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FBG Gardening Thread - 2025 (3 Viewers)

heckmanm said:
Planted what was labeled as "Serrano" back in the spring, and they are decidedly not. Based on appearance they look just like a ripe Anaheim, but they have ZERO heat. Any other thoughts? I though maybe sweet banana pepper, but they tend to turn yellow at some point, and these went straight from green to red.

As a nice fallback to making hot sauce or salsa, I stuffed them with Italian sausage and mozzarella and baked them with tomato sauce. Very tasty.
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Sounds like cubanelle.
 
Ron Swanson said:
heckmanm said:
Planted what was labeled as "Serrano" back in the spring, and they are decidedly not. Based on appearance they look just like a ripe Anaheim, but they have ZERO heat. Any other thoughts? I though maybe sweet banana pepper, but they tend to turn yellow at some point, and these went straight from green to red.

As a nice fallback to making hot sauce or salsa, I stuffed them with Italian sausage and mozzarella and baked them with tomato sauce. Very tasty.
Click to expand...
Sounds like cubanelle.
Click to expand...
Yeah that looks a whole lot like what I got. Thanks!
 
@heckmanm
Any chance they could be Marconi?
They are similar to cubanelles but are larger. They are my favorite sweet pepper to grow as they thrive in the heat and put out a ton of fruit. I could never grow Bell’s and stumbled across these.
 
berndog said:
@heckmanm
Any chance they could be Marconi?
They are similar to cubanelles but are larger. They are my favorite sweet pepper to grow as they thrive in the heat and put out a ton of fruit. I could never grow Bell’s and stumbled across these.
Click to expand...
Also possible. But I think based on some research that Marconis have thicker walls than Cubanelles and mine are fairly thin-walled.
 
berndog said:
@heckmanm
Any chance they could be Marconi?
They are similar to cubanelles but are larger. They are my favorite sweet pepper to grow as they thrive in the heat and put out a ton of fruit. I could never grow Bell’s and stumbled across these.
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Love those peppers when my local market has them but never knew the actual name. Thanks to you I can now buy seeds and grow my own!
 
Big harvest today. These are actually pretty cool. They're called miracle berries. If you eat one, for about 30 minutes after they cause other sour foods to taste very sweet. Lemon wedges for example taste like lemon candy. A neat party trick if your guests trust you enough to eat red berries they aren't familiar with.

They come from a small bush that is native to Africa. Even in FL I have to keep it in a pot and bring it inside below 60F. They don't do well in the cold. They're very slow growers and frankly not great looking. The one I have now looks the best I have ever seen it and looks much better than other plants I've seen in Costa Rica.
 
Ron Swanson said:
Big harvest today. These are actually pretty cool. They're called miracle berries. If you eat one, for about 30 minutes after they cause other sour foods to taste very sweet. Lemon wedges for example taste like lemon candy. A neat party trick if your guests trust you enough to eat red berries they aren't familiar with.

They come from a small bush that is native to Africa. Even in FL I have to keep it in a pot and bring it inside below 60F. They don't do well in the cold. They're very slow growers and frankly not great looking. The one I have now looks the best I have ever seen it and looks much better than other plants I've seen in Costa Rica.
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I've gotten this stuff in tablet form before (might even have some lying around). We used to call it "flavor tripping" (because we're dorks). Cider vinegar is straight delicious with that ****
 
Hello FBG gardeners.

I'm a beginning gardener, having finally attained a yard of my own a few years ago. Next spring I'm looking to really get some good tomato plants going. I've already worked out a spot in the yard that gets sun all day. But I have a few questions.

I'm in Oregon and my yard is full of this awful hard clay soil that does not drain well at all. Do I need to replace this for tomatoes and other veggies? I've been using this conditioner that is supposed to break it up to mixed results with other plants. I plan to use a raised bed, but the roots will still penetrate deeper into the ground right?

Speaking of soil, should I do any of the soil prep now or wait until spring?
 
Scoresman said:
Hello FBG gardeners.

I'm a beginning gardener, having finally attained a yard of my own a few years ago. Next spring I'm looking to really get some good tomato plants going. I've already worked out a spot in the yard that gets sun all day. But I have a few questions.

I'm in Oregon and my yard is full of this awful hard clay soil that does not drain well at all. Do I need to replace this for tomatoes and other veggies? I've been using this conditioner that is supposed to break it up to mixed results with other plants. I plan to use a raised bed, but the roots will still penetrate deeper into the ground right?

Speaking of soil, should I do any of the soil prep now or wait until spring?
Click to expand...
I also have clay. I built a raised bed with 2x12 framing and have almost a foot of good black dirt. Tomatoes do great there. If your bed will be shallower it may help to dig out some clay and fill with better soil below your bed.
 
heckmanm said:
Scoresman said:
Hello FBG gardeners.

I'm a beginning gardener, having finally attained a yard of my own a few years ago. Next spring I'm looking to really get some good tomato plants going. I've already worked out a spot in the yard that gets sun all day. But I have a few questions.

I'm in Oregon and my yard is full of this awful hard clay soil that does not drain well at all. Do I need to replace this for tomatoes and other veggies? I've been using this conditioner that is supposed to break it up to mixed results with other plants. I plan to use a raised bed, but the roots will still penetrate deeper into the ground right?

Speaking of soil, should I do any of the soil prep now or wait until spring?
Click to expand...
I also have clay. I built a raised bed with 2x12 framing and have almost a foot of good black dirt. Tomatoes do great there. If your bed will be shallower it may help to dig out some clay and fill with better soil below your bed.
Click to expand...
This matches my experience with clay. If you don’t dig out any clay I’d recommend mixing the soil conditioner and soil with the top couple inches.
As for doing it now or in the spring? Don’t think there is wrong answer but if you have the time and motivation now, go for it.
 
My fruit trees are in spring mode.

My key lime tree has about a hundred flowers and a couple dozen tiny limes right now. A bunch will fall off but that little tree held 20+ limes already so it should be loaded again

My meyer lemon just pushed 30+ flowers that should open in a few days

Just harvested the first beefsteak tomato from a plant I started in Dec, and it's got several more tomatoes growing and it's actively flowering, and my Roma tomato just started flowering.

Also, a branch I grafted on my non floweing mango tree, is flowering as well.

Also have a few golf ball sizes guava on my pink guava tree.

Hoping my banana fruits soon.
 
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The Glenn and Kent Mangos are in full bloom. Adding a couple new trees this weekend or next, Haden and Valencia Pride. Avocados are budding. The grafts I did back in September and October took and are growing nicely. The newest grafts I did about 2 weeks ago look promising so far. These are all grafts from my producing Hass tree onto some rootstock that I think is Fuego but not 100% sure. Adding an Oro Negro and Lula tree this year.

Also already added a Mamey Sapote (Pace) tree a couple weeks ago. I'm super excited about this tree. It's a Cuba native that most folks don't know about. It produces fruit that looks like a Kiwi on the outside but closer in size to a youth football. You cut it open like an avocado and remove the seed. Then it can be scooped or sliced out. The flesh is very similar in texture to ripe avocado but it is orange, sweet, and tastes like vanilla/brown sugar/island spice pudding. Really excited about this one.

In related news, USDA updated our planting zone in 2023 to 10a from 9b. I know I've been pressing my luck with the mangos, avocados, and especially the Mamey but this gives me some hope...
 
I planted asparagus 2 years ago and didn’t fully grasp the space it needs.
Fast forward to last weekend where I had to move it. I’ve moved tons of plants and shrubs but nothing like asparagus. Its root structure starts 6-12 inches down and sprawls horizontally and vertically. I could have buried a body with the amount of dirt I moved to preserve as many roots as possible.

TLDR. Give your asparagus plenty of room grow when you plant.
 
Just noticed my non flowering 7 year old Mango tree has several flowering branches! I can't believe I didn't notice before now, but I almost never look up because it's never bloomed and thought the only flowers were on the grafted Cac branch. I've always wondered what kind of tree this us, I guess I'll finally find out!

I'm SUPER stoked!

Edit: pics of the first flowers

https://ibb.co/nsHZm0rk
https://ibb.co/TMjmntMB
https://ibb.co/1Yfw74J0
 
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Last week I saw what I thought might be a pre-flag leaf emerging from my biggest banana plant, so I started watching it every day to see what was gonna follow it. After about 5 days, the next leaf started showing itself, and it is indeed the flag leaf, so she's about to flower and give my first rack of tasty backyard bananas.

Edit: the flag leaf is a small leaf that comes right before flowering, usually less than half the size of the previous leaves. It's the one sure sign a banana tree is about to flower.

My 2 tomato plants are starting to go nuts, and I just picked up a habenero plant and hot Thai pepper plant to add to the herb garden.

Also, my Lila avocado (small, still in a container) has a few flowering branches but I think it has some sort of root disease so I might 86 the avocado dream for now.

My mango isn't showing any hard set fruit yet but there are lots of bb's. Hopefully some of em take and hold.
 
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berndog said:
I planted asparagus 2 years ago and didn’t fully grasp the space it needs.
Fast forward to last weekend where I had to move it. I’ve moved tons of plants and shrubs but nothing like asparagus. Its root structure starts 6-12 inches down and sprawls horizontally and vertically. I could have buried a body with the amount of dirt I moved to preserve as many roots as possible.

TLDR. Give your asparagus plenty of room grow when you plant.
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Asparagus is a PITA. Besides the space needed, you need a sandy soil or it'll rot if you hit a wet spell. And - at least here in the Mid-Atlantic - it takes two seasons to get a yield.
 
Uruk-Hai said:
Asparagus is a PITA. Besides the space needed, you need a sandy soil or it'll rot if you hit a wet spell. And - at least here in the Mid-Atlantic - it takes two seasons to get a yield.
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Definitely a PITA but it’s a f’in delicious pain in the ***. Fresh asparagus blows away the grocery store version
 
My banana finally pushed a flower. It's pretty big, Id say a little bigger than a 2 liter bottle and should produce a nice sized rack of bananas. 🙂

I've also got around 50 tiny mangos on my tree so far, and there's a lot of new flowers that haven't been pollinated yet. I'm really hoping they'll hold and make it to harvest.

Banana flower:
https://ibb.co/B8zgTDk

Baby mangos:
https://ibb.co/MxZHh9zg
https://ibb.co/ymWBpMd7
 
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I do container gardening in my yard. Nothing big. Four different types of tomato plants, yellow and zucchini squash, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, carrots, radish, sunflower seeds for the birds. On my porch I have parsley, basil, thyme, sage and chives . Gives me something to do and I enjoy the fresh vegetables.
 
So for those with asparagus in their yards, when do you pick? When I moved here to Wisconsin the previous homeowners already had a patch. So when I moved the asparagus was overgrown so I just let it go.

For spring, should I cut them down to the ground? Or what's the play here. It's still winter here for a bit.
 
ChiefD said:
So for those with asparagus in their yards, when do you pick? When I moved here to Wisconsin the previous homeowners already had a patch. So when I moved the asparagus was overgrown so I just let it go.

For spring, should I cut them down to the ground? Or what's the play here. It's still winter here for a bit.
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I do not know. But a friend of ours grows asparagus and when it’s fresh it’s unbelievable how better it is compared to grocery store asparagus

ETA: I think I’d mow it down to the ground now
 
ChiefD said:
So for those with asparagus in their yards, when do you pick? When I moved here to Wisconsin the previous homeowners already had a patch. So when I moved the asparagus was overgrown so I just let it go.

For spring, should I cut them down to the ground? Or what's the play here. It's still winter here for a bit.
Click to expand...
For asparagus you should cut the fronds back when they are all brown and cover with compost for the winter(ideally).
If the fronds are still on, go ahead and cut them back. Once soil temps near 50 you will see new stalks appear.
 
Planning to start a quarter acre garden this spring. I've had a small backyard garden for years, but just simple stuff like tomatoes and peppers. I look forward to following along here and getting some tips and tricks.

I'm not totally without a harvest right now though. I've processed about 40 gallons of sugar maple sap into a gallon of syrup. First year attempting and it's a lot of labor, but easier than i thought it would be and very satisfying and delicious. Not technically a garden, but it's a crop with a harvest.
 
The Longtime Lurker said:
I've processed about 40 gallons of sugar maple sap into a gallon of syrup. First year attempting and it's a lot of labor, but easier than i thought it would be and very satisfying and delicious. Not technically a garden, but it's a crop with a harvest.
Click to expand...
I'd love it if you'd document the process as you go.
 
Uruk-Hai said:
The Longtime Lurker said:
I've processed about 40 gallons of sugar maple sap into a gallon of syrup. First year attempting and it's a lot of labor, but easier than i thought it would be and very satisfying and delicious. Not technically a garden, but it's a crop with a harvest.
Click to expand...
I'd love it if you'd document the process as you go.
Click to expand...
I've got property with a fair amount of maples and always wanted to try and make syrup, but just never got around to it. I started small this year and tapped 7 trees, but i can scale up pretty big in the future depending on how efficient i can make the process. Bought a portable sawmill this year and plan to build a wood shed that I'll also make into a sugar shack for boiling and bottling.

As for this year my 7 trees have produced about 40 gallons so far that I've boiled down in my kitchen on the stove top in 5 gallon increments with a steam pan. I probably wouldn't recommend this if you're worried about sticky steam getting everywhere, though it's not super bad and I'll give the kitchen a good cleaning when I'm done. I have a hydrometer to get the proper brix before bottling (I'm using half quart canning jars). Basically i boil it down until I'm close to the correct brix and transfer to a smaller pot for finishing. I'll boil that until i get the proper brix (67 for hot syrup) and then run it through a couple filters to get the impurities out and then into the bottles. I flip those upside so the hot syrup kills any bacteria or mold for 5 mins and then back upright to cool and seal, it should also be shelf stable at this point. Pretty easy really, but time consuming. The finished product is worth the effort though.
 
The Longtime Lurker said:
Uruk-Hai said:
The Longtime Lurker said:
I've processed about 40 gallons of sugar maple sap into a gallon of syrup. First year attempting and it's a lot of labor, but easier than i thought it would be and very satisfying and delicious. Not technically a garden, but it's a crop with a harvest.
Click to expand...
I'd love it if you'd document the process as you go.
Click to expand...
I've got property with a fair amount of maples and always wanted to try and make syrup, but just never got around to it. I started small this year and tapped 7 trees, but i can scale up pretty big in the future depending on how efficient i can make the process. Bought a portable sawmill this year and plan to build a wood shed that I'll also make into a sugar shack for boiling and bottling.

As for this year my 7 trees have produced about 40 gallons so far that I've boiled down in my kitchen on the stove top in 5 gallon increments with a steam pan. I probably wouldn't recommend this if you're worried about sticky steam getting everywhere, though it's not super bad and I'll give the kitchen a good cleaning when I'm done. I have a hydrometer to get the proper brix before bottling (I'm using half quart canning jars). Basically i boil it down until I'm close to the correct brix and transfer to a smaller pot for finishing. I'll boil that until i get the proper brix (67 for hot syrup) and then run it through a couple filters to get the impurities out and then into the bottles. I flip those upside so the hot syrup kills any bacteria or mold for 5 mins and then back upright to cool and seal, it should also be shelf stable at this point. Pretty easy really, but time consuming. The finished product is worth the effort though.
Click to expand...
Can you do your boils outdoors on a propane burner to save the kitchen clean-up?

What general region are you in?
 
Uruk-Hai said:
The Longtime Lurker said:
Uruk-Hai said:
The Longtime Lurker said:
I've processed about 40 gallons of sugar maple sap into a gallon of syrup. First year attempting and it's a lot of labor, but easier than i thought it would be and very satisfying and delicious. Not technically a garden, but it's a crop with a harvest.
Click to expand...
I'd love it if you'd document the process as you go.
Click to expand...
I've got property with a fair amount of maples and always wanted to try and make syrup, but just never got around to it. I started small this year and tapped 7 trees, but i can scale up pretty big in the future depending on how efficient i can make the process. Bought a portable sawmill this year and plan to build a wood shed that I'll also make into a sugar shack for boiling and bottling.

As for this year my 7 trees have produced about 40 gallons so far that I've boiled down in my kitchen on the stove top in 5 gallon increments with a steam pan. I probably wouldn't recommend this if you're worried about sticky steam getting everywhere, though it's not super bad and I'll give the kitchen a good cleaning when I'm done. I have a hydrometer to get the proper brix before bottling (I'm using half quart canning jars). Basically i boil it down until I'm close to the correct brix and transfer to a smaller pot for finishing. I'll boil that until i get the proper brix (67 for hot syrup) and then run it through a couple filters to get the impurities out and then into the bottles. I flip those upside so the hot syrup kills any bacteria or mold for 5 mins and then back upright to cool and seal, it should also be shelf stable at this point. Pretty easy really, but time consuming. The finished product is worth the effort though.
Click to expand...
Can you do your boils outdoors on a propane burner to save the kitchen clean-up?

What general region are you in?
Click to expand...
Yeah a turkey fryer might be a better option, but i think you'd go through a fair amount of propane, the boil times can get pretty long. I have a 55 gallon drum that's been converted to a wood stove and i plan on using that for outdoor boiling next year. To say my wife isn't impressed with my kitchen boiling would be an understatement, but I'll make her a big pancake breakfast when I'm done.

I'm in the upper great lakes.
 
Weird winter and summer vacation (@ harvest time) had us getting a late start. But this weekend was garden time. Got it all prepared and planted. Now the watering and waiting begins.
 
Question for the more experienced gardeners, when do you guys typically start plants? I'm looking at a memorial day weekend start to the season, but would like to get some plants going ahead of time. Seems like now might be a good time?

Also, where I'm planting this garden will be about a 2 hr drive from where i live, but I'll be able to be there twice a week (Wednesday and Sunday). I'll have water on site, but is there anything i should definitely not attempt to plant with those watering conditions (drought depending)? Planning on all the typical veggies, corn, squash, greens, root vegetables, ect.
 
The Longtime Lurker said:
Question for the more experienced gardeners, when do you guys typically start plants? I'm looking at a memorial day weekend start to the season, but would like to get some plants going ahead of time. Seems like now might be a good time?

Also, where I'm planting this garden will be about a 2 hr drive from where i live, but I'll be able to be there twice a week (Wednesday and Sunday). I'll have water on site, but is there anything i should definitely not attempt to plant with those watering conditions (drought depending)? Planning on all the typical veggies, corn, squash, greens, root vegetables, ect.
Click to expand...
You can push it a little if your garden is in your yard and you’re able to cover your plants if there is a late frost. Being 2 hours away I would go by the last frost date for your garden zone

2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map | USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

planthardiness.ars.usda.gov planthardiness.ars.usda.gov
 
Cowboysfan8 said:
The Longtime Lurker said:
Question for the more experienced gardeners, when do you guys typically start plants? I'm looking at a memorial day weekend start to the season, but would like to get some plants going ahead of time. Seems like now might be a good time?

Also, where I'm planting this garden will be about a 2 hr drive from where i live, but I'll be able to be there twice a week (Wednesday and Sunday). I'll have water on site, but is there anything i should definitely not attempt to plant with those watering conditions (drought depending)? Planning on all the typical veggies, corn, squash, greens, root vegetables, ect.
Click to expand...
You can push it a little if your garden is in your yard and you’re able to cover your plants if there is a late frost. Being 2 hours away I would go by the last frost date for your garden zone

2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map | USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

planthardiness.ars.usda.gov planthardiness.ars.usda.gov
Click to expand...

Mother’s Day is generally the deadline for us here in Maryland zone 7A.

But a lot of folks like my neighbors, put their plants in a little early and cover them with plastic or 5 gallons/1 gallon milk jug/orange juice containers cut in half and placed over to protect from heavy rains and wind.

We (my wife,) does seedlings in our sunroom on a bunch of trays underneath glow lights to get them started starting about now
 
Cowboysfan8 said:
The Longtime Lurker said:
Question for the more experienced gardeners, when do you guys typically start plants? I'm looking at a memorial day weekend start to the season, but would like to get some plants going ahead of time. Seems like now might be a good time?

Also, where I'm planting this garden will be about a 2 hr drive from where i live, but I'll be able to be there twice a week (Wednesday and Sunday). I'll have water on site, but is there anything i should definitely not attempt to plant with those watering conditions (drought depending)? Planning on all the typical veggies, corn, squash, greens, root vegetables, ect.
Click to expand...
You can push it a little if your garden is in your yard and you’re able to cover your plants if there is a late frost. Being 2 hours away I would go by the last frost date for your garden zone

2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map | USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

planthardiness.ars.usda.gov planthardiness.ars.usda.gov
Click to expand...
Cool link thanks. The 2 hour drive is kind of my concern. I had a small home garden, but planted raspberries in one corner and they were so good and prolific i just let them take over. We get 7-10 full gallon freezer bags a year, so it's worth it. Planting and covering is what i did here. The land for the garden is about 2hrs south of me and gets an additional 4ish weeks of growing season, but without the ability to cover most days i can't risk starting to early.
 
STEADYMOBBIN 22 said:
Cowboysfan8 said:
The Longtime Lurker said:
Question for the more experienced gardeners, when do you guys typically start plants? I'm looking at a memorial day weekend start to the season, but would like to get some plants going ahead of time. Seems like now might be a good time?

Also, where I'm planting this garden will be about a 2 hr drive from where i live, but I'll be able to be there twice a week (Wednesday and Sunday). I'll have water on site, but is there anything i should definitely not attempt to plant with those watering conditions (drought depending)? Planning on all the typical veggies, corn, squash, greens, root vegetables, ect.
Click to expand...
You can push it a little if your garden is in your yard and you’re able to cover your plants if there is a late frost. Being 2 hours away I would go by the last frost date for your garden zone

2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map | USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

planthardiness.ars.usda.gov planthardiness.ars.usda.gov
Click to expand...

Mother’s Day is generally the deadline for us here in Maryland zone 7A.

But a lot of folks like my neighbors, put their plants in a little early and cover them with plastic or 5 gallons/1 gallon milk jug/orange juice containers cut in half and placed over to protect from heavy rains and wind.

We (my wife,) does seedlings in our sunroom on a bunch of trays underneath glow lights to get them started starting about now
Click to expand...
We're about 2 weeks behind you then. I'll tail you on the timing and wait a couple weeks to start young plants.

We also have a set of grow lights to use to get them going. I remember my grandparents putting plants in a sunny window, but i plan on going pretty big with this and the lights give me more options for where i want to set up.
 
Without getting ahead of myself the next step will be learning to can. I've never really done proper canning, but I've watched a few YouTube vids and i think i can handle it. If i can pull off what I'm planning we should be able to cut the grocery bill significantly. Between growing and hunting a good portion (hopefully 90%) of our food will be self produced. I'm happy with the money it'll save, but probably more motivated by knowing where my food comes from and that it's grown/harvested cleanly and without all the crap that most grocery store food contains.
 
The Longtime Lurker said:
Without getting ahead of myself the next step will be learning to can. I've never really done proper canning, but I've watched a few YouTube vids and i think i can handle it. If i can pull off what I'm planning we should be able to cut the grocery bill significantly. Between growing and hunting a good portion (hopefully 90%) of our food will be self produced. I'm happy with the money it'll save, but probably more motivated by knowing where my food comes from and that it's grown/harvested cleanly and without all the crap that most grocery store food contains.
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I didn't eat a store-bought vegetable until I was in my mid-20s (outside of going to restaurants, which was not a common activity for my family). We raised our own beef, hogs, chickens, and hunted. Had acres upon acres of produce, as did others in our community. My father had a walk-in box, two ban saws, I don't know how many grinders, and two stoves in his "garage".

Canning/processing days were wild, man. I was just a kid, but the assembly line the adults ran there would put Henry Ford to shame. It was hot work (no AC in that garage). My father and his friends would get everything set up, then get the hell out of the way and drink beer. Then the wives would take over and woe unto a bystander that didn't do as he was told.

Anyway..... I'm not sure what modern techniques are for canning. The big thing back then was to make sure the containers were sanitized and I recall pressure cookers did a lot of the heavy lifting.
 
Uruk-Hai said:
The Longtime Lurker said:
Without getting ahead of myself the next step will be learning to can. I've never really done proper canning, but I've watched a few YouTube vids and i think i can handle it. If i can pull off what I'm planning we should be able to cut the grocery bill significantly. Between growing and hunting a good portion (hopefully 90%) of our food will be self produced. I'm happy with the money it'll save, but probably more motivated by knowing where my food comes from and that it's grown/harvested cleanly and without all the crap that most grocery store food contains.
Click to expand...
I didn't eat a store-bought vegetable until I was in my mid-20s (outside of going to restaurants, which was not a common activity for my family). We raised our own beef, hogs, chickens, and hunted. Had acres upon acres of produce, as did others in our community. My father had a walk-in box, two ban saws, I don't know how many grinders, and two stoves in his "garage".

Canning/processing days were wild, man. I was just a kid, but the assembly line the adults ran there would put Henry Ford to shame. It was hot work (no AC in that garage). My father and his friends would get everything set up, then get the hell out of the way and drink beer. Then the wives would take over and woe unto a bystander that didn't do as he was told.

Anyway..... I'm not sure what modern techniques are for canning. The big thing back then was to make sure the containers were sanitized and I recall pressure cookers did a lot of the heavy lifting.
Click to expand...
That's awesome, love stories like that. My grandparents were similar. They grew and hunted/raised almost all of their food. We got a lot of it from them, but we still bought pretty much everything at the grocery store

I have the land, the means, and the ability to do that kind of production and now is as good a time to start as any. Eating healthy is pretty important to me and i can't think of a better way to pull that off.

Pressure cooker or instant pot is what i still see people using and my plan unless there's something better i don't know about. I have 100's of canning jars i saved when my grandparents passed, so I'm set there, just need lids.
 
Collected another 15 gallons of maple sap today, that should boil down to 1.5 quarts of syrup. I think I'll be able to get 80 gallons of sap boiled down to 2 gallons of syrup by the end of the season. That'll cover my needs and have enough to share. It's been a weird year with temps refusing to stay consistent or above 39 degrees for many days in a row so it's been inconsistent. Looks like next week we might finally get spring and get a good week of sap running. Even with the crap temps and spring snow/ice storms I still ended up finding a deer tick on me :rant:. These things are really starting to get bad in my area. Dogs and wife were clear, but time to dig out the permitherin and treat clothes.
 
Another month and it should be morel season. Big fan of mushroom foraging and foraging in general, but these are my favorite. Can't wait to get a bunch and cook them up with some venison steak. Found a bunch of giant puff balls i dried and froze last fall that i use in soup. It's almost all gone, so happy to have a mushroom harvest soon. Found some nice chicken of the woods and lion's mane last fall too, but that lasts as long as it takes to get home and cook.
 
What does it mean if plants stay alive and look relatively healthy but don’t grow anywhere near the size they should?. It’s almost as if their growth is stunted. Almost all of the plants in my yard are like this except for my roses which grow like crazy.

I suspect it might be the heavy clay soil where I live maybe preventing the roots from digging deep? So in recent seasons I’ve been digging out the clay and replacing with regular soil about 2-3 feet deep whenever I plant something, but still have the same results. Plants get fertilizer in spring too. Doesn’t help.

I’m about to grow a bunch of tomatoes and really dont want them stunted like this.
 
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