RRRR.. Radish!

My dad was a huge radish fan, I don't think anyone else in my extended family ate them but him, at least no one I every saw. But my grandmother planted a half of a row every year in staggered plantings, to help stretch the season out,

One of the great things about having a garden between our house and my Grandmothers was that my job was to pick options for dinner, I mean literally pick options for Dinner, digging fresh potatoes, there's a cucumber and a tomato that was just ready or greens that were calling my name. And then just as I was leaving there are the radishes, just waiting for me to pick a couple for his salad. It was a chore and an experience at the same time, one I wouldn't trade.

While I'm still not a fan of radishes, there are a few fans at my house now. So late last summer when I put in beets I also put in a patch of Easter Egg Radishes. The great thing about radishes are how fast they come up. It's almost as quick a wisteria for those of you in the south, but not quite as sneaky.

I had quite a haul and look at those greens!

They were just towing over the poor beets that were planted at the same time!

I personally picked the Easter Egg variety because I wanted the different colors and the large greens. I had recipes for both. This year I'll be planting another crop of these and maybe I'll try the Watermelon Radish, or the real name Chinese Red Meat Radish. I'm hoping they keep their green outer color and pink inner color when they are pickled.

Now for the Science part! That spicy flavor of radishes is due to the chemical compounds found inside, like Glucosinolate which is also found in mustard. As I mentioned before, and as you can see in the picture, they grow very quickly and are great companion plantings for other veggies that grow a bit slower. Most pests avoid the radish greens which helps other plants like broccoli and beets. They enjoy full sun and a soft soil. 

Most often when you think radish you think salad, but I'm hear to tell you that they make an awesome pickle too. I use a pickling brine that is part white vinegar, and part red wine vinegar. Add a few carrots to the mix and if you like heat, slice up a jalapeno, pop it in the fridge for a couple of days and then watch out. It's a great addition to fish tacos and sandwiches. Don't throw away those greens, they make great Kimchi or just saute them if your taste buds aren't up to the heat!

Overall they are a great addition to your garden, stagger the planting over a couple of weeks so that you'll have a nice long harvest. 

Thanks for taking this trip with me and check back soon for more of the A to Z Challenge!

Almost Wordless Wednesday

We have been gifted with some unseasonably warm weather this week and I thought I would take a second to share. We took a small break from finishing up holiday orders to take the dogs for a run down by the pond early in the morning. All I can say is "Thanks" to Mother Nature for this awesome Holiday Gift. So far I think that the wooly worm had it right!

That water was cold but it didn't stop her...

A little more cautious but the other one totally steered clear..lol

Here's hoping you get a bit of a break in the weather extreme's no matter where you are!

A Taste of the Old South- Pickled Jerusalem Artichokes

We have some really awesome friends who are always sharing seeds and ideas with us, and a couple of years ago they gifted us with a few Jerusalem Artichoke tubers. I wrote a bit more about them back in April in the A to Z challenge, you can check that out here. They are also called Sunchokes and are related to Sunflowers, they grow a very tall stem that tops off with a  daisy or sunflower type flower in clusters. They grow mainly on the eastern seaboard and can be invasive so beware when you plant them.

To get the best flavor they say wait to harvest until the first frost. Well we had a bit of a small frost and we were working in the area where we had planted these tubers, so we thought it might be good ideas to dig around and see what we could find..

The first bit of the harvest was a bit less than expected

So we really dug in and the harvest got a bit better

After this I had to help dig so I don't have a picture of the whole harvest but we did end up with more than we expected. We had plenty for mashing and salads and then just enough small for a batch of Pickled. I'm going to walk you through my grandmothers recipe for the pickled version , it takes two days but it is totally worth it. They can also be boiled, roasted or eaten raw.

As you can see from above the hardest part about all of this other than the digging is the cleaning. One wash just isn't going to do it. I swish and washed but those nubbies just hang on to the dirt. 

Some people say that you can just peel them but these are on the small side so I decided to brush them so they could retain their bumpy personality. Of course I didn't have a vegetable brush so I had to make due with an old tooth brush. I knew I keep them on hand for a reason

Much better, don't you think? They're finally ready to go into the brine, which is the easy part.

Never fear, I'll give you the recipe at the end of the post just in case you can get your hands on some,

This is what you end up with early the next morning.

Turmeric is a big part of the recipe and I was glad we decided to plant a bit this year.I'm saving a bit a to plant again this spring. I love have fresh ingredients for our cooking and canning. We'll be adding more herbs to our garden this spring, too. I had posted a picture of the Jerusalem Artichokes to our facebook page asking people to identify it. everyone was convinced that it was ginger, then to really throw them off I posted the Turmeric and no one got that, either. But they loved the finished product.

Here's what we ended up with, we went with some 12 oz that we had laying around and I think it makes a great presentation. I used all of the products shown below for a Relish tray this weekend, Artichokes, Pickled beets, Pickled Brussels Sprouts and Giardiniera, which to me are all rustic country flavors. Most people had never seen any of it before. It was met with a quiet skepticism but soon welcomed by all. I'm glad I can introduce a new generation to old food ideas. 

Finally here's the recipe, 

3 to 4 pounds of Cut Artichokes will make 12 pints

You need to start with the Brine:

1 gallon of water

3 to 4 pounds of cut artichokes (cut them into 1/2 inch bite size pieces)

1 cup of  pickling salt

 Onions (6 to 8 sliced thin) *Optional

1 Tablespoon of turmeric or one small fresh root, sliced

Place Brine in a glass jar and add artichokes,  They should stay in the brine for at least 8 hours,over night if possible.

After the brining time has passed it is time to start the pickling liquid:

3 Tablespoons Mustard seed

2 cups of sugar (or more depending on how sweet you want them)

1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns

2 tablespoons celery seed

2 quarts of White vinegar

1 Tablespoon of turmeric or one small fresh root, sliced

Mix all ingredients in a large stockpot and bring to a boil. While the solution is heating up drain your artichokes and rinse well. 

If you are planning to can these then you will go ahead and sterilize your jars, pack each jar with artichokes and pour hot liquid into jars leaving a 1/2 inch headspace. Hot water bath for 10 minutes. 

Place hot jars in a draft free area, covered until cool. Then place in an out of the way spot for at least a week to allow for the best flavor.

If you are not canning these then remove from the heat and allow the liquid to come down to room temperature. Still Sterilize your jars but pack when cooler. Can be kept in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks, 

Any questions or if I have left out anything please let me know. I appreciate the opportunity to share some of our family recipes that help keep the old flavors from fading away. Now is a great time to find these in your local farmers markets and specialty stores, so grab a couple pounds and enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I just wanted to post a quick Hello and say Thanks for stopping by today and all through the year!
I hope your holiday is exactly the way you like it, filled with family and food or just a few friends and snacks. Thanksgiving means something different to everyone.

No matter what kind of meal you sit down to today from Carnivore to Herbivore I ask that you say a Thank You to the farmers that ensure that we have the feast before us. While we are definitely on the small side (maybe mirco side) of farming we know exactly what it takes to get up and get it done every day and they are the unsung heroes of the food cycle.

 To all Farmers, big and small we send out an extra special Thanks for keeping the farming traditions alive and well here and abroad. We appreciate your hard work and wish you a Happy Holiday season!

Move along nothing to see here.. just a chicken hiding from the poultry centered holiday...

Garden Tip Thursday- Leave the Leaves (for a bit anyway)

Yeah, I said it and I know lots of you are going "What?!" I can't just leave those leaves laying all over the yard! I know that we all want a nice lawn and in some places you don't have much of a choice.
There really is a good reason behind me saying that leaves on your lawn isn't such a bad thing and I'll give you a few reasons as to why that is;

1. Let them stay for a bit, until they are crunchy and mow them into little bits and then leave them. Really it is great mulch for your lawn. It will help keep weed growth down and add natural nutrients back into the soil. It's way better than the expensive bagged stuff.

2. Rake them whole into flower beds and around trees as mulch, as little as two to three inches can do wonders for over wintering bulbs and protecting native plants. The insulation it gives might make a difference for new plants, too. It also gives a home to overwintering insects (I hear ya but some are good bugs too) and small animals. Birds and squirrels often use these areas for foraging too.

3. They are also great to put them into your compost.. Not a composter, many others are, place a listing on craigslist or your community facebook page for free leaves. You'll be surprised how many responses you might get! Don't want strangers coming to your house wandering around , never fear lots of communities will pick up leaves for community projects and composting. Check with your local community garden they often welcome leaves for composting.

4. Do you have an area that you'd like to make into a garden next year or raised beds? Rake those leaves into that area and layer them with paper bags, newspaper and cardboard. Then walk away. Come spring you'll have a nice grass free area to work with, and ready made mulch!

5. And of course if you have a garden make use of the leaves by working them into the soil. Again leave a few inches on top for weed control. Earthworms will quickly move and work the soil for you!

6. Don't forget to pick up a few interesting ones for art projects while your out there too!

7. The  main thing is that they don't end up in plastic in a landfill! If you can't use them please pass the bounty on to someone who can! They aren't doing any good being buried in trash..


We have had the strangest weather this year, not much color in our leaves. Most are still hanging on and I can tell you that I won't be doing anything with them until they are all down..lol.

Have a great Fall and don't be too hard on those leaves!

We've finally gotten some blue skies but not much else in the leave color scheme this year..

Weather and Old Wives

I've been privy to lots of advise from old wives and I can tell you that there are nuggets of wisdom in some of those tales. Yes, I ran around barefoot for years as a child in the mud and the muck and I never got "ground itch", still no shoes and I haven't gotten it yet as an adult either. What is it you ask, I have no idea but it was a general threat/warning to me as a child. And personally I'm glad it never caught up to me.

My Grandmother always said that collards are best after they have been frosted on, hold off a bit and I think you'll agree. Ours are moving right along and should be ready for Thanksgiving, hopefully we'll have a good frost by then and they'll be just right. I'm making myself a note to post our awesome vegan collard green recipe for you guys!

Another common comment was if it Thunders in the winter, expect snow in seven to ten days. Sometimes it works out and other times  it doesn't. Thankfully we don't get much of either around here. Maybe the scarcity of both works for the tale.

I know there are  lots of tales about watching the birds, wasps and the sky to determine if it will be a cold or mild winter . My personal favorite weatherman is the Woolly Worm , (we call them woolly bears in our family) and we just happened to run across a few this weekend while cleaning up the garden. Isn't he cute? And he's got good news for us too!

Not from the south? Never fear I'll explain. The woolly worm tale says that the color bands predict the length and the temperature outlook for the winter. A larger area of brown as compared to the black should forecast a milder winter. A smaller band of brown, you guessed it, a harsh winter. So we should be in for a milder winter in our neck of the woods, as you can see the larger brown section on our friend here. Here's hoping he's right, we had an unusual amount of ice and snow last year.

I wanted to check and make sure I was right about the markings and I found out this little guy is so popular that he, well maybe his relatives, are the theme for a festival in Banner Elk, North Carolina.
As well as forecasting the weather they also have  Caterpillar races, that's different!

Just for you scientific sort, I'll let you know that this little guy spins a  fuzzy cocoon in the spring and comes out as a Isabella Tiger Moth. I guess I'll be on the look out for them come spring and then we can have a discussion on just how accurate he was!

Garden Tip Thursday- Direct Sow for your Fall Garden

Last week we talked about starting seeds but there are also other seeds and bulbs that can be direct sown right into your garden late in the summer.

In northern climates your soil is starting to cool off a bit and it's time to plant your garlic. Hardneck varieties do well with colder winters and the softneck are more adapted to more moderate winters. If your temps are falling a bit it's time to go ahead and get your cloves in a well drained loose soil. If it's warm where you are you still have time to put in your orders for your garlic. Garlic has a long growing season but it's worth the wait. It can often be the last thing you plant in the fall. Hardneck varieties are what we grow even though we have a more moderate winter, because you get the added benefit of scapes. Two products in one! For more on Garlic check out a prior post here.

Beets and other root crops are also a great for a fall garden. The benefit from being directly sown into your garden. Parsnips rutabaga and turnips will give you delicious veggies for those fall stews. Radishes are also good for fall gardens, they have a quick turn around of four weeks, so go ahead and put in a few seeds now and a few seeds later to space out your harvest. Celeriac or Celery root has a longer growing season but can withstand cooler temperature and some light frost,

Beans also have a quick turn around and expect a larger crop than your spring growth due to the reduction in beetles during the fall. Beans are easy to dry for later use. So they make a smart addition to your fall garden as well as to your pantry! Be sure to look for a short season pea, shelling or snap, they freeze well and will definitely be enjoyed when the weather turns cooler.

While you are doing all of this work in the veggie garden make sure that you take a bit of time to plant flower bulbs for the spring, too. Flowers such as crocuses and hyacinths will give bees an early boost as they are coming out of winter.


Each region has a different timing for planting and these are just some suggestions, Check out your local garden centers and see what is available in your area!

Thanks for stopping by next week we'll be talking about saving some seeds from your own garden for use next year. Not only is economical but now you have a seed that has been personalized to your area.

Dig Happy and wear your dirt with pride!

Thursday Garden Tips

It's all ready August and I just can't believe it! Fall will be here before you know it and never fear great gardening opportunities are still available.

This weekend would be a great time to get your tired summer garden ready for a great fall garden!

Your first step would be to take out and vines or plants that have passed their prime, if they are still in a healthy shape with no molds or other issues go ahead and put them in your compost. They'll get a another turn in the garden next spring just in a different form. If the plants seem to be diseased or bug infested go ahead and bag them up for disposal. We don't need that in our fall garden!

Now that you have some open space go ahead and add back to your garden. If your spring and summer were as tough as ours has been your going to want to build the soil back up. Use your own compost or your local garden center often has bags available. One local center near us sells compost made by the city. They have a drop off point for yard waste and they grind it up and let it sit. You don't always know what's in it but is encouraging that they are offering this service! If you don't have a compost that's easily available check out "Black Kow". It's a great manure mixture that has been composted and comes if different size bags so there are options for any size garden or gardener for that fact. If you are wanting an organic option I've seen an organic mushroom compost at Lowes and even at our local Harris Teeter.

I know it seems soon but you are going to want to give it a bit of time to settle in and work it's magic before you start the planting season over again! It needs to be done at least two weeks in advance to get a good start for those fall plants.

Now that you've thought about the soil, we'll be thinking about starting fall seeds next.

Check back Next Thursday for tips on starting fall seeds to get the best germination and results in your garden!

Weather Woes

We have finally gotten back into our sort of normal weather around here this week but the problem is that we had a few weeks of February weather in the middle of Fall.

The leaves barely got a chance to change before they were frozen and fell off. Our Garden took a beating, even though we covered and hooped the rows. It was just too cold too soon.

And now it's warm again! 60 degrees right now at 4:00 in the afternoon. Not that I'm complaining by any means and have no doubt I will take this over the other that we had. But it's causing havoc with my plants!

This one of my poor Hydrangeas that think it's time to send out new shoots and leaves. 

The azaleas are fairly sure spring is rolling back around! 

It's still only December and quite a few months of fall and winter left to go around here. Hopefully we won't have the back and forth all winter. That will be really bad news for the fruit trees and such. In fact I had better check the grape vines to see if they are thinking about sprouting again. And Mother Nature if you are listening, can you keep the polar vortex up where it belongs, the south would appreciate it if you do. We enjoy watching snow on TV but we are NOT equipped to deal with it down here. As entertaining as it maybe to those up north, watching us stuck and sliding around in an inch of snow, we'd rather be spared from that this year. Once every ten years is certainly good enough around here!

Photo Bombing on the Farm

A few day ago we had one of those really great early Fall days. We don't get too much Fall here. We seem to go from really hot to kinda hot to freeze warnings. So when we get a nice sunny day that isn't above 85 we try to get out and enjoy it.

While I was just sitting out back talking to the Chickens and enjoying nature I thought that I would try and get a few good picture of them for my instagram account. There in lies my problem. Generally if you aren't feeding them (or the cats) or directly talking to them they tend to ignore you. Quietly I get down on their level and pull out the camera, and there they are, all up in your face trying to figure out what interesting thing you are up to. Curiosity is not a domain limited to cats.

I waited until they had wandered a bit away and I here's my first shot. Not too bad, chickens being chickens. Holy Cow! I just saw Yoda there in the background waving, great, now the cats are bombing me too. Check out the crazy cat on the left,

Then I think they start to catch on that something is going on. I swear they think they are posing for the next issue of Backyard Chickens.

Then just as I think things are going well, I get this. And in all honesty I shouldn't have been surprised, she thinks she should be the center of attention at all times. And did I mention she is the complainer..Diva Chicken we call her,

So I try for one last group shot, they are never all in the same area at once. And Ookami just happens to pick that moment to wander by..There are Chickens behind that fuzzy head.

And he even has the nerve to smile for the camera. The Diva has been upstaged! 

Do you have a photo bombing animal at your house too? We can't be the only one with this problem..lol

Hope you are enjoying your Fall Days too.

Fall 

It's finally here, Football, Pumpkins. Apple Butter and Pecans. It sounds simple but those things pretty much sums up fall around here. Not necessarily in that order either..

The great thing about living in North Carolina is the ability to travel from the coast to the mountains without ever leaving the state. We recently took a day trip to Asheville and stopped in at their farmers market. We are frequent visitors to the State Farmers Market in Raleigh, because we have to face the fact that we can't grow everything, and I love to just browse to see the veggies and plats available, But Asheville's Market is a whole new adventure. There you can get apples direct from the Orchard and since their season is a bit ahead of ours we get a sneak peak at whats up coming!

We brought home a couple of Bushels of Early apples, Arkansas Black and Suncrisp, they make awesome Apple Butter and Apple Sauce. We fill up the counters with Crock Pots and let them do all of the hard work. By the time we're done we'll have made at least 10 dozen jars for the Fall and Christmas markets. If you're interested in making some of you're own here's an easy recipe for you to try.

Crock Pot Apple Butter
 About 5lbs of Apples (we leave the skins on since they aren't waxed)
1 to 1 /12 cups of Sugar (Depends on the Apples and your preference, Brown or White Sugar)
1 Teaspoons of ground Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon of ground Cloves
1/2 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar.

Core and Chop the Apples. Place then in the Crock Pot and cook on a medium heat for about an hour.
Once they have begun to soften add your spices and vinegar. Cook on a medium heat for 8 to 10 hours depending on the apples. They will be dark brown. We use and immersion blender to get a smooth butter. You can leave the lid off for the last hour or two to get a thicker consistency. Fill your jars leaving a 1/4 inch head space. Wipe the rims clean, remove any air bubbles and place your lids.
Can be put into clean jars and kept in the refrigerator or it can be water bath canned. We process 1/2 pints for 10 minutes.  Makes about 8 1/2 pints

Great for Homemade Holiday Gifts or keep them all for yourself!