EGGCELLENT SPICY PICKLED EGGS

EGGCELLENT SPICY PICKLED EGGS - You'll thank us for this, we promise~ Especially if you like spicy deviled eggs, because these are like deviled eggs in a jar.

Hard boil 8 eggs.

Place eggs in a pan of cool water and set on burner with the heat on high. Add a couple dashes of salt. Let water reach a full boil, cover with a lid, and remove from heat. Wait 15 minutes, pour out the hot water, replacing it with ice water and ice cubes. Crack and peel the eggs and set aside.

For the broth, you will need:
2 cups white vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pickling spice
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4-5 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
2-3 orange habanero peppers cut into rings . Remove the stems but leave the seeds. We recommend wearing disposable gloves while handling the peppers since the oils from the surface can burn sensitive skin. If you prefer to leave the habanero peppers out, you can replace with more jalapenos.
2-3 green jalapeno peppers, cut into slices
1/2 red pepper, cut into strips
A few medium thick rings of a freshly cut white onion

Allow all ingredients to simmer on the stove for at least 10-15 minutes. Stir occasionally while simmering.

With a ladle, remove the broth from the heat and scoop some of the peppers, onions, and spices into a quart-sized Mason jar. Add 3 eggs. Scoop some more of the peppers, onions and spices into the jar. Add 3 more eggs. Continue this process until the jar is full. When done, pour the remaining broth into the jar, using a funnel, to within a quarter inch of the top. You may have some leftover broth, depending on the size of the eggs and peppers, etc. If you are short on broth, just top off with white vinegar.

Hand tighten a lid and ring on the jar and let it cool.
Place pickled eggs in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks. This allows all those wonderful flavors to marry and is well worth the wait. Bon appétit!

What the flock? How to treat Blossom End Rot in tomatoes.

I have some lovely hens that keep me in fresh eggs all year long.  So many eggs, in fact, that I had eggshells coming out my ears.  

Usually I toss them into the compost bin (the shells, not my ears...or the chickens) with the rest of the kitchen scraps, but lately I've been saving and drying them.  

Tomatoes, Peppers and Eggplants

Blossom end rot is a serious problem when growing tomatoes, peppers and eggplants and can decimate entire crops. Often caused by a lack of calcium, this condition results in dark, rotted sores on vegetables. 

A layer of crushed eggshells, placed in the planting hole for these vegetables, is a simple means of combating the disease. As they decompose, the eggshells naturally enrich the soil, providing a slow, steady source of calcium, preventing blossom end rot from occurring.

Powdered eggshells added around the base of plants acts as a slow-release fertilizer. This process will benefit plants all season, and you can add it throughout the growing season. 

Allow eggshells to dry, then grind until they become a fine powder.  If you have a blender, "pulse" the egg shells and you'll get the same end results.  Sprinkle around the base of each plant, or, place a mix of eggshells, Epsom salts, and coffee grounds in the hole before placing your plant.  

Worm Beds

Everything around my little "Instead" has a purpose.  The hens supply me with eggs, the shells from the eggs help create natural protection and fertilization for the garden, the garden feeds myself and my hens.  

Adding crushed eggs shells to a worm bed is a bonus.  Eggshells provide calcium, which reduces acidity in the worm bin and prevents high acid conditions that can harm worms. Crushed eggshells provide grit that aid the worms' digestion.  The worms become fat and healthy, and are fed to my hens.  Thus, the circle is complete.  

(Psssst...worm castings are also a wonderful fertilizer for the garden.  But more on that in another post!)

I Yam what I Yam, and that's all that I Yam

Speaking of yams... Often what you find in the supermarket labeled as a yam, is a sweet potato and not a yam at all.  True yams have a rough bark-like outer skin of brown or black. Native to Africa and Asia,  Africa grows the bulk of commercially sold yams.  The flesh can range from white to purple, or even red.  Unlike the sweet potato (which isn't even a distant cousin to the yam), yams aren't sweet. Rather, they are dry and starchy with a texture and flavor comparable to white russet potatoes.

 

In the United States, the words yam and sweet potato are used interchangeably but refer to what are sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are readily available while the yam is harder to find. Specialty grocers or Asian food stores are more apt to carry them. I discovered the African yam at an Asian grocery an hour's drive from where I live.  Averaging $3.99 to $4.99 per pound, one small yam cost $10.  

I wasn't about to pay $10 for one small spud though, so I marched up to the checkout and paid for my other items.  Before I could leave, the owner and her sweet husband stopped me.  A gift.  A lovely little gift!  Tucked inside a ziplock bag was a newly sprouted yam.  Naturally such a gift inspired me to start my next mission.  Trying to grow a true yam right here in southwest Oklahoma.  Research says it can't be done.  I believe that creating the right microclimate, it can.  Game on.  

Yams require up to a year of frost-free weather before harvest.  My area has a freeze or two during winter, which might present a significant challenge.  To combat the ground freezing, I could grow the yam in large tubs and move indoors over winter, or, leave the yams in the garden bed and cover them in a  6" of wood chips.  Another alternative would be to build a cold frame over the yam bed.  A south-facing, reflective wall behind the yam bed could provide radiant heat when temperatures drop.  
Options... options.  

It will be interesting to see how this new specimen fares in this area.  Keep checking back for updates.

Tumeric - A how to grow guide

For years I tried to grow turmeric.  Unsuccessfully.  I did tons of research, watched dozens of videos, and read many, many articles.  I'd finally just about given up on ever being able to grow my own turmeric.  And then, one day, I stumbled on something different and thought to myself "why not?".  

I found a wonderful little shop on Etsy, Kitchen Botany, that had these plump turmeric rhizomes  for sale. Bree, the shop owner, was a delight to work with and was prompt to answer my myriad questions.

My previous go to had been Ebay and Amazon sellers, and perhaps that was a part of the problem. The turmeric I received previously was grayish in color and rather sickly looking.  As you can see, the turmeric on the plate are in fine shape.

The rhizomes on the front of the plate (left) are the turmeric I received from Kitchen Botany a few days before.  See the little nubs beginning to sprout?  On the back of the plate is store bought ginger.  I started both varieties of rhizomes on the same day, using the same technique.  And now I'm going to share that technique with all of you.

As soon as you receive your rhizomes/tubers, you will want to place them in zip lock bags.  Don't crowd them though, you want them to have some space to do their thing. And be gentle with them, you don't want to break off any of those little nubs. 

Mix 1/4 cup 3% hydrogen peroxide with 3/4 cup of water.  Pour this into the baggie with the tubers and let it sit for about 15 minutes.  This helps to oxidize and flush impurities off the rhizomes and prepares a more sterile environment to begin growing.

Pour the water and peroxide out, rinse the tubers, and reseal the bags, leaving the tubers damp but not wet.  Place the bag somewhere out of the way and leave it alone for a few days.  I found that mine sprouted quickly when I set them on a plate atop the refrigerator.

Every few days, take a quick peek to see if any buds have started to develop.  If they haven't, repeat the first steps, reseal the bags, and recheck in a few more days.  If at any time your tubers begin to look dry, spritz them with a bit of water.

5 days later, small sprouts appeared

Once your tubers have begun to sprout, place them in some loose, organic potting soil and lightly water.  In a week or two, you should see your turmeric starting to sprout.  The photo below was less than two weeks after planting.  Keep the soil damp but don't overwater.  Also, many articles state to grow in full sun.  I've done much better with mine in pots on my covered front porch.  Don't be afraid to move your pots around a bit until you discover a location that works best in your growing zone.

Oh my Gourd!

Since the beginning of time, when Eve wore a fig leaf and Adam beat his fists on his hairy chest...(tires screeching).  Never mind, never mind.  That was George of the Jungle, not Adam, but at least since George's day, gourds have played an important part in ancient societies.

As I develop the homestead, gourds will play an ever increasing part in the transformation.  Not only will I be growing gourds, I will be using them for food storage, water storage, decor, and more.  Move over plastic disposables and teflon coatings, the gourd is here to stay!

This little gourd started it ALL

My fascination with gourds began innocently enough, when a friend presented me with five (5)  rather
unremarkable gourds that hadn't even started to cure.  That, in itself, was an experience, as the gourds developed an ugly wax coating followed by layers of mold.  It wasn't a pretty process and I nearly threw them out thinking they'd rotted under my negligent eye.  Instead, I did what I do best, I researched. And I slid right down that slippery little rabbit hole.

I discovered that ancient peoples used dried gourds as cooking and eating vessels. The hard wooden texture is tough and long-lasting. Treated with beeswax, it becomes water repellant.  I explored how to grow gourds, cure them, and later, turn them into works of art.  Not only will I be growing gourds for re-sale, I'll grow them for my own use.  I offer seeds for sale from only the very best gourds I grow. You can find them here.

It takes a good year from seedling to maturity, and that leaves me plenty of time to experiment with carving gourds for art, or transforming them into usable utensils.  I'll be sharing my adventures as I learn and grow.  If you have gourding experience, feel free to  share!  As always, drop a comment, I enjoy hearing from you.

Lazy gardening - the sustainable perennial garden

As  much as I enjoy working in the garden, life and time can get away from me.  I've been on a mission the past couple years to develop a vegetable garden that is not only self sustaining and a prolific producer, but one that will require only minimal effort on my end to thrive.  I'm experimenting now to find what does and doesn't work for me, and will carry this experience over to my off grid garden when I make my final move. 

I will continue to expand and update this list, so be sure to keep checking back!  

#1  Top of the list is Asparagus.  I started with three year old crowns - the root system of a mature plant.  These went directly into a permaculture bed up close to a fence.  As the plant matures through the season it sends up beautiful fern like shoots and creates a natural, ferny hedge.  the taller the ferns, the bigger your harvest will be the following year.  Asparagus is a heavy feeder and requires lots of fertilizing.  I've found that by composting each year and throughout the growing season, my Asparagus does well enough.  Occasionally I will mix up some fish emulsion and give the plants a little drink.  

#2  Jerusalem Artichoke.  A delicious substitute for potatoes and a perennial that requires next to zero maintenance.  A member of the sunflower family, this plant will grow upwards of 6' and produces pretty yellow flowers.                                                                                                                                                                                    
 I use these not only as a potato replacement but as a natural privacy fence around my property.  They're certainly pretty enough to disguise the fact they're part of my "farming".  The tubers can be prepared in much the same way as potatoes.  Raw they taste similar to a water chestnut.  A word of caution - these can become invasive, so unless you want them growing everywhere, you might want to section off a specific area for them or grow them in large containers. You won't be disappointed in the harvest from these tubers, they are prolific!  

#3 Walking Onions.  I can't say enough about this onion variety, from the ease in planting and harvesting to how hardy these onions are.  All parts of the plant can be used.  The bulblets on top, the green stems (like chives or green onions) and the bulb beneath the dirt.  Such a versatile, flavorful addition to the homestead.

#4  Strawberries.  No garden would be complete with this delicious addition.  Strawberries can live for many years , dying back in the winter, to reemerge in the spring.  Since they propogate through runners and seeds, a strawberry garden can grow and live indefinitely.  Admittedly, I'm successful at everything I grow, and I have successfully killed all of my strawberry plants for years.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I figure out the issue and somehow keep them alive this year.  I'm open to tips and tricks, so if you have some, drop me a comment!


#5 Taro.  I was told Taro wouldn't grow in this climate, but here I am, growing it.  Not only will it grow, but it will survive overwintering in the ground, and it comes back early in the spring. Be sure to mulch it with a good 6" of mulch in the fall (after cutting it back to the ground).  The roots/tubers are a wonderful substitute for potatoes.  Not as prolific as the Jerusalem Artichoke, but it's nice to have options.  

#6 Saffron Crocus.  Saffron is the world's most expensive spice (by weight), but it's one of

the easiest spices to grow. To plant saffron crocus, start with high quality corms. These can be purchased from several different online companies.  Choose a planting site that is well drained and has soil rich in organic matter.  Plant in the spring or early fall, to a depth of 4 to 6".  when the flower blooms in the autumn, the orangish-red stigmas are plucked from the flowers.  air dry for a few days before storing.   

#7 Ginseng.  I was told repeatedly this wouldn't grow in my zone, and against all nay sayers, it's not only growing, but thriving.  I started with 3 year old roots that I ordered online.  Each winter I cover the bed with a good 6" of leaves to protect them against the cold The leaves break down through the seasons, creating a nice compost and fertile soil for the roots.  Research what ginseng needs to grow and create your own "micro-climate".  Rules were meant to be broken, right?

#8 Turmeric and Ginger.  Turmeric and Ginger grow in the same manner with very similar needs.  Once you figure it out, they're both relatively easy.  I recommend growing in planters or big pots, because they really don't overwinter well in many climates.  I'll post specifically about growing these two tubers, complete with photos to help explain the process.  Keep checking back and I will provide a link here with the instructions. 

         

ginger developing buds for planting

turmeric pre-budding

#9 Malabar Spinach.  This is actually an edible ornamental, so don't hesitate to use it in some of your landscaping/yardscaping.  Since it vines, it's beautiful kept in a container with a trellis.  The thick, dark green leaves provide tasty greens throughout the summer, when traditional spinach will not grow. The mild flavor makes Red Stem equally good cooked or fresh.  Children often prefer this variety over the cooler season spinaches.

As you can see in the below photograph, this vine gets tall.  About 6' of vertical salad, right at your fingertips! Perfect for container gardening when ground space is limited.  

               

I'm talking Trash! (And it's delicious!)

Help yourself to a big ol' plate of trash.  Seriously!  This may look like trash to you, and it often ends up in the waste can of most kitchens, but everything on this plate can be re-grown in your home garden - and you can harvest it to eat later.

You can re-grow romaine lettuce from the bottom of the stalks where the roots are. When you cut your lettuce, leave about 1" of the root end of it for replanting.  It's recommended this be started in a bowl of water (1/2" full) and to change the water every other day.  When you see roots, transfer to your garden bed.  I'm not that motivated so I take my "stump" and stick it straight in the garden, then promptly forget all about it.  So far, it's worked well for me, check it out:

Lettuce from kitchen scraps

Celery grown from the "stump"

Celery  can be started the same way, and is super easy to get going.  You won't get those nice thick stalks that you do when it's grown from seed, but the tops are great for soups and stews, garnish, or adding to a salad.  Here's the celery stump I stuck right into the garden (no bowl or water needed). This is two weeks after I planted it, and it's growing nicely.

Potatoes from skins

Most people know you can grow potatoes from whole potatoes, by cutting sections with "eyes" or buds on them, and planting. Did you know you can grow potatoes from the peelings?  I'm here to tell you, you can!
Make sure the peels have eyes on them and are about 2" in length.  Allow the peels to dry overnight and then plant them about 4" deep and 2' apart.  Be sure the eyes are facing up, since that's the direction they'll grow.  In a few weeks, you should see them begin to sprout.



Garlic is really easy to grow! When you buy garlic, you get several cloves so  pull one off and plant it with the roots facing down in the soil. Garlic likes plenty of direct sunlight so choose a spot in the garden where it will get plenty. Once you notice new shoots have established, cut the shoots back and your plant will produce a bulb. When the bulbs are big enough to harvest, set a couple aside so you can replant, time and again.  Who doesn't like free garlic?

While you can grow carrot tops, you will not get a new carrot. Rather, the top will end up going to seed  and you can gather these to plant later. The green leaves are edible and make a pretty garnish in salads.  I use the leafy greens in roasts as well, to give it a nice punch of carrot flavor.

                    

I've grown oyster mushrooms from kits and they grew quite successfully.  I have not, however, tried to grow mushrooms from cuttings, though it is possible.  The instructions state that you need a warm area with high humidity and a soil that is rich in nutrients.  I have those things.  While it's suggested that you start the mushrooms in pots, I'm rather willy-nilly in following instructions, so straight into the garden bed they'll go.  It's a toss up whether or not they'll succeed doing it my way, but if they grow, you can bet I'll be posting pictures. 

To start your mushrooms in a container - which is suggested so you can control the "climate" better, cut away the head of the mushroom and plant the stem in the soil.  Leave the very top of the stem poking out of the dirt and the base should grow a  new head.  If you try this and it works, please drop me a comment! 


Basil and Rosemary are relatively easy to regrow. You need a stem about four inches high. Remove the lower leaves and place the stem  in a glass of water keeping the leaves  above the water line. Place the glass  in a bright area but not in direct sunlight. In a few days, roots should begin to form. When the roots are a couple inches long, transplant them into soil.  Basil and rosemary make very attractive container plants, and I have mine placed around my covered porch in brightly colored pots.  

So that's my trash talk for today! I hope you've enjoyed it, and I look forward to hearing of your trash planting successes.