The Garden Chronicles

The raised bed garden is working as expected. My expectations were low; to basically provide a steady supply of fresh produce for a couple of adults. They’re crowded yet the learning curve is short and it’s easy peasy to sow additional produce as you go. 

 

 

If I felt inclined to can pickles or something else there’s farm stands locally and a weekly market in Sturgeon Bay. There’s even a local neighbor who raises mushrooms and micro greens. 

 

Best of all, nobody’s gonna recall my lettuce or spinach for causing diarrhea.  And by the time February rolls-around I might commit high crimes and misdemeanors for my daily fresh tomato fix.

  

 

Raising a toast to an additional 18 inches of elevation….

The Garden Chronicles

My new raised beds are working out as intended; basically saving my back and saving me from gardening on my hands and knees (note the chair).

Everything is crowded, but my vegetables and herbs seem to be happy over-all.  The intention is to grow a seasonal supply of household produce on a rotational basis.  If I need something in particular or a large quantity of something there are plenty of local farm markets.

Today I harvested spinach and radishes and replanted radishes.

For some odd reason the lettuces I planted several weeks ago did not germinate so I replanted them a week ago.  They're a cool season crop so I cannot blame it on the unseasonable cool weather we've been experiencing.

We've even gotten a couple of opportunities to nibble on a handful of cherry tomatoes already.

Vive le Jardin Magnifique!

Sandwich Simplicity

Since we began our day with a different sandwich there is this.  When we returned from our walk in the woods the other day I was hungry for a snack.  Fresh from the garden I’ve been looking forward to this for a year already. 

There is nothing more elegant in its simplicity than the radish sandwich.  Hearkening back to my childhood this was a favorite of my father and remains a summertime indulgence of mine.  It is sublime.   

Ingredients:   

Garden radishes – sliced thin  

Two slices of bread - rye, sourdough, whole wheat - you pick. 

Unsalted sweet cream butter – room temperature  

Sea salt  

Instructions:  

Slather each slice of bread generously with butter.   

Top with radish slices.  

Cracked sea salt over all to taste.  

Yields one sandwich.

You can learn more about the humble radish here.

How To Build A Raised Garden - Chapter Three

With the final assemble of the two raised bed planting boxes site prep was next.  A trip to Home Depot snared a couple of rolls of Vigoro 3 ft. x 50 ft. WeedBlock Weed Barrier Landscape Fabric with Microfunnels.  The product is designed to channel water away; yet maintain some semblance of moisture.  We'll see.  Like I said previously, this raised bed gardening is a learning curve.

My site was not level and was going to require some earthmoving to level it out.  It was with some trepidation that I went to start the tractor; which fired in the first crank.  Whew!  We had a couple of yards of soil on hand but moving it was going to require the use of the loader.  There was additional soil amendments and mulch - all of which are better hauled with a loader.  More on that episode momentarily.

As best I could I transferred dirt from here to there, leveled it out and stapled-down a layer of weed barrier.  

Following that, I carefully lined both planters with a layer of weed barrier fastening it with stainless steel staples.  A further nod to extending the life of the cedar by means of delaying immediate dirt to wood contact.  We'll see.

The Missus and I placed the boxes in position, shimmed them with treated wood blocks and added three inches (give or take) of untreated, natural wood mulch.

This was followed by a thick layer of additional soil from our stash.  At which point a high pressure hydraulic hose blew on the loader.

This added a day of delay in the project as I had to remove the culprit hose, make a trip to Sturgeon Bay to get a replacement fabricated and install it.  

Crisis averted.

On top of the first layer of soil went ten total bags of organic raised bed soil.  And don't get me started about what I found in that "organic" blend - shredded plastic, bits of debris, and sorta whatnot and nonsense including a stainless steel bolt.  Sheesh. 

An additional bag of composed manure was added over all.

Then everything was dressed with more natural wood mulch which I'm happy with as there's no mud to my gardening experience.

Nevertheless, we did have delivered three yards of "fancy" wood mulch for general landscaping purposes this summer and some of that might find its way to the raised bed project.  Time will tell.

Anyway, be sure to check back periodically for updates on what's growing, harvested, cooked, consumed or preserved.

This old man is looking forward to no longer raising vegetables on his hands and knees.

Praise the Lord and Vive le Jardin Magnifique!

Speaking of which; I've got a solid-running rototiller that I'm willing to part with for not a lot of money it it goes to a good home.  If you're interested you know where to find me....

How To Build A Raised Garden - Chapter Two

As a building material cedar is naturally rot-resistant.  I switched to cedar for bird box construction and properly sealed have had excellent results for something that is subject to the elements 24/7, year-in and year-out.  The only exception is a half-dozen pine-constructed boxes that I literally (and liberally) soaked in Thompson's Waterseal wood preservative decades ago.  They're persisting despite being held-together with galvanized nails because as a preservative Thompson's mummifies your wood.  But I digress.

For my raised beds I thought best to treat the cedar before assembly and some research on the interweb let me to the choice of this product.

It is technically a deck stain, but is labeled as nontoxic when used for growing foodstuffs.  You can have it tinted in any number of colors, but I chose to go with clear untinted and the result was a mat (non-glossy) finish that really enhanced the natural elements of the cedar while hopefully extending the life expectancy of the planter.

It dries fast and earlier this month as the weather began to warm I dragged a couple of ancient sawbucks over to the granary lean-to and set-up  to stain/seal the boards and corner assemblies with two to three coats of product.  

It took three to four days and just about the time I was more than half-way thru the can this happened.

I wouldn't ordinarily cry over spilled stain but at $78 a gallon this was a near disaster.

Fortunately, and with the help of the missus, the spilled product on the surface of the boards was scraped back into the can and anything on the lean-to floor was sopped-up with a brush and applied to the boards.  Dirt and all.  I'd like to think it adds character; besides, it's a planter after all.  Disaster averted.

After the sealant was dry assembly followed.

 

And after assembly I touched-up any scrapes, scuffs and edges with more the sealant/stain.

I added handles on each end to facilitate moving the boxes to their final resting spot so as to not stress any of the fittings.

It occurred to me that with the addition of two additional handles on the long sides of the box I would be half-way to a coffin.  All that would be needed would be a bottom and a lid.  This notion has morbid possibilities so I'll leave it at the raised box planter stage of the discussion.

Tomorrow I'll share installation and planting material tips.   

How To Build A Raised Garden - Chapter One

I'm an old man and after more than three decades of working crappy Door County dirt I am done gardening on my hands and knees.  

At the close of last season we tilled and sowed the garden adjacent to the machine shed into pollinator plants and for us anyway permanently put it to pasture.  My plan was to install two to three raised beds in the front yard above the rock wall.  That way I could still scratch my gardening itch, give my back and knees a break and if I wanted to freeze or can a large quantity of anything there's plenty of ways to source vegetables from a local grower or farm market.

After researching designs and availability of material locally I decided-upon a box roughly three by six feet and sixteen inches in height.  Western red cedar deck boards closely resembling the material used in fashioning bird boxes.  Whilst bird box boards are planed smooth on one side and rough-sawn on the opposite surface the deck boards are planed smooth on all surfaces with rounded edges.  They're also thicker (one inch), closer-grained and seemingly have more knots.  More character I like to say.  

Sure, I could have simply used green-treated lumber but I figured on something easier on the eyes yet durable.  Oddly-enough, materials were cheaper sourced from Amazon Prime than anywhere else locally.

Last week, and just in-time, I installed two of them and on Wednesday planted the first with various vegetable seeds and some potted sugar snap peas and a trellis.  Two days ago the tomatoes, peppers and herbs were plugged-in.  After 48 hours all the plants are looking happier to be freed of their pots.

There's room for one more box, or a half-sized box, if needed.  I figure I'll give it a go for one growing season at a minimum before engaging in further expansion.

Raised bed gardening like this is new to me and likely has a learning curve.  Stay-tuned for a couple of further installments on the build and installation and harvest as the season progresses. 

 

 

   

Friendly Reminder

 

End of Tomatos

If you are a pizza snob like me by now you would have noticed that imported San Marzano tomatoes are now selling for $6 (give-or-take) for a large can.  Sure, you can purchase a quality domestic product for less $$$; but there is nothing like the genuine article grown in the rich volcanic soils in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius.  Alas, the on-again, off-again, individually and personally negotiated Trump import duties (tariffs) are taxes that make imported food an expensive nuisance.  Such is the price of snobbery.

If my household was supporting a spouse and three teenage kids consuming a gallon of milk a day I would also tell you the bread, fresh fruit, produce, beef, dairy, deli meat for lunches and eggs are also up in price too.  And for a working family trying to make ends meet on the grocery bill along with sports uniforms and extracurriculars and a mortgage - life might be a challenge under Trump inflation and taxes.  But he doesn't care.  And I digress.

Last week, after putting the big garden to bed, I finally canned the last batch of San Marzano tomatoes grown in the crappy clay soil of my peninsula garden.  One bowl yielded two last pints of these garden gems.  So, yeah, there is a means to cutting costs.  Grow your own applies to veggies too.  And these are pretty darn tasty.  My two - yes, only two - San Marzano plants were tomato factories. The bunker shelves are well-stocked. 

In closing I want to announce that the big garden is being retired.  It's being seeded into native pollinator cover this fall and I'm going to install 2-3 raised garden beds in the front yard and fill them with decent topsoil and composted goodness.  I'm done gardening on my hands and knees.  Furthermore, if I want to make a giant batch of pickles there is always the Sturgeon Bay Saturday Farmers Market.

After thirty years of gardening I'm scaling-back....      

Can't Beet This Treat!

Growing-up on the northwest side of Milwaukee my dad and I raised beets in the garden out behind the garage.  He counted on my help with their care - weeding, thinning and finally the harvest and pickling.  Roasted beets are good - pickled beets are better.  Dad never met a pickled beet he didn't like.  Same for my mother-in-law.  She's almost a hundred years old and most visits with her include a pint of home-grown pickled beets.  Come to think of it - all of the old timers in the family like pickled beets.  Me too.

 

If you really want to trip down memory lane after you've graciously dined-upon your pickled beets DO NOT discard the remaining contents of the jar.  Instead, go to your fridge where, if you're like me, you generally keep a stash of hard-cooked eggs in the shell.  Peel as many that will fit in the jar and place them in the reserved beet brine returning it to the fridge.  Let them set for a couple days.  Et voilà!  You will have perfectly purple pickled eggs.  Yummy!

If you’re looking for an extra-special treat cut some of the tender-young beet tops early in the season. Soak in cold water to remove any grit, rinse and drain. Sautéed beet tops are not only delicious - they're chock-full of vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants. They are also Gluten-Free. 

Anyway, in the early days of the Door County garden I suffered a stretch of years that my beets failed.  They either germinated and died or never germinated.  Sometimes the deer ate the delicious beet tops.  Sowing your crop at regular intervals results in continued production while avoiding an overwhelming harvest. If you like pickled veggies here's a step-by-step guide to pickling your own beets.  They're a terrific side any time of year – especially when entertaining during the holidays and awesome on a toasted peanut butter sandwich. Enjoy!

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Pickled Beets
A bunch of garden beets
2 large sweet onions – peeled and sliced on the larger size
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 sticks cinnamon
1 T whole allspice
1 ½ t canning salt
3 ½ cups apple cider vinegar
1 ½ cups water
 

Hose-off your beets on the grass. 

 

Trim-off the tops leaving a couple of inches of stem and the tap root. Reserve the tops from the smaller beets for sautéing greens. 

 

  

Soak the beets in a sink-full of cold water to remove the remaining grit. Transfer them to a pot of boiling water and cook about an hour - give or take - until tender.  Add your beets to the pot beginning with the largest first.  

 

 

At five minute intervals progressively add more beets from largest to smallest with the last of them added at the 30 minute mark.  This way they will all be cooked-thru at the same time. Transfer the cooked beets to a sink-full of cold water to cool.  Combine everything else except the onions in a non-reactive pot and bring the brine to a slow boil.  Simmer 15 minutes. 

 

Returning to the sink slice-off the beet tops and tap roots allowing the skin to slip-off.  Set aside your whole beets. Keeping the residue of beet tops, skins and roots in the sink makes clean-up a snap.  Slice the beets with a mandolin and pack into pint jars.  

 

 

Apportion your sliced raw onion as you fill.    Remove the cinnamon from the pot and ladle the hot brine over the contents of the jars leaving 1/2 inch of head space.  Add lids and rings and process pints 30 minutes in a boiling water bath.   This batch yielded sixteen pints - I doubled the brine recipe and still came-up short and had to mix a 1/3 size batch to fill the last four jars.  

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Pro Tip - Use non-reactive cookware. When canning - cleanliness is right up there with Godliness. A dishwasher will sterilize your jars on the ‘Sanitize’ cycle. Boil water in a Pyrex measuring cup for sterilizing your lids. Make sure your lids have 'popped' before storing the pasteurized jars in your bunker.

 

Salsa

Yesterday's Game Day wasn’t a complete loss.

Behold a dozen pints of the best homemade salsa this side of State Highway 29.

Those two San Marzano tomato plants are the gift that keeps on giving.  Garden peppers too.

Raising a toast to gardening and canning….

Personal Kermis

Any of you who have paid a visit know that my raspberry patch is nothing to write home about.  It’s small, full of weeds and grass and survives only slightly above benign neglect.  Two varieties of raspberry varietals were planted 20 years ago - the types lost to memory.

Nevertheless, every spring I cut most of the dead canes and give it a good drench of Jung Seed Company ‘raspberry food’ from a watering can.

Summer production was steady; this fall it has been excellent.  This patch is an overachiever.

The birds obviously get first dibs but Doggo and I pick every couple of days or so - eating as we go. These are really good on vanilla ice cream.  Anything we cannot eat in short order is frozen. I think I’m up to 1.5 gallons of frozen berries. 

There is most definitely raspberry jam in our future.   Terrific stocking stuffers and hostess gifts.  Most importantly, a barter currency.

Raining today - double batch of homemade garden salsa is on deck….. 

The Pantry Warrior Strikes Again!

Before we left on vacation 10 days ago Jill took a big box of tomatoes to the local food pantry. I picked an additional flat of greenish ones to ripen in the garage while we were away.  Following more than a week  of neglect today I picked everything you see.  

Consider those beautiful San Marzano tomatoes at the top of the frame.

 

Those were not grown in the rich volcanic soil found in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius; rather they did rather well in the crappy clay and rocky soil found on the peninsula. Those two plants from Sully’s Greenhouse are tomato factories!

 

Anyway, when you have tomatoes in abundance and have just returned from holiday you scour your pantry and freezers and whip-together a batch of Autumn Shrimp Sausage Tomato Stew; a household favorite of ours.

 

Raising a toast to Sam Sifton or Melissa Clark - I forget specifically. 

 

Pretty good chow if you can get it….

The Garden Chronicles

As tough as gardening has been this year there have been several standouts.  Raspberries, asparagus and tomatoes.  Plenty of berries to pick and eat with the surplus frozen for the future.  You've likely been bored to tears with the spargel story.  And the tomatoes are doing terrific with red and yellow cherry varieties for snacking, San Marzanos for pizza and these beauties; all acquired from Sully's Greenhouse this spring.  

First time purchaser from this garden center and I guess I'll have to go back; namely because the heirloom beefsteak variety above can no longer be ID'd.  The name on the tag faded!  These are absolutely fantastic.

Anyway, my tomato plants are about half of prior years but the yield is good enough for some canning in my future.

Meanwhile there are BLTs to eat.

 Pretty good chow if you can get it....