Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Peter Fuhrman on July 14, 2009 at 6:09pm

I have also been organically growing my own veggies.
This year I am tending in my garden [from a unique variety of open pollinated seeds,]

Amaranthus: It is about three feet tall right now and will get to ten feet.

Beans: four bush varieties [Orca, Appaloosa, Black Coco, Jacobs' Cattle bean.]

Corn: Bloody Butcher

Tomatoes: five varieties [Oxheart, Omar Lebanese, Sausage, Martian Giant, small pear tomatoe]

Onions

Garlics

Speckled Lettuce

Potatoes

Peas: Oregon Trail [prolific yeilds]

Winter Squash: Sweet Keeper

I have a few from last year for seed purposes still out there as well.
Carrots and onions.
Also had a few volunteer tomatoes this year.
*******
Lots and lots of Rasp berries and a few Straw berries.

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Permalink Reply by I811st on July 26, 2009 at 12:58am

Just wanted to share what i've got goin'. I live in so.cal suburbia and have kept my tomatoes producing year round. my front yard is south facing, so thats where the plants gotta be . my neighbors think we're wierd for planting them out front where they could get poached. but these days most folks are such mind slaves that I dont believe they appreciate a fresh , vine ripened,organic tomato. good for them. varieties are beefsteaks,bush early girls , bush big-boys, cherries, and just got a siberian black tomato plant to try out. oddly, the beefsteaks are heirloom strains and those plants are going nuts.this summer,i'm also growing broccoli for sprouts, cilantro,japanese cuccumber,chinese bitter melon, habanero, and jalapeno. Additionaly i have a 3' tall dwarf peach tree that has about a bushel of fruit on it.other fruit trees Ive got are a loquat tree,and two japanese ,loose-skinned tangarine trees.and of course ,one kushy cannabis sativa in the back yard...mmmm.

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Permalink Reply by diggin'upthedesert! on July 30, 2009 at 12:22am

Heirloom seeds are the most vitally important ones to grow now. GMO/GE/hybrid seeds will not grow again and if you save your seed you could be sued by Monsanto. Only Heirloom seeds are the ones to buy, save, store and regrow not only for food but continuation of seed to pass down to future generations....and to have food to eat for our families when everything shuts down. I live in the High Desert area of So. Cal and we can have a year 'round garden by growing the appropriate foods at the right time. cool season planted in mid-August through mid_ October/warm season crops planted from April through July. Frost dates and plant hardiness zones are the ones to watch closely.
"Seeds of Deception" by F. William Enghdahl is a real eyeopener to what America has done to the rest of the world and to ourselves.
http://www.seedsofdeception.com/Public/AboutGeneticallyModifiedFood...
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/10/oregons_organic_fa...

Right now I've got cantaloupe. butternut squash, tomatoes, onions corn, sunflower seeds growing. Just planted for fall/winter harvest beets, swioiss chard, garlic and lettuces!!! Asparagus is delicious and turning to fern for next years harvest!

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Permalink Reply by Penn on March 22, 2010 at 10:57pm

Thanks for adding the links. A real eye opener for US.

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Permalink Reply by Penn on March 22, 2010 at 11:02pm

I have bought Heirloom seeds for this year and am trying to learn more about saving seeds for future use. Why would we want anything else? Appreciate the input. :o)

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Permalink Reply by Inheritor From ConCen on July 30, 2009 at 10:30am

Fantastic you guys. Keep up the good work.

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Permalink Reply by diggin'upthedesert! on July 30, 2009 at 4:26pm

One thing to learn how to do is can up or freeze excess food. Canning is easy once you get the "hang" of it and you can have your fruit and veggies in the cold of winter 5 years from now!!

Dehydration is also a good way to preserve excess food.

I share some with family but also can up fruit and meat. I buy organically grown chicken with no growth hormones or antibiotics, can it up along with the broth and will put it together with some brown rice for a delicious meal next year when the taxes really skyrocket and our country's finances get farther out of control.

I don't want to have to make that decision....buy food or pay taxes so our very undeserving "Uncle IRS" stays off my back!

Also freezing tomatoes, herbs, some zucchini and chopped onions in plastic freezer back, stacked on cookie sheets and stored in the freezer until they are hard, then remove the cookie sheet and stack up. Later, haved hardy chili or hot soup when there's 30" of snow on the ground!

Excess zucchini??? Shredding then freezing zucchini makes delicious zucchini nut bread as gifts for the holidays and good eatin' with morning coffee.

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Permalink Reply by diggin'upthedesert! on July 30, 2009 at 4:59pm

In addition, when canning and the canner is not full - it cans up 7 quarts of whatever - I always be sure it is full by adding quarts of water to be canned. This provides sterile water in case it is needed at some time. I always can with a full canner whether all food or food and water!

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Permalink Reply by diggin'upthedesert! on August 3, 2009 at 11:59pm

I know you asked someone else but there didn't seem to be an answer so here goes and hope this helps-

Here are a few web sites that offer great "sunflower" advice. I've got 2 giants growing by the front door. They are now wrapped with cheesecloth (you can also use paper bags) to keep the birds away because I want the seeds. I am willing to share but the voracious little feathered friends do not know that "sharing" concept!! And I've planted plenty of "bird food" for them elsewhere in my garden.

The 2 flowers are almost ready to cut off the plant to finish drying. Sunflower seeds are extremely nutritious. And the plant itself is valuable for many uses as shown here -
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/s/sunfl100.html

http://www.gardenguides.com/how-to/tipstechniques/fruitnuts/sunflow...

http://www.essortment.com/all/growingsunflowe_rsos.htm

HARVEST

You can begin to harvest sunflower seeds as soon as the center flowers turn brown or the backs of the heads turn yellow, to prevent birds from stealing them. Cut them, leaving a piece of stem to hang them in a well ventilated place to finish drying. Cover them with netting, paper sacks with holes or cheesecloth to catch falling seeds as they dry.

They can be allowed to dry on the stalk, but you'll have to cover them this way to keep the birds from eating them all before you can harvest them for yourself!

If you've grown sunflowers for the purpose of feeding birds, you can either leave them in the ground, or harvest the heads as above, then hang them in the yard or garden when they are ready. This method has an advantage in that you can dole out the heads over the winter, instead of seeing the seed all eaten within a few weeks.

Harvest them for other animals (hamsters, rats and so forth) using the same method.

ROASTING

When the seeds can be rubbed easily from the head, it's dry and the seeds are ready to be roasted for eating. First, remove them from the heads and pick out any pieces of stem or other debris.

Mix a quarter of a cup or so of plain salt to a quart of water, and soak the seeds in this overnight. Spread them on cookie sheets and roast in a very slow oven (150 to 200 degrees) until completely dry. Stir them once or twice during the drying time; this will take three or four hours. If you intend to store them for any length of time, put them in jars while still warm and close tightly. They keep very well in a cool dark place.

Variations call for mixing a teaspoon of melted butter with a cup of seeds while they are still warm from the oven, (these are for immediate eating) or roasting them until they are browned instead of just dry.


SUNFLOWER SEED BUTTER

'Nut' butter, the butter made from various nuts and seeds, is a perfect spread for crackers or toast, or dip for vegetables. Start with raw seeds, and shell them by putting them in a cloth bag or wrapping them in a cotton cloth, then pound (gently!) with the flat side of a hammer, or something similar. Don't smash them, just crush them. When they're mostly crushed, pour them into cold water and stir a time or two to let the loosened hulls rise to the top. Skim these off, and stir again, as many times as it takes.

When nothing but sunflower kernels are left, (you may have to pick through them) pour off the water, and spread to dry.

There are various methods of grinding or crushing the seeds, but the easiest is to put them in a food processor and let it do the work. Alternatively, you can use a blender. More labor intensive, but perhaps more appealing, is to use a clean glass jar or bottle and crush the seeds against the bottom of a bowl. It takes more time, but connoisseurs claim that the butter tastes better when it's hand made.

If the butter seems dry and clumpy, add a little oil, about a quarter teaspoon, at a time, until you get the right consistency. Keep mixing until the butter is as smooth as you want it. You can add salt or not, but salt will help it keep better. Whether you do or not, store it in the refrigerator."








Patriot Horse said:

Inheritor, how do you use the seeds on the sunflower? What are the steps. It's foreign to me as grew up in the tropics, and want to use our sunflower plant after it matures.
Also, have you had any luck growing tomatoes in your hothouse durring the winter?
Any help I can get would be helpful.
Also, I have a variety of spout seeds for food. Easy, especially durring winter if you need nutrition without access to fresh veg.

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Permalink Reply by diggin'upthedesert! on August 4, 2009 at 10:58pm

Laura you can grow good things in pots even if you have a sunny porch, balcony or a sunny window.

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Permalink Reply by Inheritor From ConCen on August 5, 2009 at 12:57pm

Sorry folks, there are only so many hours in the day!

Fine suggestions diggin. My sunflowers are going to be ready soon.

Having a battle with a white mold that has suddenly covered my full row of squash plants!
As of this morning, I think i'm winning! : )

I have never canned before. I have to get that under my belt though soon! We do have a dehydrator though. Used it a lot last year and totally recommend it for any of you who don't already do it. It's very easy and fun to experiment with. Watermelon dehydrated is almost like cotton candy. Stores great also if done properly.

here's some recent pictures, and talk to you all soon.

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Permalink Reply by diggin'upthedesert! on August 6, 2009 at 11:24pm

Great looking broccoli, cukes, squash!!!

For those of us with fruit trees - as we are finishing our harvesting of the fruit, and the fruit is all off the trees, we want to be certain to water our trees deeply, yet infrequently, about once a week, to receive a good crop next year and to prevent "twinning" or fruit that grows together as 2 in 1. Watering deeply now for next year is important. Also, the shallow feeder roots that grow outward under the canopy of the tree is where the water and fertilizer needs to go so the trees roots can uptake the water and fertilizer, not at the base of the trunk.

When all the leaves are off the trees - here it's late December, January, then its time to prune them carefully. One excellent, inexpensive pruning book is "How To Prune Fruit Trees" by R. Sanford Martin. It's about $7.00. It includes deciduous, citrus, subtropical fruiting plants and berries and grapes. Also includes properly training and planting trees. This book has been in publication since 1944 and in its 20th edition in 2001.

The best time to plant trees is in the Fall so they have time to get established before next summer.

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