Thursday, July 7, 2016

And we're almost there...

I started dill in the greenhouse, and it was enjoyed by 'chucks and bunnies once planted outdoors. There may be a small one or two survivors left. I think I'm going to scatter some seeds, and cross my fingers. It's July so I'm not sure there's time for it to fully mature but I should get something out of it anyway.

Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Getting There (And Getting Real)!

Potatoes in grass-catcher bins
Volunteer Lemon Balm before the sunflowers came up and got eaten
At the corner of Compost Bin and Garden Gate, I planted some sunflower seeds, eaten by the local wildlife.
I drilled holes in the old grass-catchers and put potatoes in them as well as in the old wicker basket I used last year. In the little area where I planted sunflowers, there is a lemon balm that spread (must've been by seed) from the raised bed they are normally in and I thought, that's fine there. The potatoes are doing fine and I got a whole row in the garden planted as well, all from sprouted spuds from last years crop. I didn't buy any seed potatoes this year. I was going to but I think I waited too long, sadly.

"Asparagrass"

Another learning curve, I found you can snap off the spear
where the woody part ends and tender part begins. Mmmm
We used to call it that as a joke but I heard someone call it Asparagrass and they seemed serious.
Anyway, we got out first harvest this spring. It was yum. Not a huge harvest but I think we're on our way. Probably won't ever be enough to can unless I grow more. That's in the works but I'm not sure where I'll put them...maybe in the old strawberry bed. :)

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

I bought strawberries to make my annual strawberry-rhubarb jam. It turned out that my own
Almost enough for my jam without
buying any, but did have to buy some.
strawberry plants produced almost enough berries for the batch, just needed to add a small amount of the less flavorful store-bought ones.
The jam is good, but still a little runny - can't seem to get it just right these days. They are gelled at the top and liquid at the bottom. I find that when I open a new jar, if I stir it up it seems to thicken a little bit more in the fridge.

Starting Stuff In The Greenhouse

As mentioned in the previous entry, I am getting caught up - or attempting to anyway. So this is from early to late spring. I'm not going to bother "faking" the date although after it's said and done, I might decide to.