1 minute to water bath can the pickles. To be honest, that was my first time water bath canning with the instant pot and I am still skeptical if I processed the pickles safely. I have always just used a large pot with a lid to water bath can pickles for 10 minutes, and that has always been successful. 

And, I have attempted the fall garden for the third time this past month. I hope this time it is successful, as I purchased 40 dollars worth of broccoli, cauliflower and kale plants.

As you can see below, the gardens are at different stages of growing. With the plants I purchased, I put up a fence around the patch to make sure to deter animals. I have put salt around the plants to deter bugs...we shall see I'd that helps...

Corn growing to the sky. 

I had to fix the tomato plants on their posts. I retied them, made sure every limb was on the post, and added any extra posts to secure the planta, as needed. 

In these garden beds, theres radishes up growing. Some carrot seed germinated and I hope they do fantastic amongst these Coxcomb plants.

Some if the remaining broccoli and kale i had went into these garden beds. I use netting to keep my cats out and course salt to keep bugs off. 

My grandmother's Coxcomb plants look even more extraordinary by the day.

Butternut & Freaky Fall gourds, potato harvest + pickling & jelly making

Pickling radish from garden harvest

I'm not sure how they turned out yet, but with these radishes I harvested were used for pickling.

First, sterilizing the jars and lids, and washing and cut the radishes. Afterwards I made the brine that consisted of 2 1/2 cups of vinegar, 1 1/2 cups of water, 1 cup of sugar, 8 tsp of salt, and brought this to a boil. I recommend putting vinegar in the water that sterilizes the jars to prevent calcium deposits left on the jars. When the jars are clean, add cut radishes, add 1/2 tsp of garlic, mustard seed and black peppercorns on top. Using a funnel, pour brine in the jars pushing down on the radishes to prevent air pockets and bubbles. Leave 1/2 inch of space between brine and mouth of jar.
Wipe mouth of jar and secure lids to the jars. Then put the jars in a water bath for 15 minutes of processing.

Scrumptious garden food into salsa & spaghetti sauce

I have been quite busy outside of the garden work. But in my down time, I'm watering the garden, hoeing, weeding, harvesting and canning.

Lately I have been picking and stringing beans from the garden. My family has been gracious enough to help, and even grandma is canning beans for me. In exchange, she gets all the beans she wants.

Patty pan squash, beans & potatoes for canning 

Beans canned 

Beans & potatoes canned, spaghetti sauce & pickled cucumbers/peppers 

Of course the tomatoes, peppers, and herbs from the garden are going to making salsa, spaghetti sauce or salads.

I turned these into salsa minus the cucumbers 

Here is the salsa, more tomatoes & carrots 

I turned these herbs, tomatoes & peppers into spaghetti sauce 

Here's the spaghetti sauce & pickled cucumbers/peppers 

Making pickles & admiring the rustic aesthetic of the garden

Garlic cloves, dill seed, mustard seed, and peppercorns with the pickles 

Melons and tomatoes 

Cucumbers and beans 

Besides the flowers, everything in the garden was started with seed I planted 

All the tomatoes were started from seed and the basil too 

I can't believe I started these peppers from seed, most the time I never have luck