What did you do in the garden today?

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

A food processor works, too.

Actually it’s not really unless you want to make a lot of it. Don’t compromise flavor for convenience. The idea is to get a fresh, zesty flavor that has a short shelf life. Also the food processor cuts and chops the seeds, it doesn’t grind.

 

[Sueby]

Neat. I don't mind whole grain, really spicy mustard. Thanks for the info, on my list of things to do in life!

DH & I talked about making new garden beds & we decided it's worth the investment. It is part of my retirement plan & will keep me healthy & active not to mention the good food we'll get. Now we just need to decide what to build them out of. I suggested the cinder blocks & doing one 4x8 bed a year. Or even a 4x16. I really like the idea, he's not sold on it but we'll see.

 

[Smokerbill]

Actually it’s not really unless you want to make a lot of it. Don’t compromise flavor for convenience. The idea is to get a fresh, zesty flavor that has a short shelf life. Also the food processor cuts and chops the seeds, it doesn’t grind

That makes sense. Thanks!

 

[CNJ]

Grind the seeds with a mortar and pestal until it is a grainy powder. You can grind it finer if you like. Then add a little vinegar until you get the consistency you like. Very simple but very flavorful.

I'll try it........thanks.

 

[CNJ]

I just found out that corn starch makes fried coatings crispier than potato or wheat starch.

Interestingly, cornstarch contains 25 to 28 percent amylose, which is higher than the amount in wheat or potato starch (which are 20 to 22 percent amylose), and this is why cornstarch works the best for making crispy coatings on fried foods. https://www.americastestkitchen.com/cooksillustrated/how_tos/8360-why-starch-gets-crispy-when-fried​

The reason why I did this search is because I didn't have a TBS of corn starch to add to my chocolate/pecan chip cookie recipe. I used potato starch instead. I keep forgetting to buy corn starch.

 

[CNJ]

I used gluten free rice flour to thicken my cherry tomato sauce for my Italian pork meat ball spaghetti. I think the texture and taste is better than when I used corn starch because corn starch turned my sauce translucent like a glaze while rice flour looks more natural, like it thickened with out anything. Furthermore, unlike wheat flour, I can dilute it with a little water without it clumping.

My secret ingredients for my spaghetti sauce is chicken bullion, fresh oregano, fresh basil and Johnsonville Pork Meat Balls.

 

[igorsMistress]

Hi all. I’m way behind, will catch up tomorrow. I’m pretty sure I killed the strawberries, think I forgot to check the pH and it’s likely too late. Still have lettuce anyway. And nothing outside has died so there’s that. I’ve noticed that I have a lot of brain fog lately so I’ve resorted to making lists and using the calendar or I do dumb stuff like that. Anyway, I made a trip to the store and stocked my pantry a bit after I was down for the count, talk about sticker shock! I usually keep canned meat on hand for those in a pinch nights and what used to cost $3 is $5 now I bought a dozen each quart, pint and half pint jars to go with a new pressure canner. For now I’m going to put up soups, stews, pot pie filling, and meat as I clean out the freezers. Time to get it all put away, take care.

 

[gtaus]

DH & I talked about making new garden beds & we decided it's worth the investment. It is part of my retirement plan & will keep me healthy & active not to mention the good food we'll get. Now we just need to decide what to build them out of. I suggested the cinder blocks & doing one 4x8 bed a year. Or even a 4x16. I really like the idea, he's not sold on it but we'll see.

I recently redesigned a 4X4 foot 16 inch high pallet wood raised bed and it was very easy to build. I get my pallets for free, so it's the first thing I try to use when I make projects out of wood. Anyways, here is a picture of my latest pallet wood raised bed, total cost less than $1.00 for screws and brad nails. If you are interested in something like that, you can find that build and other designs on the thread Show Me Your Pallet Projects!

Depending on your age and physical limitations, raised beds are just so much easier to maintain. At 16 inches high, I don't have to bend over very much for any work. A couple of weeks ago I met a couple older than me and they were going to use full pallets at 43 inches high because the wife had hip surgery and could not bend over at all.

At least with free pallet wood, you don't break the bank in setting up a garden. The plants don't care how much you spend on the project. So, just decided what you need at this stage of life and make a garden bed that works for you.

FYI, I use the hügelkultur method of using wood tree trunks and branches on the base of the raised bed to fill up space before I add my top layer of compost and topsoil for planting. I have to buy my topsoil, so it saves me a lot of money using all that wood tree trunks, plus the hügelkultur method acts like a giant sponge to store water.

I reached an age where it was just so much more enjoyable to work in raised bed gardens than in ground planting. All my new gardens are raised beds. I don't look back.

 

[Sueby]

I recently redesigned a 4X4 foot 16 inch high pallet wood raised bed and it was very easy to build. I get my pallets for free, so it's the first thing I try to use when I make projects out of wood. Anyways, here is a picture of my latest pallet wood raised bed, total cost less than $1.00 for screws and brad nails. If you are interested in something like that, you can find that build and other designs on the thread Show Me Your Pallet Projects!

View attachment 3522201

Depending on your age and physical limitations, raised beds are just so much easier to maintain. At 16 inches high, I don't have to bend over very much for any work. A couple of weeks ago I met a couple older than me and they were going to use full pallets at 43 inches high because the wife had hip surgery and could not bend over at all.

At least with free pallet wood, you don't break the bank in setting up a garden. The plants don't care how much you spend on the project. So, just decided what you need at this stage of life and make a garden bed that works for you.

FYI, I use the hügelkultur method of using wood tree trunks and branches on the base of the raised bed to fill up space before I add my top layer of compost and topsoil for planting. I have to buy my topsoil, so it saves me a lot of money using all that wood tree trunks, plus the hügelkultur method acts like a giant sponge to store water.

I reached an age where it was just so much more enjoyable to work in raised bed gardens than in ground planting. All my new gardens are raised beds. I don't look back.

Thank you for responding. We need something that will last longer than pallets - everything here rots in a few years & I only want to do these beds once. My pallet compost bins are only a couple of years old & are all rotted. Even my galvanized beds are rotting after 3 years. I really think cinder blocks are going to be it, but we'll see.

& yes, I use hügelkultur in all my beds. We have endless supplies of wood & wood chips so I make good use of them! Then of course I have all the compost...

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Thank you for responding. We need something that will last longer than pallets - everything here rots in a few years & I only want to do these beds once. My pallet compost bins are only a couple of years old & are all rotted. Even my galvanized beds are rotting after 3 years. I really think cinder blocks are going to be it, but we'll see.

& yes, I use hügelkultur in all my beds. We have endless supplies of wood & wood chips so I make good use of them! Then of course I have all the compost...

I think cinder blocks are the way to go for something more permanent. I used the landscape timbers on my original beds and they’re doing quite well. I built them in 2018.