2016 Pickles!

Our 2016 cucumbers are going into the garden! I couldn't ask for a better helper.

Cucumbers getting closer

Take a look at these little beauties.

Kale is king!

Tying tomatoes

A helpful hint:
When tying your tomatoes use a soft fabric so it will move with the plant as it grows and won't damage the stem.

Peach update

Peaches in the orchard coming along nicely!

Young Raspberries

We'll be picking them soon!

Transplants

Transplants

Look at these little beauties we're transplanted into their starter pots. Them and many more will be going into the garden this weekend.

Yippee peach blossoms!

Look at these beauties I captured in the orchard they are going to bear beautiful peaches.

Let's Plant

This expanded garden is ready for cucumbers! We're growing more future pickles than ever before. We're loving this weather with the small seeds like kales, radishes and peas already peeking out.

Yippee Peaches http://plantitpickitpreserveit.blogspot.com/2013/08/yippee-peaches.html

Onion Flowers

I came across this little beauty this morning. These onion flowers have many uses and are a edible flower.
Once your onion is mature pull up the onion and place the stem and flower in a vase and use daily. Cut up the stems in salads ; or one of my favorites a green onion sandwich. The flower makes a fun edible garnish on any plate. The onion eat it from head to tail!
For more natural goodness from the earth www.buymothersonline. com

It's Pickle time!

Mother's 2014 pickles are here!
www.buymothersonline.com

Yes it's true we're back and enjoying a spring of wild and crazy weather. Our garden is complete with seeds and transplants from the green house spinach, kale, lettuce and chard well on it's way. The apple and peach trees beautiful blossoms showing off their young fruit. Raspberries and blueberries are blossomed and well on their way; yes it's true we are so excited looking forward to and loving this time of year.
For more natural goodness from the earth...www.buymothersonline.com

Helpful Hint

With a heavy frost predicted for tonight we pick our plentiful pepper plants for the last time and pulled up the beautiful plants that actually resemble a bush. As we begin to close in on year end with the garden (yes I still have Kale going strong) I wanted to share a great tip with you that works year after year for us and continually produces beautiful pepper and tomato plants.

Do you have problems with cut worms? If you do the solution is very simple. Go to your local hardware store and get some six inch flat head nails. Check out the photo below; once your plant is about six inches tall insert a nail into its root base. As you can see from the photo by doing this it allows the root base to grow naturally  and interrupts any cut worms wishing to wrap onto your young plants root base.
For more natural goodness from the earth; www.buymothersonline.com

Eat Kale in February!

Kale! this is and always has been a passion of mine. We start by enjoying it as a baby in our salads and mixed greens and then as it grows we use it when and where ever we can: shredded in a salad with some late white radishes and a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of toasted sesame seeds. A couple of family favorites are either roasted kale chips or lightly dressed with olive oil, tossed with juicy ripe tomatoes, local feta cheese and briefly popped in the oven.
Now it's late summer & early fall and your getting sick of Kale...What? yeah like that's possible ok, we all know that Kale is quite resilient so be sure to leave it in the garden and enjoy it until that first snow or super heavy frost. The time has come to preserve that Kale and enjoy it in February; it's time to freeze some Kale!
It's so quick and easy and the appreciation of your efforts is tremendous when your eating the Kale and the freshness of your garden in the middle of winter.
Just put a big pot of water on the stove top and while that's getting to boil devein and wash your Kale. Simply and quickly blanche the Kale in the boiling water then cool it down with cold water, drain it and give it a gentle squeeze before you place it into a freezer bag. One little tip to remember: try and get as much air out of the bag as you can to prevent ice crystals from burning your Kale.
Winter is on it's way and you'll be making warm wonderful dishes with your Kale in the middle of it!

Following are images from my Kale freezing session the other day. For more goodness from the earth...www.buymothersonline.com

 

Juice it!

Here we are already; labor day wow! It seems that we were just caring for the newly sprouted plants and fruit blossoms. We've been canning fruit for our jams and jellies, pickling cucumbers and green beans, canning tomatoes and peaches, and harvesting and freezing peppers, kale and pork.
Now we're in the middle of one of my favorite times of the year juicing! I really encourage you to purchase a decent juicer and put away this wonderment to drink up later in the year. Although I still haven't built an inventory of peach juice because my children Jackson & Gracie are drinking as fast as I preserve it.
Most orchards are offering peach "seconds" that you can pick up in bulk and juice. Fresh tomatoes juiced and combined with black pepper, salt, and a pinch of sugar or a drizzle of honey will taste like no juice that you can buy. Peach juice is just that peaches juiced and strained a bit depending on how much pulp you like; I do recommend a squirt of lemon juice to preserve color.
Back to the tomato juice; I like to add one or more of the following: kale, horseradish, hot peppers, carrot, and even beet.
Below are a couple of samples of our peach and tomato juice. Start practicing because apples and pears are soon to come...can't wait! neither can Jackson & Gracie!
                          For more goodness from the earth www.buymothersonline.com

Sampling at Atkins!

Check out @getmothers's Tweet: https://twitter.com/getmothers/status/371282073929383936

Yippee Peaches

Look at these lovely peaches from our lovely trees. We'll soon be canning, pickling,  and freezing these beauty's (with what ever we don't eat!

www.buymothersonline.com

Check out Ecoganic

We are not certified organic but we are ecoganic check the difference...
http://blackbrookfarmgrowers.blogspot.com/2011/08/hasso-explains-eco-ganic-vs-organic-and.html?m=1