Comments on: Sweet Garden Success

By: The Sweet and Sour of Pickling | Food & Think

The Sweet and Sour of Pickling | Food & Think — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 14:36:34 +0000

[...] than can be eaten—or even given away—before they go bad. My first garden, which has gone surprisingly well, is no exception. To avoid waste you have to preserve the bounty somehow. My boss, who grew up [...]

By: Julie

Julie — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 13:13:18 +0000

It sounds like your first garden is a huge success! Congratulations.

By: susie

susie — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 23:29:55 +0000

My garden is overflowing with an abundance of peppers. So last weekend I pickled peppers…so I can then make salsa. This weekend, roasted tomatoes in olive oil and dilly beans…I love farming (my 20 little plants!)

By: Michele

Michele — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 22:51:32 +0000

Congrats on the successful garden! You will find that preserving all this goodness by canning and pickling is actually very easy! I learned two years ago, and now I have a whole pantry of tomato sauces, salsas, beets, sweet and dill pickles, sweet and white potatoes, corn, green beans, fruits (I didn’t grow these, I bought these at the produce market), jams, jellies, and after visiting a friend who lives on the Washington coast, TUNA!
Once you see how easy it is to can food, and taste the difference between home canned and store-bought, you will be encouraged to do even more! I like to hit the weekly sales and buy enough to can up a small amount of whatever is ripe that week (did 4 tiny jars of pineapple ice cream topping last week, enough to last me about a year)!
I picked up a book that catered to small batch canning so I didn’t have to have bushels of product, and didn’t end up with 100′s of jars of one thing. I live alone and last years garden is still feeding me! It’s a good thing, too, because the weather here just wasn’t conducive to gardening this year.

By: Tommy Smith

Tommy Smith — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 20:29:31 +0000

Congratulations on you gardening success this year. Eating fresh fruits and/or vegetables that you have grown yourself is very exciting. I also love your efficient use of space. Keep up the good work.

By: Sunshien

Sunshien — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 19:56:43 +0000

thanx for your article. i was inspired to share my own gardening venture with you.

this is my first vegetable garden since my childhood days. a neighbor donated seeds and i went to work on the rest. my passion for gardening has been rekindled through daily weeding, watering, and care. feeding the community with daily harvested greens is wonderful, has connected me to the community in a whole new way, and revived my spirit. (must say my elbow isn’t bearing so well since turning the soil manually with a pitchfork. ouch.)

2 1/5 moons later (i use the new moon as my planting guide) I have an abundance of kale, a bit of swiss chard, way to few peas (i, too, will plant more next time), and the beginnings of mighty corn stocks.

Next season i will attempt more lettuces as i needed to purchase some romaine the other day to enhance our salad. I have found gardening to be an enjoyable pastime as well as wonderful daily exercise. thanx for sharing your story.

By: Lisa Spivak

Lisa Spivak — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 19:35:59 +0000

I have been planting what I call my “kitchen garden” for 4 yrs now. I usually have a dozen tomato plants, many squash/zucchini plants, and as of last year, eggplant. This year, I scaled back on the tomatoes (3 purchased and one “accidental”),4 zucchinis, 2 eggplant and have also planted a 5 variety mix of lettuces, radishes, and carrots. I have 1 dill, 1 parsley, 2 basil, 1 cilantro, and an abundance of oregano (it has become invasive, so I pulled most of it), sage, thyme, and chives. I am anxiously awaiting the carrots, lettuces, and radishes (which need to be thinned)as well as the rest (got a late start due to the odd weather we had this spring.) That is what I have…

By: Kathy

Kathy — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 18:04:54 +0000

I don’t see one weed in your picture. That is impressive!