What’s In The Greenhouse?

Inside my greenhouse I am finding that the cooler night temperature and less daylight is optimum for some of the plants I am growing there. The Coleus plants are positioned in a semi-shady spot in the greenhouse, receiving the cooler temperature now, and they are all doing well.

Two large pots of geraniums (Pelargoniums) have been moved into the greenhouse. They are situated in a sunny spot where they receive the mid-to-late afternoon sun. They are adapting to the cooler temperature in the greenhouse now, but in about a month, after some fish fertilizer is added on a regular basis, these plants will bloom themselves silly.

The cooler greenhouse temperature does inhibit growth of my seedlings and newly divided plants. I’ve not been using a seeding mat to add bottom heat on my seedlings, so everything is in slow-grow mode.

The three tip-cuts of a scented Geranium have rooted now, but they are not putting on new growth yet. These are a lemon-scented Geranium and the leaves have a wonderful smell, so I wanted a few more of these useful plants for next year.

The greenhouse has been sporting one of the shade cloth wrappings on the roof, but with the decrease in the sun’s strength, I will remove the shade cloth now.  I set the stat for the greenhouse furnace unit at 55-degrees, so my greenhouse is staying cool at night, but not dipping too low or freezing.

During the days with sun, though, the greenhouse temperature climbs up into the mid 80s without a problem.  I have the exhaust fan stat set for 85-degrees and it regularly kicks on by 11am if we have a sunny day. Of course, even with a strong sun, the days are shorter and without the long stretch of daylight or the full summer-strength of sunlight now, the plants pull back on growth, no matter what, unless you trick the plants with additional lighting.

This Chrysanthemum was brought into my greenhouse so I could enjoy it a few months longer than those growing outdoors. Most of my other mums are growing in the gardens, with a few in large pots.

I am also growing some herbs in the greenhouse. I have 3 pots of Italian Parsley which can be harvested for soups or salads.

Seven or eight pots of Chives were started in September. They are small divisions from the garden clumps of Chives that I grow. Once I am unable to pick Chives from the garden, I will begin using the newly potted Chives.

And I’ve started a few cuttings of Pineapple Sage, Snapdragons, and even some Basil started from seed.

From my large pot of Thyme, I took a small division cut and now that small clump is setting its own roots in its own pot. I can always use more Thyme!

And, yes, Nasturtiums!! My greenhouse also has pots and pots of Nasturtiums growing, too.

The Nasturtiums are thriving on the conditions in the greenhouse and frankly, I’m surprised they’re doing so well. I thought they would have enjoyed warmer conditions. Each of the plants was dug from the garden and potted up for the greenhouse.

Nasturtiums are a garden-must for me, and if you’ve not tried this annual flower, please consider doing so next year. Nasturtiums make an excellent companion plant as a catch-crop. Nasturtiums are pest-attractors, with many bugs preferring the nasturtiums over the vegetables growing in the garden. I am involved in covert garden-pest operatives….

The added benefit with Nasturtiums is that they are completely edible. The leaves and flowers are used in salads, offering a wonderful peppery flavor and festive color.

Now who wouldn’t want to strategize covert operations and declare garden-pest-war with such beautiful flowers?

Winter Greens

Our Kale has been producing for about 3 months so we’re eating well. We have so much Kale that we will be picking extra to freeze. We have very little space in our large chest freezer now, so we are using our 2 freezer compartments in our refrigerators to hold these frozen packs until we can eat them later in winter.

Our Swiss Chard is still producing abundantly for us. The Chard was planted in late spring and is now under cover. We plan to continue harvesting our Chard through December, at a minimum. Hopefully, it will last through the entire winter, but that depends upon how cold our weather will be.

This year, we are also growing salad greens for our fall and winter use. I planted two double rows of greens which included Komatsuna, Mizuna, Cavallo, Bulls Blood Beet, Valmaine Lettuce, Golden Streaked and Red Mustard, and Skyrocket.

The salad greens are under insulated cloth already because of a cold snap a week ago. We have had some warmer weather and rain  so the cover cloths have been pulled back for the greens for optimum growth.

I think it’s just about time for a salad!

Pompions

Pompions, or pumpeons, is one of the old terms used to describe pumpkins. Pumpkins, which are the largest variety of the cucumber family, have been eaten for hundreds of years, and they were grown in colonial America. Pumpkins have also been grown by North and South American natives — with some varieties, for thousands of years.

Today, some of the varieties of pumpkins are referred to as squash, though, and they are, indeed, varieties of winter squash. The squashes, pumpkins and gourds are all members of the Cucurbitaceae family with over 800 species in more than 100 genera.

Pumpkins actually come in many different sizes and shapes. The most common heirloom varieties of pumpkins are Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbita moschata and Cucurbita maxima species.

The Herball, written in 1597, included three types of pompions, or pumpkins:  “The great long Pompion, the great round Pompion and the great flat bottommed Pompion.”

Cucurbita pepo:  This was one of the first new world crops domesticated by the native population and is the most diverse of all species of Cucurbita.

The species name is from the Latin word pepo meaning an enlarged fruit. Within the C. pepo group are the common Field Pumpkin, Acorn squash, Scalloped, or Patty Pan squash, Delicata squash, Yellow Crookneck squash, Zucchini, and ornamental gourds.

Cucurbita moschata: Prior to European contact, this species was distributed from northern South America, to southern North America. Winter, or Canada Crookneck squash, Butternut squash, Golden Cushaw, and the Cheese Pumpkin are included in this group.

Cucurbita maxima: Pumpkins of this group are the world’s largest fruit. The earliest known domestication of C. maxima comes from Peru from about 1800 BC. Giant pumpkins, Buttercup squash, Banana squash, Hubbard squash and Turban squashes are found in this group.

There is also Cucubita argyrosperma, (formerly C. mixta): Pumpkins from this species were cultivated in southern Mexico more than 7,000 years ago. The Striped Cushaw and Tennessee Sweet Potato squash are included in this group.

“Cucurbita pepo and maxima reached Europe within 30 years after European contact. Pumpkins, acorns (winter squash) and scallops (summer squash) were being grown throughout Europe by the mid 16th century. Crooknecks did not appear in Europe until late in the 18th or early 19th century. Cushaw (C. argyrosperma) was known in the American south but remained uncommon in Europe. The cheese pumpkin (C. moschata) may have been an early introduction to Europe but was certainly present by the late 17th century (Evolution of Crop Plants, Smartt and Simmonds, 1995).”

Some of the information in this post is from an article produced by Colonial Williamsburg. To learn more on pumpkins and squash, refer to Cucurbits.

Brown Long Neck

Another heirloom: the Brown Long Neck pumpkin. This crook-neck pumpkin makes an excellent pumpkin bread or pie. The Brown Long Neck is the pumpkin used by our regional Amish for their markets’ baked goods.

The neck is solid pumpkin used for cooking and the color of the flesh is a beautiful orange. The rounded end contains a hollow cavity with pumpkin and the pumpkin’s seeds. If you are a seed saver, you will need to scoop them out and dry them for next year’s garden.

To process the Brown Long Neck pumpkin for cooking, cut the neck into manageable sections.

Slice through the hollow cavity and then cut in half.

Scoop seeds and any attached pulp and discard pulp, saving seeds. (If you have chickens or a compost pile, you know to reserve this pulp for another use. And chickens absolutely love pumpkins seeds!)

Peel the tan-colored skin off of each cut piece, then cut into smaller chunks. Place all chunks in covered kettle to slowly cook until very soft and tender. Add a small amount of water so that chunks do not burn while cooking. You will be able to easily drain the water after the pumpkin has cooked.

Once the pumpkin has cooked and the chunks are soft, it can be mashed or pureed. Be sure to strain extra water off before the pumpkin is mashed.

I chose to puree mine for cooking purposes. To serve as a side dish with a meal, simply mash the pumpkin.

To make the smooth pumpkin puree for baking purposes,  use a food mill, strainer, or blender to process. Once the cooked pumpkin has been pureed, use this in any pumpkin recipe calling for a can of pumpkin. (A 16-ounce can of pumpkin is the same as 2 cups of homemade pumpkin puree.)

If you have extra, you can freeze the puree. Be sure to freeze with the appropriate amount for your favorite recipes! Home-made pumpkin puree is so much better than the canned gunk….Like everything else that you make from scratch, once you make your own pumpkin puree, you’ll be convinced. And honestly, isn’t it worth the little bit of extra time for this?

The 12 pound Brown Long Neck yielded 5 1/2 cups of pureed pumpkin. This is enough for 2 pumpkin pies. I also reserved one half hollowed section that will be cooked for my lunch on Monday.

Please note: Home canning any pumpkin puree or butter is not recommended anymore, so if you plan to preserve some homemade pumpkin puree, you will need to freeze the batches you make.

With A Little Land

Having a little land is a dream to some and an accomplishment to others. Most of us who own some land know that we can grow food, hunt game, gather firewood, and even forage. While we realize that we can buy groceries and produce at the markets, we are content — even downright happy — that we can provide wonderfully fresh foods for ourselves.

Most of us who do grow our own foods also live sensibly, and within our financial means.  Many of us grow foods that can be preserved for winter meals. We also do our own repairs, our own domestic chores, our own cooking, and we roll up our sleeves and construct our own sheds and barns. Working around the house and on the land is satisfying and fulfills our philosophy of self-reliance. We know that we need to balance our work and our play with some discipline and routines. Working for ourselves we can usually set our own pace, and we are content that we are our own decision-makers.

Living on the path of self-reliance,  we know that we need to accomplish numerous tasks. And there are a variety of these tasks. We are often incorporating the skills of homemakers, cooks, gardeners, chemists, accountants, nurses, caregivers, seamstresses, and repairmen on a personal level.

The more skills that we develop for ourselves, the more independent and self-reliant we are.

Some of us have always lived frugally with a simple lifestyle. And some of us have chosen to downshift and live in a less competitive, more meaningful way. We don’t consider our simple and frugal lifestyles as merely just getting by. We believe our lives are enriched, filled with meaning and purpose. We have incorporated a form of voluntary simplicity because we have seen that the competitive and consumer-based society is empty for us.  We believe that our efforts have allowed for our continuing path of personal independence.

There has been a rebirth of self-sufficiency because many of us understand that there is more to life than chasing a paycheck or hiring someone else to raise the family. Some of us believe that our Nation is heading in the wrong direction and we are trying to do our small part to bring more value and more common sense back into our own lives. We are doing what we can to live by our principles and our value system, to ensure our own personal wealth and happiness.

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Those of us who are attentive to the news and politics are realizing our Nation is in serious trouble. Some of the people who have been living a self-reliant lifestyle have predicted this — and worse. Some believe there will be an economic collapse. Some believe a Shadow Government has been established to strike down our Constitution, fundamentally change American law, and replace it with international laws. Some of us fear more Federal restrictions of small farms and homesteading practices. Where is our Nation heading?

Some of us have been actively planning for a difficult future. Many have been expecting a National disaster of some type. Could there really be a terrorist attack again? Or a serious pandemic? Could America’s economy really collapse?

Each of these questions are frightening, but each situation could occur. Have you seriously considered what you and your family would do? Have you prepared for continued difficult economic times? Are you at all prepared if there were a National emergency? Have you made any back-up plans?

Do you wonder what would happen if our economy worsens? What if you lost your job? Have you made plans for several different scenarios, to prepare for lost wages or a job?

I believe that most common sense people have taken the time to think through, even plan, some what-ifs, but what if we are faced with difficulties that are almost outside of our control?

What if our government were to challenge our liberties and our laws were changed, preventing us from living our lifestyles? What if homesteads were reclassified and zoned as an agricultural business, then taxed because even ‘home produce’ would be considered “goods” that were created? Could you survive this change?

What if the small seed companies were driven out of business by the government and large agri-corporations? Or what will happen when seeds are corrupted by GMO crops? Could you, would you, continue to garden?

And there are the taxes….With the continued job loss, there is less tax revenues to operate locales and states. Services will be cut, more jobs will be lost, and to keep operations running somewhat, taxes will undoubtedly rise. What will happen when all of the  local, State, and Federal taxes increase to offset the tax losses from those who are no longer working? Can you afford to pay more taxes?

What will happen if a “VAT” (Value Added Tax) is implemented? Could you, as a consumer, afford to make purchases? And what about essential purchases for fuel, medicine, or foods you don’t grow?

Are you prepared to live with 30-80% less value for American-dollars if our US Dollar continues to devalue as inflation grows?

Serious questions for seriously difficult times in America. Sometimes depressing, sometimes overwhelming, but these are the serious questions we must ask ourselves to better prepare for our Nation’s tomorrow.

I often wonder where the next years will lead our Nation. I do not believe that I/we can continue looking the other way, living naively, wishing everything would return to a simpler way of life. As much as we try to embrace our own simple lifestyles, we are dealing with a runaway Federal government that will impact each and every one of us.

Many Americans are thinking hard about the fundamental changes that are taking place in our Nation. The corruption of our political system is out of control.  Americans are seeing that they may be left with little, as the power grabs continue to tax and spend with an addictive quality that is unprecedented. Poll numbers prove that Americans are growing more and more dissatisfied with our Nation’s direction.

I used to believe that with a little land and God’s grace, I could pursue the lifestyle I have chosen — to live frugally and in a self-sufficient, independent way.

I was raised to believe that my life’s choices were basic rights that I could enjoy as an American:  “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”.

Now I wonder.

Cornish Cross Broilers

Today we begin butchering our second batch of Cornish Cross hens. They were 9 weeks old yesterday, and one of them appears unable to walk. There seems to be no pain associated with the hen’s inability to walk, but I won’t disturb her to just have a look.

We always try to keep the broilers as calm as we can, especially during their last couple of weeks. Carting around all of that weight on, well, chicken legs, doesn’t look easy, so we minimize their activity except when we move their cage every day. That’s enough excitement for them!  The rest of the time, they eat or lay around. This batch of broilers loves the back of the cage for some reason. I can always find a half dozen or more all lined up looking out.  (See the one in the foreground with the comb and wattles? I wonder if we were sent a rooster too?! McMurray gave us 2 extras.)

We’ve never lost a broiler from a broken leg or sudden death (ie cardiac problems). I suspect that is because of the way we raise them and the feed they are given. Also, we watch them rather closely during the last few weeks because those chicken legs are carrying around quite a bit of breast and they are definitely ‘front heavy’. Hooter Hens. The Cornish Cross hen in the photo was 7 weeks old here and you can see how large and thick the legs are. See how splayed their legs must be to support the live weight of about 7-9 pounds per hen? Not the prettiest bird, but since they don’t move fast, you can easily pet and stroke their back feathers.

At this age, their weight becomes their own worst enemy and the Cornish birds are known to have sudden death from heart problems, or they break a leg from their own weight. Their rate of growth is very fast. Good feed-to-meat conversion rate and exceptionally tender meat is why this broiler cross has been so popular.

This coming weekend, we planned to do all of the butchering, but with one hen showing some possible problems, my husband took a day off of work so we can process 6 or so. So much for a day off of work, right?

Late afternoon update: No broken leg – Evidently just a weighted-down hen who didn’t want to stand.

Garlic In The Garden

We had our first frost on Monday morning and the soil temperature is right, so it was time to plant garlic. I was actually ready to plant last week, but we had four days of cold rain and the garden was off limits. Sometimes weather dictates garden plans, so the garlic bed was postponed.

Yesterday was warm and sunny, so I spent quite a bit of time outside. Being outside, ambling around and puttering in the garden seemed long overdo after a few days of cold rain and grey skies. Preparing a garden bed and a little yard exercise felt so good. I’ve always believed that sweating is good for the soul. And, for me, getting out in the garden to play dirty-digger helps me keep a healthy perspective on life. With the difficulties our Nation is facing, I need that….

Before I plant garlic cloves, I always double-dig the wide rows about 10-12 inches deep. Then I add a decent amount of compost, work it into the soil, then rake the bed smooth.

With garlic, I get the cloves ready ahead of time. As I write this post, I realize that I never counted the cloves or the dibbled holes. But there was a bunch….about 100.

To plant the garlic cloves, I use a slender hand tool called a dibble to make the holes for each clove.  The holes should be about 3 inches deep and about 6 inches apart.

I grow 3-bulbs across in a wider than average row, so I make 3 holes, then plant a clove in each of those holes. Then I make the next 3 holes about 6 inches away. With direct overhead sun during the growing season (and nutrient-rich soil), you can grow garlic like this.

Can you tell I don’t use twine and stakes to mark straight rows?

The garlic in the garden is Brown Rose, Creole Red, Okrent, and Thai Purple.

Green Tomato Bread

This quick-bread gives me a great excuse to use up some of those extra green tomatoes that were taken off of the vine before our first frost. I try to never let good food go to waste.

Green Tomato Bread

• 2 3/4 cup flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup melted sweet butter
• 2/3 cup apple cider
• 1 -2 green tomatoes, diced (to make 1 1/4 cups)

Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ground ginger together, tossing to mix thoroughly. Toss in the crystallized ginger, then the walnuts, separating and coating each piece.

In a medium-size bowl, beat the eggs until light and thickened. Add the maple syrup, butter, and cider, mixing well.

Now fold the dry ingredients into the bowl, add the diced green tomatoes, and stir until just mixed. Pour the mixture into a buttered 9-inch loaf pan and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 60-65 minutes, until the edges are browned and start to leave the sides of the pan.

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack.

Yield: One 9-inch loaf

This recipe is from The L. L. Bean Book of New New England Cookery.

Long Island Cheese

Betcha thought you’d see a beautiful cheese wheel in this post, didn’t you?

How about looking at an unusual winter squash that resembles a cheese wheel instead?

Well, minus the red waxy coating, that is….

Long Island Cheese (Cucurbita moschata) is an old heirloom squash that came from the New York and New Jersey region. This one measures about 14-inches across and it’s a little more than 13 pounds.

The Long Island Cheese squash is used primarily for baked pies. The flesh is a beautiful deep orange and it’s somewhat sweet. It’s a perfect squash for a traditional pumpkin pie.

The outer skin of a Long Island Cheese squash is very smooth and the ridges and flattened overall appearance gave this winter squash it’s name.

Definitely a great name.

Just say Cheese Squash 5 times real fast. I dare you….

Seeing Green

A cold front has moved in, and with it, cold rain. Last week, we had a windy day that blew quite a few leaves off of the oak trees. Seeing so many brown leaves atop our dying grass makes me realize that Summer is gone and the colder seasons really are fast approaching.

Earlier today, I picked the rest of the green tomatoes. Goodbye the tomatoes…

I also picked a bunch of Chard for this evening’s meal. We have been eating Chard 3-5 times a week and never tire of this green.

If it’s not too wet tomorrow morning, I will pick Kale to freeze and also eat fresh. Those evenings we don’t eat Chard, we eat Kale. We love greens…

Pak Choi isn’t ready yet but I can thin some and add them to a salad.  I’m unsure of the discolored leaves and have never had this before. Is this a leafminer’s damage?

I was standing at the edge of the garden and I noticed how many peppers are trying to grow, despite the colder weather. Little green peppers and white blossoms cover the tops of our pepper plants. They will grow until the very end….

Seeing green in the garden is like a meal promised. I know a killing frost is mere days away. While some plants will wither and die, some will continue on under hoops.

For now I can enjoy the slower pace in the garden. And while it lasts, I can also enjoy seeing green.