Garden Season Officially Begins

(although foggy, rain has stayed away for a few days here)

The garden hoses have been pulled out of storage.  It's a task for sure.  We require about 200 feet or so of garden hose to water our garden.

Our very first garden was pretty small.  Our farmhouse had zero water spigots outside.  None.

We hauled water cans, and buckets in a wheeled cart to water it, and the garden flourished.

We have also unpacked the garden tool bags I take out to the garden, watering cans, solar chargeable motion sensor do-hickies that send out a high pitched noise to deter the squirrels etc.  The first year we put them out, we never saw one squirrel until we took them out for the season.  Some stopped working, but most are still solar charging. 

 

The gardens are tilled now, and one garden area fence is back in place.  Fencing has been acquired for the other garden (although it will not keep deer from jumping). 

We have successfully planted all of the tomato plants (about 4 varieties, but mostly San Marzano).  A few are not staked yet, and about 6 may or may not make it.  You never know, as the good ol' mother nature can revive just about any sad looking plant.

(note: it takes about 50 pounds of paste tomatoes to make one full batch of canned tomato sauce).

Paste tomatoes are the type of tomato needed for canning anything "sauce" related.  I'm talking about Tomato soup, tomato sauce, pizza sauce, taco sauce, ketchup, etc.  They are a meatier tomato.  They are the best for also canning stewed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, and for canning tomato paste.  The are the better choice to freeze as well, for chili, stews, or other recipes.

The beef type tomatoes are planted for enjoying fresh mostly.  We enjoy them on salads, sandwiches, just eating alone, topping toasted bread, BLT's, etc.

Cherry type tomatoes are planted for simply enjoying fresh, adding to summer salads, and even dips.  They can be used for focaccia bread and a lot more. If we get an abundance, I can also dehydrate some.

Rain is possible, but the remainder of the garden is being planted, and fenced.  

If you are new to planting a vegetable/fruit garden, hardening the plants is a bit of work.  The plants are moved from indoors to outdoors daily, to adjust to the mother nature (wind, rain, sun, etc.)

The plants go out an hour the first day, then back in.  They go back and forth each day, increasing the time they spend outdoors, and by the time the plants are in the ground, they have acclimated to growing outdoors.

I have planted one new cilantro plant in the herb garden.  My feverfew seeds I planted early, may have been planted too early.  I plan to drop more seeds before the next rainfall.

The sage blooms are looking beautiful right now.

Just when I thought the asparagus harvest was done, the Good Lord gives us more.  

My resident herb garden snake does not look like it's moving on.  It seems to be very interested in staking it's claim to where it's currently located.  Until I have to weed that area, or harvest, we are letting it be (there must be some tasty bugs or rodents it's consuming).

We are praying that the tomato plants were not planted too early. We now see that our evening temperatures could dip to about 44-47°F all weekend.  However, the forecast looks like it will be the end of the cooler evenings, and summer is starting to move in.

Garden Season Officially Begins  ©  May 2025 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

More Rain ~ Garden is Flooded ~ Turnips

We can't seem to get a break from the rain right now.  I checked on the garden.  It's flooded.  Like parts of it have 4 inches of standing water. 

Woke up to a chilly 36°F outside.  So cold, I had to turn a heater on, and today I need to order propane (gulp!).  Way too cold for a garden to grow, so I am praying my already planted herbs and flowers survive this dip in temperature.  Wet and cold do not mix well for an abundant garden.  My feverfew seeds did not sprout at all, so I may need to re-buy them if we want a harvest this year.

I have been bringing in about 2-3 asparagus a day lately.  We are at the end of harvest, but we keep getting a few a day.

I'm already utilizing fresh herbs from the garden.  The cilantro seed sprouts are holding up in this colder weather too.  Same with the dill seeds I planted.

About turnips . . .

Turnips are the most under-rated cruciferous vegetable in my opinion.  Probably along the same path with rutabagas.  I don't know anyone personally who even eats either of them, and you won't find them served in any area restaurants (in our area anyway).  You can find turnip greens at some restaurants.

(photo credit my husband)

Although it would be the best world to be able to grow everything we eat (or raise it), some of us cannot.  I have not grown turnips in several years, due to lack of tilled garden space, and lack of raised beds.  

I do buy our turnip greens, and for now, organic peas.  We have been him-hawing on when and how to add more raised beds, so we can grow more of both.

Turnip Greens are not just a healthy side, but high in fiber.  I have been doubling up on our vegetables lately, and mixing up the rotation, so we don't eat the same thing all week long.

I boiled my greens in a mix of organic chicken broth, water, a bit of bacon fat (you could use olive oil), salt and pepper.  At the end of cooking I added 1 minced clove of garlic for added health and flavor.

Greens are a healthy addition to a breakfast, and I add them to ours weekly.

Turnip Au Gratin (a newly tried recipe, and no breadcrumbs).  We love potatoes, but we do eat them in moderation.

I tried this recipe, in hopes to get some turnips in our rotation more often, and to also find a reason to plant them next year.

Funny story, we bought a flat of what we thought (and was told) was cauliflower, and when it all grew it ended up all kohlrabi,  We loved it, but we got so tired of eating so much of it ha ha!

Recipe stated to layer and season, but I tossed the sliced turnips in the seasoning, with 3 cloves of minced fresh garlic.  The thyme is from the herb garden.  I layered these with the cheese mixture, then poured the organic heavy cream over the top as the recipe stated (and covered it).  Oh, and I buttered the baking dish.

Results on the turnip recipe:  

Very good, but there were blips with this recipe.  First, the recipe stated bake covered for 25 minutes (375°F) then broil.  It was not done at that time. By the way, I used my thinnest slicing on the mandolin, so these turnips were very thin too.   I covered it and had to bake it for 1 1/2 hours.  I then researched roasted turnip recipes, and they use 400°F for one hour.  

The recipe is a keeper, but cook time will be higher. We loved this!  Turnip au Gratin (Low Carb Spark).

It was very good in the end, but the time in the oven is off with the temperature on the recipe.  I think more heavy cream was needed, and maybe one more minute of broil time.  Also, the recipe did not say to broil on high or low. 

It re-heats nicely, but it does not have a liquid-y base after that long of cooking.  However, my husband's first bite was "Wow! That's good!"

I'll keep looking for more new turnip recipes.  It was good, but a few flaws in the instructions on this one.  It would be a good side for grilling meats on the outdoor grill, but with a higher temperature to speed that baking process up.

By the way, I have put turnips in the crock pot, but with a mix of root vegetables and a sweet/butter glaze.

More Rain ~ Garden is Flooded ~ Turnips  ©  May 2025 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Long Weekend

 I had another long weekend, but productive.  My husband worked again (2 long 12 hour shifts), so I decided to tackle another big job while I could.  In reality, it was because we got more rain, and it's been raining every single day lately, so garden work was not happening anyway.

I emptied the entire standing cupboard that holds my canning pot, freezer containers (as they empty), extra canning jars, and all things homesteading that don't have place anywhere else.

A shelf had collapsed (it's the cheap wood type put-together-yourself type cabinet, but it works for now).  

I purged the entire thing, cleaned it, then moved it from the wall and cleaned behind it and under it, moved it back, re-organized it and prayed it will hold together a few more years.

I filled a box with items to take to the thrift store.

We have had some cooler weather lately.  Woke up to 42°F this morning. Brrr!  Some evenings are below 50 degrees.  There is rain in the forecast for the next 4 days.  It can all change, but we could use a slight break with the rain.  

Many of my herb plants are starting to flower.  Sage is about to bloom.

A few of our flower bed perennials are starting to bloom as well.

I picked yet some more asparagus.  One good thing about all of this rain.

                                     

I have not made time to open more than one library book.  The recipe above made me laugh.  Do you see it?  It was from a recipe book for foraging.  

Speaking of library books, I do need to get those looked at and returned.  They are all resource type books for foraging, fermenting, and wild cooking.  Not sure what I was thinking ordering so many books at once.

Speaking of books, I have carved out a few minutes to do some fiction reading.  I had to switch up books this time, as I needed a "palate cleanser" (reading refresher) to change things up a bit.  It's a short book, and so far I'm enjoying it.

Update on the Jalapeno Salt I made:

I have used it to season potatoes being prepared for a breakfast scramble.  I will try it on sweet potatoes next. Yum.

I also have been using it to season ground beef for tacos, and I recently used it to season the ground beef for a new recipe we tried - crock pot taco pasta.  So good!  By the way, we liked the recipe for the pasta, but it made more than I expected.  

There are several versions of the recipe online, but I had some leftover beef broth, so I used that up instead of chicken, and I added a rinsed and drained can of black beans.  Oh, I used frozen bell peppers and jalapenos from last years garden, and homemade taco seasoning.

Long Weekend  ©  May 2025 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

More Rain ~ Garden Prep

 I'm posting a bit late this morning.  I am so worn out and tired, and have not even planted the actual vegetable garden yet.  I got parsley planted in the herb garden, and I see my seeds that I planted for everything else are coming up nicely, other than feverfew.

I brought in more asparagus.  The one good thing about all this rain.  The rest of the fencing was pulled, so we can till the garden now.  Our tiller is not working (of course it's not), and my husband's work hours don't give him the time to fix it.  I have no clue what's wrong with it.  All we know is that we need the garden tilled, and the tiller fixed.  We may have to resort to hiring someone this garden season.

There were to be bad storms around midnight last night, so I ran around after garden work, laundry and did storm prep (in case we lose power).  If you have never had a property with a well, you won't know that if the power goes out, your well pump won't pump water (hence why people have hand pumps installed) - no water to water your animals, no water to wash dishes and clothes, no water to flush toilets etc.  I also charged batteries (runs a smaller generator), and any/and all chargeable lamp light bulbs, and lamps.  

I also took down my windmills, so they would not be destroyed by wind.  By the way, the mole chasing windmills do work.  My windmill out by the vegetable garden broke last year, and there were tunnels everywhere inside the garden.  When the windmill was up, there were no tunnels inside the garden (or within an area of where we put it).

The odd thing, is either the storm never came, or it wasn't as bad last night. Or we were both dead tired, ha ha!  Neither of us heard much.  It appears to be somewhat dry out too, and I do not see heavy puddles of water either.  

It got up into the 80's yesterday, with a heavy humidity in the air.  It should be a bit cooler today, but you never know.

In between work outside, I was running inside to fetch laundry to put on the clothesline, and cook a breakfast (had to thaw some sausage).  I am so glad I made my homemade facial toner.  As you can see if removes dirt from your face.  It's a very nice refresher when I come inside, and have to work a bit, then go back out.  If you haven't made it, the post is HERE (Butterfly Pea Flower Skin Toner) on this blog.

More Rain ~ Garden Prep   ©  May 2025 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Random Bits

 

(A Year of Positive Thinking, by Cundie Spiegel)

Picked this in the rain.  So thankful for the harvest.

I restocked our homemade condensed mushroom soup.  It is so good, it is so worth the time to make it and freeze it for quick access while cooking.  It's just shallots, fresh mushrooms, butter, a bit of flour, milk and vegetable broth, a bit of black pepper (organic/non-gmo ingredients) and that's it.  I always salt everything while cooking, so I do not add salt.  So good.  I would have had 5 "cans" in the freezer, but I ran out of shallots.

Current library loot.  I am so far behind on reading these, and/or simply looking for what I am looking for, that it's crazy.  I have been doing "stuff" and rather busy, despite rainy days.

Random Bits  ©  May 2025 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

This and That

 We have had three days of rain (again).  I for once, was happy for it, as I had planted flowers, and had a new tree and bush to plant.  I have not gotten to the point of dragging out all of my garden hoses, so it was a relief for the sake of everything being "watered" (including the garlic and asparagus).

The herb garden was ready for some rain too.  I have everything planted, other than buying a new parsley plant (cannot find my seeds).  

I have a bit more weeding to do, but for the most part, all is doing nicely.  

Oh, and it's been a terrible tick year here for us.  Although I make my own tick oil, and use it, I often forget.  I have come inside with a tick on me twice now.  Very unusual too.  I have a post it sticky note to remind me now (to apply the tick oil).  The wind can carry those buggers just about everywhere.

The keeper of the herb garden.  He was sitting in the chives, and there are stray oregano plants growing in them now.  I do need to dig those out soon.  I left him be, as I was working in another garden, yanking a fence to prep for tilling.

This is a truly "this and that" post today.

Speaking of asparagus....

We are continuing to harvest asparagus, thanks to the recent and current rain.  I, for sure, thought we were at the end of harvest, but the good Lord is still providing us some.

One of our meals made from the crockpot turkey breast - turkey a la king.  I made this is a crockpot as well, and it was fantastic.  I used homemade condensed mushroom soup, and other goodness.  I have to write down exactly how I made this, so we can make it again.  I topped it over a wild rice mix, that was cooked in leftover chicken broth I had to use up.

I have had to make some changes in my "intentional" exercise.  By intentional, I mean the exercises I do on purpose vs. the garden/yard/housework exercise.  I've been consistent with some stretching exercises for the last 6 months, and I'm glad I've stuck with it.  I have even taken my yoga mat while traveling too, along with exercise bands (no excuses).  I have found that the older we get, the more flexibility is a blessing in all day activities.  Plus you feel better all over at the end of the day. 

Garden work is easier and less physically stressful, climbing stairs is a piece of cake now, walking and hiking a longer lengths, and so forth.  Planting 3 flats of marigolds will give you the best glute work out of your life (you'll feel it the next morning, ha ha!).

Speaking of garden work. . . .

I was out and about, looking for something.  I can't recall, but it may have been my watering can.  Anyway, I saw something move up in the rafter and I swore it was a raccoon.  I slowly moved out of the barn, and looked back.  Ha ha ha ha ha!  It was our resident barn cat that adopted us.

Back story to this cat, is that I saw it a year ago, and the year before that, but only a few times.  One day it was pouncing in the taller grass in a nearby field chasing and eating mice.  I laughed and laughed.  

Next thing I know, there is a "gift" left at my front door (this was about a month ago).  I laughed and laughed.  If you have ever had a barn cat, this is a gift (sorry, but by gift, I mean remains, or part of remains, of their latest kill) to show their love and your dedication to feeding them.  I had left food out whenever I saw this cat.  We all got a laugh.  The cat is a very good hunter, lets just say that.  

I have yet to find out if the cat is a female or male, and to properly give it a name now.  My husband said we should call it "Spooky" for scaring the heck out of me (thinking it was a daytime meandering raccoon).

We have used free loose rocks from the homestead, to border the flower beds for almost 17-18 years now.  I'm now watching marketplace and other sites to look for actual landscaping stones to make flower bed prep much easier.  I'm down to two areas that need them (a form fitting, taller landscaping stone that holds the dirt and mulch inside).  Otherwise, every spring, I have to pull the rocks, push the dirt back, re-align the rocks, and tidy up the borders.  It still looks nice, we do plan to upgrade the borders.  Until then, the free rock border works.  Both areas are not an issue for the mower, so it's last to upgrade and make much less work.

We are eliminating our mailbox flower bed.  I have already removed all the rocks but a few, and we will be digging out the extra dirt to level it.  In the past we had a rose bush, but it brought too many bees to the mailbox. We tried annuals, but the care for it was way too close to the roadside, so we are just taking it out.  One less thing to take care of.

We have already seen our resident hummingbird, and I have actually seen a new one this year.  I have also seen two Boston orioles (very rare sight), and they have the prettiest song ever.  I just wish I could get a photo for you all.  They are both quick to fly here and there.

I recently finished this book.  It's a newer book, and much different than most that I read.  I really liked it. I still need to check my yarn scraps/stash and see if I have any matching yarn to crochet a book blanket granny square.  I am still behind on attaching some squares to the blanket.

This and That ©  May 2025 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Crazy Weather and Other Tidbits

 

What a whirlwind of weather here.  We got more rain (yes, more) yesterday, and a lot of wind.  It's a really brisk 33°F this morning here, and now they are saying we may just get up to 60°F. I had high hopes the 72°F forecast for today would be correct.  Brr!  We need dry days to dry up the garden to till, plant and get on with this garden season.  My word.

We are still enjoying stuffed bell peppers I froze last fall.  When you eat your garden goodies, it's hard to not want to grow a garden (although it was on the possible list to not grow one this year).

Thanks to the massive amounts of rain, I picked more asparagus (in the rain, ha ha!).  I do see a few more coming up to enjoy.  I also see new baby shoots from seeds randomly dropping last year.  Yay to that.

Let's talk herbs. . .

My husband bought me a tea mix months ago, and I have been enjoying it, but the flavor is not very strong.  I plan to start dehydrating this Spring, and mixing my own.  However, I have lemon balm and not lemon verbena.  

I do not know the medicinal differences of these.  I'll be doing some reading, to see if I need to plant a new herb, but in a pot, which means shopping for a new plant and pot.  To be honest, I don't even know that I have seen lemon verbena in the green houses. 

Despite rainy days, I have not had a lot of time to read nor do handiwork.  I finished a stack of hand crocheted dust cloths, one jar opener/gripper, one book, and one book blanket granny square.  The book was a random pick from a used book store.  One more off the home shelf. I am behind on the book blanket oddly.  Did I mention I was busy with all sorts of things going on?

Anyway, I hope to catch up with the book blanket and get the recent granny squares attached.  Meanwhile, I'm babying the indoor garden plants and having conversations about bountiful harvests.

I think the biggest part of my busyness is cooking and preparing meals here.  We eat all meals at home, zero out.  Some days I feel like I am in the kitchen all day long.

Eee-ghads!  I have found another book I want to read.  Sigh.  I currently have another started (off my shelf), and another ebook going at the same time.  To buy it?  To borrow it?  To check around with friends first?  Maybe I will make it a reward for finishing a few more shelf books, ha ha!

I have no current handiwork going.  I'm lacking the "sit" time, which is normal for Spring time here. I have a lot of garden work needing done soon too.

Crazy Weather and Other Tidbits  ©  May 2025 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Dehydrated Asparagus Powder (woody ends)

It's been raining here since last Thursday, so that makes 7 days of rain straight in a row.  Some days, partial day rain, and others full out thunderstorms. Some days it's been so cold we need jackets, so there has been no good time to work on the gardens (any of them).  A few days the rain has let up, and we got to see a teensy bit of sunlight, but most days have been misty, foggy, rainy, and gray skies.  Oh and colder.  I'm getting a wee bit concerned about planting the garden.  They posted a flood advisory Monday night.

The asparagus patch is about to the end of the harvest season for us.  Although the rain brought up a few more stragglers for us to enjoy.

 May started out with another new "first" for me.  I dehydrated the woody ends, leftover from the asparagus we recently prepared.  You can simply save them in the freezer for soup, but those bags can get buried easily.  Does anyone actually remember they are in the freezer?

I do not know anyone who has dehydrated their woody asparagus ends, so I did as much reading on this as I could find. 

Everything said to blanch the asparagus first, to break down the fiber, for better results.  One Youtube video said to not use an ice bath on the woody ends after blanching, so they would continue to "cook" on the trays as they dehydrate.

A lot of our very first asparagus planting grows up much thicker than the newest plantings, so I sliced those pieces smaller to dehydrate better.

I blanched the woody ends (not to waste them, or you could compost them too), and they were dehydrated, and then ground into a powder.

I'm storing it in a canning jar and vacuum sealing it for now, and adding to it as the asparagus rolls in.  I'm thinking cream of asparagus soup, adding it to any soup or stew, adding to any breakfast or dinner casserole, and it can even be added to homemade taco seasoning.  Nothing wasted, and nothing buried in the freezer.

Dehydrated Asparagus Powder (woody ends)  ©  May 2025 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

May Begins

May is an exciting month.  The calendar is filling up.  At least for me anyway.  

Our redbud trees are blooming.  I planted 24 gladiolus bulbs, 2 rosemary plants, and dug up and moved a few hostas to a new area that has a ton of shade.

I used my homemade jalapeno salt to flavor some scrambled eggs this time around.  So good!  I believe it will be a daily staple in our pantry now.

The garden plans are up in the air to be honest, but some things are slowly progressing.  My husband had one day off work  (had an appt), and of course it rained.  It was the only day we had together to till the garden(s). Go figure.

 May is the month we start planting the vegetables and fruits. We always wait until after Mother's Day (as a weather rule around here).  However, one year, we planted the entire garden, and went on a weekend trip, only for a late frost to swoop in and kill most of our plants.  

(new shoots coming up, planted two years ago)

The rhubarb is looking great, as well as our fall planted garlic.  The asparagus continues to provide (woohoo to that).  The herb garden is looking grand, and it will need cleaned up this month.  I'm looking forward to outdoor time once again.

May Begins  ©  May 2025 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

End of April

                 

I've been spring cleaning so to speak.  Really, the entire house needs swept and mopped, so I'm tackling one room a day when I can.  I am moving furniture and washing any rugs.   I have also been washing bed covers/comforters.   The weather is up and down for using the clothesline.

I pampered myself with a home hair treatment.  It saved me  $$ from going to the salon.  Well water is not my hair's best friend.  We all deserve to pamper ourselves.

Another "finish" for April - set of cotton hot pads to donate.

                             

The deer have started to roam the homestead, and we are not happy.  We have not gotten the fencing up (deer jump fence if it's too short).  There has not been time to do it. Heck, we haven't even had time to buy the rest of the supplies to get the job done. 

In the meantime, my garden solar alarms are up.  They will annoy the heck out of them until we can install a garden fence (on the 2nd garden area).

I may just get my donkey yet.  I already have a name picked out too.  They are great protectors, in case you are wondering.  They have legs that can kill a coyote.

Last Sunday we went back to colder weather, with a frost warning.  The morning started with a brisk 35°F.  Not unusual for us.  Monday was 39°F in the early morning, but we warmed up to the lower 70's.

Thankfully, I have the asparagus patch buried with straw for added protection, and it continues to provide for our meals.   I am almost out of all of the pesto I made last summer and froze.  

(chicken with basil pesto, potatoes and garden asparagus)

The freezer has swallowed the Thai basil pesto however.  I shall find it yet, ha ha!  I had it in the door to located quickly, but someone here moved it on me.  Anyway, we are down to that and some red pepper pesto.

By the way, I used my homemade jalapeno salt (first year to make and try this) in this easy egg/sausage/spinach breakfast casserole.  Delicious too.

April did not pass by without adventures, despite my husband's very long work hours.  We found joy in each day, added some new "first time" events to our lives, did a lot of outdoor walking, more small-ish homestead updates, did some foraging, read more books than April of last year, and was so thankful for everything (April of 2024 was a bit of a bummer). 

End of April   ©  April 2025 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart