CauliKraut - Fermented Cauliflower

Howdy Homesteaders!

Busy time and I'm hardly posting anything let alone my own material. That said, being a fan of Fermenting check out the recipe below.



CauliKraut - Fermented Cauliflower

Hardening off Hot Pepper Seedlings,

 Follow this link to a informative article on hardening off and transplanting hot pepper plants. Not just great hardening off info for peppers, the information is useful for hardening off tomatoes, sweet peppers, eggplant, and any seedlings that were sown indoors.


http://www.fieryfoodscentral.com/2014/04/06/part-3-hardening-off-and-transplanting/

Video How To: Make Your Own Eel Tote - On The Water

Video How To: Make Your Own Eel Tote - On The Water: Learn how to make a low-cost and portable eel tote from a short list of easy to find components. Read more →

Propigate roses using a potato

 A simple and mundane potato is a great way to propagate roses. Potatoes contain just the right amount of nutrients and moisture for rose cuttings to develop and grow healthy roots. Note: this method also works for many other wood-stemmed plants.
Find this trick and more at-
http://www.trendingmoms.com/15-quick-and-easy-gardening-hacks/?utm_source=adblade&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=gardeningtricksd1



Photo source: amateurgardening.com

Tonights sky-Arcturus

Hey there homesteaders! Unfortunately the forecast is for an overcast sky for us New Englanders. But nonetheless tonight we can hope see the Big Dipper's handle  leading us Arcturus. Wouldn't it be great if we could catch some vibes from our intelligent friends on the Blue planet orbiting Arcturus.

So here's the deal-

Use the curve in the handle of the Big Dipper to “follow the arc” to the star Arcturus. Then “drive a spike” to the star Spica. Have fun.

 Credit goes to http://earthsky.org/tonight/follow-the-arc-to-arcturus#arc

Sign up to earthsky's email list and  receive very cool heads up notifications of the night sky.
Peace out-

Fertilizer Recipes

 Homemade Fertilizer & Tea Recipes

BANANA PEELS  –  Eating a banana helps replenish lost potassium. Roses love potassium too. Simply throw one or two peels in the hole before planting or bury peels under mulch so they can compost naturally. Get bigger and more blooms. I also use banana peels on my vegetables.

EGG SHELLS  – Wash them first, then crush. Work the shell pieces into the soil near tomatoes and peppers. The calcium helps fend off blossom end rot. Eggshells are 93% calcium carbonate, the same ingredient as lime, a tried and true soil amendment!
  
SEAWEED – Fresh seaweed does not need to be washed before use to remove salt. Asian markets sell dried seaweed. Both fresh and dried versions are considered excellent soil amendments. Seaweed contains trace elements and actually serves as a food source for soil microbes. Chop up a small bucket of seaweed and add it to 5 gallons of water.  Let it sit for 2-3 weeks loosely covered. Use it to drench the soil and foliage. 2 cups work well for a small plant, 4 cups for a medium plants and 6 cups for a large plant. Experiment with amounts. Combine seaweed with other tea fertilizers.

MOLASSES – Using molasses in compost tea supposedly increases microbes and the beneficial bacteria that microbes feed on. If you want to start out with a simple recipe for molasses fertilizer, mix 1-3 tablespoons of molasses into a gallon of water. Water your plants with this concoction and watch them grow bigger and healthier.

GRASS CLIPPINGS – Rich in nitrogen, grass breaks down over time and enhances the soil. Fill a 5 gallon bucket full of grass clippings. You can even add weeds! Weeds soak up nutrients from the soil just as much as grass. Add water to the top of the bucket and let sit for a day or two. Dilute your grass tea by mixing 1 cup of liquid grass into 10 cups of water.

MANURE – With a little effort, you’ll find folks that are giving away composted chicken, horse or cow manure for free. Composted and aged manure is best. Add the composted manure to a small permeable bag made from recycled cloth, e.g., a t-shirt or old towel. Let it steep in the shade for a few days and apply it to your soil to condition it before planting. Bury or discard the used bag. Some people use manure tea to soak bare root roses! 

- above courtesy of homegrownfun.com

EPSOM SALTS

Why: Epsom salts consist of magnesium — critical for seed germination and chlorophyll production — and sulfur — key for protein production and plant growth. A dose of an Epsom salts solution increases fruit and flower production in roses, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and houseplants.

How: Combine 1 tablespoon of Epsom salts to 1 gallon of water. Spray foliage with the solution for best results.

When: Every other week

WOOD ASH

Why: Wood ash not only adds calcium (good for root growth) and potassium (promotes seed and fruit formation) to soil, but it also raises the pH of highly acidic soil, making it friendlier to neutral pH-loving plants, such as most vegetables. (Don’t use it in blueberry gardens, which like acidic soil.)

How: Apply wood ash straight from the fireplace to your garden: Dig in 5 lbs./100 sq. ft. 

Sap season over, seedlings take center stage.

The maple syrup producing season is all but over for 2016 in Connecticut. What a season it was. For some fighting their homeostasis setting saying it was too early to tap in January while others were eagerly awaiting and got in on some early sap runs. Personally I was somewhere in between.

Bailing out before the season ended, I was able to finish with roughly 3 gallons of syrup, which for 14 taps I certainly cannot complain.

With the record breaking temperatures in mid March the gears have swiftly shifted into the 2016 gardening season. I've been cleaning up in the greenhouse making some room on the benches and readying the garden bed for an early sowing of broccoli rabe and swiss chard. My largest seed order for the season has been placed with one of my trusted resources- Harris Seeds out of New York. Always dependable seed stock. Not to "dis" my other sources for this season which include Buckeye Pepper and Burpee. These three one out for this season.

Each season I tend to get super excited whether it's continueing the super hot pepper craze, small gourmet tomatoes for drying, or last year when I got into lacto fermenting cucumbers.

Fermenting Cucumbers for "Half Sours"

With a plethora of picklers, the 1/2 gallon mason jars all filled up with layers of cukes separated by fresh grape leaves and pickling spices. Pretty easy and quite delicious though I have to admit defeat falling short of the perfect pickle.  I'm getting closer.

With my head fogged with the quest for perfecting my skills at growing the hottest incendiary peppers on the planet

2015 mix of some of the world's hottest

Carolina Reapers- currently the world's hottest chile, 

I almost lost sight for my love of the more versatile sweet pepper. Which is what brought me back to Harris, They developed IMO the most dependable green to red bell pepper variety- Lady Bell. She's back in the lineup! My apologies Lady Bell. Also cubanelle and a couple poblano types from other sources.