What did you do in the garden today?

[Pasha838]

Today )

 

[cavemanrich]

Today )
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View attachment 1488479

Are those pickles just in brine, or done with vinegar also???

 

[pennyJo1960]

@Pasha838 loved the canned pickles but even more the potato haul is awesome

 

[oregonkat]

Thick with smoke again today and very muggy, YUCK! I have a low grade headache all the time... NEVER MIND, I got to harvest beautiful yellow beans yesterday and cooked them up for the boys with herbs and garlic as well as some baby potatoes all from the garden. I wish my potato haul looked like that @Pasha838! How do you like to store them?
Canning season officially began in my house, did up 8 pints of extra thick reduced tomato sauce, and just finished harvesting another big basket of toms and zuccs for mixed vegetable sauces.
My mother, when she was in her mid twenties, lived very rurally in South Africa and grew a wonderful garden. She told me that being in her pantry, with all her jars neatly labeled and lined up on the shelves, made her feel safe. She knew she would not have to suffer the hunger she endured as a child during the war in England ever again! She was a fabulous, productive gardener for the rest of her life. I think of her every time I'm in my pantry enjoying the fruits of my garden and my labor.

 

[pennyJo1960]

@oregonkat what wonderful memories you carry your sharing of them is appreciated

 

[deepbluesea]

Your potato harvest is amazing, pasha838! Fantastic! I also would love to know how you store them.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Ma kept them in a crib Dad had built in the basement now it was a dirt basement hand dug way before my time... goodnight all I need a good night sleep cooler here might actually get to sleep

 

[Pasha838]

Are those pickles just in brine, or done with vinegar also???

I put horseradish leaves, leaves of a black currant, a little black pepper and garlic, and cucumbers.
First I just pour the boiling water from the kettle, leave it for 20 minutes. Then I pour this water into the pan, boil again, and pour it back into the jar, and leave it for 15 minutes. The cucumbers always are in the jar, i don`t take it from there, i take only a water.
After that I again pour the water in a pan, I put 50 (sometimes 60 or 70) grams of salt, 50 g of sugar, and two tablespoons of vinegar, boil this brine, pour into the jar, close the lid and turn the jar 30 seconds later (if i turn the jar right away, the boiling brine may damage the tightness of the lid.)
after that the jars cools, I turn them over and put them in a cellar or a refrigerator. There they can stand almost a year widthout any problem.

 

[Pasha838]

Usually I harvest potatoes here in late August or early September, but this summer here was a drought, and although I poured potatoes from the hose, the tops began to dry.
I thought it was pointless to wait, especially after a very severe storm with a downpour, a lot of tubers turned out (the ground was a little washed away), and I decided to harvest all the potatoes until it became green in the sun.
After that I sorted the potatoes. I put off small or damaged tubers separately, and now I cook them in a pan, and then I pour out water and feed with this potato my ducks )) Ducks like a boiled potato.
True, if to feed the ducks with potatoes too much, they can become too fat. But soon are autumn and winter, it will be cold, so it's good if the ducks will be fat.
Some of the good potatoes I brought to the kitchen, the rest was taken to the cellar, poured into cardboard boxes.

 

[Pasha838]

My ducks and boiled potato )