Garden – Page 3 – (hikebike)cookgardensew

Seed Starting 2013

I started my first seeds of 2013 today. Since it is really early I just did tomatoes and peppers. There are nine starts each of eight varieties – four each of peppers and tomatoes. They are: Arkansas Traveler Tomatoes from Heirlooms Evermore Riesentraube Tomatoes from Baker Creek Amish Paste Tomatoes from Baker Creek Double RichContinue reading “Seed Starting 2013”

Herbal Tea from the Garden

I have several plants that have been going strong all winter inside. Two of them make wonderful herbal tea – mint and lemon balm. I grab a small handful of leaves from either one and very lightly rinse them. Steep to taste and strain the leaves. I like to use the Teavana perfect tea maker.

Canning Mishap

I am canning tomato sauce this afternoon and just had my first mishap. I loaded the last jar (a short pint jar) in and lowered the basket into the almost boiling water. Then “plumpf.” Said jar then did a backflip, losing it’s bottom and much of the contents in the process. Boo. So now whatContinue reading “Canning Mishap”

Hornworms and Parasitic Wasps

I have spent the past month picking and smashing hornworms, all the while wondering where in the heck those wonderful parasitic wasps were. I guess they decided to make an entrance now that fall is banging down our door.

Garden Pests – Have you seen these?

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in my first year of organic gardening is that you can’t be afraid to get out there and squish a few bugs. Even when they are as big as your thumb. Have you seen any of these pests in your garden this year? What pests have you seenContinue reading “Garden Pests – Have you seen these?”

Canning Tomato Sauce using the Omega 8004/8006 Juicer

With the bounty of tomatoes from my garden and those of our families I have been looking into canning. I have already canned tomatoes in their own juice, but I realized that we go through quite a few cans of tomato sauce each month making pizza and spaghetti and a few other dishes. I decidedContinue reading “Canning Tomato Sauce using the Omega 8004/8006 Juicer”

Sunday Harvest

We spent this beautiful Sunday morning out in the garden. It began with an impromptu hornworm spotting that turned into a full on hornworm massacre. I think we killed at least 10. Yuck. They are so big and gross and are able to blend in so easily right in front of your eyes! Once weContinue reading “Sunday Harvest”

Backgarden Update

Well, it’s been awhile since I updated the blog, and even longer since I mentioned the backgarden. I planted it late, on June 17th. Here’s what it looks like today. Yes, my corn is very short. But is does have ears growing. I’m not sure they’ll have long enough to ripen before the first frostContinue reading “Backgarden Update”

Bumper Tomato Crop

Veggie Salad in a Cucumber Cup

Several days ago I was surfing recipe sites and pinterest-ing (is that a word?) them . I marked this one down but wasn’t sure I’d try it. Fast forward to today. I happened to have some mint that I thinned out of the garden and wasn’t sure what to do with it. This recipe was theContinue reading “Veggie Salad in a Cucumber Cup”