Kogigu Squash An Heirloom Winter Squash

Anyone else having a  love affair with heirlooms?  So excited that there is a renewed interest in these incredible vegetables and fruits with a heritage and history.  I decided to do a weekly post highlight an heirloom I have grown and love. Part of what keeps me so engaged in gardening is the endless heirlooms available. Planting them is like transplanting a small piece of  culture and history in your own backyard.  In a few square feet are crops from all over the world.  Who needs to travel when your backyard is an exotic destination of world wide produce.

This exquisite squash is a Japanese tradition. Kogigu (c. moschato) is a prolific producer of 1 to 2 lb squash.  I love the deep ribs and waxy texture.  This little beauty starts out a deep rich green and as it ripens it turns an earthy brownish orange.  The flesh is a beautiful bright orange with a sweet fruity taste.  It is very fine grained.

Keeping quality is an amazing 8 months.  These Kogigu were harvested in September of 2017.  They have been stored in my garage.  Ideally you would not want temperatures to get below 50 degrees to get the longest storage life.  So fantastic that I can still enjoy the fruits of my labors in the garden mid January.

Give this one a try.  It does need room to sprawl but was very easy to grow.  It will cross with other squash in the c. moschato family which includes butternuts and Long Island Cheese.  The puree makes great pies and desserts.  They can be prepared using your favorite butternut squash recipe.

Generally c.moschato  are more insect and disease resistant and do well in hot humid summers.  Check out Baker Creek Rare Seeds to purchase and start saving your own seeds.

Growing Pomegranates

The pomegranate is one of the oldest fruits but only recently has it become the super hero of the super foods.  A small valley in southern Nevada has been growing these delicious ruby red jewels for generations.  Moapa Valley consists of the towns of Overton and Logandale. Until the pomegranate's recent popularity, very few people had tasted or were familiar with the pomegranate.  Since 2005, Moapa Valley began hosting the Pomegranate  Art Festival. Pomegranate jelly, syrup, and juice are the focus of this festival. Artisans and craftsmen sell a variety of crafts and art.  It's a wonderful event giving the pomegranate a weekend of fame and focus.

What is a Pomegranate?

While many people have tried pomegranate juice, many have not had the pleasure of eating the fruit fresh. The word pomegranate is from the Latin word "pom um granatum" and means "apple of many seeds."  That is a pretty accurate description.  They have a leathery skin of red or pink.  They have a crown- like calyx on the bottom. The fruit is technically a berry.   The seeds are encased in a juicy sac called an aril.  The arils are in compartments separated by membranes and pith. Pomegranates range in size from 21/2 to 5 inches in diameter.  There are sour and sweet varieties.  The sweet pomegranates are pale pink and white while the sour pomegranates are a beautiful ruby red.

Growing Pomegranates

Pomegranates are easy to grow in the right climate.  They do best in areas with dry, hot summers.  Zone 8-10.  They need high temperatures during fruiting to develop flavor.  They are very long lived bushes. They require full sun.  To maximize fruit production, avoid overcrowding bushes.

Pomegranates are a large bush from 12 to 16 feet tall.  They sucker from the crown and have stiff and sometimes spiny branches.  Very little pruning is necessary.  Basically remove dead and damaged wood.  They fruit on the tips of the branches.

They have minimal fertilizing requirements and are drought tolerant when established.  Fertilizing in early spring with bone meal and compost are helpful for good fruit production.  While drought tolerant, irrigating will benefit fruit production also.

Pomegranates are relatively free of most pests and diseases.

Health Benefits of Pomegranates

The powerful antioxidant,  punicalagin, is what gives the pomegranates its fantastic health benefits.  Antioxidants help guard against free radicals which cause oxidation resulting in tissue and organ damage. The pomegranate is also loaded with Vitamin C and other antioxidants.

Some health benefits of pomegranates:

• Anti-cancerous
• Builds immune system
• Lowers cholesterol
• Lowers blood pressure
• Relieves inflammation, arthritis, and joint pain
• Inhibits platelet aggregations that many lead to heart attack, stroke, and embolisms

Harvesting pomegranates

Pomegranates are ripe around 60 days after they bloom.  The fruit matures in the heat of summer. They are ready to harvested in late October. Some say they are ripe when they have a metallic ring to them when tapped.  Cut the fruit off the bush to avoid damage to the limbs.

Using Pomegranates

Pomegranates can be eaten fresh.  They are delicious. Score the leathery skin and break them apart.  Pomegranate juice stains so do this over a bowl with an apron on.  You can add a little cream or cool whip for a nice pomegranate salad. But honestly they are delicious fresh. They can also be added to any salad.  

Pomegranates can also be juiced and the juice  can be used fresh or added to other juices. You can drink the juice fresh without adding any sweetener for a healthy and delicious juice. The juice can also be used to make jelly and syrup.

The lighter colored pomegranates are sweet and the dark red the sour variety.

Juicing is a messy business and best done outside. My family used a neighbor's homemade juicer powered by a  tractor.  My husband is already figuring out how to make a cider press and pomegranate juicer powered by our backhoe.  Sounds interesting!  A heavy duty, metal citrus juicer works for a small scale juicing. It needs to be made of non-corrosive metal.

The juice my family did this year was a combination of sweet and sour pomegranates and was absolutely delicious.  No sweetener is needed.

Pomegranate jelly is a favorite in our household.  We always save some of the juice for a couple batches of jelly. 

Pomegranate Jelly

Concord Grape Jelly

If you liked store bought grape jelly, you will love making your own from vine ripe grapes! This is an amazing jelly sure to be a family favorite.

 

Juicing Grapes and Other Soft Fruits

1.  Wash the grapes and stem them.

2.  As you stem them put them in a quart measuring cup.  With each quart of fruit you will need to add 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of water to a sauce pan.

3.  Bring fruit to a boil, turn it down and let it simmer. As the fruit softens mash with a potato masher.

4. Strain the softened fruit through a dampened jelly bag or through a Victorio Sauce Maker and let the juice drain into a bowl

5.  I put this juice in a half gallon jar and let it set overnight in the refrigerator.  Grape juice has a lot of sediment that you don't want in your jelly.  It will make it look cloudy.

6.  The next day in a large measuring bowl put food grade cheese cloth over the top and hold it in place with a rubber band.  Without shaking or stirring contents of juice pour the juice through the cheesecloth.  You will need 4 cups of juice.  Do not pour out the sediment that settled to the bottom.

Making Concord Grape Jelly

4 cups of Concord grape juice
7 cups of sugar
1 pouch of liquid pectin

Mix the juice and sugar in a large saucepan.  Bring it to a boil and add the liquid pectin.  Return to a full rolling and boil for 1 minute.

Skim the foam off the top. There is a lot of foam with this jelly so do not double the recipe and use a large pot. Ladle jelly into hot sterile half pint jelly jars.  Adjust two piece caps.  Process in a water bath canner for 10 mins.  At 5000 ft add another 10 minutes.

When the time is up turn off the heat and remove the lid of the canner.  Wait another 10 minutes before removing jars from the canner.  Let them rest till cool on the counter.

This makes a beautiful, clear jelly that is so delicious.

 "Wish I hadn't Done That!" Wisdom

After the juice has settled for a day, do not use milking filters to strain the juice.  I tried this and it barely dripped through the filter. It would have taken days to filter. I recommend cheese cloth.

Carrots

 

Carrots

I love digging carrots. The smell of rich fertile soil and the sweet aroma  makes digging these  bright orange or deep purple tapered roots enjoyable.  After growing your own carrots, store bought carrots will seem bland and mealy.  A fresh carrot is sweet and so crisp.  This is one versatile crop I can't plant enough of.

Tips for Growing Great Carrots 

• Carrots grow best in a soil free of clods and stones. The roots twist if the soil is rocky. 
• Incorporate lots of organic matter. 
• Do not use fresh manure it causes hairy roots.
•  Excessive nitrogen will also cause hairy roots. 
• Moisture fluctuations cause root disorders, slow leaf development, and bitterness.
• Carrots germinate best when soil temperatures are 55-65
• Poor germination results if temperatures are above 80 degrees
• Carrots taste and grow best if they mature quickly before the heat of summer.
• They do not like to be water stressed and need thorough watering

Planting:

Some people have difficulty getting carrots to germinate.  They can be a bit temperamental.  Carrots need to be planted shallow and kept moist.  They are slow to germinate.  Plant by mixing with sand or peat moss and broadcasting over the soil.  This method will require thinning.  If you are not a fan of thinning then run  your finger in a line in the soil. Sprinkle seeds in tiny little furrow you made and gently brush a little soil over seeds. Do not plant too deeply. The seeds will not germinate if allowed to dry out so water frequently especially on a windy day. This is what makes them temperamental especially if you have winds that dry out the top layer of soil. To prevent drying out it is helpful to cover the area with a row cover or weed clothe until germination.  You can water right over the clothe.  Just be sure that you remove it when they begin to germinate. The clothe warms soil in addition to preventing the soil from drying out in the wind Continue to water at least 2x a day until seedlings are one inch high then you can reduce watering to once a day. 

Succession plant every two weeks in spring and then again in late summer for fall and winter crops. This will give you a continual harvest.

Harvesting:

Carrots are harvested when roots begin to size up between 70-100 days.  Use a digging fork or hand trowel to loosen the soil or the carrots will break off.  Trim tops to 1”, brush dirt off and they store well in the refrigerator for months. Do not wash before storing unless extremely muddy. Do not store with apples or pear which give off a gas that makes the roots go bitter.  Most root crops store very well in the vegetable bin of your refridgerator.  Follow the same procedure for beets, parsnips, and turnips. If you are fortunate to have a cool basement or root cellar they are a great long term storage crops.  When it comes to storage not all carrots are equal to the task.  Let's learn about a few varieties and types of carrots. 

Varieties:

Most do well. My favorites are Sweetness III, Sugarsnax, Tendersweet,  Red Cored Chantenay, Cosmic Purple (only the skin is purple),  Parisian carrots are a fun round stubby carrot which is very sweet. Purple Dragon is a gorgeous dark purple carrot all the way through and very sweet.  A good heirloom is St. Valery.  Mokum is a good juicing carrot

Uses:  Nothing beats eating garden fresh carrots, but they are also a great crop for long term storage and have numerous ways they can be preserved.  They can  be juiced and added to smoothies. You can steam carrots or roast them with other root crops.  They can be pressure canned and pickled in a water bath canner.

Good Companions:  Chives, Garlic, Leeks, Leaf Lettuce, Onions, Parsley, Peas, Radish, Rosemary, Sage, Beets, Tomatoes.  Dill is not a great companion for carrots.

Nutrition: One 7 inch long carrot has only 35 calories and supplies 270% of Vitamin A and 10% of vitamin C.

Types of Carrots:

The roots of carrot varieties vary in the way they grow, their storage life, and taste.  They are classified as Chantenay, Danvers, Imperator, Nantes, and miniatures.  The following is fro USU Extension office.

Chantenay:
55 – 70 days, Cone shaped with broad shoulders and rounded tips.  Rich, sweet flavor.  Good storage . 

Danvers:
70 – 80 days, Thick rooted cylindrical shape, with yellowish cores.  Good for juicing and storing          
Imperator:
55-100 days, Long tapered roots with stocky shoulders.  Store well. Processes well and holds flavor 
       
Nantes:
55-70 days Straight roots 5-7 inches long.  Sweet flavor and crisp texture.  Limited storage but exceptional for fresh eating.
    
Miniature:
50-60 days     Less than 5 inches long can be cylindrical.  Quite sweet.  Difficult to peel.  Limited Storage 

I suggest planting a variety to use for fresh eating, processing, and storing.  You won't be disappointed.



Here's a link to some good carrot recipes.  Carrots are great with other  root crops so be sure to try the roasts root crop recipe.

Root Crop Recipes

Blackberry Preserves

Just the name preserves takes you back in time to the county fair blue ribbon contest and great-grandma's kitchen. Imagine big delicious whole blackberries that mound up on toast, scones, or homemade bread. 

Most people are unfamiliar with preserves.  Unlike a jam or jelly, a preserve is prepared to maintain the natural shape of the whole fruit or berry.  It is a soft spread with whole pieces of fruit or berries suspended in a thick syrup. The fruit is neither chopped or crushed in a preserve.

To make the best preserves the berries should be fresh and fully ripe.  Most blackberries from the supermarket are underripe so hopefully you have your own berry patch or a neighbor willing to part with some homegrown berries.

Because the berries are left whole, one key to successful preserves is to replace the air and part of the liquid in the cells of the berries with sugar.  This is reason for combining the berries with sugar, allowing them to set and macerate for a while.  During this time, the fruit absorbs some of the sugar and releases some juice allow the berry to better maintain its shape.

Another pointer, each batch needs to be prepared separately.  Do not double the recipe.

Blackberry Preserves

Make 6-7 half pints

7 cups whole firm, ripe fresh blackberries

6 1/2 cups of sugar

1/2 tsp unsalted butter

1 (3oz) pouch liquid pectin

1.  Rinse the fresh berries in cool water and drain well

2.  In a large pot, alternately  layer the black berries and about half the sugar called for in the recipe.

3.  Let this stand for 1 hour.

4.  Place the pot over medium heat, stirring frequently  and heat the mixture until the sugar is partially dissolved.

5.  Add the remaining sugar 1 cup at a time stirring gently between each addition.

6.  Heat until the sugar is completely dissolved.  Stir in the butter.

7.  Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly.

8.  Stir in the contents of the pectin pouch.

9.  Boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.

10.  Remove the pan from the heat and skim off any foam.

11. To prevent floating fruit, allow the preserves to cool 5 minutes before filling the jars.

12. Ladle the preserves into hot jars, leaving 1/4 head space.

13.  Wipe jar rims and threads with a clean, damp cloth and put heated lids and rings on.

14.  Process half- pint jars in a water bath canner for 10 minutes add an additional 10 minutes for high altitude.  Pint jars process for 15 minutes plus altitude time adjustment.

Enjoy these delicious preserves on bread, waffles, pancakes, or even ice cream.

Summer Heirlooms

Danish Bullhead cabbage is a strain of an old
Danish Amager variety

Heirloom tomatoes are usually the star of the summer garden.  However there are some less mentioned heirlooms that are proven winners in the garden and worth a try. These heirlooms make their appearance before tomatoes and some can be replanted for a fall garden.

Cour di Bue an old European ox heart type cabbage.

Perfection Savoy Cabbage a pre- 1885 cabbage originating from France.  Beautiful crumply leaves needs room to grow.

Yellow Pencil Pod beans are a favorite wax bean heirloom introduced in 1900's. Stringless and delicious.  Also Royal Burgundy bush beans.  A beautiful deep purple unfortunately they turn green when cooked but they  a stunning.

Jalepenos and Anaheim chili peppers are both very well known heirlooms.

Black Beauty zucchini heirloom is a compact ever bearing bush type.  Fordhook squash is also a classic dark green zucchini.

 Patisson Golden Marbre Scallop harvest young as a summer squash when its tender or left to mature and harvested as a winter squash.

Detroit beets, a classic heirloom, have been around since 1892 known for large smooth roots as well as greens. Golden beets, a personal favorite, are a 1828 heirloom that is exceptional sweet.  If your are not a big fan of red beets definitely give this one a try.

St Valery carrots are a reliable heirloom.

Waltham broccoli is a consist producer with exceptional flavor when grown in the fall.

Purple Vienna kohlrabi a lesser known and appreciated member of the cole family with tender sweet bulbs.