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over winter crops?
Hi All,
Other than Garlic, which I already do, are their any other crops to plant over winter in a snow and freezing environment? Many thanks, -T |
over winter crops?
T wrote:
Other than Garlic, which I already do, are their any other crops to plant over winter in a snow and freezing environment? winter wheat and winter rye (both grain crops) are excellent for breaking up hard ground. get them planted as soon as you start getting into the colder wetter season. turn them under in the spring several weeks before planting. you can usually get the seeds from a grain elevator type place for a few $ for 10lbs. songbird |
over winter crops?
On 08/27/2016 05:06 AM, songbird wrote:
T wrote: Other than Garlic, which I already do, are their any other crops to plant over winter in a snow and freezing environment? winter wheat and winter rye (both grain crops) are excellent for breaking up hard ground. get them planted as soon as you start getting into the colder wetter season. turn them under in the spring several weeks before planting. you can usually get the seeds from a grain elevator type place for a few $ for 10lbs. songbird Grains are toxic to me. Anything I can eat? |
over winter crops?
T wrote:
.... Grains are toxic to me. Anything I can eat? you don't grow them to finish. you grow them to turn under. to finish takes until mid-summer. songbird |
over winter crops?
T wrote:
.... Grains are toxic to me. Anything I can eat? arid climate cover crop. hmm... tepary beans. supposedly there are recent cross-breeds available with other common beans so they are more edible. i've never actually grown tepary beans here as we are pretty wet here most of the season. so i don't know when these would be planted. pretty much any crop i would grow as a winter cover crop would not be for eating, but to hold soil, moisture and nutrients and to keep the soil covered through the winter season. to be turned under in the spring. songbird |
over winter crops?
In article , T wrote:
Grains are toxic to me. Anything I can eat? They are not for you - they are a high-output intentional "weed" for turning under to make soil to make food you do eat. -- Cats, coffee, chocolate...vices to live by Please don't feed the trolls. Killfile and ignore them so they will go away. |
over winter crops?
On Fri, 26 Aug 2016 23:06:58 -0700, T wrote:
Hi All, Other than Garlic, which I already do, are their any other crops to plant over winter in a snow and freezing environment? Broad/fava beans? Not sure how cold it gets where you are but I currently have broad beans growing in -6°C. I do plant in mid to late autumn though. I also grow a 'green manure' crop at the same time, which mostly consists of things like lupins, mustard, oats etc. |
over winter crops?
On 08/28/2016 01:05 PM, Ecnerwal wrote:
In article , T wrote: Grains are toxic to me. Anything I can eat? They are not for you - they are a high-output intentional "weed" for turning under to make soil to make food you do eat. I was hoping for something to eat. |
over winter crops?
On 08/28/2016 02:31 PM, Je�us wrote:
On Fri, 26 Aug 2016 23:06:58 -0700, T wrote: Hi All, Other than Garlic, which I already do, are their any other crops to plant over winter in a snow and freezing environment? Broad/fava beans? Not sure how cold it gets where you are but I currently have broad beans growing in -6°C. I do plant in mid to late autumn though. I also grow a 'green manure' crop at the same time, which mostly consists of things like lupins, mustard, oats etc. Broadbeans (fava beans), mature seeds, raw http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/...roducts/4321/2 1 cup: Glycemic load: 28 calories: 512 KCal Carbs: 84 grams My limits are 10 max per day load, 1600 KCal per day, and 15 grams max per meal (60 max per day). Rats! Beans also have weird things in them too that mess with a Primal's digestion. Thank you anyway. Yes, I find myself annoying at times too. Is there anything like garlic that over winters? |
over winter crops?
On Sun, 28 Aug 2016 18:06:34 -0700, T wrote:
On 08/28/2016 02:31 PM, Je?us wrote: On Fri, 26 Aug 2016 23:06:58 -0700, T wrote: Hi All, Other than Garlic, which I already do, are their any other crops to plant over winter in a snow and freezing environment? Broad/fava beans? Not sure how cold it gets where you are but I currently have broad beans growing in -6°C. I do plant in mid to late autumn though. I also grow a 'green manure' crop at the same time, which mostly consists of things like lupins, mustard, oats etc. Broadbeans (fava beans), mature seeds, raw http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/...roducts/4321/2 1 cup: Glycemic load: 28 calories: 512 KCal Carbs: 84 grams My limits are 10 max per day load, 1600 KCal per day, and 15 grams max per meal (60 max per day). Rats! Beans also have weird things in them too that mess with a Primal's digestion. Rats indeed. Such issues really narrow down options. Thank you anyway. Yes, I find myself annoying at times too. Ha ha :) Is there anything like garlic that over winters? How about shallots and potato onions? The latter seem to be quite uncommon as I never hear much mention of them - a great kind of onion, they grow in clumps and are quite hardy. Winter lettuce does well... (English) spinach is another one. Chives might do okay too. Japanese turnip apparently does well although I haven't tried them myself. Asparagus crowns... maybe? |
over winter crops?
On 08/28/2016 10:19 PM, Je�us wrote:
Is there anything like garlic that over winters? How about shallots and potato onions? The latter seem to be quite uncommon as I never hear much mention of them - a great kind of onion, they grow in clumps and are quite hardy. Winter lettuce does well... (English) spinach is another one. Chives might do okay too. Japanese turnip apparently does well although I haven't tried them myself. Asparagus crowns... maybe? Hmmmm. These seem like a really good idea! http://www.southernexposure.com/yell...-oz-p-873.html I know just where to put them too. I eat A LOT of onions! Shallots. I thought you planted them in the spring and harvest them in the fall. Are there different kinds of shallots? I am not finding the glycemic load on those Japanese turnips. They do sound really interesting for those of us that hate turnips (they taste too metallic for me). Thank you! |
over winter crops?
On Fri, 26 Aug 2016 23:06:58 -0700, T wrote:
Hi All, Other than Garlic, which I already do, are their any other crops to plant over winter in a snow and freezing environment? Many thanks, -T For me fall is the time to gather the last crops and finish preserving all of the harvest. Also get the plots I plan to plant next Spring ready. (Ideally) Winter is time to let the back rest and recover. It is the time to read seed catalogues and gardening books, take inventory of my seeds and preserved foods and plan for the Spring. Since I have a greenhouse I start several things there as early as January. By February I am starting many of my summer crops there. Before I got the greenhouse I started many plants in the house with grow lights. Gardening or farming is not just a spring and summer project. Winter is the time to plan. Do you preserve any of your produce? I can, freeze and dehydrate. That takes us though the winter or longer. -- USA North Carolina Foothills USDA Zone 7a |
over winter crops?
On 8/29/2016 10:52 AM, The Cook wrote:
On Fri, 26 Aug 2016 23:06:58 -0700, T wrote: Hi All, Other than Garlic, which I already do, are their any other crops to plant over winter in a snow and freezing environment? Many thanks, -T For me fall is the time to gather the last crops and finish preserving all of the harvest. Also get the plots I plan to plant next Spring ready. (Ideally) Winter is time to let the back rest and recover. It is the time to read seed catalogues and gardening books, take inventory of my seeds and preserved foods and plan for the Spring. Since I have a greenhouse I start several things there as early as January. By February I am starting many of my summer crops there. Before I got the greenhouse I started many plants in the house with grow lights. Gardening or farming is not just a spring and summer project. Winter is the time to plan. Do you preserve any of your produce? I can, freeze and dehydrate. That takes us though the winter or longer. I used to do the same things Susan, had a shelving unit in my home office. Four shelves with grow lights over each one, started lots of good vegetables for many years. Nowadays we have one 16 by 4 bed and two four by 8 beds that we grow our vegetables in. On this small property that works best. Our old home in Louisiana was a 14,000 square foot property with lots of concrete and a big house on it but we managed a 17X21 in ground garden. Plus several fruit trees, a green house, berries along the fence line, etc. As we age we don't miss it to much. In addition to the vegetable beds we have a fig, a kumquat, and a pear tree, all producing well after four years of growth. Do need to replace the growing medium in the raised beds though. That means a tarp to hold the new medium and toss it several times to get it all mixed properly. I think we might be getting a bit to old for that too. Might have to call in the 200 + lbs grandsons to do the tossing. It's a somewhat balmy day here in SE Texas, Northern Harris Cty, temps in the mid to high seventies rather than the usual 90-112F we usually get at this time of year. Might be because of the rain clouds moving in from the Gulf. Almost time to plant the fall garden. I am waiting to see if the Gypsy pepper plant we put in two springs ago is still going to be with us. It is generally covered with lots of small peppers on a regular basis. Most of which goes to the poor kitchen at church since our freezers are full. I've never thought of a perennial chile plant. |
over winter crops?
On 08/29/2016 08:52 AM, The Cook wrote:
On Fri, 26 Aug 2016 23:06:58 -0700, T wrote: Hi All, Other than Garlic, which I already do, are their any other crops to plant over winter in a snow and freezing environment? Many thanks, -T For me fall is the time to gather the last crops and finish preserving all of the harvest. Also get the plots I plan to plant next Spring ready. (Ideally) Winter is time to let the back rest and recover. It is the time to read seed catalogues and gardening books, take inventory of my seeds and preserved foods and plan for the Spring. Since I have a greenhouse I start several things there as early as January. By February I am starting many of my summer crops there. Before I got the greenhouse I started many plants in the house with grow lights. Gardening or farming is not just a spring and summer project. Winter is the time to plan. Do you preserve any of your produce? I can, freeze and dehydrate. That takes us though the winter or longer. So far, I blanch and freeze. I also freeze my ratatouille. It is annoying that I have to buy produce in the winter. I am working on it. |
over winter crops?
The Cook wrote:
hi, glad to see you back writing. :) .... Winter is time to let the back rest and recover. It is the time to read seed catalogues and gardening books, take inventory of my seeds and preserved foods and plan for the Spring. Since I have a greenhouse I start several things there as early as January. By February I am starting many of my summer crops there. Before I got the greenhouse I started many plants in the house with grow lights. we keep it too cool in the house to start a lot of plants, plus very limited on space, so i am glad the local greenhouse will do those for us (mainly tomatoes, peppers, onions and cucumbers). Gardening or farming is not just a spring and summer project. Winter is the time to plan. i call that daydreaming. :) what i plan may not happen as i can get overruled. like this year i did not really want to plant a ton of tomatoes, but we put in over 20 plants... and squash, i thought only one squash patch, we have three. beans, as usual i was hoping to plant several gardens worth, only have one. etc. :) Do you preserve any of your produce? I can, freeze and dehydrate. That takes us though the winter or longer. we can and freeze as much as we possibly can do. this past weekend we took inventory and Ma has already decided which things she will give away to friends and family for Christmas gifts. this way we don't have to rearrange the pantry yet again. 15 cases will be given away. we're about halfway through the tomatoes and have beets, dry beans, squash, onions and red peppers to eat or preserve. right now for the red peppers i'm voting on eating fresh, i love them fried up until they get a little burn on them in spots. songbird |
over winter crops?
George Shirley wrote:
.... In addition to the vegetable beds we have a fig, a kumquat, and a pear tree, all producing well after four years of growth. Do need to replace the growing medium in the raised beds though. That means a tarp to hold the new medium and toss it several times to get it all mixed properly. I think we might be getting a bit to old for that too. Might have to call in the 200 + lbs grandsons to do the tossing. replace? that sounds like a project for sure. :) why not amend on top and let the worms, gravity and rains do the work for you instead? might be worth a trial... songbird |
over winter crops?
On 8/29/2016 8:00 PM, songbird wrote:
George Shirley wrote: ... In addition to the vegetable beds we have a fig, a kumquat, and a pear tree, all producing well after four years of growth. Do need to replace the growing medium in the raised beds though. That means a tarp to hold the new medium and toss it several times to get it all mixed properly. I think we might be getting a bit to old for that too. Might have to call in the 200 + lbs grandsons to do the tossing. replace? that sounds like a project for sure. :) why not amend on top and let the worms, gravity and rains do the work for you instead? might be worth a trial... songbird Tried that, the compost part of the "soil" just eventually disappears. This is the Square Foot Garden mix, peat moss, vermiculite, compost. It's easier for the two of us old geezers to shovel the mix out on the tarp and then shake it back and forth to mix it totally. The beds are only six inches deep by four feet wide by eight feet long, the big one is a double. We also put in kitchen vegetable scraps occasionally, hoping to pull some worms into the mix. We finally, after three years are seeing some earthworms in the beds. Took their own sweet time. I think it's because we have been potholing a good bit of stuff from the compost bucket rather than put it into the composter. We will continue with that one. |
over winter crops?
On 8/29/2016 7:57 PM, songbird wrote:
The Cook wrote: hi, glad to see you back writing. :) ... Winter is time to let the back rest and recover. It is the time to read seed catalogues and gardening books, take inventory of my seeds and preserved foods and plan for the Spring. Since I have a greenhouse I start several things there as early as January. By February I am starting many of my summer crops there. Before I got the greenhouse I started many plants in the house with grow lights. we keep it too cool in the house to start a lot of plants, plus very limited on space, so i am glad the local greenhouse will do those for us (mainly tomatoes, peppers, onions and cucumbers). Gardening or farming is not just a spring and summer project. Winter is the time to plan. i call that daydreaming. :) what i plan may not happen as i can get overruled. like this year i did not really want to plant a ton of tomatoes, but we put in over 20 plants... and squash, i thought only one squash patch, we have three. beans, as usual i was hoping to plant several gardens worth, only have one. etc. :) Do you preserve any of your produce? I can, freeze and dehydrate. That takes us though the winter or longer. we can and freeze as much as we possibly can do. this past weekend we took inventory and Ma has already decided which things she will give away to friends and family for Christmas gifts. this way we don't have to rearrange the pantry yet again. 15 cases will be given away. Wow! That's a lot of jars, I hope they bring them back. Our kids and grands have strict instructions to bring those jars back CLEAN! So far it has worked. We have canning jars that are probably 50 years old but they keep getting filled until the day they break. we're about halfway through the tomatoes and have beets, dry beans, squash, onions and red peppers to eat or preserve. right now for the red peppers i'm voting on eating fresh, i love them fried up until they get a little burn on them in spots. songbird |
over winter crops?
George Shirley wrote:
.... Wow! That's a lot of jars, I hope they bring them back. Our kids and grands have strict instructions to bring those jars back CLEAN! So far it has worked. We have canning jars that are probably 50 years old but they keep getting filled until the day they break. we have various people looking and giving us jars, but they are often not as nice as the new ones. we've bought two cases so far when we ran out, but that expense will be reimbursed by the person who gets those jars. we try to keep our eyes open for sales too. we're trying to give away the wide-mouth jars and odd sizes to people we don't usually get them back from. so far this season we have had one break on us. this is the first time in all the years we've had one break. figured it might have gotten cracked and we didn't notice it. once in a while we get one given to us that is chipped or cracked and if it is really old we'll keep it for the bottle collection, but not use it for canning, otherwise off to the recycling it goes. i would actually like to keep a lot more for a bottle collection that are unique or the very old and heavy ones. just don't have the space here for them all... so just reuse 'em. figure some people we give them to might keep them for themselves or whatever. ah well... :) we've also put some in recycling that were not standard small lid sized jars. dunno where they came from. looked like old mayo jars. songbird |
over winter crops?
George Shirley wrote:
songbird wrote: George Shirley wrote: ... In addition to the vegetable beds we have a fig, a kumquat, and a pear tree, all producing well after four years of growth. Do need to replace the growing medium in the raised beds though. That means a tarp to hold the new medium and toss it several times to get it all mixed properly. I think we might be getting a bit to old for that too. Might have to call in the 200 + lbs grandsons to do the tossing. replace? that sounds like a project for sure. :) why not amend on top and let the worms, gravity and rains do the work for you instead? might be worth a trial... Tried that, the compost part of the "soil" just eventually disappears. This is the Square Foot Garden mix, peat moss, vermiculite, compost. you must also be fertilizing? and yeah, hard to keep organic matter in the soils in warmer areas. some clay can slow the rate of loss down. however, what i meant was that if the compost is disappearing then add that on top and it will get mixed in eventually as you plant. especially with that shallow of a bed. i guess i'm lazy that ways. :) think plants and worms can figure it out well enough without me messing it up. are the beds isolated from the subsoil clay you have in place? like by a weed barrier fabric or sheet plastic? It's easier for the two of us old geezers to shovel the mix out on the tarp and then shake it back and forth to mix it totally. The beds are only six inches deep by four feet wide by eight feet long, the big one is a double. We also put in kitchen vegetable scraps occasionally, hoping to pull some worms into the mix. We finally, after three years are seeing some earthworms in the beds. Took their own sweet time. I think it's because we have been potholing a good bit of stuff from the compost bucket rather than put it into the composter. We will continue with that one. i hope they will continue to live there. it's a good sign when the soil can support a diverse community of critters. songbird |
over winter crops?
On Tue, 30 Aug 2016 00:39:16 -0400, songbird
wrote: George Shirley wrote: ... Wow! That's a lot of jars, I hope they bring them back. Our kids and grands have strict instructions to bring those jars back CLEAN! So far it has worked. We have canning jars that are probably 50 years old but they keep getting filled until the day they break. we have various people looking and giving us jars, but they are often not as nice as the new ones. we've bought two cases so far when we ran out, but that expense will be reimbursed by the person who gets those jars. we try to keep our eyes open for sales too. we're trying to give away the wide-mouth jars and odd sizes to people we don't usually get them back from. so far this season we have had one break on us. this is the first time in all the years we've had one break. figured it might have gotten cracked and we didn't notice it. once in a while we get one given to us that is chipped or cracked and if it is really old we'll keep it for the bottle collection, but not use it for canning, otherwise off to the recycling it goes. i would actually like to keep a lot more for a bottle collection that are unique or the very old and heavy ones. just don't have the space here for them all... so just reuse 'em. figure some people we give them to might keep them for themselves or whatever. ah well... :) we've also put some in recycling that were not standard small lid sized jars. dunno where they came from. looked like old mayo jars. songbird I am working on getting rid of a bunch of canning jars. Found the perfect way. Our AC man's son is a beekeeper. Gave him a load of jars this summer. Got a quart of honey in return and promise(?) of at least one each year. Glad to get rid of the jars and am looking forward to the honey. -- USA North Carolina Foothills USDA Zone 7a |
over winter crops?
On 8/29/2016 11:39 PM, songbird wrote:
George Shirley wrote: ... Wow! That's a lot of jars, I hope they bring them back. Our kids and grands have strict instructions to bring those jars back CLEAN! So far it has worked. We have canning jars that are probably 50 years old but they keep getting filled until the day they break. we have various people looking and giving us jars, but they are often not as nice as the new ones. we've bought two cases so far when we ran out, but that expense will be reimbursed by the person who gets those jars. we try to keep our eyes open for sales too. we're trying to give away the wide-mouth jars and odd sizes to people we don't usually get them back from. so far this season we have had one break on us. this is the first time in all the years we've had one break. figured it might have gotten cracked and we didn't notice it. once in a while we get one given to us that is chipped or cracked and if it is really old we'll keep it for the bottle collection, but not use it for canning, otherwise off to the recycling it goes. i would actually like to keep a lot more for a bottle collection that are unique or the very old and heavy ones. just don't have the space here for them all... so just reuse 'em. figure some people we give them to might keep them for themselves or whatever. ah well... :) we've also put some in recycling that were not standard small lid sized jars. dunno where they came from. looked like old mayo jars. songbird I have a large number of Atlas jars with the standard small lid. Ran into the first bunch at a Pentecostal Church sale, five cents each. I carry a standard small lid with me when I go fossiking just to ensure they work. They were originally REAL jars from a spaghetti sauce, can't remember the name. They're still around but changed the neck of the jar so it is no longer of use for canning. They're not quite a quart but are really good for pickles and jellies. I'm looking at about six cases of pints, a couple of cases of quarts and a case of half gallon jars right now. Plus a bunch of little 1/4. 1/8, etc. jars that have come in over the years. I accuse my lovely wife of hoarding and she smiles and mentions my canning pantry. Touche! |
over winter crops?
On 8/30/2016 5:33 AM, The Cook wrote:
On Tue, 30 Aug 2016 00:39:16 -0400, songbird wrote: George Shirley wrote: ... Wow! That's a lot of jars, I hope they bring them back. Our kids and grands have strict instructions to bring those jars back CLEAN! So far it has worked. We have canning jars that are probably 50 years old but they keep getting filled until the day they break. we have various people looking and giving us jars, but they are often not as nice as the new ones. we've bought two cases so far when we ran out, but that expense will be reimbursed by the person who gets those jars. we try to keep our eyes open for sales too. we're trying to give away the wide-mouth jars and odd sizes to people we don't usually get them back from. so far this season we have had one break on us. this is the first time in all the years we've had one break. figured it might have gotten cracked and we didn't notice it. once in a while we get one given to us that is chipped or cracked and if it is really old we'll keep it for the bottle collection, but not use it for canning, otherwise off to the recycling it goes. i would actually like to keep a lot more for a bottle collection that are unique or the very old and heavy ones. just don't have the space here for them all... so just reuse 'em. figure some people we give them to might keep them for themselves or whatever. ah well... :) we've also put some in recycling that were not standard small lid sized jars. dunno where they came from. looked like old mayo jars. songbird I am working on getting rid of a bunch of canning jars. Found the perfect way. Our AC man's son is a beekeeper. Gave him a load of jars this summer. Got a quart of honey in return and promise(?) of at least one each year. Glad to get rid of the jars and am looking forward to the honey. You're giving up the trade Susan? I will be 77 the 23rd of September and am slowing down a bit but not giving up yet. How many folks have disappeared from rec.food.preserving over the last 20 years? I've offered to teach the trade to our elder grands but they don't seem interested. Two of them don't even garden, even after all our work to teach them how to preserve their own home grown food. |
over winter crops?
On 8/29/2016 11:52 PM, songbird wrote:
George Shirley wrote: songbird wrote: George Shirley wrote: ... In addition to the vegetable beds we have a fig, a kumquat, and a pear tree, all producing well after four years of growth. Do need to replace the growing medium in the raised beds though. That means a tarp to hold the new medium and toss it several times to get it all mixed properly. I think we might be getting a bit to old for that too. Might have to call in the 200 + lbs grandsons to do the tossing. replace? that sounds like a project for sure. :) why not amend on top and let the worms, gravity and rains do the work for you instead? might be worth a trial... Tried that, the compost part of the "soil" just eventually disappears. This is the Square Foot Garden mix, peat moss, vermiculite, compost. you must also be fertilizing? I don't, but wife loves Miracle Grow. and yeah, hard to keep organic matter in the soils in warmer areas. some clay can slow the rate of loss down. Our "native" dirt here is two inches of sand over five feet of Houston gumbo clay, put in at build to raise the houses above the minimum flood zone, saves on $$$ but is very bad for gardening, hence the raised beds. however, what i meant was that if the compost is disappearing then add that on top and it will get mixed in eventually as you plant. especially with that shallow of a bed. i guess i'm lazy that ways. :) think plants and worms can figure it out well enough without me messing it up. are the beds isolated from the subsoil clay you have in place? like by a weed barrier fabric or sheet plastic? Yup, but the barrier fabric is pretty much gone by now, has been in place since early 2013 and was intended to rot away eventually. It's easier for the two of us old geezers to shovel the mix out on the tarp and then shake it back and forth to mix it totally. The beds are only six inches deep by four feet wide by eight feet long, the big one is a double. We also put in kitchen vegetable scraps occasionally, hoping to pull some worms into the mix. We finally, after three years are seeing some earthworms in the beds. Took their own sweet time. I think it's because we have been potholing a good bit of stuff from the compost bucket rather than put it into the composter. We will continue with that one. i hope they will continue to live there. it's a good sign when the soil can support a diverse community of critters. songbird Yup, we both grew up on small farms, almost always had composting in place, plus we had large critters for several years and they dropped enough good stuff on the land that it became very rich. Horses, mules, cows, goats, etc. Improved grass lands, eaten by large critters then given back to the earth. In Louisiana we had access to friends who had large critters and we always had a pickup truck. Go clean out a rain shed that had two feet of excrement that was aged from two to five years, take an axe, cut out large chunks, use the hay fork to toss into truck, repeat many times. Take it home, put the stuff through the wood chipper and blow it into the garden, Use the tiller to turn it under, water, plant seeds, jump back as they grow. I miss those days, about the only big critter poop you can get here is Black Cow in bags and that is from huge feed lots and no telling what was going through the critters and into the bags. |
over winter crops?
On Tue, 30 Aug 2016 07:52:23 -0500, George Shirley
wrote: On 8/30/2016 5:33 AM, The Cook wrote: On Tue, 30 Aug 2016 00:39:16 -0400, songbird wrote: George Shirley wrote: ... Wow! That's a lot of jars, I hope they bring them back. Our kids and grands have strict instructions to bring those jars back CLEAN! So far it has worked. We have canning jars that are probably 50 years old but they keep getting filled until the day they break. we have various people looking and giving us jars, but they are often not as nice as the new ones. we've bought two cases so far when we ran out, but that expense will be reimbursed by the person who gets those jars. we try to keep our eyes open for sales too. we're trying to give away the wide-mouth jars and odd sizes to people we don't usually get them back from. so far this season we have had one break on us. this is the first time in all the years we've had one break. figured it might have gotten cracked and we didn't notice it. once in a while we get one given to us that is chipped or cracked and if it is really old we'll keep it for the bottle collection, but not use it for canning, otherwise off to the recycling it goes. i would actually like to keep a lot more for a bottle collection that are unique or the very old and heavy ones. just don't have the space here for them all... so just reuse 'em. figure some people we give them to might keep them for themselves or whatever. ah well... :) we've also put some in recycling that were not standard small lid sized jars. dunno where they came from. looked like old mayo jars. songbird I am working on getting rid of a bunch of canning jars. Found the perfect way. Our AC man's son is a beekeeper. Gave him a load of jars this summer. Got a quart of honey in return and promise(?) of at least one each year. Glad to get rid of the jars and am looking forward to the honey. You're giving up the trade Susan? I will be 77 the 23rd of September and am slowing down a bit but not giving up yet. How many folks have disappeared from rec.food.preserving over the last 20 years? I've offered to teach the trade to our elder grands but they don't seem interested. Two of them don't even garden, even after all our work to teach them how to preserve their own home grown food. Not giving up, just slowing down after 2 years of medical problems. Hoping I can get a smaller garden going next year. I still have lots of jars, many of them still full of food. (food still good and being used) I looked at my records and about the 3rd year we were here I set out almost 100 tomato plants. I do keep track of what is on the shelves and get rid of anything that is too old. Getting harder to get rid of stuff since older son's wife has a small garden and younger son has his own garden, freezer and canner. BTW I'm only 16 months younger that you. -- USA North Carolina Foothills USDA Zone 7a |
over winter crops?
On 8/30/2016 9:32 AM, The Cook wrote:
On Tue, 30 Aug 2016 07:52:23 -0500, George Shirley wrote: On 8/30/2016 5:33 AM, The Cook wrote: On Tue, 30 Aug 2016 00:39:16 -0400, songbird wrote: George Shirley wrote: ... Wow! That's a lot of jars, I hope they bring them back. Our kids and grands have strict instructions to bring those jars back CLEAN! So far it has worked. We have canning jars that are probably 50 years old but they keep getting filled until the day they break. we have various people looking and giving us jars, but they are often not as nice as the new ones. we've bought two cases so far when we ran out, but that expense will be reimbursed by the person who gets those jars. we try to keep our eyes open for sales too. we're trying to give away the wide-mouth jars and odd sizes to people we don't usually get them back from. so far this season we have had one break on us. this is the first time in all the years we've had one break. figured it might have gotten cracked and we didn't notice it. once in a while we get one given to us that is chipped or cracked and if it is really old we'll keep it for the bottle collection, but not use it for canning, otherwise off to the recycling it goes. i would actually like to keep a lot more for a bottle collection that are unique or the very old and heavy ones. just don't have the space here for them all... so just reuse 'em. figure some people we give them to might keep them for themselves or whatever. ah well... :) we've also put some in recycling that were not standard small lid sized jars. dunno where they came from. looked like old mayo jars. songbird I am working on getting rid of a bunch of canning jars. Found the perfect way. Our AC man's son is a beekeeper. Gave him a load of jars this summer. Got a quart of honey in return and promise(?) of at least one each year. Glad to get rid of the jars and am looking forward to the honey. You're giving up the trade Susan? I will be 77 the 23rd of September and am slowing down a bit but not giving up yet. How many folks have disappeared from rec.food.preserving over the last 20 years? I've offered to teach the trade to our elder grands but they don't seem interested. Two of them don't even garden, even after all our work to teach them how to preserve their own home grown food. Not giving up, just slowing down after 2 years of medical problems. Hoping I can get a smaller garden going next year. I still have lots of jars, many of them still full of food. (food still good and being used) I looked at my records and about the 3rd year we were here I set out almost 100 tomato plants. I do keep track of what is on the shelves and get rid of anything that is too old. Getting harder to get rid of stuff since older son's wife has a small garden and younger son has his own garden, freezer and canner. BTW I'm only 16 months younger that you. At our ages who quibbles about it! I am very lucky though, over forty micro-strokes, four major strokes, heart attack, coronary bypass, multiple stents in heart arteries, etc. I've had everything but small pox, which my mother had and gave her children immunity. I'm grateful to be able to love on my great grands and one of those is closing on age 17 so I may be able to see a great great grand before I'm gone. My doctors read my chart and sometimes just gasp at all the stuff that has beat up this old body. Sometimes you're just lucky. Miz Anne and I will be married 57 years in December, we've already beaten the record of our parents, grandparents, and great grandparents. Thank goodness for modern medicine, of which I take a lot. |
over winter crops?
The Cook wrote:
.... I am working on getting rid of a bunch of canning jars. Found the perfect way. Our AC man's son is a beekeeper. Gave him a load of jars this summer. Got a quart of honey in return and promise(?) of at least one each year. Glad to get rid of the jars and am looking forward to the honey. that's a nice arrangement. :) we've had a few people who used to can who've given us a lot of jars the past year. which is why we are ok with passing them along to others without being too concerned if we get them back. songbird |
over winter crops?
The Cook wrote:
.... Not giving up, just slowing down after 2 years of medical problems. Hoping I can get a smaller garden going next year. I still have lots of jars, many of them still full of food. (food still good and being used) I looked at my records and about the 3rd year we were here I set out almost 100 tomato plants. we'd need help and machines to keep up with that many plants! :) I do keep track of what is on the shelves and get rid of anything that is too old. Getting harder to get rid of stuff since older son's wife has a small garden and younger son has his own garden, freezer and canner. but they'll take some jars? :) BTW I'm only 16 months younger that you. you are both about Ma's age. she can run laps around me health-wise. :) be good to yourselves... songbird |
over winter crops?
George Shirley wrote:
.... I have a large number of Atlas jars with the standard small lid. Ran into the first bunch at a Pentecostal Church sale, five cents each. I carry a standard small lid with me when I go fossiking just to ensure they work. They were originally REAL jars from a spaghetti sauce, can't remember the name. They're still around but changed the neck of the jar so it is no longer of use for canning. They're not quite a quart but are really good for pickles and jellies. I'm looking at about six cases of pints, a couple of cases of quarts and a case of half gallon jars right now. Plus a bunch of little 1/4. 1/8, etc. jars that have come in over the years. i've got a bag of odd little sized jars in the closet that i would use for odds and ends of jam batches, but now that i'm doing freezer jam and have been happy using pint jars i hardly even use them any more. and some of those decorative diamond pattern jars which are too tippy and i don't like 'em. tried a few minutes ago to talk Ma into letting me put some tomato juice in them so i could get rid of them... nope... darn... :) I accuse my lovely wife of hoarding and she smiles and mentions my canning pantry. Touche! har! i have boxes of old bottles on top of the book- cases, that i really should just see if anyone wants them because i've not bothered with them since i put them up there. some old ink wells are about all i really like and a few coffin bottles and colored soda water bottles. used to go with a friend digging for bottles and would help him scrub them so he'd let me take a few here or there. that was a long time ago when i was up north. songbird |
over winter crops?
George Shirley wrote:
songbird wrote: .... you must also be fertilizing? I don't, but wife loves Miracle Grow. ah, ok. and yeah, hard to keep organic matter in the soils in warmer areas. some clay can slow the rate of loss down. Our "native" dirt here is two inches of sand over five feet of Houston gumbo clay, put in at build to raise the houses above the minimum flood zone, saves on $$$ but is very bad for gardening, hence the raised beds. that will be where any earthworms will hide from the heat when it gets too bad out. however, what i meant was that if the compost is disappearing then add that on top and it will get mixed in eventually as you plant. especially with that shallow of a bed. i guess i'm lazy that ways. :) think plants and worms can figure it out well enough without me messing it up. are the beds isolated from the subsoil clay you have in place? like by a weed barrier fabric or sheet plastic? Yup, but the barrier fabric is pretty much gone by now, has been in place since early 2013 and was intended to rot away eventually. oh, that's ok, at least you have sand and clay if you ever need it and the worms can get in and out. i hope they will continue to live there. it's a good sign when the soil can support a diverse community of critters. .... Yup, we both grew up on small farms, almost always had composting in place, plus we had large critters for several years and they dropped enough good stuff on the land that it became very rich. Horses, mules, cows, goats, etc. Improved grass lands, eaten by large critters then given back to the earth. In Louisiana we had access to friends who had large critters and we always had a pickup truck. Go clean out a rain shed that had two feet of excrement that was aged from two to five years, take an axe, cut out large chunks, use the hay fork to toss into truck, repeat many times. Take it home, put the stuff through the wood chipper and blow it into the garden, Use the tiller to turn it under, water, plant seeds, jump back as they grow. I miss those days, about the only big critter poop you can get here is Black Cow in bags and that is from huge feed lots and no telling what was going through the critters and into the bags. i know. i don't buy the stuff any more, but i did try a few bags when i first put in the strawberries. decided i could grow/harvest green manure crops for a fraction of the expense and run it through the worm bins. :) i envy younger people who can handle larger animals and have the inclination. you can do a lot of regenerative grazing on beat up farmland to bring it back to prime condition, run chickens through right after you graze and the chickens will pick through the cow plops to get the fly grubs, and scatter the plops around. in those winter sheds, this guy takes whole shelled out corn and sprinkles it in there once in a while and then as the pile builds up he doesn't do anything until after the cows come out of the shed and then he puts his pigs in there and they root through it all and turn it looking for the corn. :) i think that's a great idea for stirring compost... using an animal to do it. for me, worms are about as far as i can go for now. eventually i hope i can do some quail here just to get a population back that has been eradicated. songbird |
over winter crops?
On 8/31/2016 9:34 AM, songbird wrote:
The Cook wrote: ... Not giving up, just slowing down after 2 years of medical problems. Hoping I can get a smaller garden going next year. I still have lots of jars, many of them still full of food. (food still good and being used) I looked at my records and about the 3rd year we were here I set out almost 100 tomato plants. we'd need help and machines to keep up with that many plants! :) I do keep track of what is on the shelves and get rid of anything that is too old. Getting harder to get rid of stuff since older son's wife has a small garden and younger son has his own garden, freezer and canner. but they'll take some jars? :) BTW I'm only 16 months younger that you. you are both about Ma's age. she can run laps around me health-wise. :) be good to yourselves... songbird Miz Anne's two sisters are coming in from Maryland today. Getting all set up for our eldest granddaughter's forthcoming wedding. So, Miz Anne is mowing the yard again and weed eating and trimming everything to look good for her sisters. I just got up from a nap, have been feeling really lousy for about a week, hopefully that will go away soon. Have been having a little rain here and there and the gardens are picking up. I am amazed at how much stuff from over a year ago planting are still producing and growing. The latest plantings are taking over the gardens due to the rain I reckon. Miz Anne turned the last of the Tennosui pears into a nice pear pie today. We have tried the newest pear jelly and it is outstanding in color and taste. I think we're going to get along with the tree alright. Will try the pear sauce I made soon. I added nothing to it, just canned it and put it in the canning pantry. I tasted the raw sauce and it was excellent. Miz Anne thinks I should have added some cinnamon or another spice but I am hoping it will just be good as is. Sometimes the lily does not need to be gilded. George |
over winter crops?
On 8/31/2016 9:39 AM, songbird wrote:
George Shirley wrote: ... I have a large number of Atlas jars with the standard small lid. Ran into the first bunch at a Pentecostal Church sale, five cents each. I carry a standard small lid with me when I go fossiking just to ensure they work. They were originally REAL jars from a spaghetti sauce, can't remember the name. They're still around but changed the neck of the jar so it is no longer of use for canning. They're not quite a quart but are really good for pickles and jellies. I'm looking at about six cases of pints, a couple of cases of quarts and a case of half gallon jars right now. Plus a bunch of little 1/4. 1/8, etc. jars that have come in over the years. i've got a bag of odd little sized jars in the closet that i would use for odds and ends of jam batches, but now that i'm doing freezer jam and have been happy using pint jars i hardly even use them any more. and some of those decorative diamond pattern jars which are too tippy and i don't like 'em. tried a few minutes ago to talk Ma into letting me put some tomato juice in them so i could get rid of them... nope... darn... :) I accuse my lovely wife of hoarding and she smiles and mentions my canning pantry. Touche! har! i have boxes of old bottles on top of the book- cases, that i really should just see if anyone wants them because i've not bothered with them since i put them up there. some old ink wells are about all i really like and a few coffin bottles and colored soda water bottles. used to go with a friend digging for bottles and would help him scrub them so he'd let me take a few here or there. that was a long time ago when i was up north. songbird Back in the sixties and seventies my Dad and I operated a gunsmith shop and we also handled antique bottles and jars. Our area of Texas at that time was loaded with old homesteads, long burned or taken out. We could find the privy holes easily and dug out many an old bottle, jar, or whiskey jug. Soaked them in #2 wash tubs for a week or two and then put them in an antique display cabinet we ran upon. Folks would come in for the husband to look at guns and the wives would see the display cabinet. We generally sold more antique bottles than guns because of that display. Folks liked the bottles and jars that had turned a light violet color due to the sun hitting the glass for years. Mostly turned violet if there was a good bit of selenium in the glass. We would take the privy bottles and put them in a box I built with a barber's sanitary light in the top. One week and we had genuine antique sun purpled bottles. Price of those doubled and tripled. G George |
over winter crops?
On 8/31/2016 9:49 AM, songbird wrote:
George Shirley wrote: songbird wrote: ... you must also be fertilizing? I don't, but wife loves Miracle Grow. ah, ok. and yeah, hard to keep organic matter in the soils in warmer areas. some clay can slow the rate of loss down. Our "native" dirt here is two inches of sand over five feet of Houston gumbo clay, put in at build to raise the houses above the minimum flood zone, saves on $$$ but is very bad for gardening, hence the raised beds. that will be where any earthworms will hide from the heat when it gets too bad out. however, what i meant was that if the compost is disappearing then add that on top and it will get mixed in eventually as you plant. especially with that shallow of a bed. i guess i'm lazy that ways. :) think plants and worms can figure it out well enough without me messing it up. are the beds isolated from the subsoil clay you have in place? like by a weed barrier fabric or sheet plastic? Yup, but the barrier fabric is pretty much gone by now, has been in place since early 2013 and was intended to rot away eventually. oh, that's ok, at least you have sand and clay if you ever need it and the worms can get in and out. i hope they will continue to live there. it's a good sign when the soil can support a diverse community of critters. ... Yup, we both grew up on small farms, almost always had composting in place, plus we had large critters for several years and they dropped enough good stuff on the land that it became very rich. Horses, mules, cows, goats, etc. Improved grass lands, eaten by large critters then given back to the earth. In Louisiana we had access to friends who had large critters and we always had a pickup truck. Go clean out a rain shed that had two feet of excrement that was aged from two to five years, take an axe, cut out large chunks, use the hay fork to toss into truck, repeat many times. Take it home, put the stuff through the wood chipper and blow it into the garden, Use the tiller to turn it under, water, plant seeds, jump back as they grow. I miss those days, about the only big critter poop you can get here is Black Cow in bags and that is from huge feed lots and no telling what was going through the critters and into the bags. i know. i don't buy the stuff any more, but i did try a few bags when i first put in the strawberries. decided i could grow/harvest green manure crops for a fraction of the expense and run it through the worm bins. :) i envy younger people who can handle larger animals and have the inclination. you can do a lot of regenerative grazing on beat up farmland to bring it back to prime condition, run chickens through right after you graze and the chickens will pick through the cow plops to get the fly grubs, and scatter the plops around. in those winter sheds, this guy takes whole shelled out corn and sprinkles it in there once in a while and then as the pile builds up he doesn't do anything until after the cows come out of the shed and then he puts his pigs in there and they root through it all and turn it looking for the corn. :) i think that's a great idea for stirring compost... using an animal to do it. for me, worms are about as far as i can go for now. eventually i hope i can do some quail here just to get a population back that has been eradicated. songbird My Mom always had several dozen laying hens, she sold the fresh eggs to folks in town at a good price. The chickens had free run of the ten acres during daylight hours and then went to their roost before dark. We also fed them "laying hen feed." The yolks of the eggs were a deep, golden color and the taste was much better than those from the supermarket. Chickens, ducks, etc. do a good job of fertilizing the fields too. Our guinea hens roosted in the tallest trees on the property, they didn't much like hen houses but they went there to lay their eggs. The occasional hawk would get one once in awhile but those roosting trees always had deep green leaves. Lots of guinea poop on the ground. |
over winter crops?
On 09/01/2016 05:34 AM, Derald wrote:
T wrote: I was hoping for something to eat. where? General knowledge of your whereabouts—USDA zone, at least—and of steps you take to temper conditions for the garden's sake would be of benefit. For examples, can/do you provide any combination of protection, insulation, heat sources? What crosses your mind when you read "microclimate"? Would love a green house, but I am way to poor for that. And we have hurricane level 1 winds a couple of times a year. Most green houses blow away. I have no special anything other than me over loving the things. They have made me into a slave. But ... Your USDA zone for "X" in the following google (startpage) search might offer some suggestions: zone X winter vegetables -alibaba -ebay -book -books -auction -amazon -peeplo -wow.com Northern Nevada south of Reno. Elevation: 4900 feet. Very arid. Freezing winters. Short growing season: mid June through first freeze in September/October. Hot summers 90-100F in the day, 45-55F in the night. Most of what I see for winter vegi's in in climes with no freezing weather. I am dying to try those Potato Onions and maybe throw in some Grey Griselle Shallots. I just planted my garlic for the season yesterday. http://www.southernexposure.com/yell...-oz-p-873.html http://www.southernexposure.com/grey...oz-p-1441.html Basically what Songbird said: things that grow underground. Sorry 'bout the word wrap but I'm sure you can overcome. Worked perfectly here. It is an issue with the software and not you. Your's seems to be working fine. [OT] Gratuitous aside: Does your reference to "Primal" elsewhere in the thread refer to principals of so-called (and self-described) "Primal Living"? I try to follow this as close as I can. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/defin...mal-blueprint/ Did a bunch of office work last week and wound up with a stinking blood sugar of 124 mb/dL, which is not good. Did a bunch of gardening yesterday. Woke up with a blood sugar of 84 mg/dL, which is phenomenal for a drug free T2 diabetic. This gardening is good for me in so many more ways than I ever imagined. I need to break up my office work with gardening and fishing. Grok on! -T |
over winter crops?
Derald wrote:
....about zones... roughly the same here, except not so arid. and at elevation 620ft, which also makes a lot of difference in sun intensity. for arid climate wind-breaks can help a lot. he's mentioned before getting very strong winds. and mulching to hold whatever soil moisture you can collect. and using contours to harvest any run-off so you don't lose topsoil and rainwater. stop it, slow it down, soak it in. water stored under- ground is much better than in a pond when it comes to arid climates. songbird |
over winter crops?
On 09/02/2016 06:14 AM, Derald wrote:
list only onions I will be tickled pink to get potato onions, shallots, and garlic going over winter. Year before last I got a great garlic harvest. And, home grown garlic is so indescribably better than store bought garlic ... Thank you for all the advice! |
over winter crops?
On 09/02/2016 10:30 AM, songbird wrote:
Derald wrote: ...about zones... roughly the same here, except not so arid. and at elevation 620ft, which also makes a lot of difference in sun intensity. for arid climate wind-breaks can help a lot. he's mentioned before getting very strong winds. and mulching to hold whatever soil moisture you can collect. and using contours to harvest any run-off so you don't lose topsoil and rainwater. stop it, slow it down, soak it in. water stored under- ground is much better than in a pond when it comes to arid climates. songbird We get 7 inches a year on average. When it rains, sometimes there are flash floods and then the water disappears. We have some awesome thunderstorms. The most incredible five minutes of weather drama you can imagine. |
over winter crops?
On 08/30/2016 07:32 AM, The Cook wrote:
Not giving up, just slowing down after 2 years of medical problems. Are you all better yet? Or just getting there? |
over winter crops?
On Sat, 3 Sep 2016 01:17:39 -0700, T wrote:
On 08/30/2016 07:32 AM, The Cook wrote: Not giving up, just slowing down after 2 years of medical problems. Are you all better yet? Or just getting there? Some are taken care of pretty well and others we are learning to live with or work around. -- USA North Carolina Foothills USDA Zone 7a |
over winter crops?
On 09/03/2016 05:48 AM, The Cook wrote:
On Sat, 3 Sep 2016 01:17:39 -0700, T wrote: On 08/30/2016 07:32 AM, The Cook wrote: Not giving up, just slowing down after 2 years of medical problems. Are you all better yet? Or just getting there? Some are taken care of pretty well and others we are learning to live with or work around. This is good news indeed. |
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