First Year Garden Learnings – Part Two

Howdy again. I’m back with part two of my first year garden learnings. I’m glad I took notes and will continue to do so. Doing this lookback is also helping me think through some of my plans a little more deeply, which is good.

What I hope to improve next year:

The blueberry ambush. We will have to rewire our electric fence. The deer in our area are out of control and they are not taking my blueberries again. The Deer Chaser was not enough of a deer-terrant. Ha ha ha, I had to.

The single blueberry that the deer left behind on Farm Charm — The lone blueberry that the deer left

Carrots and cucumbers. Total flop. Nothing ever sprouted and I tried carrots twice – once in the spring and fall. Grrrr!

Starting my seeds in an egg carton. The cucumbers never sprouted. — Every other seed I started grew, except the cucumbers and carrots (which were directly seeded).

Fig Fail. Wah! I believe a few things worked against us. I don’t think we pruned enough of the old growth or insulated the roots during the colder months. I reached out to the previous owner as well and he said that some years were a miss as well for them.

Kale caterpillars. I had to rinse all my kale like 9 times before I used it and I’m sure I still ate extra protein without knowing. Not that big of a deal, but it did slightly lessen my enjoyment of the salads. However, not worried about worms at all from the bags of kale I froze and am putting in smoothies. I’m trying to keep my garden chemical free so will need to figure out how to keep these caterpillars out.

Tomatoes a-go-go. Since I hope to do more canning next year, I am not going to exclusively plant the small guys.

The layout. I feel like the location for where I planted squash and lettuce could be improved. The squash needs room to spread but also needs to be contained somehow. The two butternut plants took over the entire corner of the garden and grew through the fence. For the lettuce, not sure if it was due to soil or sunlight, but my lettuce leaf varieties did not take hold the way I would have hoped.

Spacing. Green beans need their space. So do tomato plants. This is true both horizontally and vertically. I will need to create better trellising configurations. For the green beans, I made a teepee that was not tall enough, only about 3 feet tall. Next year I will make it at least 5 feet tall and just plant 1-2 plants at each leg of the teepee. Personally, I don’t think tomato cages get the job done. The plants get tangled in them and they can still tip over. I’d really like to have some sort of bar suspended above them that they can grow up to.

No compost bed. I will not be dedicating a garden bed to composting. It became intractable and overgrown and my garden does not have extra space. Plus we have three other compost piles.

Take pictures of everything! Since I’m out in the garden so much and my memory is so, so spotty, I want to put a reminder on my phone to take a picture once each week. This will be a great visual record of where stuff was planted, how quickly it grew (or didn’t grow), etc. The challenge will be remembering to take my phone. I enjoy my gardening time as a way of being outside away from screens.

New veggies I want to try to grow:

Broccoli
Brussel sprouts
Collard greens
Golden beets
Spinach

What I will NOT be growing next year:

Strawberries – I had four strawberry plants and as you know they were a great source of sustenance for what I guess were a local bunny family. I think we only ate 10-12 strawberries tops. I’m sure I could learn more about caging them in a way that allows them to spread while being protected, but they seem like more trouble than they are worth at this stage of my gardening game.

Farm Charm tomato cages wrapped in netting to protect my strawberry plants — My strawberry plant cages. These were good in theory but didn’t allow the plants to spread.

Farm Charm Barn Gets Winded

We’ve had some unseasonably warm and windy days here the past few weeks. We’ll get a few very cool days in the low 50s and then a day that shoots up to high 60s or low 70s. I think those weather fluctuations contribute to the crazy wind. On Halloween night, the winds were 30-40 mph I think. As a result, our beautiful old barn sustained some damage to the roof. I didn’t notice the chunk of the roof that was blown off until two days later and called our insurance right away.

I’m not exactly sure how old the barn is but the house dates back to 1890 so I would have to guess the barn isn’t that much younger. I LOVE this barn! It’s truly one of the things that makes me inexplicably happy when I pull into our driveway at night after work or when I walk out the door on weekend days as we are doing chores in the yard. I’m not exactly sure what the right word is to describe how it makes me feel, but something about it’s age, structure, heritage, simplicity, and traditions evokes stability and the feeling that I am home.

Farm Charm Barn after some strong winds — Oh beautiful girl! You are so impressive.

We’ve had a few contractors come out and one barn specialist to get their opinions on repairs. We want to take care of it and maybe someday turn it into something that other people can enjoy too. Cactus wants us to have some sort of children’s attraction on our property with a petting zoo, seasonal activities, etc. I say absolutely not to that idea but perhaps there is some other option we haven’t yet considered.

In the meantime, we’ll be figuring out what to do for the roof, and any other maintenance for the siding and foundation. If you know any good barn repair people, please send them my way. And if you’ve seen any beautiful barns, please send a picture my way.

Sunsets

Cactus and I met online. We’ve been together for about 11 years. Online dating is no big thang now (which is a discussion for another day), but back in 2008 Match was probably one of the only shows in town. Well, that’s not true. Craigslist was around back then, so was OK Cupid, and I think JDate (since Cactus is from that flock). We didn’t have Tinder, Bumble, Grindr, and what the hell is Coffee Meets Bagel?!?!? Needless to say, online dating is now ubiquitous and seems to be the preferred way of meeting people.

Can you guess which site we met on? Craigslist, the classiest of all. Recall this was prior to people getting killed on dates that were initiated on Craigslist so it was totally fine. Not weird at all. And truth be told I was not looking for a boyfriend online. I was looking for a place to live. But being the efficiency focused female that I am, I got a two-fer. It’s actually quite a funny story but that can wait.

Anyway, were I to write an online dating profile presently it would definitely include my love of sunsets. I always thought that was just a cliche, along with long walks on the beach, but since last Fall my opinion has completely changed. Driving home each evening when daylight is shorter, I am chasing the sunset for about the last five miles. This discovery was pure luck and coincidence based on where our house is and the road that leads to it. But man oh man did we hit the jackpot.

The sunsets are striking. They are beautiful beyond words. I will likely never be able to take a picture that does justice to their dazzling colors. The pinks, oranges, purples, and blues just stop me in my tracks. It’s like all the ideas, energy and deeds of the day have swirled together and floated up to the atmosphere and poof!

Here are just a few recent pictures taken with my phone (sorry!), since my DSLR seems to have elected retirement. I’m gonna have to get better at dusk photography to capture this brilliance. Even though the last thing I want to do is go grab my camera during these fleeting moments. I just want to stop and stare.

First Year Garden Learnings – Part One

One of the things I have heard and read over and over from other gardeners and homesteaders is to take lots of notes throughout the year so that I’ll know to adjust things a few days/weeks earlier or later for next time. I’m curious how helpful this will be with the climate changing as much as it seems to be in such a short period of time.

I feel like all I hear is “this isn’t typical” or “the unusual weather we’ve been having” or the “unseasonably warm/wet/dry…” etc., etc. So I guess we’ll see what the next cycle of seasons brings for my gardening endeavors. Here are some of the big takeaways from my first year and I feel pretty positive on the whole.

What Went Well – the dubya dubya dubya

Arugula: My two arugula plants are more like bushes. I have done absolutely nothing in the way of nurturing them and they just keep flourishing.

Beets: Oh heavenly sweet beets. They were huge and juicy. If only I had pickled them to preserve the bounty.

Berries: Taking no personal credit, the black raspberries were insane and the raspberries were quite good. I will just have to make more of an effort to collect them routinely.

Butternut squash: By far the MVP of this year. Holy moly I think I had about 20 butternut squashes from two plants. They grew all over the place (which I will need to work on next year) but every single one of them has been 1000% delicious. Better than any I have ever bought from the store.

Green beans: I had more than I knew what to do with all to be harvested at the same time. Next year, definitely going to try canning some.

Peppers: I had jalapenos and bell peppers. Not too many, could probably plant one more plant of each to have extra that I chop up and put in the freezer for the winter.

Tomatoes: I did all small varieties because I love them on salads and as salads (caprese, cowgirl caviar, etc.).

Watermelon: This was just an experiment and we got three watermelons! The location will need to be re-thought (similar to the squash) but I was surprised anything even took.

Prepping for Winter: The Dos and Must-Dos

The dos and must-dos to get your property ready as the cooler weather sets in.

Who got the Booch? DIY Kombucha

Who drinks kombucha? Have you even heard of it? I will be the first to admit that I was not following this trend for quite some time. I mean honestly, there is a new wonder food or miracle antioxidant that makes headlines nearly every month. From apple cider vinegar to bone broth to chia seeds, I don’t know how to make sense of it all.

But you know what typically makes me give something a second glance? A personal endorsement by someone I know who has similar views on health and wellness. It was easy for me to ignore the $5 12-ounce bottles of kombucha at the grocery store because that pricing just seemed unsustainable. And yes, I realize every cup of coffee bought costs somewhere in that range and that’s not my life either. I would much rather forgo a coffee at a coffee shop every day and make it at home myself (think of all the trash you’re saving from a landfill!) if that meant at the end of the year I had $1200 to put towards a vacation.

When my friend Jenny said that since she had started drinking kombucha on a daily basis, she hadn’t gotten sick, my ears definitely perked up. I used to think I had great immunity and never got sick, until I had two little ones. Nothing like toddlers who are constantly on the floor, putting things in their mouths, and touching each other to test your immunity. They give you one hug or touch your face and Poof! You’ll have a runny nose and cough the next day. So I figured what’s the harm in giving kombucha a try?

What is kombucha? Basically, tea that has had certain strains of bacteria added to it and is then allowed to ferment.

What are the benefits of drinking kombucha? I’m not going to bore you with scientific studies, though I am a believer in science and evidence, you can read those references here. For me, what makes sense is improving gut health with probiotics. I am not claiming all of these benefits will come true for you. But they might (fingers crossed)!

So here is how I make kombucha (instructions courtesy of Jenny). How often and how much you need to make truly depends on how much you consume. And the only caveat to this recipe is you need someone to provide you with a yeast mat (scooby or jellyfish as I like to refer to it) to start.

Kombucha brewing instructions:

Boil 1 gallon (16 cups) of water
Add 1 cup of sugar to water to dissolve**
Add 8 tea bags of green or black tea

green tea bags for making kombucha at home — #3 – I use Tetley Green Tea bags when I brew Kombucha

**This ratio is important (16 cups of liquid to 1 cup of sugar) for the bacteria to grow properly. If you make more or less, keep the ratio, i.e. 8 cups: 0.5 cups of sugar.

Let brew until cooled to room temperature
Remove tea bags and pour into brewing container
Place yeast mat into container with reserved 2 cups of liquid and stir
Cover with coffee filter and secure with rubber band
Let sit for 20-30 days in a warm environment between 70-75 degrees (also important for the bacteria and yeast growth).

Making kombucha at home - yeast mat — #6 – here is the yeast mat and 2 cup reserve to add to the brewed tea

Making kombucha at home, here is the container after 25 days with two fully formed yeast mats. — #7 – the yeast mat, the brewed tea and covered with a coffee filter

After 20-30 days:

Bottle all but 2 cups*. I bought this pack of bottles but you can probably find a set of three or four at any local kitchen or home store. Just think about how much total kombucha you want to brew and be sure the size of the bottles will hold all that liquid.

*The 2 cups and newly formed yeast mat will be the starter for the next batch.

Add ginger, fruit (straw, black, blueberries), mint, basil, etc. to the bottles per your taste preferences.
Store on counter for 2 days. Burp the bottle once/day to let out gas.
Refrigerate and enjoy 🙂

Making kombucha at home, three bottles of finished strawberry, basil and cucumber — Strawberry, basil and cucumber Kombucha (a batch Jenny made)

Making kombucha at home, three finished bottles of blackberry mint — Blackberry mint Kombucha I made.

PS: In case my title makes no sense, for whatever reason this song constantly comes to mind when I am brewing some ‘bucha. Remember this fun little diddy by Everything? I just replace the word ‘hooch’ with ‘booch’ and ta-da, genius in action 🙂

Getting Crafty with Gelati

I would not put myself in the crafty bucket. When I scroll through Instagram and Pinterest and see the amazing things that women come up with, my jaw drops and I am in awe of the creativity that oozes out of some people (and yes, I specifically meant to say women; guys are creative too but they typically get all the recognition they need). Often it is so simple yet brilliant.

Let me be clear, that is not what I aspire to. However, when I have a moment of inspiration I like to jump on it. I have read that creativity is like any other muscle, the more you work it the stronger it gets. So one week my mom indulged us with a few Talenti gelati flavors. [Let me be absolutely transparent: Talenti representatives, call me – I’m your girl.] There was something about the container shape and size that made me not toss them in the recycling bin and instead I held on to the three pints knowing that I would find some magical use for them.

Pint gelati container with endless craft potential

Then a few days later when combing and braiding my daughter’s hair I thought it would be so handy if I had a few containers to keep all her hair clips, brushes, combs and products in. Et voila!

Pint gelati containers with endless craft potential

I decided to spray paint the pints different colors and then I would figure out later how to stick them together. I also had a vision that they would be staggered in height somehow to allow for a more interesting visual. That was the tricky part . Not sure I came up with the best solution but it works.

Spray painting with my daughter was fun. We had some leftover spray paint from some other art project I did a few years back when I was obsessed with Mod Podge. All we needed was a few old magazines to set the pints on.

I thought the writing on the pints was a sticker that I could peel off but I couldn’t find an edge. For that reason, the yellow one took a few coats of spray but the maroon and teal were fine with a single coat.

Then I let my daughter choose the Park Lane washi tape embellishments and she pretty much put them on herself. Pretty impressive for a 4.5 year old in my book.

Lastly was joining them together. I’ll be honest these sat on my kitchen counter for at least a week. Due to the rim with the rings, they have to be offset in height. My solution to this was to flip one upside down. In retrospect, I think this would have worked better if I had five pints instead of three. Two could have been upside down and three right side up. Once I lined them up to where I thought they looked good, I put a big rubber band around them to hold them in place and then went at it with my hot glue gun.

Three pint gelati craft for easy storing of hair stuff, desk items

I think the finished product is cute and could honestly be used for so many organizing options – desk items, bathroom items, bedside table, small toys, other craft supplies, on and on. And I’m sure someone craftier than I could improve on this exponentially. Enjoy!

The Wallpaper Takedown: 5 Tips to Save You the Trouble

For a change of pace, I thought I’d bring you a little farm project that involved the interior instead of the exterior. Like everyone else on the planet, I LOVE me some busy wallpaper. Can I get an Amen? In our last house, I actually put up wallpaper on a single wall as an accent and truly enjoyed looking at it everyday. I think I got the idea during one of my HGTV phases. I was probably transitioning out of House Hunters International (we’ve all gotta dream!) over to Income Property and I saw him redo a basement with this really awesome orange geometric print on one wall and I said “I must do this.” In case you’re interested, the product I used was Graham Brown and I would totally use them again. [Sidenote: can we talk about how much the dude from Income Property looks like Roger Federer, the tennis player? They must be related.]

The thing about wallpaper IMHO is quantity. Can you do wallpaper in every room? Umm, sure. Far be it from me to yuck your yum. But you can’t do every wall of every room. You’ve got to think about balance since in a normal day you’ll be walking from one room to the next and you need not be visually accosted every time you enter a room. And I believe I’ve said before, we live in a farmhouse from 1890 so wallpaper actually fits the vibe but… I needed to tone it down just a tad.

I’ve never removed wallpaper. Something to think about when you’re putting it up, “Will I be the one removing this?” as it may change your approach. But I watched some youtube videos, talked to a couple friends and was like, sure, I can do this. Seems easy and straightforward. Wrong, wrong and wrong. So to save you the frustration I experienced, here are the tips I wish someone had told me (that YouTube didn’t!).

1. Start with the smallest room/wall.

This is the one and only decision that went my way. You never know what challenges you’ll run into that will delay progress or what other project will surface causing this one to be back burnered.

The smallest wall I attempted first for wallpaper removal at Farm Charm

2. There is no single way to remove wall paper. I tried these three combinations with about 20% success (and 56% frustration)

A. Roll fabric softener on to the wallpaper with a paint roller, let it soak in, do another coat. Attempt to remove wallpaper.

B. Score the wall paper first, then do the fabric softener per above.

C. B + A only I substituted actual wallpaper stripping liquid + used a scraper to lift an edge of the dampened wallpaper.

None of these approaches allowed me to pull off sizeable strips of paper (picture how annoying it is to try to peel a price tag off a package and bingo, that was me). I was getting shavings and slivers, especially after scoring the wallpaper, which was pretty bewildering because so many videos and links said the scoring was a critical step. I understood the premise to be that the adhesive must be loosened in order to remove the wallpaper. But the fabric softener, wallpaper remover liquid, and scorer seemed ineffective in penetrating the adhesive. I don’t quite understand how you are supposed to penetrate a glossy-ish exterior without scoring, but then once the surface was scored it was too shredded.

3. Don’t spend a lot on any special tools or products.

I bought the Zinsser scoring tool, scraper and stripper. I’m not saying these are bad products, they just didn’t work for me. This goes back to tip #1 as well. If you start with a small room/spot you can experiment with tools you already likely have, like a paint scraper.

4. Probably the biggest predictors of success are whether the wallpaper was applied correctly to begin with and the surface to which it was applied.

If you are the one who is putting it up and taking it down, then congratulations! But that brings up a whole ‘nother set of questions as to why you are putting up and taking down wallpaper just for kicks… Two of the walls in this room appeared to be unfinished (just sheetrock drywall panels) underneath the wallpaper so I think that presented challenges with regard to how the adhesive set in.

Wallpaper Take Down project at Farm Charm — Never know what you will find under wallpaper. Look at that fun Southwest-inspired border up top!

5. Start with a steamer.

This ended up being the one and only strategy that worked. In all fairness, Cactus did tell me to try this first and I ignored him. Not being one who steams or irons my clothes, I just didn’t think those little machines were legit. Well, apparently they are and maybe you already have one or have a friend who has one. Many local hardware stores also rent equipment and I wouldn’t be surprised if they had a steamer for rent.

Bottom line, I don’t have any fail proof tips for you but when I attempt the next room (because we got four more rooms that have dazzling walls), I am going to start with the steamer.

We’re Jammin’… and I hope you like jammin’ too

We have had quite a bounty of berries for weeks now. It’s been such a delight to be able to walk outside and pick a bowlful of berries to have on the kitchen counter for some “walk by snacking” or for an after dinner treat with a little scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Luckily, our berry bramble is growing extremely well and we already have more than we can reasonably eat so I wanted to preserve some of it. The simplest option in my mind is freezing them. I know that I should lay them all out in a single layer on a sheet pan, let them freeze individually so as to not have one big clump, and then put them in a freezer bag. However, I have found that I don’t eat frozen berries all that often throughout the winter. People always suggest throwing them in muffins or smoothies which are good ideas, I just don’t happen to do it.

Instead, I wanted to try my hand at canning some of these berries into jam. I know absolutely nothing about canning and was curious how complex it might be. I started by watching some videos on youtube of course and one of my go to bloggers is Melissa K. Norris and she has a whole 4-part series on canning that is free and extremely informative. I also read about it on the National Center for Home Food Preservation site.

Then I figured I should just give it a go. This whole year, and these first few years, are all experimental in my mind. I don’t want to set much in the way of expectations because I truly don’t know what level of effort and involvement any of this requires and whether I have the time and ability to do it. For me it’s going to be a matter of finding the things I get the most enjoyment from and that also serve my family well. I’m not gonna struggle to grow something that only I like and I’m not gonna fight the Earth to grow something that just doesn’t want to grow (except an avocado tree! I am going to grow one, I just have to).

So here are the basic steps I followed for making and canning my first ever blackberry jam*.

Part 1 – The Berries

Gathered about 5 pounds of berries. I tried to get a mix of pre-ripe and ripe so that the natural pectin would be sufficient without having to add any. I don’t fully understand the pectin conversation so I’m just gonna have to play around until I figure out how to get the correct gel-like consistency.

Rinsed them in a strainer and removed any stems and leaves that were in the bunch.

Placed them in a sauce pan on medium high heat with about a cup of sugar. (Disclosure, I actually tried this about a week ago and got to this step, ran upstairs to put some clothes away while the berries were on the stove, and got distracted doing other things. I could smell the berries from upstairs and they smelled like a beautiful berry wonderland until they didn’t. All of a sudden I could smell burning and they were a darkened charred mess in the pan. Sooo, don’t do what I did.) I suggest staying close by and stirring the berries often to keep an eye on how quickly they are breaking down. It didn’t take more than 5-10 minutes, but this depends on the fruit you are using.

Mashed the berries a little so it was a uniform consistency and did the “spoon test” to check for done-ness. I am not 100% confident the gelling happened to the correct degree but I’ll see what happens when we try the first jar of jelly.

Part 2 – The Canning

Sterilized my jars. I filled up the biggest pot we have and boiled the water. I carefully placed the Ball jars inside. I read to put a cloth in the bottom so that the jars don’t knock around so I did. I do not have true water bath canner. Again, I’m a total newbie at all of this so before I start spending chunks of change on the right equipment (which I fully support), I’m being creative with the tools and equipment I have.

Removed the jars carefully and placed them on a clean towel on the counter to dry. Placing the jars in the boiling water and removing them was when I wished I had the proper jar lifters.

Filled the jars with the berry compote. To minimize spills and drips, I ladled the berries from the saucepan into a Pyrex measuring cup with a spout that would ease pouring.

Blackberry jam in my 4 cup pyrex for easy pouring

Put the lids and rings on the jars and carefully placed them back in the boiling water for 5 minutes. They had to be completely submerged in water with about ¼ of an inch covering them.

Removed them from the boiling water and tested the seal. There was no clicking and I could lift up the jar by just holding on to the lid on and it was completely fine.

Now I have four jars of blackberry jam. What will I do with it? I’m a huge fan of PB&J so that’s an obvious one but I also think this would be excellent on blintzes for a yummy weekend breakfast or a dollop on top of a bowl of plain yogurt. I’ll let you know what else I come up with.

*I’m not recommending you follow these steps exactly; definitely consult a reputable resource on canning.

Beetles and the Beans

Tale as old as time, true as it can be… Just kidding, making a very dorky play on Beauty and the Beast with my post. My green beans have been doing very well. A number of people had told me to plant green beans as they were basically fool proof. I love disclaimers like that because I can pretty much guarantee it won’t be that straightforward for me.

I had read that it was helpful to sprout the seeds in a moist towel for 2-3 days before directly sowing them in the ground. That worked really well. I just used an old wash cloth, dampened it slightly, rolled about 12 seeds up, and left it on the kitchen counter in a produce bag from the grocery store so that it stayed warm and moist. I checked it each day to make sure it was still damp and then three days later every seed had a sprout shooting out. Then I planted all the seeds outside.

I will say I did not follow the instructions on the packet regarding spacing. I think I was just so happy that all seeds had sprouted and I wanted to use every last one. I had only designated half of one of my garden beds to beans so this was about a 4×4 foot square that I planted 12 bean plants in. Learning #1: follow the instructions on plant spacing. I have learned it doesn’t do me any good to have a big jumble of plants that I won’t be able to tend. The spacing recommendations are to allow each plant to grow and thrive. Sounds obvious, but so is a STOP sign and we don’t all follow those.

Speaking of jumble, Learning #2: doing a trellis or some other support structure for bean plants (and other vining or wandering plants) is necessary. I really liked this video from Melissa Norris on building a teepee trellis and used this concept for my green beans. However, I don’t think I built my two teepees tall enough. My teepees were only about 4 feet tall so as the plants grew to the top, they just wound back down and became a big interwoven mix up. Having too many plants probably also contributed to this scenario. I think what I will try next year is to plant one plant at the base of each leg of my teepee, not more than 6-8 plants, and make the teepee at least 5 feet tall. I will also allot an entire garden bed to the beans and maybe just plant a few marigolds in the corners because….

Learning #3: Japanese beetles are no joke. For about 2-3 weeks I was going out to my bean plants every few days and picking at least a 2 pounds of green beans. I was noticing that the leaves were getting eaten but being the novice that I am, I wasn’t sure how much of that was par for the course. I know there are going to be bugs and I’m pretty sure I don’t want to use any chemicals on the fruits and veggies that I grow, so I understand there will be some food sharing. But dang! These beetles are greedy and destructive. One afternoon, I finally said wait a minute and while I was picking the beans I paid better attention to any bugs I could see. And guess who was all up in my face, not even trying to be slick about their thievery? These guys! So I quickly googled and learned these are Japanese beetles, they are quite a nuisance, and there are a couple remedies to fight back. The approach I chose was to knock them off the plants into a bucket of water, kind of like this guy from the Maine Co-op Extension. That isn’t a long-term solution so I may look into some sort of spray or insecticidal soap next year but for now it’s all learning.

That’s one of the main reasons I am trying to write as much of this stuff down. I have no gardening experience whatsoever and it will take many years for me to get the hang of this stuff. And if I try to rely on memory – FOR-GET-IT!!!