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Re: GROWING PEANUTS
from katjaqu on 02/27/2015 06:55 PMHi Connie,
I live in zone 6 and our temperature right now is 18 degrees. I usually don't plant mine until after Mother's Day but that is because of the frost.
I know you are in sunny Southern California so you may have a longer growing season.
You may want to talk to some of the people in your area about the best planting time.
If something happens and they don't grow and you need more seeds just let me know. I have some peanuts that I put away for planting.
Happy Gardening🌱🌱🌱🌱
Kathy
ReplyRe: Sunset Pics :)
from katjaqu on 02/27/2015 04:28 PMChristine,
Those are beautiful!!
Are you going to have them made into postcards?
Wow, they really are breathtaking!
Thank you for sharing those.
May use for my desktop wallpaper if that's ok.
Re: What are your hobbies besides gardening?
from katjaqu on 02/26/2015 09:30 PMHi Christine,
That's a great idea, I would love to see your photographs.
I also enjoy fishing although I haven't been to successful at it.
My hobbies include home canning, dehydrating, wine making and extreme couponing. I also enjoy knitting with looms, sewing, ceramics, mosaics and collecting books.
DEHYDRATING
from katjaqu on 02/26/2015 08:47 PMDEHYDRATING
A large garden can be a little overwhelming when you find yourself with an over abundance of zucchini or peppers.
You may find yourself giving away most of your harvest just to keep up with it.
I know a lot of people who grow a garden but still spend a small fortune at the supermarket for things they could have made themselves from their garden.
You can enjoy the bounty of your vegetable and herb garden year round by using a dehydrator to create your own dry soup mixes, meals and seasonings.
If you consider the amount of money you will spend on a can of soup or a box of Au Gratin potatoes you might find it is not only heather but also cheaper to make it yourself.
By dehydrating or canning your harvest you can build up your food stores with shelf stable food.
If the power should go out you won't have to worry about losing everything because it is in the freezer.
I guess the first thing you will want to do is clean and sterilize your jars and lids
and make sure you have plenty of oxygen absorbers.
After you clean the jars you can put them back in the box to keep them clean and organized.
Canning jars are always best but recycling glass jars with tight fitting lids can save a lot of money.
You will want a clean work area where you can setup your dehydrator(s). You may want to consider a couple of timers if your dehydrator(s) do not have them.
I have more than one dehydrator because I do a lot of dehydrating year round.
Keep in mind that when you dehydrate onions, garlic, peppers or Sauerkraut you aren't going to want to do it inside the house, for obvious reasons.
If you have a shed or garage you may want to setup a permanent work area there.
You can find the mesh dehydrator tray inserts at Amazon.
I made my own out of plastic canvas.
It has worked well for me and helps keep food from falling to the bottom of the dehydrator.
You may want to start out with a few simple things at first to get familiar with your dehydrator such as frozen corn or peas.
You can pick up a few bags
at the store to practice on and they don't need to be blanched before you dehydrate them.
Brake the frozen corn apart in the bag and spread out on the trays in a single layer.
Allow enough space between so the corn will dry evenly.
Set the temperature to about 135 degrees for about 8 hours.
Check for dryness.
It should be brittle and hard. If not, rotate the trays and reset the time for another 4 to 6 hours.
Let it cool for about an hour and store in a clean sterilized jar with one or two oxygen absorbers.
Dehydrated corn makes a great snack.
Winter time is a great time to practice with the frozen fruits and vegetables at your leisure.
Once you have gotten familiar with your dehydrator and have a few verities of vegetables dehydrated you can start building up your soup mixes or other recipes.
I will be sharing a few my recipes on dehydrating soon and hope you will do the same.
Re: FREE SAMPLES BY MAIL LINKS
from katjaqu on 02/26/2015 05:39 PMHere is a few more freebies.
Enjoy!!
FREE copy of the Gardener’s Idea Book
https://www.provenwinners.com/winners-circle
FREE Sample of Schwarzkopf Essense ULTÎME Omega Repair shampoo and conditioner
https://s.fanactivator.com/DPsgn5
Free Ocusoft Baby Sample
http://www.ocusoft.com/samples.aspx?id=baby
Free OraLine Toothpaste Sample
http://www.idealdentists.com/professionals-survey
DEHYDRATING - Making Tomato Powder
from katjaqu on 02/26/2015 04:20 AMDEHYDRATING
Making Tomato Powder
The next time you home can tomatoes don't throw the skins away. You can dehydrate the skins and turn them into tomato powder.
Wash the tomatoes and blanch them by placing them in boiling water for about a minute or two and then into a bowl of water and ice.
Drain the Tomatoes in a colander.
The skins should slide off easily.
Pat dry the skins and place on the dehydrator trays in a single layer.
Set the temperature on the dehydrator to medium.
Set the timer for about 8 hours and then check the consistency of the skins.
You want them to be crispy and the consistency of paper.
If not, reset the dehydrator for 4 more hours and check again.
Once they are done let them cool for about an hour.
I like to use a mortar and pestle to grind them into powder but you can use a food processor.
You can put some of the powder in a salt shaker and leave it on the table for seasoning salad, pizza or sandwiches.
Store the rest of the powder in a canning jar with an oxygen absorber.
You can add more powder to the jar as you dehydrate more tomatoes.
Tomato powder is good for making soup, sauces and adding to other recipes.
Orange Bread
from katjaqu on 02/26/2015 02:36 AMOrange Bread
Peelings from 8 to 10 large thick skinned Navel Oranges
Cold water
1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
3/4 cup water
3 cups flour
5 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
Cover the peelings of about 8 to 10 oranges with cold water in a large pan and bring to a boil. Boil 10 minutes.
Drain, cool and cut or scrape away the white membrane from from the peeling.
Cut orange peel zest into small narrow strips about 1" long using clean kitchen scissors.
Measure 1 1/4 cups of peel, 1 cup of the sugar and 3/4 cup of water. Bring to a boil. Allow to boil over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent sticking.
Cool, pour off and reserve 3/4 cup of syrup.
Sift together 3 cups of flour, 5 teaspoons of baking powder, 1/3 cup of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
Gradually add in 1 cup of milk and 3/4 cup of the cooled orange syrup and mix well.
Add 3 tablespoons of melted butter, beaten egg and then the orange peel.
Pour into 2 well greased loaf pans and allow to stand 25 minutes.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 50 minutes.
Makes 2 loaves.
Note: For best results do not double the recipe.
Navel Oranges are best.
Make sure to remove all of the white membrane from the peel.
You can store orange peelings in the freezer until you have enough to make thef bread.
Re: Cleaning out my seed box... again
from katjaqu on 02/26/2015 02:17 AMHi Maggie,
That is so thoughtful!
I would love to have some of them.
How much postage should I send!
Please email me at
[email protected]
Thanks Kathy
Re: GROWING SUGARCANE
from katjaqu on 02/26/2015 12:51 AMHi Christine,
I lived in Florida when I was a kid and my Aunt had sugarcane growing in her backyard. It was always a treat for me to visit her because she would let the kids chop themselves a cane.
One whole cane would last a week.
I'm really trying to grow a variety of things on my property and be more self-sufficient, so I planted some this past spring. It is really better to plant it in the fall but I needed to get it in the dirt so I planted it early.
No sign of it yet, but it takes a while to establish its self.
I live close to a huge international market and their organic produce is limitless.
I was able to get a few really fresh healthy canes there to plant.
Re: Searching for eggplant
from katjaqu on 02/25/2015 07:44 PMHi Christine,
I just planted eggplant a few weeks ago and have a few seeds left over. They are from my garden of 2012.
I've already mailed out your seeds so I will drop these off at the P O the next time I'm in town.
We do eat a bit of eggplant.
I like to dehydrate it and then crush it into a powder and store it in a canning jar.
It is really good to add to homemade soup and stew.
I do that with a lot of the vegetables that I grow.
I like taking dehydrated vegetables and making soup mixes as well. They store well in canning jars and will last a long time.