Deputy Dave pulling plants from Livingston acreage. You can see the wild Blackberry thorn vines growing everywhere. |
My niece having a great time finding her "treasures" which are red tomatoes hidden here and there in the garden. |
Here is a basketful of our first harvest this season. |
I believe this is last season's harvest, but we grow the same things each year. Right now, we do not have any lettuce. |
Part of our herb garden...Rosemary and Sweet Basil. |
From this past week, one of my bell pepper plants. Bell peppers definitely have to be a big part of our garden --- I just like the flavor they add when cooking. |
It goes like this...I buy a bundle of celery and put it in the veggie-bin at the bottom of my refrigerator. A week goes by and I am focused on a busy life that is full of distractions. I started out with great cooking intentions for the celery; I had wanted to remember that the celery is lying in the bottom drawer of the fridge as it becomes less rigid because there is a loss of moisture, but life got in the way. The crisper bin goes into the recesses of my mind as I am going to family functions, doctor appointments, and as I am immersed in a world full of business paperwork for one reason or another, leaving me exhausted. So, the celery is more assured that it will sit unnoticed as it withers in the fridge's dungeon.
My jalapeno plant. We are DEFINITELY planting many more of these next season. I have developed a growing fondness for jalapenos. |
If you add a tad bit of water, then you could be assured that the turgor pressure in the cells of the veggies remains hydrated, which results in firm, CRISPY veggies! Plus, the glass jars are an excellent barrier from any smells that may be absorbed through plastics. Instead of spending money on Ziploc baggies and contributing to plastic trash, the glass jar can simply be washed out and remain ready for the next batch of veggies. Do, I sound all ecologically focused? I mention reducing plastic and I feel as if I don't really have that Dodge Ram pickup truck in the driveway that guzzles gas, but I do. Anyway, I actually do despise having to pay money for the Ziploc baggies that constantly disappear much too quickly.
I was amazed by this simple. yet profound solution for my veggies. Everything that had once been hidden away in the crisper and that had been a pain to drag out for reviving and prepping for a meal is now displayed on a shelf in a glass jar...ready for easy use. Why had I never thought of this? Isn't it easy to see that jar of pickles or olives in the clear jar on the shelf in the fridge? Actually, I could use my old pickle jars or old glass mayonnaise jars after they are disinfected to store my veggies.
Photo from http://www.thekitchn.com/ which is an incredible site full of interesting ideas for storage, recipes, and interesting tidbits for the kitchen. I forgot how much I love the utilitarian use and good looks of glass storage --- no more dull, dingy plastic with scratches! |
4 comments:
hi lana, awesome post! i do the same with my veggies. life on our farm is busy too. ilove the idea that you shared. i too despise wasting plastic but guilty in having a deisel truck. we don't have to be perfect in all areas as long as we try to do little things...i recycle a lot so that helps. thanks so much for joining my blog and i will put you on my faves! :)
Yummy!
I am jealous of your garden. ;-)
My hubby won't eat leaf lettuce. Only iceberg. :-/
I have known about potatoes for a long time. I noticed when they changed, but didn't know why. A show on the History Channel explained it all. McDonalds. They require a certain type of potato, and since they are a (the?) mass consumer, the Idaho/baking potato that we all know was changed to what McDonalds needed.
And even though I thought my potatoes were a failure, the fact that I got any at all makes me want to grow more. :-)
I'm not sure why, but I have almost always trimmed my celery and stuck it in a glass of water in the fridge...
I have basil growing, too, but I am clueless about herbs (my hubby being a salt and pepper type of guy - that being pretty much only salt). I tried growing it because 1) it's supposed to make tomatoes taste better, and 2) it's supposed to have some sort of bug deterrent properties. Not that I remember what they are, haha!
Congratulations, though. Your garden looks amazing!
Kritter Keeper - I remind myself that we actually DO need our trucks. We have things to haul and those trucks are just another necessary piece of machinery needed for this kind of life! Gotta love our trucks. I'm looking forward to more visits with you!
WhisperingWriter --- yep, no foods compare to home-grown goodness straight from the garden.
Linda --- my family eats all kinds of lettuce, but I do prefer iceberg so often just because I like the crunch-factor!Your potato info is very interesting. Isn't it sad that a fast-food chain has so much control? As for us growing potatoes, we are certainly not growing enough to sustain us, but I'd like to, one day. We also have done the thing with sticking the celery in a jar, but this lady had a picture posted that showed mason jars with the chopped up veggies and it just looked so organized, clean and readily available...I just have to find some larger than normal mason jars. Sweet Basil is an herb that my household can't live without. One day, I'll try to make a post of all the tihngs we do with Basil, it is an herb that compliments anything with tomatoes so wonderfully. As for the bug property, if you cut a branch of basil off and hang it around, it is a fly deterrent. Flies can't stand the smell of basil. Deputy Dave and I will usually hang it around the backdoor on the days we are BBQing, etc.
My Husband deserves the credit for the garden...he has a green thumb AND four green fingers. :-)
Post a Comment