Yesterday was spent mostly on the computer and getting caught up on administrative tasks. I put up a listing on local harvest for our beekeeping operation and honey sales. Relaunched the podcast, finalized show notes for the next couple of podcasts, and added our beekeeping operation to Local Harvest. If you would like to check out the listing, it should be searchable in their database by the end of the day, or you can click here.
Eddie was out at the hives yesterday, and our bees are doing very well. They will need additional room very soon to store more honey. If the weather these past couple of months is any indication, things are shaping up to be a very good honey year.
For a couple of months each year, my kitchen is overrun with seedlings and larger veggie plants in containers. Something came by and ate half of the cucumber plants. This is exactly why I start so many seeds! Thankfully, I have several more cucumber plants to get in the ground. They will be put in cages until they get well established. That should give at least one layer of defence against whatever came a'nibbling in the night.
Most of my plants are still doing very well in their containers, but it is absolutely time to get more in the ground. My back has had a few days now to rest, and I need to get back outside to dig in the dirt again. After Eddie gets home from work this evening, the weather should be cooperative enough for me to get my summer squash outside. The beets are doing very well. I can't wait to pick them, but they aren't quite ready yet. I've been dying to try my hand at making beet sugar to compare it in baking to store-bought white sugar. Beet greens are rather tasty, and the beets themselves are quite a favorite in our household. It will soon be time to can the excess beets and start stocking up for the winter.
Other than gardening and continuing work on my guide to reducing petoleum consumption, today's plans are to research the ins and out of building log cabins and log homes.
Live better, a little every day.
How do you can the beets? Pickled, or what have you? I want to put some up as well but am not sure what recipes to try, and am looking for some suggestions.
ReplyDeleteThanks - Lorri
I was going to try making borscht with the beets left over from making sugar. I will make pickled beets with the beets not used in making sugar. Both will be canned. Do you have a pressure canner, or are you doing a water bath? If you don't have a pressure canner, then you can't do the borscht, as that has meat.
ReplyDeleteI have a pressure canner that I use for both. I'm willing to experiment with recipes, too.
ReplyDeleteBTW- very much enjoying your podcast, especially the 9 June one. Thanks for re-starting it!
Thanks for the kind words. Did you catch my goof-up calling yesterday "Thursday"? That's what two little kids will do to a person. :) At least, I knew it was June 9th.
ReplyDeleteDo you need recipes for borscht or pickled beets?