Strawberry | From My Backyard

Jams and Curds

May 1, 2013

Bishop berrries, Canning, Gardening, Healthy Lifestyle, jam and jelly, Making Jam, Strawberry kale, smoothie 3 Comments

My pantry shelves a pretty well loaded with jams, jellies but, unfortunately the lemon curd has vanished. The last jar of the Meyer Lemon curd went to my daughter in California and shared with my grandkids. My granddaughter sent me a text message this morning after the gift package arrived – “Please send more liquid gold….AKA lemon curd… It is amazing and I want to eat the whole jar but am required to share”. I shared with her a comment from one of my readers, Claire, a blogger from the UK. Claire’s favorite way to use and enjoy lemon curd is by the spoonful directly from the jar! I second that advice! See what Claire has to say and share. http://promenadeplantings.com/

On my shelf I do have some jars of rose petal jelly, beautiful in color but short on “rose” flavor. I made two batches of Pomegranate jelly, one from store bought juice and the other by extracting the juice myself….both were good but the home extracted juice gave the jelly a little more of a robust flavor. One jar remains of my Serrano Pepper jelly and one small jar of the Port Wine jelly with Rosemary. The Mother Lode is this year’s strawberry harvest. It is so good!

The last batch I chose to make in a chunky style. Chunky meaning I did not fully, completely, energetically mash and destroy the body of the berries. I like the results! My son does not appear to like it as well as the abused berry crushing approach! Why do I like it? It is more like enjoying the fruit as well as the jam. I always make the low sugar recipe version, i.e., 4 cups of sugar vs. the 6 or 7 called for in the full sugar recipes. I think the low sugar recipe allows more of the base fruit flavor to come through in the process. I can’t wait until the blackberries kick in.

Gently mashing the berries for the “chunky” jam.

The results. I the bowl is the foam scraped off before canning. My wife adds it to her oatmeal & egg white breakfast frittata.

The results. In the bowl is the foam scraped off before canning. My wife adds it to her oatmeal & egg white breakfast frittata.

My biggest berry of the season – a double butterfly strawberry.

Strawberries are still showing up in the garden, none of them make it into the house! I love to putter in the garden and snack on the fresh stuff. The sugar snaps, small asparagus, a carrot that escaped the clean-up of the beds. I had a couple of the miniscule Alpine berries this morning, two Pineberries and a few sugar snap pea pods. I also chopped up a cup of kale and added it to the blender with 6 oz. of orange juice, 1 cup of frozen pineapple, 1/2 cup of plain Greek Yogurt, a tbsp. of ground flax and a dash of nutmeg. Very tasty for such a healthy smoothie. PS, I used 50% less calorie orange juice….still had a great taste.

TTFN

Bishop

Tomato, Tomato Regardless of How You Say it – They Both Taste Yummy

April 30, 2013

Bishop berrries, Gardening, Healthy Lifestyle, Potato Growing, Strawberry, Tomato Growing, Vermicoposting Alpine Strawberry, asparagus, blackberries, Pineberry, potatoes, strawberries, tomatoes, vegetables, worms 3 Comments

I should be rewarded with my first ripe tomatoes in less than two weeks and they will not be the commercial hothouse or worse varieties. There is just something special about YOUR tomatoes, picked at the peak of ripeness, sliced and savored! Granted, my first ones will be of the cherry variety so probably not sliced but nonetheless, savored.

Cherry type, Sweet Million – just love those clusters

Years ago I worked at a produce warehouse loading and unloading trucks at night while trying obtain a degree during the daylight hours. It was a bit of a challenge. I did learn quite a bit about produce! Some lessons were painful, i.e., thoroughly was your hands after handling Seranno or Jalapeno peppers! Apples had to be my favorite – the apple room was kept quite cold, a real blessing in the hot weather and because I was the tall guy, I stayed in the room to stack the boxes. The hand trucks carried boxes stacked 5 high, I had the job of adding 3 more boxes after the lads dropped them off. Crisp cool air and the wonderful scent of apples.

Here were other rooms at the warehouse that were not as pleasant. Tomatoes were shipped to us as “breakers”, meaning the shoulder of the tomatoes were just beginning to show color. The rest of the tomato was green and extremely firm! The tomato boxes are designed for air circulation for a reason. We stacked boxes in the tomato room “loosely” – each stack stood independently a few inches apart from the others. Once the room was full we shut and sealed the door, turned up the warmth, humidity and added ethylene gas. From Wikpedia –

“ Commercial ripening rooms use “catalytic generators” to make ethylene gas from a liquid supply of ethanol. Typically, a gassing level of 500 to 2,000 ppm is used, for 24 to 48 hours. Care must be taken to control carbon dioxide levels in ripening rooms when gassing, as high temperature ripening (68F) has been seen to produce CO₂ levels of 10% in 24 hours.” http://ne-postharvest.com/ripening.htm#controlledatmosphereripening

It was a similar process in the banana room and once the fruit had been gassed and gasses evacuated, well mostly evacuated, then we moved them out and loaded the local delivery trucks. I would guess that we walked over 15 miles during an 8 hour shift, excepting the Friday night shift, which was typically 14 hours and more. The Saturday local runs were huge!

I have a diverse mix of tomatoes this year, two types of Cherry, Celebrity, Mortgage Lifter (standard and a grafted variety, Brandywine Red and Pink –both grafted varieties, Patio varieties – determinate, most of what I grow are the indeterminate types, Cherokee, Juliet and a volunteer of some sort. The volunteer is starting to set fruit and it appears to be a smaller cluster variety. I had great luck with a volunteer plant last year….it was prolific!!!!

Celebrity Variety – 4-5 inch size and does well when it is hot.

The newest tomato on the patio plant.

One of the Patio varieties.

Other garden notes, the barrel and in ground potatoes are kicking butt! I have not had such vigorous and tall growth in my limited potato growing experience. The pole beans are reaching skyward on the arches made from the Crepe Myrtle cuttings, Snap Peas are in their last week of production, asparagus is coming up, I have Chard and more Chard…. I will use some Chard in a smoothie today and may even try some of the kale in a smoothie.

Some of my Swiss Chard

The Yukon Gold Potatoes as of the middle of April. They are much bigger now!

The blackberry vines have a heavy set going on and I hope I get to harvest before the birds find them. I also have my Pineberry – a white strawberry with red seeds and my Alpine strawberries producing. Hopefully I can propagate the Pineberries to make a bigger planting for next year and the Alpine berries…..so tasty but so tiny…fun, tasty but mostly ornamental! I had to stop typing and step outside to sample the Pineberries and the Alpine berries. Very yummy. It is tough to gauge the ripeness of the Pineberries. The color change is minimal, my best gauge is the firmness and it appears that when ripe they pull off of the stem easily. I have lots of Pineberry runners showing up so hopefully I have a bigger patch next year.

A ripe Pineberry. At this stage it is almost overripe. The best stage is just a blush of pink and the seeds are red. The flavor is similar to a pineapple with a hint of strawberry.

One of the many blackberry clusters.

My commercial vermicomposting bins are working very well. I have added the third box on the top, two more to go before I harvest the bottom box. The design of the bins has a liquid collecting pan and spigot. I pulled about a quart of worm poop water off the bottom yesterday. I mixed a pint with two gallons of water and fed some of my potted plants and the strawberry towers. Everything seems to be happy in the garden right now! The summer, or at least a real summer heat has not appeared yet. May is tomorrow and the heat wave can start at any time!

TTFN

Bishop

Carrots out the Wazoo – Now What?

April 11, 2013

Bishop Berry Preserves, Gardening, jam and jelly, Potato Growing, Strawberry, Vermicoposting blackberries, carrots, cucumbers, potatoes, strawberries, strawberry jam, worms 4 Comments

On the heels of last nights awesome rainstorm across the Houston area, close to 2 inches overnight, I decided it was time to pull up the carrots. Some have just exploded with growth. See photo below.

Exploded/split carrot….they taste OK but my wife refuses to let me cook them.

I am in the process of prepping for cucumbers and squash plantings in the next week. The sugar snap and snow peas are still producing but the heat that disables them is just around the corner. My early planting of Yukon Gold potatoes is off to an amazing start. I am using a barrel, a big tub and of course – some planted in the back bed.

Yukon Gold Plants needing to be hilled up a little deeper!

The Brussels Sprouts are still forming, I hope well enough to harvest before the heat sets in! Good looking plants, not sure what to expect as this is my first attempt at growing them. I found a good recipe and cooking advice over on – http://promenadeplantings.com/2013/04/11/brussels-sprout-cheddar-and-apple-salad/

The freezer is full of strawberries waiting to made into wonderful jam. As they fade in the garden I am loving the evidence of a potentially great blackberry harvest! I enjoy them fresh but he low sugar jam I make helps extend the enjoyment into the fall or if lucky….till 2014 arrives.

I added more strawberry scraps to the top level of my worm bins. I am now on level five and the migration up towards the top bin is underway. They seem to be a little chubbier than usual…..could it be the abundance of strawberries in their diet? – Quite possibly – they have been binge eating strawberries for many weeks now! I still recycle….lots of scraps going into my compost bins.

I need some variety in recipes for Swiss Chard – at the moment it is an abundant ornamental in the garden. I can only eat so much fresh in with salads or wilted like spinach….Help!

Carrots and more Carrots

A look down the garden path toward the back beds. The poles in the foreground arch up over the entrance and soon will be covered in 3 varieties of pole beans.

TTFN

Bishop

Bees and my Strawberries

March 6, 2013

Bishop berrries, Gardening, Mason bees, pollination, Strawberry broccoli, gardening, hand pollinating, honeybees, strawberries 3 Comments

It really started with my broccoli plants that took off and went to blossom. Theyhave beautiful yellow blossoms that are attracting honeybees and a small variety of bumblebee. I found this a real positive change from previous springs. In fact, the number of honeybees spotted in my garden area has been dismal and seemed to be getting worse. I actually employed some Mason Bees the past two years. There seems to be a steady crew working from mid-morning until late afternoon. My guess is that these are a wild variety that hang out in the woods nearby.

I put my macro lens of my Nikon D-200 and attempted to capture the guys at work. The yellow broccoli blossoms must be a bee magnet. I will try to remember that fact next year to draw bees in. I seem to be getting a little better handling this lens.

Bee and broccoli blossom

Carrying quite a load while working this blossom

Off to another one. Trying to improve my moving critter skills. My goal is get a crisp shot of the bee flying!

Strawberries grown outside seem to pollinate themselves pretty well but the fruit size may improve with help from the bees. If you are anal enough, you can take on the task yourself armed with a magnifying glass and an artist’s brush. I have used an electric toothbrush with my tomatoes with outstanding results. If I get frisky enough to crawl around the berry patch soon I will let you know!

Although small, strawberry blossoms have a delicate beauty about them. I caught some of the broccoli work crew sliding on over to the strawberry bed and working their magic. I may hire on tomorrow with my magnifying glass and brush….Love those strawberries! I will make jam in a couple of days and will hopefully put up a couple of dozen jars!

Do your magic little guy!

Very nice strawberry blossom

Now for the payoff –

Just starting to show!

Yes – developing nicely

The final payoff

Yum!!!!!

TTFN

Bishop

Strawberry Quickie

January 30, 2013

Bishop berrries, Composting, Gardening, Strawberry berries, carrots, gardening, peppers, strawberries Leave a comment

Maybe not what you were thinking but I went out with the camera this morning after the storm front had passed to check on the garden and in particular, the strawberries. I was greeted by clear blue skies, much nicer temperatures … a nice break from the mid to high humid 70’s we have been experiencing and a seemingly happy garden. The sun felt nice, the shade was cool and the breeze was stirring up the leaves not yet sequestered in my compost bins. While out in the garden I attacked some of the never ending supply of weeds, checked on the carrots, yes-the strawberries too, made notes to pull out the remaining pepper plants and checked on the internal compost bin temperatures…..getting pretty darned warm.

Take a gander at my strawberry shots below….I suspect that I will break the old record…I should have my first ripe berry in just a few days. My guess is February 3^rd +/-. I may be able to thank global warming for the bounty. I am continuing my reading and knowledge building with the issues around global warming….an opinion piece will be coming in the near future.

Now for the feature presentation; Strawberries.

January 30th – Should be ripe soon!

One of the Strawberry tower pockets headed toward a bountiful harvest.

A look at one of the ground based plants. I will have to watch for competitors…There are some bugs that also enjoy juicy red berries!

Another ground based plant setting lots of potentially sweet berries!

TTFN

Bishop

Getting into the Garden – Again

January 29, 2013

Bishop Composting, Gardening, Healthy Lifestyle, Strawberry, Vegetables carrots, home-brew, Speckled Trout 1 Comment

My three weeks wandering across parts of the Western US is over and I can spend the next several weeks at home, recharging my personal batteries, prepping the garden for spring, investing in some needed family time and possibly brewing a new batch of beer – the beer doesn’t have anything to do with my gardening but it is one of my many vices/hobbies.

Sunday I pulled up a bunch of the purple carrots. My soil is still a bit heavy in one of the newer beds for best carrot growth. They tend to be short, stubby and prone to many forks in the root. Some of the deformations are pretty comical but it doesn’t seem to impact the taste at all! I usually cook them unpeeled….the skin is purple but the meat is carrot orange. When sliced cross cut, the carrot bits have that nice purple edge and the usual common carrot interior color. Adds nice color to the plate.

Freshly picked and rinsed off – interesting, eh?

Oh yes….colorful carrots.

I have strawberries in all phases of development. In fact several appear to be showing signs of turning red. I shouldn’t be too surprised; two years ago I picked a beautifully red, heart shaped strawberry on Valentine’s Day – how appropriate! I may be able to share a few with my wife on or around Valentine’s Day. Fingers crossed for just enough rain but not too much – too much rain tends to mute the strawberry flavor – dry conditions seem to concentrate the sweetness.

Strawberry in the tower beginning to ripen!

I fired up the leaf vacuum and added close top another cubic yard of leaf litter to my compost bin. I have seen a few locations in the neighborhood where I can go out and round up another few loads to top off the bins. I will be adding some as mulch in the next few weeks to help keep the dad-burn weeds at bay!

Tonight I brought some of the colorful and yummy carrots into tonight’s menu. I cooked up a couple of Speckled Trout filets that the boys had caught a short while ago. I sautéed the carrots in a little butter and let them steam, no added sugar, they were sweet just as picked. The fish was simply prepared, fresh home squeezed lemon juice, a little olive oil, salt & pepper, a pat of butter then sealed up in foil and placed over medium heat on the grill. The rice was an experiment in a pouch – a lime flavored microwavable pouch – it was very limey and will probably not grace our table again. The fish was awesome, of course, and the carrots were like candy. Kathy had one of my home-brewed Pumpkin Ales and I tried a Breckenridge Brewery “After Rackin’ Autumn Ale” – after we swapped…..the Autumn Ale – not too hoppy for her but the roasted malts imparted a bit of coffee and chocolate notes…..the coffee notes are not her thing.

My plate – Speckled Trout filet, my carrots and the limey rice.

Lettuce and Swiss Chard will be featured for tomorrow’s meal…….fresh from the garden.

A view down my newest bed…redone a year ago.Lettuce, Chard, cabbage, peas, carrots, brussel sprouts, turnips, garlic and a few beets.

TTFN

Bishop

2012 In Reveiw

December 31, 2012

Bishop Gardening, Optimism, Philosophical, Strawberry, Vegetables 2013, global warming, Meyer lemon, strawberry, vegetables 5 Comments

This blog got about 4,600 views in 2012. Target for 2013 is to exceed 15,000 views – Lofty goal but I am going to broaden my exposure both with my reader’s help and by linking to others of similar outlooks.

In 2012, there were 90 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 154 posts. There were 379 pictures uploaded. That’s about a picture per day.

The busiest day of the year was August 7th with 76 views. The most popular post that day was Hands in the Garden – And Fishing. I will spend a little more time digging into the climate change issues, educating myself and sharing with others. Editorial remark – climate change is real, that shouldn’t surprise anyone, but we should recognize that the climate has always been changing and always will. I will continue to look into the past to help predict the future.

Coaching I have received from my better half and personal commitments for my 2013 Backyard Farm;

Grow what we will consume – i.e., things that the family finds yummy.
Do a better job of sharing the excess production – I took several large bags of Poblano/Ancho peppers down to the local farmers market in exchange for a couple of nice tomatoes – I’ll do a little more of this.
Log and or journal what is planted where, plant type, days to maturity, seed and/or plant source, production notes, quality feedback, soil quality notes and additions and maybe more……..or maybe zero in a few important ones from the previous list. That sounds a bit ambitious!
Continue some of my experiments, i.e., strawberry towers, potato barrels, sweet potato growing, canning, cooking and eating!
Influence others to grow for themselves and consider buying from local sources!
Have lots of fun doing what I do in the garden and to help others smile a bit!
Gather more leaves and less moss!
Explore keeping a beehive…..
Think about a grand plan for 2014!!!!!!

Look close…an out of focus lemon blossom is forming as of New Years Eve 2012 – Northern Hemisphere.

That little purple dot in the center is the first true blossom forming. I saw quite a number of very small buds that will become blossoms….should I treat them like the strawberries and pinch them off or ???????? It is sure early for citrus blossoms! I still have some lemons to pick. I made lemon curd yesterday and it is so good! Claire, when you read this I want you to know I was thinking about you with the partially filled jar. I heard your advice in my good ear….”just dip the spoon and enjoy!” So, I did and I did….great advice! Thanks

Happy New Year to All Y’all!

TTFN

Bishop

Shhhhh – Go to Sleep Asparagus

October 29, 2012

Bishop Fall, Gardening, Philosophical, Potatoes, Strawberry, Vegetables asparagus, beets, cucumbers, gardening, peppers, strawberries, tomatoes, vegetables 1 Comment

It is October 29th and my asparagus just won’t lay down and go into their winter slumber. This morning we finally had a low 40 degree temperature so maybe they will get the message and stay in bed! As a parent I remember those days when the little ones did not want to stay in their beds. It was a tiring and a bit painful series of nights but the kids finally figured out that mom and dad were not going to give in. They finally stayed in their beds!

The asparagus, now that is a different dilemma. They do not listen….their cue’s are taken entirely from the environment and they ignore my planned schedule for their winter sleep. I trimmed them back several weeks ago but the stubborn root crowns are still sending up shoots. It is a mixed blessing, the nicer, thicker shoots have found their way into the kitchen and the skinny ones that reach on up are sending a little more energy back into the buried crowns. I would like to get the bed deeply covered in mulch and fertilized for the next spring but…..as with the kids, I need to be a little more stubborn than they are and a little more patient. Yes, easier said than done.

I harvested a few spears today and plan on incorporating them into a meal tomorrow night. I inspected the new strawberry plants that my wife has so nicely cared for in my recent absence – nicely done Hun, they look healthy! I planted another round of beets, Danvers carrots, Cozmic Purple carrots, Watermelon Radish seeds and pulled a bunch of never ending weeds. I have a lot of tomatoes that are needing to turn red or at least break that direction real soon. The lemons are mostly yellow now, my little buddy Caleb down the street wants to pick them now! A couple of cucumbers are nearly ready and I have some turnips that are maturing. I have a bin with some potatoes that seem to be doing well…..an extension of the spring’s experimentation. Oh, the Ancho pepper plants(2) are overloaded and will be donated at the farmers market on Thursday. Wish I knew how to do chili rellenos ….. these are perfect size and flavor…..

I feel blessed to have this weather, high of 70 today and mid 80’s by Thursday. I can’t help but pray for and wish the best for the folks on the East Coast in the path of Sandy. At least the 13 days I spent without power after Hurricane Ike was accompanied by decent weather. I hope all y’all are well prepared and will work to help your neighbors in need.

One for the kitchen, one for the root crowns and couple just starting to break the surface.

A squad destined for the kitchen. Thank you lads for being so persistent.

Strawberry Towers with Sweet Charlie plugs looking healthy and snug in their new home.

TTFN

Bishop

Rose Petal Jelly and Other Gardening News

October 20, 2012

Bishop Dessert, Gardening, jam and jelly, Making Jam, Recipe, Strawberry asparagus, gardening, Rose Petal Jelly, strawberries 2 Comments

I stepped out into the front yard yesterday and picked up the scent of my wife’s roses in bloom. What immediately hit my mind was an article I read a few days ago about “Rose Petal Jelly”. I knew that I had to get it made this weekend before I left for Long Beach California for a week-long session with a client.

I picked this recipe up from “The Creamer Chronicles” blog. Easy recipe!

The ingredients you need are:
1 cup packed fresh flower petals
3 cups of water
Juice of one lemon
1 box powdered pectin
4 cups sugar

“Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan and stir in the roses. Remove from the heat, and let the mixture steep for 10 minutes, as if you were making rose-petal tea. Strain the “tea” making sure to squeeze the petals to get every last drop of flavor out of them. Now this is where the magic happens: Pour in the fresh lemon juice and the “tea” turns back into the color of the flowers you used………”

The jelly making from this point forward is pretty straight forward. After steeping, I went triple the 10 minute suggestion. I poured the tea through a coffee filter before the jelly cooking process. Stir in the pectin and bring to a boil. Add the sugar stirring constantly and return to a full boil. Boil for 2 minutes at a full boil, remove from heat and skim any foam off before ladling into clean sterilized jars. I went ahead and processed the jars for 10 minutes in boiling water bath.

A small rose shown with the jelly. The jelly does take on a hue very similar to the color of the petals used.

I also put a few more strawberry plants out this afternoon. I ordered “Sweet Charlie” plugs from Ison’s Nursery. They are a recommended variety for my Zone 9 gardening area. I filled my strawberry towers and filled in a few spots in my beds. I had 5 of the 50 remaining so I went over to John’s house, you remember him, Mr. 2 – 4X4 raised beds that I tend part-time. He has been smitten and does a pretty good job keeping stuff alive.

My home-made dibble used to plant some strawberry plugs.

I thought that my Asparagus bed was done for the season…beginning to yellow and die back. I cut it back a week ago and look what I find. A few of the root crowns are still pushing up spears. I love to just snap them off in the garden, give them a quick rinse and munch away…..so sweet!

Renegade asparagus – I cut it all back last week and I have a few trying to break out…Guess I’ll just have to eat them!

TTFN

Bishop

Camarillo – Strawberries and Farmers Market

June 17, 2012

Bishop Camarillo Farmers Market, Gardening, Healthy Lifestyle, Strawberry, Vegetables 8 Comments

My wife and I escaped the Bakersfield California heat for a couple of days and visited my daughter and grandkids, 2 of 3, in Camarillo. daughter Melissa took us out to a small roadside stand adjacent to the strawberry fields. As they were picking they would bring the boxes of berries up to the stand…..fresh!!!! Literally minutes from the field and the taste….as if they were dipped in sugar. We have never tasted such good berries. Many times growers go fo the biggest and brightest berries but without flavor. These were very good size but the finest flavor…wish mine at home were this good….close but not quite. In the slide show below is a visit to the farmers Market in Camarillo. My wife Kathy did some comparison tasting and the berries from the stand out on N Lewis R. at Las Posas in Camarillo are the best!

I wish that I had brought my good cameras….I had intended to bring my Nikon D200 and the Nikon J1 but forgot…More of that CRS stuff. So – I did the best I could with the iPhone!

Saturday in Camarillo – high of 68 F, high in Bakersfield when we arrived was 108 F! Oh well – it is a dry heat!

TTFN

Bishop

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From My Backyard

Jams and Curds

Tomato, Tomato Regardless of How You Say it – They Both Taste Yummy

Carrots out the Wazoo – Now What?

Bees and my Strawberries

Strawberry Quickie

Getting into the Garden – Again

2012 In Reveiw

Shhhhh – Go to Sleep Asparagus

Rose Petal Jelly and Other Gardening News

Camarillo – Strawberries and Farmers Market

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