Ask Jackie » Gardening http://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/JackieClay Everything you ever wanted to know about homesteading. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 08:00:15 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 With a cow, we really have big compost piles! http://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/JackieClay/2012/02/09/with-a-cow-we-really-have-big-compost-piles/ http://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/JackieClay/2012/02/09/with-a-cow-we-really-have-big-compost-piles/#comments Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:20:32 +0000 Jackie Clay http://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/JackieClay/?p=2006 Not only does a milk cow give us all of the dairy products we can imagine, she gives plenty of manure too! Some folks might not think that is a good thing, but we do. On a homestead, one can never have too much poop. But we’ve already spread the last big pile on the garden, so when Will needed to move this last pile this weekend when the weather was so nice, we decided to make another huge compost pile out of it. We need to fertilize and mulch the fruit trees in the orchard this spring, and I’m sure we can find plenty of other good uses for it. So Will spent a couple hours with the tractor moving the pile from the driveway around to a convenient spot next to the orchard/chicken yard gate. Now we have this huge pile, 9 feet high, tightly packed, and steaming nicely. You’d be surprised how quickly it turns to nice rotted compost — our black gold.

I’ve been busy writing and getting seeds sorted. This week I’ll be starting our first peppers and some petunias. They take forever to get large and we want to set out lusty, strong plants this spring. I’ve got three big totes full of seeds, but it seems like every year we order more to try so we can trial different varieties. Who knows when we’ll discover another “favorite”?

Yesterday, we went south to pick up a Bourbon Red tom turkey. We’ve been looking for a tom for our one hen for a long time. The farm we picked him up from was only 25 miles from our son, Bill’s, house, so we combined a visit with a poultry pickup. I got to play with my grandson, Mason, and hold my new granddaughter, Ava. What an enjoyable way to spend a day! To top it off, my son, David drove down and back, so Will got a break too. — Jackie

]]> http://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/JackieClay/2012/02/09/with-a-cow-we-really-have-big-compost-piles/feed/ 1 Q and A: Stringless pole beans and pressure cookers not made for canning http://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/JackieClay/2012/02/08/q-and-a-stringless-pole-beans-and-pressure-cookers-not-made-for-canning/ http://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/JackieClay/2012/02/08/q-and-a-stringless-pole-beans-and-pressure-cookers-not-made-for-canning/#comments Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:00:41 +0000 Jackie Clay http://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/JackieClay/?p=2004 Stringless pole beans

Every time I have grown pole green beans they have a lot of strings in the pod. I sure would like to have suggestions on a kind that is stringless.

Gail Erman
Palisade, Colorado

There are many stringless green pole beans. My favorite is Cherokee Trail of Tears (available through Baker Creek, among others). It starts out purple striped, but any purple goes away when you cook or can them. Other stringless varieties include Blue Lake Stringless, Fortex, and Kentucky Wonder. Be sure to give your pole beans plenty of water while they are filling out the pods and then pick them before the seeds get fat to have absolutely tender, stringless beans. — Jackie

Pressure cookers not made for canning

I have a 4-quart electric pressure cooker. I also have a large Mirro pressure canner to do large batch canning in. The electric pressure cooker has hi & low options. I wanted to use it for small batch canning. I did 4 pints kidney beans at low pressure for 75 mins & they sealed. Should I have used the hi pressure option instead? I just thought hi would turn the beans to mush.

Chris Stierwalt
Paragon, Indiana

Pressure cookers are really not made for canning. They are made for cooking meals. Better to use the canner for even small batches. If it’s too large to be handy, maybe you could pick up a smaller one, even a used one at a yard sale? — Jackie

]]> http://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/JackieClay/2012/02/08/q-and-a-stringless-pole-beans-and-pressure-cookers-not-made-for-canning/feed/ 3 Q and A: Meals in a jar and storing homemade pasta http://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/JackieClay/2012/02/07/q-and-a-meals-in-a-jar-and-storing-homemade-pasta/ http://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/JackieClay/2012/02/07/q-and-a-meals-in-a-jar-and-storing-homemade-pasta/#comments Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:00:01 +0000 Jackie Clay http://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/JackieClay/?p=2001 Meals in a jar

Is there a meals in a jar cookbook? New here and haven’t heard. Also, is there a “how to” book on planting heirloom veggies for planting in the South?

Cathy Thompson
Cherokee, Iowa

There are many meals-in-a-jar recipes to can in my book Growing and Canning Your Own Food. Most only require dumping out into a pan and heating for 15 minutes. This book covers planting and growing vegetables, fruits, and even raising meat animals! It also covers how to process and preserve all of these. I hope it will help you. A lot of folks say they can’t do without it. — Jackie

Storing homemade pasta

I am looking to make and dry my own pasta like spaghetti. I found lots of recipes for pasta but none of them store without going bad.

Alissa Holmes
Morganfield, Kentucky

Dry your homemade pasta VERY well and it should store as well as commercial pasta. Some homemade pasta is very thick and people don’t get it dry enough before trying to store it. Be sure it is dry, then store it in an airtight container. If you notice the slightest bit of condensation on the under side of the lid, immediately remove and dry several days longer. — Jackie

]]> http://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/JackieClay/2012/02/07/q-and-a-meals-in-a-jar-and-storing-homemade-pasta/feed/ 0 I’m finally sending out seed orders http://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/JackieClay/2012/02/06/im-finally-sending-out-seed-orders/ http://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/JackieClay/2012/02/06/im-finally-sending-out-seed-orders/#comments Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:42:32 +0000 Jackie Clay http://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/JackieClay/?p=1997 I usually begin making out seed orders before this, but because I’ve been so busy, it just hasn’t happened. I have to start planting peppers the second week of February so they’ll be ready to go out into the hoop house in early May. I’ve made out orders for a few new peppers and tomatoes that we’re going to try this year. We do that every year and always discover new “favorites,” often among old heritage varieties. I’ve got a pile of seed catalogs around my chair that would bury an elephant! How much fun. But there’s so much difference in price, seed count, and shipping that it’s gotten to be a chore, too. I used to buy a lot from Johnny’s, but their shipping got so high that I could no longer afford it.

I forgot that I’d promised to show a photo of my favorite Vietnamese market basket. Sorry guys. So here it is. I totally love it! And it’s more than 30 years old too. I can carry it on my head (soft enough to conform), to keep the weight from hurting my back, I can rinse vegetables like carrots, right in the basket and they drain dry in minutes. It fits in my large sink so I can rinse green beans and lettuce right in the kitchen. If you can find one, buy it! — Jackie

]]> http://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/JackieClay/2012/02/06/im-finally-sending-out-seed-orders/feed/ 7 Q and A: Dirty windows and Wallo’ Waters http://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/JackieClay/2012/02/01/q-and-a-dirty-windows-and-wallo-waters/ http://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/JackieClay/2012/02/01/q-and-a-dirty-windows-and-wallo-waters/#comments Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:00:38 +0000 Jackie Clay http://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/JackieClay/?p=1993 Dirty windows

Saw the post on dirty windows. I clean them for a living. Good advice. My brew is approximately 1 gallon water ½-1 cup ammonia and 3 Tbsp. liquid Joy. Make sure that the scrubber hasn’t see fabric softener (solvent) and if using a squeegee that the rubber is new, most people NEVER replace this! If a towel to wipe off, again no fabric softener. A clean little secret for a dirty little job.

Kathy Suhr
Sedro Woolley, Washington

Thanks Kathy! Good tips from someone in the know. — Jackie

Wallo’ Waters

I was wondering if you ever leave the Wallo’ Waters in place after the tomatoes grow up through them. The directions on the bag say to fill them and leave them around the plants all season. I have been pulling them off when the weather is stable. Just wondering if you have experimented with this.

Mia Sodaro
Frazier Park, California

You know, I tried that one year, as an experiment. No, I don’t leave them on. What happens is that the tomato vines grow so big and rank that you can’t remove the Wall, even in the fall. And the branches dry and can damage them before you take them off. Plus add photo-degradation and you have a mess. Nope, I pull them when the plant has grown above the edge and no more frost is possible. — Jackie

We purchased some of the Wallo’ Waters for earlier planting this year. This is our first time to use them. We will be putting them out in a couple of weeks to warm the ground prior to planting. The winds toward the end of February and into March here can be quite strong. My question is: How do you keep them standing erect in wind? Are there any pointers you can give us to ensure our success this first time? (The photo in your canning book of your Wallo’ Waters was indeed an inspiration to us.)

Gwen Cantrell
Dallas, Texas

Wallo’ Waters stand up to the wind pretty darned good. Their shape, which is a basic cone, wide at the base and narrow at the top, allows them to take even storm winds without toppling. If they should dump, simply put them back up and re-fill them. They are wonderful and you need no further tips; they are very easy to use and will give you great success. Keep us posted! — Jackie

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