My 2024 Garden

Here you will find my garden journey for the year. Successes and failures, I'm going to share it all. Maybe even the salsas and hot sauces... :)

• Garden Blog

7/8/24

2/17/24

Snowdrops, one of the first plants to wake up in my yard every year... sometimes peaking through a blanket of snow.
There are several plants that grow voluntarily in my yard that have some level of toxicity, these are no exception.

2/22/24

First installation of the dragon skull my mom donated to the garden. It goes well with the only other statue that inhabits my garden at this time.
Perhaps with time I will acquire more decor for the garden, but for now this fits nicely.

3/11/24

4/6/24

4/23/24

4/28/24

4/29/24

5/6/24

5/7/24

5/8/24

5/18/24

5/19/24

5/20/24

5/21/24

The first Jalapeno flower!

Not sure if these are Walking Onions or Green Onions, but they sure are trying to spread!

5/25/24

5/26/24

5/27/24

5/28/24

6/9/24

6/13/24

6/16/24

6/19/24

6/21/24

6/26/24

6/27/24

These are the "mutant" Black Brandywine tomatoes. I call them that because of the wide ribbon-like stem and the dandelion-like flowers they produce. If pollinated, those flowers will produce massive tomatoes.

These are the "mutant" Black Beauty tomatoes. You can tell the difference between these and the Black Brandywine by the purple color in the stems. I call them mutants because of the wide ribbon-like stem and the dandelion-like flowers they produce. If pollinated, those flowers will produce massive tomatoes.

7/1/24

The tomatoes growing in the raised bed are the clones of the Sun Sugar tomatoes I grew last year. Sun Sugar is a yellow variety of cherry tomato that has a lower acid content than traditional tomatoes.
These were cloned by cutting the "suckers" from the plants I had last fall, rooting them, and keeping them alive through the winter in my basement. They are going so crazy that I had to aggressively cut them back... I'll probably have to cut them back again next week.
But that means I have a bunch more clones that I have soaking in water developing roots.
Tomato plants anyone?

7/2/24

This is a non-fruiting variety of Passion Flower vine. It is an annual in our region if grown outdoors, but I'm keeping this plant in my kitchen.
The plan is to hopefully be able to propagate additional plants from cuttings taken from this one this coming spring.

7/3/24

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How many cucumbers can you spot on this plant?

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7/5/24

This is one of the massive flowers on the True Black Brandywine tomato plants that I grew from seed this year. If it was pollinated it will result in a giant tomato!

The Bird House Gourd plant growing up the left stake is really taking off, while the Luffa Gourd growing up the stake on the right is only JUST starting to get going.
The 3 peppers growing at the front of the planter are starting to thrive slowly, I'm wondering if they are too shaded by the other plants.

7/5/24

7/6/24

7/8/24

Fermented Hot Sauce guidelines

5 cups filtered water, lukewarm.
6.25 teaspoons finely ground sea salt - use 1.25 per 1 cup of water.
16oz chili peppers, sliced in half (about 6-7 cups) seeds removed.
1 carrot very thinly sliced (1/16 inch - DO NOT PEEL!)
4-8 garlic cloves, cut into quarters.
1-2 shallots, sliced (or 1/2 of an onion)Optional:
herbs - Oregano, Cilantro, Celery leaves
spices - Cumin, Coriander, Chipotle powder, smoked paprika.
1-3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (OPTIONAL - for more healthy probiotics)
1-3 tablespoons honey or sugar if making Sriracha styleIf your hot sauce is not hot enough, you can always add cayenne or ground chipotle to taste.
Feel free to add spices .5 - 1 teaspoon cumin, coriander, chipotle, allspice, etc.

Basic Salsa

2 cups filtered water
1/2 cup white vinegar
1.5 Tbsp Cumin
1 Tbsp Salt
330 Grams White or Yellow Onion
70 Grams Fresh Garlic
500 Grams Fresh Tomatoes
240-250 hot peppersCoarsely chop all fresh ingredients.
Remove the seeds from the hot peppers if you want a milder salsa.
Add all ingredients to a pot and cook at least until boiling.Parsley, Cilantro, or Smoked Paprika are all good additions to this recipe.
If you want a smooth salsa instead of chunky you can run it through a blender, or use an immersion blender once the combination has been cooking for several minutes and the ingredients have begun to soften.Suitable for hot pack water bath canning.

Black Beauty Tomatoes

True Black Brandywine Tomatoes

This is a compilation of all the DIY things I've done with things from my garden as well as essential oils... everything from muscle rubs, insect repellent, deodorant, candles, massage oils, as well as treatments for things like warts and other things.