More Muscovies and Fewer Campbells

Today our mama Muscovy brought out fifteen ducklings from the nest! And they are very cute. As we posted earlier, Muscovies make great mini-homestead livestock. They are quiet (they don't quack), good foragers (they eat grass, weeds, and bugs), and provide plenty of eggs and meat.

One day old Muscovies.

Watchful Mama Duck

Following Mama

We also have Khaki Campbell ducks. These are great layers, but they do have some drawbacks for us. First and foremost, we can't eat the eggs--they are yummy, but they upset the tummy. They are also noisy--constantly quacking. We have had two hatches of them this spring, eleven in each hatch. We'll be harvesting all the adult Campbells in the next week or so, and will grow out the ducklings for harvest in a few months. Although they are much smaller than the Muscovies, and therefore, don't give us as much meat per bird, we do like the taste. It is worth the extra effort of preparing and extra bird for each meal.

Mama Campbell and her ducklings

Harvesting Tomatoes

Depending on which variety you are growing, you can expect to begin harvesting your tomatoes 55 to 100 days from the day you set them out in the garden. The small cherry tomatoes tend to ripen the fastest while the big slicing tomatoes take longer typically. (Check the seed packet for the number of days to harvest, and for what color your tomatoes will be when ripe.)

Commercial (supermarket) tomato harvesting goes something like this:

Pole-grown (indeterminate-type), fresh-market tomatoes are harvested when fruit is not quite pink in color (a long way from ripe). Bush-grown (determinate-type) tomatoes are harvested when about 15 percent of the fruit is red, that means that 85 percent of the fruit is still far from ripe. The tomatoes are then sorted and packed into cartons. The cartons of fruit are typically placed in temperature-controlled storage for up to 10 days and are subjected to an ethylene treatment (to "ripen" them) prior to going to market.

Harvesting in the garden goes something like this:

It's a Saturday in June and you're making a sandwich for lunch and need a slice of tomato. You go out to your garden and pick the reddest slicing tomato out there.

Later, you're making a dinner salad and need some cherry tomatoes and some yellow pear tomatoes and some purple Cherokee tomatoes to go with what was left of the slicing tomato you used at lunch (provided there was any left after you ate a slice or two with a sprinkle of salt). You go out to your garden and you pick handfuls of the ripest, yummiest cherries, yellow pears, and purple Cherokees out there (you pick a few extra to eat on the way back to the house).

Pick your tomatoes when they are red (or whatever color they are supposed to be) and firm. Those you don't eat fresh off the vine can be stored in a cool place (optimally 60°F) -- that is, not in the refrigerator and not in a plastic bag.

If, on that rare occasion in the winter, frost threatens and there are a dozen or so still-green tomatoes on the vine, go ahead and pick them, wrap them loosely in newspaper or a brown paper bag (not plastic!) and store them in a cool, dark, dry place. Better: fry them up at once! Fried green tomatoes take the sting out of having to pull up your tomato plants.

Storing Fruits and Veggies So They'll Keep

This post is also available at The Swanson Family Web Site: dcs1225.com

The average American household throws out almost 500 pounds of spoiled produce every year. That's a huge waste considering that the produce-gone-bad is about one-seventh of the food the average family buys.

That's a lot of brown-black bananas, wilted spinach, and mushy peaches! If we could keep these items fresher a little longer, we might not have to throw out so much.

Chemistry is part of the answer. No, not more preservatives--we have way too many of those in our food supply already. If we learn some important aspects of the natural chemistry of the produce we keep, and make storage arrangements accordingly, we'll have more time to be able to use more of what we store.

Our Anna Apples

Like all other living things, fruits and vegetables breathe. Respiration continues long after harvest. Some produce gives off ethylene gas, a ripening agent, while others are sensitive to it. Those sensitive to it will "over-ripen" quickly in its presence. If you put ethylene producing apples in a drawer with ethylene-sensitive kale, the kale will yellow and wilt almost overnight. One thing we can do to help keeping everyone happy in the fridge is to keep the two groups away from each other--the ethylene-makers on one side and the ethylene-sensitives on the other.

Temperature also has an effect on the longevity of produce as well. Typically, the warmer the air, the faster the decay. Respiration is slower the lower the temperature. But slowing respiration too much is not a good thing. If you keep your produce in an air-tight bag, it will suffocate and spoil all the faster. 

Also, just as some produce is ethylene-sensitive, some is cold-sensitive--refrigeration will ruin them. Potatoes, onions, winter squash, and garlic, for example will last much longer in cool (not cold), dark, dry conditions.

KEEP THESE ETHYLENE PRODUCERS COOL

Apples
Apricots
Blueberries
Cantaloupe
Grapes
Green onions
Honeydew
Mushrooms

 

KEEP THESE ETHYLENE PRODUCERS OUT OF THE COLD

Avocados
Bananas, unripe
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Plums
Tomatoes

KEEP THESE FRUITS AND VEGGIES AWAY FROM ALL ETHYLENE PRODUCERS

Asparagus
Bananas, ripe
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots
Chard

Cauliflower
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Kale
Kiwi fruit
Lettuce
Leafy Greens

Parsley
Peas
Potatoes
Spinach
Squash
Sweet potatoes
Watermelon


Sources: http://www.nysipm.cornell.edu/organic_guide/stored_fruit_veg.pdf

June in the Garden

Replenish mulches around plants; it reduces weeds, conserves moisture, and prevents disease.

Work compost into beds, then plant fall crops of peppers and eggplant.

Direct-seed collards and tomatoes for fall harvest.

Continue to plant vegetables and herbs -- cantaloupes, corn, cucumbers, okra, peanuts, southern peas, summer squash, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and bush beans. Also plant basil, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary and thyme and other heat-lovers. Continue planting sweet corn in small blocks, every 2 weeks for continuous harvest through fall.

Thin fruit on trees early in the month, after June drop; mulch root area with a thin layer of compost, topped with 3 inches of organic mulch.
    
Look for slow-moving bugs in the cool of the morning; hand-pick them, then dust below the plants with diatomaceous earth (be sure to use a dust mask so you don't inhale the dust).

Water plants in the morning so they don't become susceptible to fungus and insect infestation.

Stop watering onions and garlic grown for bulbs when leaves being to turn yellow. Dig bulbs when tops have fallen over and place in a shady, well ventilated area to cure.

Wash fruit trees periodically with a forceful spray of water to remove dust, honeydew and pests like aphids, whiteflies and spider mites.

Kill pests and disease in vacant beds by covering moist soil with clear plastic for several weeks.

Harvest your summer vegetables as soon as they are ready. Don't let them rot and drop to the ground. This can bring insects and disease. See our harvest guide.

Prune back perennial herbs like rosemary. Continue to harvest as herbs mature.

Continue to feed avocado and citrus trees. Check for pests and diseases. Irrigate as needed to maintain adequate soil moisture.  Watch for chlorosis (yellowing of the leaves between the veins, a sign of iron deficiency). Feed with a good iron supplement such as Ironite.   

Fertilize Plumeria with a low nitrogen fertilizer. Plant new or re-pot plants to replace old soil with a fresh mix.

When is Sweet Corn Ready to Pick?

How do you tell when your sweet corn is ready to harvest?  When will it have the best flavor and texture? It doesn't matter what variety of sweet corn it is, whether yellow, white, or bi-color, the test for ripeness is the same.

First, the ear of corn will fill out on the stalk. Once the ears begin to fill out, the silk at the top of the ear will begin to dry and turn brown. When you see this browning begin, peel back the husk to see if there are plump kernels inside. Press open a plump kernel with your thumbnail. If the fluid is clear, it is not time to harvest this ear. Put the husk back in place and secure it in place with twine or a rubber band if necessary. If the fluid is milky, it is time to pick. If the liquid is white and thick, the ear is over ripe.

Before you pick any ears, however, go put a pot of water on the stove and while it's coming to a boil go out and harvest your ears of corn, shuck them, and cut off the stems and any bad tips. Bring them into the kitchen, rinse them if you need to, and put them in the pot as soon as it comes to a boil. Just when the water comes back to a boil, pull out those sweet ears and enjoy the best corn you'll ever taste!


My grandfather used to say that you wait a few days after the silks turn brown to start checking for ripeness. Don't wait more that three or four days, though, because you want the corn in the pot at peak ripeness. That is, before the too much of the sugar in the kernels turns to starch.(milky vs. white liquid).



It helps also to know the variety of corn, the date you planted it and the days to harvest from that planting, so you know when to start watching the corn more closely for signs of ripeness.

If you plant an open pollinated variety, and you happen to let an early, nice looking ear of corn go past ripeness, let it continue to ripen and then dry on the stalk until about a month after your your corn harvest is done. After the husks turn brown, remove them from the plant and put them in a cool dry place, out of direct sun light. Once they are completely dry you can store them in a cool dry place until next year for seed.

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 If you’re just starting out, just learning and baby-stepping away from packaged and boxed foods into a diet based on wholesome, natural traditional foods, those first few weeks (months? years?) can feel daunting at best, and completely impossible at worst. It’s hard, especially if you were raised on Lean Cuisine, Pop Tarts and Crystal Light. Never mind the conflicting information in the media. . .
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Making Your Own Cultured & Fermented Foods

Save Money Making Your Own Cultured & Fermented Foods

Times are tough and we are all looking for ways to shrink our grocery budget while still providing our family with delicious real food. It is possible to feed your family nutrient dense cultured foods on a budget! The secret is to make your own.

Making your own cultured and fermented foods at home is easy, quick, and can save you 30% to 97% over the grocery store.   More at Cultures for Health