Pressure Canning Workshop

A few weekends ago I attended at Pressure Canning Workshop at my favourite organic farm, Everdale. I found out that I am totally screwed in the canning department. While I had fun and could see myself attempting some concoctions at home to compliment my water-bath canning and freezing preservation techniques, I am not sure I can participate.

Meet my nemisis:


A glass top range that came with the house. I never had any particular liking to glass top but would take it if it was here. This is not good. Not if I want to pressure can. I learned that glass tops are not sturdy enough to handle the weight of the canner and filled jars. Pooh!

I could purchase a hot plate, but I am afriad even that would damage my glass top or counter tops. The instructor suggested I use a concret garden stone to place the hot plate on but again I am worried about my countertops.

Had I known I would have saved our oven/range from the old house (instead of selling it) and stored it in the garage for use when I am pressure canning. Hindsight is always 20/20. So this project must go on the back burner (ha!) until I can figure out an alternative.

In the meantime I have this lovely soup as a reminder of my class. It looks almost too good to eat...almost.

Sensational Summer

I am already feeling really good about my garden this year. I have never harvested so much in so little time. Every day I head out to the gardens I am floored by the progress. The greens are flourishing and I have already had many salads. It's great to be able to take my bowl out and fill it up with nutritional goodness.



The radishes are divine. I planted them for my husband who eats them like a carrot. I, on the other hand, slice them up for salads and force them down because I know they are good for me. I planted my radishes between my rows of onions. By the time the onions really take off these radishes will be eaten. I am going to plant another small patch of radishes and try to keep the supply lines moving all summer. Radishes only take 20 days to reach maturity so they are a very fast and easy addition to the summer garden.



The broccoli has been threatening to flower so I cut them off and I am now searching for recipes to use them in. There is not enough to freeze. I will have to try my hand for a fall crop and see if I can get some more.




Things are moving along tickety-boo. Going out to my garden is not a chore. It revives me and makes me happy.

Apple and Pear Trees

Today we planted our three apple and two pear trees. About two weeks ago my local garden store had these trees on sale. The first thing I did was scope out which trees they had in stock and then came home to research whether those trees would fit my needs. Most fruit trees need a pollinator, another tree of the same species (apple to apple, pear to pear) and they must bloom at the same time. However you may also want to make sure your trees give you early season apples, mid-season apples or late season apples.



Making sure you have the same blooming times and the right harvesting time can be tricky. I did however find some useful info in my book, The Farmer's Wife Guide to Fabulous Berries and Fruits. I also found a few websites that helped to chart which blooms when and which trees they would be compatible with. In the end, I choose Granny Smith for their good baking and ability to store over winter, Spartan for their excellent eating and Cortland, another good baking and storage apple.

My husband and children love pears so they twisted my arm into getting two pear trees. We got a Barlett and Bosc variety. I plan to use some for storage and can the rest.

Trees need to be placed at least 10 feet apart but no more that 100 feet since they need each other for cross pollination. We can help the bees along by keeping them fairly close to each other. We spaced them out in their pots to visualize and measure. Once we decided where everything should go we got to digging.

To plant an apple tree you must dig a hole as deep as your pot but twice as wide. Loosen your tree from the pot and break away some of the dirt around the base of the tree. After you refill the soil around the planted tree, water the base of the tree with at least a watering can full of water.



John Seymour, author of "The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It" said the best way to ensure a tree reaches it's maximum potential is to "bury a dead dog underneath". I can see the use for good decomposing matter but I just didn't have one on hand. So barring that, I used some plant food supplied by my garden nursery who would guarantee the tree would live for an extra year (over their standard 1 year warranty) if I used it. What the heck? They'd give me a new tree if these ones ever died.

I also added a layer of mulch to the base of the trees to keep the moisture in the soil since moisture is essential this first year.

Here's some tips for Planting Apple and Pear Trees:

- plant in spring to give the trees a full 3 seasons to mature before winter.
- Apples do best in colder climates because they need a bit of winter chill to ripen correctly.
-do not plant them near a pond or wooded area as these places attract frost which will cling to your young apple trees and kill the blossoms.
- do not plant at the bottom of a hill. It is best to plant in high ground as frost tends to go to the lowest part of the landscape.
- add compost to the base of the tree in the fall.
-water each week if you have not received at least an inch of rain.
- prune in fall when required.

Before planting you must contact your local utilities to get what's called a "Locate" this is where they go around your yard and mark where the water, gas, hydro, phone lines are so you don't accidentally damage something. You could be held liable if you dig without doing this homework. It also gives you an accurate picture of where your plants will flourish and not get it's roots tangled in anything down below. Most areas have a One Call company that handles this for all the utilities. You can see in my one picture where there is red spray paint (water-based, lead free). I had to wait a week before I knew where the power lines were but it was worth it because in the end I did not have to worry.

Next Order of Business

My indoor radish experiment was a flop. The radish leaves did great but the actual radish was nonexistent. The lettuce on the other hand has done rather well. I am harvesting baby greens right now using the "cut and come again" method. This is a method of snapping off leaves but leaving the main plant intact so it can continue to grow and flourish throughout the season.

Today the kids and I planted some more seeds. Each of them chose some seeds a few weeks ago to plant in their own square foot garden. I think it's interesting that my daughter has chosen flowers (morning glories and corn flowers) to grow while my son went for the vegetables. He wants peas, carrots and cucumber, with sunflowers mixed in.



Because my daughter wants morning glories we have to soak them for 24 hours before planting. We dampened some paper towel and placed the seeds inside. We planted the cucumber and sunflowers. I also started my broccoli and tomato plants.

I know I am a bit behind. I should have planted them a few weeks ago but I don't even have my raised beds constructed yet. The lumber has been purchased and is sitting in garage waiting for a sunny weekend to piece them together. I decided to paint the outsides of my boxes, not the insides that touch the soil that touches our food, just the outside to keep the wood from rotting and looking dingy over time. The paint is also waiting patiently in the garage.

Fruit trees are on sale this week at my favourite garden store. I went yesterday to see what varieties they had and came home to hit the books. One of my favourite resources is The Farmer's Wife's Guide to Fabulous Fruits and Berries. I picked it up last summer at a second hand store for three bucks! It's an excellent reference book with how-to's and recipes. Covers everything from choosing varieties, planting, maintaining, harvesting and preparing and/or freezing.



I used this book and a few others to determine the best varieties of apples for my needs. Not all apples are created equal. Tonight I head back to purchase the varieties I chose but I will post about that another time, once I have some pictures.

So far so good on my little homestead in the suburbs.

So Far So Good

A week and a half ago, I planted some lettuce and radish seeds with plans to keep them indoors until maturity. I used large compostable pots, potting soil and compost. So far so good. I water every other day as needed. And keep them tucked away in a portable greenhouse which is currently in my living room. Within another week or so I should have a few radishes and lettuce leaves to munch on.

I will need to add some fertilizer or compost tea to keep the soil nutrient level up.



I am currently looking for a book on exclusive greenhouse growing, My plan is to attempt to grow lettuce and other plants that require little sunlight in the house throughout winter, without the aid of hydroponics.



So far my little experiment is going well though time will tell if these adorable baby plants actually deliver the goods.

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Tis a Gift to be Simple