A sunny day

It's been a dreary, cold & rainy week. It was fun to go out and dig potatoes today and see this sunny reminder of summer still holding on.

Raspberries

Raspberries are definitely a jewel in my garden. They are also a great example of how I have come from being a totally clueless gardener to well....I guess a slightly less clueless gardener. I still have much to learn but the successes keep me going.

First raspberry attempt: Latham- A spring bearing variety. They had a few berries on them in their third year (last year) but I'm not impressed. We will probably give them one more year to prove their worth. The plant remained small for the first three years. I trimmed it to the ground last year (knowing that it would not produce this year). It really grew this summer so we will see if there are berries next year.

Autumn Britten- Awesome! It is "everbearing". We trim it to the ground in the fall and it produces large amounts of berries starting in early August. They are huge and have the classic sweet with a hint of tang raspberry flavor. This is our second year and it produced lots for fresh eating, giving away and winemaking as well. We are still picking a fair amount and will until a hard frost. The quality deteriorated slightly in September (a less tender texture) but the taste is still quite good.

Jaclyn- We planted these last spring. They have not performed as well as the Autumn Britten did in their first year but I have high hopes for them. They are also an "everbearing" variety. The plants are small and the production has been quite low but the taste is excellent. They produce a dark colored, sweet berry. They are my husband's favorite. I miss the tart flavor raspberries usually have. These are more candy-like (in my opinion). I enjoy them but most will go to my husband if they do well next year.

Unfortunately we are running out of room for berry bushes. I'd love to plant more. Maybe it's time to look for a bit of land!

Freezer Pickles

It has been a bit of a rough summer for gardening here this year. The good news is that I haven't had to water much. The peppers, winter squash and cucumbers have done well. However the heavy rains we have had were rough on the tomatoes and potatoes.

I wanted to grow a mild flavored, prolific cucumber that wouldn't need peeling. White Wonder really fit the bill. We have had plenty to eat and give away with some left over for preserving. I didn't think I had time to make pickles but then a friend told me about freezer pickles. I had never heard of them but I found quite a few recipes on-line. I have about 10 servings in the freezer with more to come. They were easy to make and I have high hopes for them. Have you heard of freezer pickles? Here is the recipe I tried but there are a lot of variations too. The addition of hot peppers and or garlic sounds worth a try next time around. I may go from having too many cucumbers to running to the markets to buy more so I can enjoy these through the winter.

3 1/2 cups finely sliced cucumbers
2 small onions sliced
1 T salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup white vinegar

Mix sugar and vinegar until dissolved. Add remaining ingredients. Place in refrigerator for 48 hours stirring once or twice a day. Freeze in zip lock bags. Thaw in refrigerator to serve. Serve as is or drain well and mix with sour cream.

Back to the garden

We enjoyed a trip out to Montana for dear hubbies family reunion. However, it also felt good to be back home. We were away for 8 days and the garden did a wonderful thing in our absence....it grew....a lot! The corn, cucumbers and peppers did especially well. Peppers have been in every meal since we returned and I really love the two varieties we selected this year.

The Hungarian hot wax pepper is pale green and packs a bit of heat. The early ones were mild but they are getting hotter as the summer goes on. I love hot peppers so they have been delicious to eat stuffed and grilled. For other family members (with their milder tastes) they work well chopped in with other things. The plants are PROLIFIC. I have picked quite a few every day and more await.

The Jimmy Nardello Sweet Italian Frying Pepper is a real treat. If I could stop munching them raw, then we could enjoy a few more grilled. They are tasty either green or red. The plants produce well which is a good thing because the sweet delicate flavor of these peppers makes them one of my favorites.

I wanted a light meal using the peppers and cucumbers. I didn't measure amounts much but I made a soup I really enjoyed. I heated a little milk with a teaspoon of potato starch and added roasted seeded peppers (3 mild, 1 hot), pickled garlic and creame fraiche and pureed with a stick blender. Chill. Just before serving, I added 2 diced cucumbers (more on those later but I have a variety of cucumber this year that I really like too). Strain (if you like) and garnish it with some chocolate cherry tomato wedges. I will make more for my lunch tomorrow. The season is so short but the garden will produce most of our food for the next 2 months or so. Hopefully the peppers will freeze well also....there really are a lot of them!

The 4th of July and Red Currant Wine

Our red currants usually ripen close to the 4th of July. Since that is our wedding anniversary, we have developed a tradition of enjoying a toast with Red Currant wine and then starting a new batch for the next year. It makes a beautiful ruby red wine with a delicate slightly tart flavor. If we can manage to let the wine age for two years, it mellows to a rich flavor. The one we enjoyed yesterday was wonderful. The currants pictured at the right won't be wine for a while but we just like the way they look.

Red currants are easy to grow and are lovely in the landscape. We especially enjoy the way they look when they are loaded with fruit. They are delicious but slightly tart with large seeds. I like to crush some, strain them and make a Ruby Currantade (like lemonade but a more subtle flavor).

For anyone interested in wine-making, a great place to start is with Jack Keller. We enjoy his recipe for Red Currant wine.

Garden Happenings

This photo is of a plant I'm hoping that the hummingbirds will discover soon. This is a honeysuckle I planted last year. It is doing a nice job of adding color to what was a drab corner of the garden.

It has been a busy spring but we have had fun harvesting strawberries, peas, herbs, rhubarb, radishes, lettuce, spinach and asparagus. Even though I'm sad that some of those crops are almost done for the year, it's great to look forward to the tomatoes, grapes, potatoes, raspberries and other garden gems.

I picked the first pepper of the season today. It is a Hungarian Hot Wax and will be delicious mixed in with rice & beans. It adds just a nice hint of heat. I have two varities this year. The other is Jimmy Nardello. I like to try a different pepper or two- usually one that has some heat and another that is more mild. Any suggestions for next year?