2024 garden season

[DJ54]

I have friends that have made it for years, plus everything I've read says it takes 5-6 weeks. Even the recipe from the National Center for Canning National Center for Home Food Preservation - National Center for Home Food Preservation

It sure doesn't take long for it to start working, it was bubbling out the water gutter last night a couple hours, if that long after putting the lid on a sealing with water.

I was a little hesitant some years back until I came upon these water seal crocks. Something about the daily skimming off the top. These make it so much easier, pretty much set it and forget it other than keeping water in the gutter. I have to refill every 2 days or so. I keep a pitcher of brine setting beside them in case for some reason it may get a vacuum and pull back in, don't want to dilute it.

I must say it is much better than anything you can buy in a store. I gave some to a buddy to try 2 years ago, he said it was the best he'd had since his Mom made it years ago. Not that "jaw locking sour" like from the store.

Had a half of a small head of cabbage left, so fried some bacon, left some bacon grease in the skillet to fry the cabbage. When about 2/3 done, snipped the bacon into piece and put back in with the cabbage. A smidge of apple cider vinegar, and a nice drizzle of Ranch dressing on top over mashed potatoes made my supper. Love my "Jethro" bowls...

 

[kenmbz]

Had our first frost last night, will go out today and see if any tomatoes survived.
Had some blackberries ripening, those probably will be bird food now.

Could have used a few more weeks as we had about 10 tomatoes almost ready, still hoping as the next few days may go up to 80!

Usual weird October weather for us.

 

[masseyrider]

I have friends that have made it for years, plus everything I've read says it takes 5-6 weeks. Even the recipe from the National Center for Canning National Center for Home Food Preservation - National Center for Home Food Preservation

It sure doesn't take long for it to start working, it was bubbling out the water gutter last night a couple hours, if that long after putting the lid on a sealing with water.

I was a little hesitant some years back until I came upon these water seal crocks. Something about the daily skimming off the top. These make it so much easier, pretty much set it and forget it other than keeping water in the gutter. I have to refill every 2 days or so. I keep a pitcher of brine setting beside them in case for some reason it may get a vacuum and pull back in, don't want to dilute it.

I must say it is much better than anything you can buy in a store. I gave some to a buddy to try 2 years ago, he said it was the best he'd had since his Mom made it years ago. Not that "jaw locking sour" like from the store.

Had a half of a small head of cabbage left, so fried some bacon, left some bacon grease in the skillet to fry the cabbage. When about 2/3 done, snipped the bacon into piece and put back in with the cabbage. A smidge of apple cider vinegar, and a nice drizzle of Ranch dressing on top over mashed potatoes made my supper. Love my "Jethro" bowls...

As a kid Ma and Pa used to do it in large wooden barrels that were a pain in the a-s to sterilize.
Later in life they started using large food grade buckets.
Friends of theirs owned a restaurant so they had all sizes.
My fathers job was to cut it on the mandolin.
Mine was to mash it with a large club until the juice would come out.
Ma would salt it while I did that and put it in the fermenting vessel.
When it was full she would put a large plate over the cabbage and submerge it in the juice.
To keep it down she put large rocks she kept for just that purpose on top.
You had to keep the cabbage submerged in the brine or it would rot.
The buckets were placed in a warmish area that had a steady temperature and covered with a clean sheet.
She skimmed the juices twice a day.
After a week it was edible but still sort of sweet/sour.
Two weeks+- it was ready. Much longer it would be so sour it would pucker your face.
My recipe for cooking sour cabbage is done by eye.
Dice some good deli double smoked bacon and fry until rendered. Cut up some onion, garlic and kielbasa and fry in the bacon fat.
Put it all in a Dutch oven and stir in the cabbage with pepper, caraway seeds and plenty of green dill.
Bake in the oven at 350 until tender.
Mashed potato with gravy a couple BBQ pork chops and a cucumber salad in sour cream.
Heaven on earth.
At least until the farts attach.

 

[DJ54]

Mine may take longer because of the low % brine. 2.5% works great for me. This is only my 3rd year of making it, and it's always been good. Weighing shredded cabbage in grams, then multiplying by .025 to get the amount of salt in grams to keep it consistent. Just keep shredding in approx. 89 qt. batches and add to crocks until full, stomping every batch going in. Amazing the water that is drawn out with a small amount of salt. Found out about 10 years ago that also works well for drawing water out of green tomatoes before frying. Just wipe off excess salt before coating to fry. Makes them nice & crispy all the way through.

Not nearly as salty as store bought, or as sour.

 

[masseyrider]

Mine may take longer because of the low % brine. 2.5% works great for me. This is only my 3rd year of making it, and it's always been good. Weighing shredded cabbage in grams, then multiplying by .025 to get the amount of salt in grams to keep it consistent. Just keep shredding in approx. 89 qt. batches and add to crocks until full, stomping every batch going in. Amazing the water that is drawn out with a small amount of salt. Found out about 10 years ago that also works well for drawing water out of green tomatoes before frying. Just wipe off excess salt before coating to fry. Makes them nice & crispy all the way through.

Not nearly as salty as store bought, or as sour.

Don't know what the salt %age was. Ma did it by feel and taste.
Got it great every time.

 

[CalG]

Bought 40lb box of butternut squash today. $12 Kanuckistan money.
No fuss, sweat, or input cost.
50LB of potatoes last week for $15.
10LB bags of carrot and onions for $1.77.
Local really aromatic garlic $3.99LB.
Celery this week 2/$3.50.
I think I give up gardening.
Biggest job was getting them in and out of the boot of my vehicle.

If you are just eating, great

If you want the full appreciation, keep gardening!

 

[CalG]

I put in 80 cloves of garlic this afternoon.
On a 6" X 6" grid, that's not a lot of garden space. But it's all my wife and I need for a year, and seed for the next.

There is just something "special" about planting this year for next years needs, and pretty much being certain that the crop will come through. garlics being garlics.

There is a chance of failure, that is what keeps it interesting.

Now that we have had a first frost, with another tonight, what the heck are we gonna do with all these TOMATOES!????

;-)

 

[DJ54]

I usually put out more than I really need because you never know what kind of year you will have with the weather. This year was such the case with the long drought we had. The mulching with leaves saved them this year. They came on late this year before really producing. But I normally have a small list of friends that still can/freeze a lot of garden vegetables and once I get what I need, they are free for the picking. Added a new family to the list this year with crazy prices at Farmers Markets. It seems they are not what they were when I was a kid and sell in bulk for people who can/preserve. Many are old school and trade eggs they raise etc. Heck I even got a fresh out of the oven, still warm Pecan pie a couple years ago. Gotta' love the barter system. Beyond that, we have a local food kitchen that provide a noon meal for those down on their luck. Didn't get any to them this year because of the lack of produce or was busy doing something else. But those willing to put for the effort to come pick are welcome to it. None the less some still goes to waste.

Since the food shortages/price increases since Covid there seems to be more interest in canning/preserving. Some tried it and it seemed to be too much work. Ones that still do can find bargains from those folks just wanting rid of jars, canners etc. I've personally picked up a couple pressure canners at yard sales that were only used one year for $10. I kept a larger one I can double deck pint jars in, the other I got for a friend who was looking for one. I've seen cases of good jars sell at auctions for pennies on the dollar. I've picked up a couple cases of wide mouth jars myself when the size and price was right.

Beyond vegetables & juice I've been canning meat for probably 6-8 years. No worry of power outages and meat in the freezer thawing and have to be pitched, or in the freezer for so long it gets freezer burn. All is pretty much heat & eat, or if need be can be eaten right out of the jar. I do up chicken, beef and pork. Great for soups stir fry and many other dishes. Never acquired a taste for deer, or I'd do up one of those and thin the herd around here.

 

[DJ54]

I covered 10 cabbage plants yesterday afternoon with leaves, hopefully they will survive the Winter so I can transplant next year to make seed. Half were second generation plants from the plant pictured above. Just curious what I'll get out of the 3rd generation if they survive.

If half survive, I'll have more seeds than I'd use in a lifetime, let alone if all make it. Better safe than sorry I guess.

 

[DJ54]

I'm happy to report my Sauerkraut turned out great. Pulled the lids off the crocks Wed. morning and saw what I was hoping to see. Pulled out the large leaves to keep the fines from floating to the top and took a sample bite. Yes, another successful batch..!!

Ended up with 14 Qt. 7, 1-1/2 pints, and 22 pints. 8 of the 22 pints went in the shop fridge for the benefit of the probiotics. The rest was water bath canned for long term storage.

What I couldn't fish out of the bottom of the crocks I strained out through a colander. Prepared some Little Smokies sausages, then nuked the kraut a bit to warm, then tossed the sausage on top. Would have been better over mashed potatoes but it was late, and I was hungry.

Today will double smoke some bacon at low temp mainly for the smokiness, finish it up in the skillet to get a little bacon grease, then fry a pint of the kraut in it. Dice the bacon up in it while frying, then serve over mashed potatoes, my meal in a bowl. Good eatin' right there. It makes all that work this summer worth it.