The blackberries are plump and luscious - the bicycle-ground whole wheat spelt pies are scrumptious. Julie's plums from the north of the island are cooking down now into homemade jam. There's straight up unsweetened yellow plum, unsweetened plum-pear-apple-blackberry, and Peace River honey sweetened plum-pear-apple-blackberry.
I use the open kettle evaporation method for my spreads, jams, and preserves as I don't like fiddling with pectin, even Pomona's Pectin which I find doesn't hold well in the long term. Using minimal sweetening, I can stir ever so often and watch for exactly the right consistency that I like.
My jams, fruit butters and juices are lined up neatly on the shelves of the farm's commercial kitchen so that on farm tour day, Sunday, Sept. 30th, they'll be ready to sell. The South Ridge Farm crew will be demonstrating the grinding of our famous bicycle-ground flour and doing tastings of nettle chai, nettle mint, and happy heart tea and showing people how to brew it from picking of the nettle to sitting down with a cup! Our signature Vegan Nettle Chai Spelt Chocolate Cakes and Cookies will be on sale, along with nettle quiches - yum again.
Off to stir the jams...
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Beans, Raspberries, Salal berries and more
Beans, Raspberries and Salal a Plenty
Luscious French filet green bush beans steamed in salted water eaten fresh out of the pan are the latest offerings from the garden.
The Kamut is standing tall and breezy in it's blue-green splendour while at its feet are mustard greens, so spicy in our wild salad mix.
Nettles are drying on the outdoor racks; wild trailing blackberry and raspberry, too. The garlic is curing and the raspberries are plump and sweet. We need to harvest them and the salal berries every day.
We are most thankful that Shane, our New Zealand friend and gardener is back to work on clearing the heavy bush and berming it against the fences. Touring the garden, the farm manager shared her plans for the continued permaculturing of the property with more goji, blueberry, red and white currants and sea buckthorn being planted. Shane cleared a whole new pocket garden that will be warmed by the sun between a small rock valley. We are composting and mulching as fast as we can to fill it in with rich soil.
It's very dry here now and the deep mulch means success for the young and old seedlings that are dry farmed.
Late snap peas are tasty and just about ready.
Out I go to harvest more fingerling potatoes.
Luscious French filet green bush beans steamed in salted water eaten fresh out of the pan are the latest offerings from the garden.
The Kamut is standing tall and breezy in it's blue-green splendour while at its feet are mustard greens, so spicy in our wild salad mix.
Nettles are drying on the outdoor racks; wild trailing blackberry and raspberry, too. The garlic is curing and the raspberries are plump and sweet. We need to harvest them and the salal berries every day.
We are most thankful that Shane, our New Zealand friend and gardener is back to work on clearing the heavy bush and berming it against the fences. Touring the garden, the farm manager shared her plans for the continued permaculturing of the property with more goji, blueberry, red and white currants and sea buckthorn being planted. Shane cleared a whole new pocket garden that will be warmed by the sun between a small rock valley. We are composting and mulching as fast as we can to fill it in with rich soil.
It's very dry here now and the deep mulch means success for the young and old seedlings that are dry farmed.
Late snap peas are tasty and just about ready.
Out I go to harvest more fingerling potatoes.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Summer Fruits
Summer Fruits
Summer fruit has really come: gooseberries, salal berries, wild oregon grape, wild trailing blackberry, plums, raspberries, zucchini, banana fingerling potatoes, garlic, wild kale, spinach, fava beans, lettuce, wild mustard, parsley, calendula, butterfly bush, They are all ready and we're harvesting every day.
Nettles are continuing well, too; because I've been cutting them all spring and summer and they are getting watered by the grey water system they are vibrant, green, and growing succulent fresh leaves seemingly overnight. Every three days I can harvest the tops of the cut patches. What has gone to seed I either prune and add to the mulch - for it is excellent soil food - or let it the seeds fully ripen to harvest later on. Some people like to crush the seeds with a mortar and pestle and use it in pestos and the like. Others say that pregnant women should stay away from the seed.
In the drying loft, lemon balm, mints, and lots of nettle continue to dry out to be used immediately in the herb teas that have been selling well at the market. It's always lovely when a return customer from afar seeks my stand out and is happy to see me still producing the teas and baked goods.
Saturday market here we come!
Summer fruit has really come: gooseberries, salal berries, wild oregon grape, wild trailing blackberry, plums, raspberries, zucchini, banana fingerling potatoes, garlic, wild kale, spinach, fava beans, lettuce, wild mustard, parsley, calendula, butterfly bush, They are all ready and we're harvesting every day.
Nettles are continuing well, too; because I've been cutting them all spring and summer and they are getting watered by the grey water system they are vibrant, green, and growing succulent fresh leaves seemingly overnight. Every three days I can harvest the tops of the cut patches. What has gone to seed I either prune and add to the mulch - for it is excellent soil food - or let it the seeds fully ripen to harvest later on. Some people like to crush the seeds with a mortar and pestle and use it in pestos and the like. Others say that pregnant women should stay away from the seed.
In the drying loft, lemon balm, mints, and lots of nettle continue to dry out to be used immediately in the herb teas that have been selling well at the market. It's always lovely when a return customer from afar seeks my stand out and is happy to see me still producing the teas and baked goods.
Saturday market here we come!
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