Any Gardeners or Picklers?

[Doc4216]

I started pickling just from necessity- I missed my Mom's Dill beans!

From 2018:
Canning and Pickling!

Well, it is more just pickling right now but I am having a lot of fun with it.

Last time I was home in PA, I got more tips from my parents and decided to make my mother's Dill Beans (my favorite growing up and still) so that I would no longer have to ration her one jar out throughout a year. Yes, they are that good. At least I think so. I have shared some with my co-workers and they seem to enjoy it also.

So this was my first go at it, my first two jars.


It came out pretty good so I decided to try some more.


So I decided to buy a starter canning kit to make things a little bit easier. Which is exactly the time my Mother calls me with a new recipe for "Icebox pickles" which is done completely cold (no hot bath needed). Holy cow, these are good!


My new venture in this new hobby will be doing jalapeños, which I currently have growing quite well in my back yard. This is an earlier picture but it is taking off.



Then I started expanding what I would make:




So I decided to try my hand at tomatoes and jalapeños last summer, which went okay but I knew this year I would want more so...I am doing containers and attempting to do a livestock trough.



2022:
Did a bunch of work for the upcoming season the last two days. I decided to try my hand at a raised bed this year and really liked the size and usefulness of the livestock troughs. Went yesterday to grab one at Tractor Supply and then today to Home Depot and our favorite local greenhouse.

Started off with this


Painted it this (looks brown but its actually "hammered copper"


Put a bunch of drill holes in the bottom, fabric, then yard debris before putting down three different types of soil.


Added some begonias (hanging baskets) and mulch around different parts.

and now- Finished the garden tonight. Project garden is complete!! 3 early girls, two jalapeños, 3 cucumbers (only two in the container- 1 in a pot) and marigolds to keep the squirrels away!



Now to hope I get enough to can my own veggies. If not, I still like supporting local farmers markets.

[Grumpy Goat]

Very nice post Doc, and nice hobby too. Pickles look delicious, especially the dill beans. Good job with the photos as well.

[Motorhead1977]

Very nice work. I grew up in a house that had home canned vegetables, pickles and pickled you name it as well as made from scratch everything (we didn't have "store bought" ) While I do a lot of from scratch cooking I've gotten lazy and now get our canned and pickled stock from the Amish farmers not too far away from us.

[Doc4216]

Very nice work. I grew up in a house that had home canned vegetables, pickles and pickled you name it as well as made from scratch everything (we didn't have "store bought" )  While I do a lot of from scratch cooking I've gotten lazy and now get our canned and pickled stock from the Amish farmers not too far away from us.

Yes, my parents have a large enough, stocked enough pantry with all things canned and pickled (even meats) that they could supply most of Butler County I believe. I think they have enough to cover their church in hard times, which warms my heart, simply for the fact that they chose to give back to their community when they are both such introverts.

[36654]

Backstory: I was raised in the house my grandfather built on his father's farm. Two doors down the road lived the family my father grew up with. The house up the road was owned by one of those kids. The next house down the road was owned by the daughter of the family three_doors down the road. I grew up with the kids that lived next door on both sides. Thus, we were all related by location.

By the early 1980s, my Father had retired, the oldest child of the family next door (down the road) had graduated college, but was working and living at home. The second house down the road was occupied by Grammy G's middle-aged confirmed bachelor son. When I was a kid, Grammy G, my mother, and maternal Grandmother would do canning together. On occasion, they would also do baking together, but frequently sent stuff back and forth between households. By the 4th grade, I was as wide as I was tall.

But, returning to the 80s, my retired Dad and the neighboring bachelors found themselves in a rather intense gardening competition. The guy next door, the youngest competitor, gave it a good few years. Being single and employed, he brought some new toys to the mix. The Older bachelor, having less income, responded with more tilled acreage. Dad bought a new 25-hp 4WD Diesel tractor to replace his 1930s John Deere B to easily plow and prep the expanding "garden". Initially, it was "how many rows did you plant"? But, that proved too easy........the younger ones had youth and strength, Dad had the tractor and free time. Of course, being overly proud of his new tractor, Dad surrendered his competitive advantage by plowing his competitor's gardens.

The new goal became how quarts did you can? The younger bachelor dropped out. The Old Bachelor was going great guns, his long-time girlfriend was helping. Dad's Girfriend was drafted (shanghaied) onto team Dad. This lasted a few years, more rows planted, more quarts canned. One year, Team Dad did 100 quarts of green beans and 100 quarts of tomato juice. Eventually, Team Dad ran out of shelf space in the cellars of both houses. Who really has use of more than 10 quarts of tomato juice in a lifetime, if you aren't Italian?

Instead of facing defeat, Team Dad found a new goal.........how much produce could he sell. He had a great sign, listing all the produce and the prices by the bushel. For every actual "sale", I'm sure he gave away 10-times that much. But, in the spirit of the competition, Team Dad "sold" all those bushels.

Sadly, time waits for none of us, Dad's girlfriend's health failed and we lost her. That ended the gardening.

But, recall all those quarts of canned vegetables? When Dad passed away and we prepped the house for the estate sale....my Aunt, my mother's kid sister, said........"The Amish will pay good money for those jars". For a couple of weekends, I, my Aunt and my oldest Sister......opened, dumped and cleaned hundreds of canning jars filled with years-old food. Some of it was 40-yrs old. On the day of the sale, the Amish had something else to do. I threw every one of those jars in the dumpster. Happily, I still have my Aunt and Sister to remember our great business venture...

[Doc4216]

Backstory:  I was raised in the house my grandfather built on his father's farm. Two doors down the road lived the family my father grew up with.  The house up the road was owned by one of those kids.  The next house down the road was owned by the daughter of the family three_doors down the road.  I grew up with the kids that lived next door on both sides.  Thus, we were all related by location.
…

A) I love this story so very much! The "neighborly competition" is now occurring for me, except with yards not gardens, and I am NOT winning. I am not winning against my older neighbors nor against my weeds! I have a plan though. 

B) I almost spit out my drink when I read you threw all those jars in a dumpster. **Hears heart breaking inside**

[36654]

The house I live in was built by a childless couple in the early 1950s. The surviving spouse died around 2000. Their only hobby was tending the flowers in their yard. They didn't like trees, never traveled or drank. The husband was a bookkeeper and the wife a secretary at a local company. Apparently, both of them, on their knees, tending the yard and flowers was typical. They were known to have high expectations of their neighbor's yards............

After I and my wife moved in, a neighbor stopped my wife and asked if she liked to garden. My wife responded honestly........ "She likes the concept of it, but isn't practicing". The neighbor responded........."Oh dear God, Thank You! I've lived in fear of the previous owner for nearly 20-yrs" .............

[Doc4216]

My only motivation is to not be the worst yard in the ‘hood!!

[36654]

My only motivation is to not be the worst yard in the ‘hood!!

As they say in the herd................. Survival depends on someone else being slower!

[maxredline]

 Of course, being overly proud of his new tractor, Dad surrendered his competitive advantage by plowing his competitor's gardens. 

Classic lol.

[36654]

 Of course, being overly proud of his new tractor, Dad surrendered his competitive advantage by plowing his competitor's gardens. 

Classic lol.

After his girlfriend passed away, a very nice woman, by the way, a group of widows in his little town seemed to need the services of his tractor.  I found that suspicious, but refrained from giving him "the Talk".....

[Doc4216]

 Of course, being overly proud of his new tractor, Dad surrendered his competitive advantage by plowing his competitor's gardens. 

Classic lol.

After his girlfriend passed away, a very nice woman, by the way, a group of widows in his little town seemed to need the services of his tractor.  I found that suspicious, but refrained from giving him "the Talk".....

I am sure he appreciated your restraint.

[36654]

 Of course, being overly proud of his new tractor, Dad surrendered his competitive advantage by plowing his competitor's gardens. 

Classic lol.

After his girlfriend passed away, a very nice woman, by the way, a group of widows in his little town seemed to need the services of his tractor.  I found that suspicious, but refrained from giving him "the Talk".....

I am sure he appreciated your restraint.

Years after Dad passed away, Grammy G's bachelor son was the "Old Guy" on the road.  A vet and retired construction worker, he was a really nice guy that somehow managed to live a life in rural PA without having a driver's license.  He didn't drive illegally, he just didn't drive.  When he wanted to run to the Post Office or other short errand, he took the garden tractor.  

Now, during my working days, my retired, but spry Aunt would run down to the farm to do the mowing (about 1.5 acres) before I could get to it on the weekend.  She considered it exercise.  Most locals considered it elder abuse on my part.  On several occasions, I was reprimanded (cursed out) by known & unknown people for making my retired Aunt mow the lawn.  She liked hearing those stories.

In any case, one day, I took some vacation and ran down to the farm to do the mowing and save some self-respect.  But, I was too late, my Aunt was well into it when I arrived.  Apparently, you can use a string trimmer around objects before mowing instead of grinding the mower deck against the object and then using the trimmer on the grass that survives.  While I was telling her that I'll take it over from here (she had done the trimming)......the Old Bachelor rolled up on his lawnmower and handed my Aunt a bag of six homemade raisin-filled cookies.  For the uninformed, raisin-filled cookies consist of two layers of soft semi-sweet shortbread-type dough that sandwiches a healthy dollop of stewed raisins.  A poor raisin raisin-filled cookie is skimpy on the raisin filling and the dough isn't sweet enough.  

My Aunt took the cookies and said thank you.  The Bachelor restarted the lawnmower, smiled, and said......."Gotta get the rest of these to the Widows up town".  I gave my Aunt the "eye" and asked how long this was going on?  "Every week or so" .... was the answer.  "Is it always raisin-filled?" I asked.........."No, on occasion it's sticky buns" (Gooey Cinnamon Rolls, to the outside world)"  At that point, my Aunt handed me one of the cookies.  It was exactly the same as Grammy G. and my mother made decades ago.  Nothing was saved or substituted in the making of these.

I no longer felt bad about her doing the mowing at the farm........

[Grumpy Goat]

Years after Dad passed away, Grammy G's bachelor son was the "Old Guy" on the road.  A vet and retired construction worker, he was a really nice guy that somehow managed to live a life in rural PA without having a driver's license.  He didn't drive illegally, he just didn't drive.  When he wanted to run to the Post Office or other short errand, he took the garden tractor.  
...

Nice story, and I like your narrative too ...

[36654]

Years after Dad passed away, Grammy G's bachelor son was the "Old Guy" on the road.  A vet and retired construction worker, he was a really nice guy that somehow managed to live a life in rural PA without having a driver's license.  He didn't drive illegally, he just didn't drive.  When he wanted to run to the Post Office or other short errand, he took the garden tractor.  
...

Nice story, and I like your narrative too ... 

I gotta apologize to Doc for highjacking her thread, but the whole canning thing (and some rainy, humid weather) got me in a nostalgic mode.

[Lee]

Years after Dad passed away, Grammy G's bachelor son was the "Old Guy" on the road.  A vet and retired construction worker, he was a really nice guy that somehow managed to live a life in rural PA without having a driver's license.  He didn't drive illegally, he just didn't drive.  When he wanted to run to the Post Office or other short errand, he took the garden tractor.  
...

Nice story, and I like your narrative too ... 

Same here.

[Doc4216]

Years after Dad passed away, Grammy G's bachelor son was the "Old Guy" on the road.  A vet and retired construction worker, he was a really nice guy that somehow managed to live a life in rural PA without having a driver's license.  He didn't drive illegally, he just didn't drive.  When he wanted to run to the Post Office or other short errand, he took the garden tractor.  
...

Nice story, and I like your narrative too ... 

I gotta apologize to Doc for highjacking her thread, but the whole canning thing (and some rainy, humid weather) got me in a nostalgic mode.

No apologies needed. This all related and I loved reading every word of it!

[Doc4216]

One of the things that I enjoy most about moving is exploring new areas. I have been so pleasantly surprised about Cleveland and how much we love it here. From being close to family for the first time in 20 years to finding wild garlic in my yard!

At first I thought it was green onions, which made me extremely happy until I bit into it and it tasted like chive flavored garlic. Not a bad thing, just not what I was expecting. I told my parents about it and started doing some research. Turns out, wild garlic, otherwise known as field garlic, is native to NE Ohio. Spring and early summer is the best time to harvest. So I replanted some to see if I could make it grow and flourish. Today I decided to harvest some and do what I love to do with everything, I pickled it. Here’s to finding out what pickled garlic taste like.

[Grumpy Goat]

Nice. Is it as strong / intense as regular garlic?

[36654]

Doc,

I'm surprised you didn't have it in Pittsburgh. My family farm is on the eastern edge of the Allegheny Plateau and wild garlic grew on the edges of the fields.

If you post you're substituting young dandelion for endive, then I'll know you're heading for a life off the grid....