Gardens: Growing and Preservation.

[Durgan]

Anybody can grow vegetables to some degree. Fresh vegetables are wonderful, but in my climate I only have access for about four months. Preservation for the off season months is the other half of gardening.

Growth is usually excessive, since most produce matures at the same time or in a very small window. Most of the postings are of lush growth and what is done with the excess is left to the imagination.

What is my thrust? True gardening is Growing and Preserving.

My home garden produces almost all vegetables preserved for all year around. I also buy from local growers some
produce that I don't grow. Not only that I preserve in such a manner that it is palatable and desirable to ingest.

Slurry/Juice pressure canned, some cold room storage, a bit frozen, a bit of dehydrating, a bit of fermenting. What I preserve can almost be lived on. And it is not particlarly hard labout or tedious.

 

[posiepurrs]

If I can defeat Percy, the ground hog, I am hoping top have plenty to preserve this year.

 

[Durgan]

If I can defeat Percy, the ground hog, I am hoping top have plenty to preserve this year.

Describe you method and quantity.

 

[posiepurrs]

Method of preservation or defeating Percy? I will be dehydrating, pressure canning and freezing the produce. As for Percy, I am not sure - I am working on it.

 

[Durgan]

23 August 2017 Canning to Date (Pressure Canning)
Posted on August 23, 2017 by Durgan
http://durgan.org/2017/August%202017/23%20August%202017%20Canning%20to%20Date/HTML/lentils%20006.htm 23 August 2017 Canning to Date
My stock of Pressure Canned produce totals 192 liters to date. The material is in liter jars in boxes containing 12 jars.
Produce consists ofeaches,Tomato,Vegetables,Corn,Blueberry,Green Bean,Gooseberry,Green Pea,Black Currant.
Still to accumulate is Concord grapes, Pears, Apples, Elderberry, Cranberry, Sweet potatos.

 

[Durgan]

13 August 2019 Tomato Juice
Posted on August 13, 2019 by Durgan
http://durgan.org/2019/August 2019/13 August 2019 Tomato Juice/HTML/ 13 August 2019 Tomato Juice
Tomatoes were picked from the garden from 24 plants of various types. Each tomato was perfect. A total of 13 liters of juice was obtained and pressure canned at 15 PSI for 15 minutes for long term storage at room temperature.
Process was: Wash and cut into quarters, cook about 20 minutes until soft and make into a slurry with a hand blender. Strain the juice through a 2mm mesh hand processor or similar. Put the residue through a Champion Juicer to extract all nutrients. The juice is then placed in liter jars and pressure canned at 15 PSI for 15 Minutes. My canner takes 7 jars so two batches were necessary.

 

[Durgan]

21 September 2018 Vegetable Juice
Posted on September 21, 2018 by Durgan
http://durgan.org/2018/Septmber 2018/21 September 2018 Vegetable Juice/HTML/ 21 September 2018 Vegetable Juice (Tomato, Celeriac and Eggplant)
The garden is coming to the end of the growing season. Juice was made today from tomato, eggplant and celeriac. This is my first experience with celeriac.Two small chili peppers were added and the effect is apparent.
Annotated pictures depict the process.

 

[Durgan]

13 August 2018 Vegetable Juice
Posted on August 13, 2018 by Durgan
http://durgan.org/2018/August 2018/13 August 2018 Vegetable Juice/HTML/ 13 August 2018 Vegetable Juice
Tomatoes,beet roots, beet tops, kale were processed into Pressure canned juice at 15 PSI for 15 minutes for long term storage at room temperature. Thirteen liters of juice was obtained. Annotated pictures depict the process.

 

[Durgan]

20 September 2019 Concord Grape Juice
Posted on September 20, 2019 by Durgan
http://durgan.org/2019/September 2019/20 September 2019 Concord Grape Juice/HTML/ 20 September 2019 Concord Grape Juice
Twenty pounds of one vine concord grapes was made into 11 liters of pressure canned juice. The brix of the grapes was 16. Processing procedure was wash, remove grapes from substrate by swiping across a mesh,place in cooking pot, make into a slurry, strain 2mm mesh to remove seeds, pressure can at 15 psi for 15 minutes for long term storage.

 

[Durgan]

14 July 2019 Removing Cherry Pits (New Method)
Posted on July 14, 2019 by Durgan
http://durgan.org/2019/July 2019/14 July 2019 Removing Cherry Pits/HTML/ 14 July 2019 Removing Cherry Pits (New Method)
My one cherry tree produced about 20 pounds of cherries, which was processed into pressure canned juice in two batches. The first batch pits were removed using a one time tool, which was found to be tedious. Experimenting a better way had to be found. It is presented here.Production was 7 liter jars or about 2 pounds of cherries per liter of juice.
The pitting method: Clean the cherries. Place in a large pot I had about ten pounds. Cover with water. Boil gently for about ten minutes. This softens the cherries.Drain the water and set aside. Dump the Cherries on a screen mesh about 1/4 mesh and massage by hand or a tool. The musk will pass through the screen and the pits will separate and stay on the screen.Mix the musk with the saved water and process into juice using the typical method. For juice making this is ideal.

 

[vette-kid]

@Durgan , I'm always impressed by your gardening and preserving topics. If love to grow that much of my own produce and preserve it for year round use. Time is one factor. My wife and I both work, have three young kids and too many hobbies. Climate is another factor. It's hot and humid here almost year round, root cellars aren't t really an option (basements in general don't exist here) and space indoors isn't feasible in our home (not in quantities required anyway).

Excuses aside, it's my dream to do more. I currently do some water bath canning for pickles, jalapenos and the like. Will freeze some peppers as well. I have onions growing this year and looks like I'll get some good ones (maybe a dozen, nothing on your scale), so I'd love to do some onion relish. I'd also like to do salsa with the tomatoes, peppers and onions. If I can can a few jars of salsa that would make me happy for this year.

In a few years (less than three to go!) I plan to be semi retired and up my garden game a bit! Thanks for all the great tips and info on preserving the harvest!

 

[Durgan]

I started from scratch more or less. There was or is very little real useful information on the Internet. Much is babble without substance. Now I consider myself a home preserving expert. Ego almost as large as Trump's. Depending upon size there is often machinery to reduce y labour somewhat and often not too expensive..

I consider soil to be paramount for a starter. I have clay and trucked in city compost over ten years or so to modify and have a great deal of success now. Also I learned by experimentation how much of any plant to grow to meet my preservation requirements.

 

[karstopography]

What is the garden size? I’m curious about how much area, the total footprint, it takes to get enough produce to last most of the year.

 

[skinyea]

random question regarding juicing. can you add seasonings to it? like old bay and maybe horseradish? if so you could have your own homemade bloody mary mix year round.

 

[Durgan]

What is the garden size? I’m curious about how much area, the total footprint, it takes to get enough produce to last most of the year.

rs, h
I estimate 2000 square feet. Good soil. Carrots, beets, kale, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, potatoes,cucumbers,green beans,basil,onion.cabbage,cauliflower, Brussels spouts,broccoli, lettuce. I slurry/juice most for long term storage. Of course eat fresh,but this is only a small amount.

Th size 2000 square feet is ideal but even 1000 square feet by prudent spacing one can grow a lot of food.