The days are finally getting warmer! It’s still too wet to plant and we’re not out of woods for frost, but when we saw this today we knew planting season will be coming soon….
Until then, we’ll enjoy this wonderful weather and keep planning. See you soon!!
What we can’t harvest from our own garden, we order from Mountain Valley Seeds. They provide a great product, fast shipping and NO GMOs. We specifically choose non-GMO options to provide our customers with the healthiest options for locally grown produce.
To me, it’s simply a miracle to watch these tiny seeds grow into plants that feed so many. We’re so thankful to our customers who give us the opportunity to feed their families.
Google apple cider vinegar and you’ll discover a myriad of uses. It can be used as a non-toxic cleaning solution, hair conditioner (my personal favorite), fabric softener, cooking ingredient… I could go on and on. ACV is my “go to” liquid. I use it for everything.
Last summer, I read an article (or twelve) on how to make your own apple cider vinegar. I didn’t believe it could be as easy and simple as the Internet was telling me.
But it IS!! It really is!
I buy a lot of apples. Sometimes they get eaten quickly, sometimes not. When they get a little mushy, they get made into ACV. You can also use the peels and cores.
HOW TO MAKE APPLE CIDER VINEGAR:
You will need:
Directions:
1. Dice organic apples. (You can also use leftover peels and cores).)
2. Place in glass jar. Fill 3/4 full.
3. Mix 2T. sugar with 2 C. water.
4. Pour water into jar, covering apples.
5. Cover with cheesecloth or coffee filter. (I use a coffee filter and the jar ring)
6. Store in a warm, dark place for 4 weeks. (I write the date on the coffee filter)
7. Strain out apple pieces.
8. Return liquid to jar and cover with same cover.
9. Put the jar back into the dark place and store for 4-6 weeks, stirring occasionally.
At the end of this time, your apple cider vinegar will be ready to use.
I made a total of three batches in quart jars, which yielded 1.5 quarts of ACV.
I can’t wait to use it, but I’ve saved a portion to be made into rose vinegar this summer when the rose bushes bloom. (Also easy, but that’s another post.)
Until next time…
Happy New Year! So far this winter, we’ve built a shelter for the cow and goat, installed a new watering system for the chickens and ducks, and dramatically increased the land area for the chickens (They’re allowed to free-range, but we have many predators, so their area is predator-proofed for their protection).
Our “To Do” list still includes to build a greenhouse, but it’s now time to open the 2016 season. We’re scouring our seed catalogs and planning the garden layout. This is the time to let you know if there’s anything you’d like for us to grow so we can include it.
To reserve your share of this year’s garden, please visit our “CSA – How to Join” tab.
We look forward to meeting you 🙂
The Fall crops have finally matured enough to be harvested. We’re loving this awesome weather after such a terrible summer. Each afternoon we take a walk to the back of the property where the fall crops were planted. The trees surround us with a rainbow of colors. Fall is my favorite time of year. Cool days, cooler nights, campfires, and sweatshirts are the best!
There’s no place like home 🙂
We’ve had a great crop of jalapeños this year. So, I thought I’d attempt jalapeño jelly for the first time. It was no more difficult than any other jelly, but since my skin is pretty sensitive to jalapeños and I had to stir it for 10 minutes while it boiled, my hands are burning.
I’ve never tried it, but I’ve heard it’s good served over a warm block of cream cheese. We’ll see…
When we have extra cayenne peppers we dry them and process them into red pepper flakes.
A quart of pepper flakes will last us a LONG time.
When the produce doesn’t look very pretty, it becomes vegetable soup. This soup contains yellow squash, fresh tomatoes, patty pan squash, eggplant, corn, a poblano pepper, sweet banana peppers, basil, potato, onion, okra, peas and carrots.
Instead of throwing out the not-so-perfect produce, we make soup.
Delicious!
We moved these guys to their new pen today. All the fresh grass and weeds they could want (until they clear this section and we move them over to clear the next one).
It required the efforts of 4 people, an SUV, a trailer, and a LOT of animal crackers. But, the moment the were lead in they started munching away! They seem to love their new place
Although the weather has been terrible this year, we’re planting to end the year with a bang! Spinach, kale, chard, peas, squash, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, zucchini, broccoli, beets, acorn squash, spaghetti squash, butternut squash and cabbage are all in the ground.
Peas and spinach
Chard is coming up nicely.
The kale looks beautiful!
Yellow squash should arrive on the new plants soon
222 freshly planted and watered broccoli and cabbage plants.
Welcome to Homegrown Bites by Jake's Run! 