Homemade Salves

Salves are thickened ointments used to treat skin issues such as rashes, minors burns, bites ecezma, inflammation, and cuts.  They are easy to make using infused oil, beeswax, and essential oils.  

How To Make Infused Oil

Infused oils are carrier oils such as almond oil, coconut oil, apricot kernel oil, grape seed oil, or olive oil that have been infused with one or more herbs.  They can be purchased, but if you grow herbs they are easy to make.  All you need is a mason jar, oil of your choice, and  dried herbs hopefully from your garden. Use dried herbs to infuse oils because  the water content of fresh herbs does not mix with the oil and introduces spoilage.  If using fresh herb I suggests that you fresh wilt the herbs before infusing them in the oil.  To fresh wilt herbs,  spread them out on a tray in the sunlight for several hours until wilted. (Medicinal Herbs, Rosemary Gladstar)

Gently crush the herbs and fill the jar half full.  Fill the jar with the infused oil making sure to cover the herbs.  Cover the jar with muslin or cheese cloth which are both breathable. Place in a sunny window for 2-4 weeks.  Periodically stir the jar.  When you are satisfied with the oil, strain the oil through layers of cheese cloth and store in an air tight jar.

 Store oil in the refrigerator to prevent it from going rancid. Make small quantities more frequently so the oil is fresh.

Herbs To Infuse for cosmetics and medicinal purposes:

Calendula, Lavender, Rosemary, Rose, Mullien Leaf, Lemon Balm, Chamomile

Beeswax

Beeswax is a thickener with anti-inflamatory and anti-oxidant benefits.  It puts a protective layer over the wound and holds moisture in the skin.  If you are fortunate enough to have bees you can use your own beeswax or purchase pellets from the health food store.

Essential Oils

Essential oils are concentrated plant extracts.  Some good choices for salves are lavender, melaleuca (tea tree oil), bergamot, or Roman chamomile.  

Skin Soothing Salve Recipe

• Make the infused oil.
• For each cup of infused oil add 1/4 cup beeswax.  
• Heat over low heat stirring occasionally
• 3-5 drops of lavender or essential oil of choice

Consistency Test 

Place 1 tablespoon of salve on a plate in the freezer for a minute or two.  Check the firmness of the salve.  Add oil to soften and beeswax to thicken.

I like to store in small glass jars but tins also work. Store in a cool dark place.  Remember it is an oil and can go rancid so use it.

Calendula Salve

1 cup calendula infused oil

1/4 cup grated beeswax

4-6 drops lavender essential oil

If you want color add a pinch of tumeric root powder

Follow instructions above.  Use to treat rashes, wounds, cuts, diaper rash, cradle cap, aches (Medicinal Herbs by Rosemary Gladstar)

Root Crop Recipes

 Roasted Vegetables

Cube any of the following vegetables you have available to you.

• Potatoes
• Carrots (it's fun to use orange, red, and purple varieties.  Dragon's Tongue is a favorite that is purple all the way through)
• Beets both red and golden 
• Quarter an onion

You can also add mushrooms, rutabagas, cabbage, or peppers if you like

Mix:  
Oil (Olive, avocado, or grape-seed oil)
garlic powder, oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, or your favorite herb combo

Pour over the vegetables, stir, and dump into a sheet cake pan.  Top with Parmesan cheese towards the end of roasting.  Roast at 425 until tender.  It takes around 45 minutes.  I love this dish.  You can be creative with the seasonings and vegetables you use. One of my favorite side dishes and everything is from the garden.

Purple Viking potatoes, Golden beets,  red beets, Dragon Tongue purple carrots, and orange carrots. Such a colorful dish.

Rutabaga Souffle

2 cups cubed rutabaga

1/2 tsp sugar

2 eggs, separated

2 Tbs butter

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup sour cream

Buttered breadcrumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

• Boil rutabagas and sugar in a saucepan until tender.  Drain and mash rutabagas.
•  Beat egg yolks and add to rutabaga with salt, pepper and sour cream
• Beat the egg yolks and add to the mixture
• Put in a buttered casserole dish. 
• Top with buttered breadcrumbs
• Bake at 350 F for  30 minutes

Recipe from Capper's Farmer Magazine

Cheese Carrots

20 carrots sliced

1 small grated onion

1/4 cup of butter

1/4 cup of flour

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp dried mustard

1/4 tsp celery salt

2 cups milk

1/2 lb American cheese, sliced

1 cup breadcrumbs

• Cook carrots in a saucepan until fork tender
• Saute onion in butter
• Stir in flour, salt, pepper, mustard, and celery salt stirring until thickened
• Arrange layer of carrots and cheese slices in a casserole dish
• Pour sauce over the top
• Sprinkle with bread crumbs
• Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes

Recipe from  Capper's Farmer Magazine 

Glazed Carrots

Carrots, Julian cut

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup water

1/4 sugar

• Melt butter in a saucepan
• Add water and sugar
• Add carrots
• Bring to boil reduce heat, cover, and simmer until tender

This is a family favorite! Love, love theses!

  To learn how to grow and harvest root crops check out the link below.

Fall Root Crops 

Keeping a Garden Journal

"There is a popular belief abroad in this country that holds that the most interesting things in the natural world can only be found in faraway places or specifically 

designated areas."

John Mitchell, A Field Guide To Your Own Backyard

My favorite place to visit is my own backyard. I've always been intrigued with the small miracles and amazing beauty all around me. Maybe that's why I'm a gardener. I love to be apart of the creation process. Each season has it's own beauty and mystery. In New Harmony, spring fields become an ocean of rye grass rolling like waves in the wind. What would summer be without fields of sunflowers following the sun in its path across the sky? Fall with its vivid colors of gold, red, yellow, and brown and everything preparing to rest for a season. And finally winter with dried seed heads, barren branches, and the red hills of Kolob sprinkled with snow.

Mother's day snow storm

So one of my goals as a gardener is to better understand the relationship of seasons, bloom times, weather and the appearance of pests and disease. I believe a lot can be learned from simply observing and pondering God's creations and their connections with each other.

"The naturalist wanders with an inquiring eye, pauses, ponders, notes the bloom of a prairie pasqueflower. It is a tradition that goes back to Aristotle and earlier; observing and identifying earth's syriad life forms, and discovering the connections that bind them. For those with such interests, said British, naturalist Miriam Rothschild, "life can never be long enough."
                              John Hay











A garden is an never ending, ever changing story and adventure. Keeping a garden journal helps you understand and write that story. No two seasons are ever the same. And there is something to learn from each season.





                                                                  My backyard


There are so many reasons people begin the gardening experience. Whether it is for the beauty of flowers, to create an outdoor living area, for food production, to help with the family budget, eat healthier, grow organically, build a food supply, exercise, or just to enjoy the outdoors, a journal can help you be more successful. Think you'll always remember the name of your favorite tomato that did so well in your garden or the place you bought that hard to find seed? Chances are that the long days of winter may cause some memory loss; so why not record important information in a journal.








A journal can be as elaborate or simple as you have time for and interest in. To date, my garden journal has been more of a record of what I plant, where it's planted and when I planted a particular seed or transplant. It includes boxes in my garden with a layout of the seasons plantings. I also have a a somewhat disorganized digital journal of pictures on my computer of my flowerbeds, gardens, and wildflowers to remind me of what blooms when. When I visit places, I include pictures of plantings that I find stunning and absolutely must try. Good landscaping is an art to me. I also love getting ideas for hardscaping.








So what can you include in a garden journal?

• Sketches, if you have that talent.
• Garden layout
• Record of what is planted where
• Monthly record of what is blooming
• Monthly record of pests that arrive in you garden
• Record any beneficial insect activity
• Organic spray record
• Harvest records including dates and quantities
• Observations about the season including weather etc.
• Record of disease issues and the weather conditions that may have precipitated the disease
• Plant combinations you enjoy
• Inspirational thoughts
• Favorite books or blogs
• Garden advice
• Favorite garden links
• Dates and corresponding soil temperatures so you know when to plant

What Type of Journal?

• Three ring binder which can include clear pockets to save important info such as directions for mixing sprays, plant tags so you remember the name, and seed packets
• A regular journal
• Digital journal on your computer

                                                           
                                                          My raised bed gardens- May 2015

Practical Reasons to Keep a Journal


Insect growth and development is determined by degree days. Degree days are a way to measure insect growth based on daily temperatures. Each insect has a low and a high temperature at which it cannot grow. Temperatures within the ideal range are times the insect will grow and develop. This is important in timing sprays and monitoring for pests especially in an orchard.


There are ideal times to apply fertilizers or pre-emergent weed control. The organic lawn fertilizer and weed control is suppose to be applied when the forsythia blooms. If I know when that is I can make sure I have it purchased to apply.


Perhaps the best reason is- if you are passionate about cultivating the land, you ought to record your wisdom and knowledge and experience to perhaps someday inspire others.


Thomas Jefferson, a Founding Gardener, shared what many feel.....


"I have often thought that if heaven had given me choice of my position and calling, it should have been on a rich spot of earth, well watered, and near a good market for the productions of the garden. No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden. Such a variety of subjects, some one always coming to perfection, the failure of one thing repaired by the success of another, and instead of one harvest a continued one through the year. But though an old man, I am a young gardener"(August 20, 1811, to Charles W. Peale)

Amazing Sweet Relish

 

This sweet relish is a family favorite!  There are so many ways to use it.  We add it to tuna with mayo for sandwiches or to scoop up with a cracker.  I'm going to share a macaroni salad using this sweet relish that is a  family favorite.  You can put it on hot dogs, hamburgers, sandwiches, or as an appetizer on crackers and cheese.

Some important info when pickling:

• Use stainless steel pots and utensils
• Only use canning salt not table salt
• Use distilled water for the brine

Recipe (Ball Blue Book)

Yield 8 half pint jars or 4 pints.  I double this when making it.

• 1 quart chopped pickling cucumbers
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup canning or pickling salt
• 3 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 Tbs celery seed
• 1 Tbs mustard seed
• 2 cups Apple Cider vinegar at least 5% acidity
• Ball pickle crisp (optional)

Prep:  Wash and trim ends off of cucumbers. I use a multi chopper for cucumbers, peppers and onion.  It makes even dices and is fast. 

Multi Chopper

 

Combine cucumbers, peppers, and onions in a large bowl.  Sprinkle pickling salt over and cover with distilled water for 2 hours.

Drain vegetables. Rinse under cold water.  This removes the salt.

Cook:  Combine sugar, spices, and vinegar in a large saucepan.  Bring mixture to a simmer, add vegetables and simmer 10 minutes.

Fill:  Pack hot relish into hot jar leaving 1/2 inch head space.  Add 1/16 teaspoon Pickle Crisp to half pint jars or 1/8th to pint jars.

Remove air bubbles.  Clean jar rim.  Center lid on jar and adjust band.  Place jar on rack in canner with simmering water.  Process for 10 minutes adjusting for altitude by adding the time below for your altitude.

1000-3000 5 minutes

3001-6000 10 minutes

6001-8000 15 minutes

8001-10,000 20 minutes

Place jar on the rack in boiling water canner with simmering water.

Process:  Water in the canner must cover jars by 1 inch.  Turn off heat and remove cover.  Remove canner lid and leave for 10 minutes.  Remove jars from canner.  Cool and then remove lids to store.

Macaroni Salad

1 cup elbow macaroni

3/4 cup cubed cheddar cheese

1/2 cup thinly sliced celery

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup thinly sliced radishes (optional)

2 Tbs thinly sliced green onions or 2 Tbs diced onions

1/2 cup mayo

1/4 to 1/2 cup sweet pickle relish

2 Tbs milk

2 Tbs mustard

1/4 tsp salt

Dash of pepper

2-3 hard boiled eggs coarsely chopped

Cook pasta and rinse with cold water.  In a large bowl combine cooled pasta, cheese, celery, peas, radishes and onions.

Mix dressing in a small bowl: mayo, relish, milk, mustard, salt and pepper.

Pour dressing over pasta.  Add chopped eggs and lightly mix.  Chill for 4 hours and serve. (Better Homes and Garden Cook Book)

 

This Multi Chopper is in my top 10 favorite gadgets.  It makes dicing onions, peppers, cucumbers  for canning a quick and easy.  It has other blades and uses that you will love.

Preparing the Garden for a Freeze

 The weather forecast predicts a early fall freeze and your garden is still going strong.  What can you do?  What should you do?

Understanding frosts and freezes is the first step.

What is a frost?

According the Farmer's Almanac, “Frost” refers to the layer of ice crystals that form when water vapor on plant matter condenses and freezes without first becoming dew.

• Light Freeze:  29-32 degrees, tender plants killed

• Moderate Freeze:  24-28,  widely destructive to most plants

• Hard Freeze:  24 and colder with heavy damage

• Many plants can survive a brief frost, but very few can survive a hard freeze. 

Late planting of spinach will be covered and so delicious after a frost.

Primary Image

Covering Your Crops

The easiest way to protect plants from frosts is to cover them with a blanket or row cover. This material traps the heat to keep plants warmer.  Is it worth your time? Yes, sometimes an early freeze is a freak incident and there are many days of great weather and gardening to follow.

• Row covers are made of non-woven polyester. Garden stores will sell “row covers” of different weights or thickness. I like to purchase a roll and cut to the size I need.
• Bed sheets, fabric drop cloths, or medium-weight fabric will also make suitable covers for vulnerable plants. Do not use plastic. 
• Drape loosely to allow for air circulation. Do not let the material rest on the plants. Use cages or stakes to keep off the plants.
• Secure to ground with rocks or bricks or stakes to keep the covering from blowing off.
• Keep sheets or row covers at the ready, stored somewhere dry, neatly rolled up and off the ground. 
• It’s best to have all covers in place well before sunset 
• Before you cover the plants in late afternoon or early evening, water your plants lightly. Moist soil retains more heat.

• Remove any covers by mid-morning so that plants can get full exposure to the warming sunlight.

Row Covers

How a Frost Affects Crops 

Summer crops will not generally do well in any frost or freeze, so the best thing to do is to pick as much as possible and clean out the garden beds.  If it is a light freeze and you want to try to save a few plants you can cover them with a row cover which will add a few degrees of protection.

Dried beans should be picked when brittle.

Tender crops

The following vegetables are damaged by light frost. They should be protected from frost or harvested before frost.
Beans
Cucumber
Eggplant
Muskmelon
Okra
Pepper
Pumpkin
Squash, summer
Squash, winter
Sweet corn
Sweet potato
Tomato
Watermelon

Very Tender crops to pick:

• Peppers are very tender.  Good news is regardless of the size and color you can pick all you peppers and dry or freeze them
• Muskmelons if not ripe meaning they slip from the vine, will not ripen after being picked.  Feed unripe melons to chickens or livestock
• Watermelons will also Not ripen after being picked so dispose of in the compost or feed to livestock.
• Herbs such as basil are very tender so you can clip stems and dehydrate or freeze dry.
• Pumpkins need to be picked and stored in a garage until the freeze is over.  Then the ripe ones whose rinds you cannot piece with your fingernail can be cured and stored.  Unripe can be used to decorate for fall and to feed to livestock.

Storing Pumpkins and Winter Squash

• 
  
  
  Summer squash needs to be picked and pulled.  By now you are probably happy to not see any more zucchini, right?

• Tomatoes:  pick all ripe and partial ripe tomatoes.  Pick mature green tomatoes with no white that are shiny and firm. Reffer to the post below on how to ripen green tomatoes.  There are also many canning recipes using green tomatoes.  Also save seeds from some of you heirloom tomatoes.

Ripening Green Tomatoes

This can also be the colors of fall as you pick the last peppers and tomatoes before a frost.

• Green beans:  pick all green beans and process as you desire.  When pull green beans you can clip the stalks and leave the roots in the ground.
• Dried Beans:  If you are not growing beans to use as dried beans you should.  They are an easily healthy crop the stores well.  These can be used to eat and as next years seeds. Remove all brittle dried pods.  If the pod is not completely dried do not bother picking because they aren't viable or ready to store.
• Cucumbers:  Pick any that are large enough and remove vines.

 

Hardy Vegetables (Frost hardy; below 28° F):

Can withstand freezing temperatures and hard frosts for short periods without injury.
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Collards
Horseradish
Kale
Kohlrabi
Mustard Greens
Onion (sets and seeds)
Parsley
Peas
Radish
Rutabaga
Spinach 

Turnips

 

Swiss Chard a cool season crop that does great in the summer heat and cooler fall weather.

Broccoli and cabbage all tolerate light frost.  You can harvest the cabbage and cauliflower at any size.  Broccoli can be left to have harvests of side shoots

Kale loves a light freeze and it actually sweetens up the kale.

Frost-Tolerant Vegetables (can withstand light frost; 28 to 32° F):

Beet
Carrot
Cauliflower
Celery
Chard
Chinese Cabbage
Endive
Jerusalem artichoke
Lettuce
Onion, garlic, chives
Parsnips
Potatoes
Rhubarb

Root crops such as carrots, beets, rutabagas, radishes, parsnips can be covered with a row cover or mulch around.  They should be fine unless the ground freezes. They actually sweeten up after a light frost.

You want to cover potatoes with layer of mulch or the best option is to dig potatoes cure and store them.

How to Store Potatoes

Purple Viking my favorite potato.  White fleshed and so yummy!

Red La Soda potatoes best disease free red potatoes

There are other factors that can influence whether your garden will experience a frost.  The location makes a difference.  Gardens on slopes are less affected than gardens in the lowest spot on your property.  Slopes allow cold air to move on down the slope and settle in the lowest spot.

If your garden is near wall or the house that can radiate heat that will also temper the cold air.

Wind is beneficial in moving cold air.  If the day was sunny and warm you are less liking to experience extremes. Cloud cover keeps temperatures warmer also.

For most people they are content to move on and let the first frost claim victory over the garden and welcome in the cooler weather.  Either way be gratitude for the harvest you enjoyed and embrace all the finicky weather that fall brings.

Apple Preserves Recipe

 

While most people associate "preserves" as any type or method of preserved food, there are actual preserves.  Preserves are soft spreads made from small whole fruit such as strawberries or cherries or large whole fruit such as peaches, apples, and apricots.  In preserves the fruit is evenly distributed throughout the jar in a clear, thick syrup.  True preserves are prepared in a way to maintain the shape of the whole fruit.

Apple preserves are one of my favorite.  These preserves are delicious on crepes, pancakes, waffles, muffins, ice cream, toast, scones, and on a plain cake with cool whip.  They are good enough to eat out of the jar!  So to clarify a jam has small bits of fruit while preserves are packed with big chunks of fruit or whole fruit. 

They are absolutely delicious!

I slice the apples then peel the skin and put them in a solution of lemon juice and water.

Special Tips

Because the fruit is left whole or in large pieces, the key to success is to replace the air and part of the liquid in the cells of the fruit with with sugar.  Dense fruits or fruits cut into large pieces are usually combined with sugar and set aside to macerate for a few hours.  During this process the fruit releases juices and absorbs sugar.  When cooked, sugar loaded fruit softens and becomes transparent.  The fruit will maintain its shape without becoming mushy. (Blue Ribbon Preserves, Linda J Amendt)

The addition of butter to preserves and other canning recipes reduces the foam (air that becomes trapped in the juice during cooking and rises to the surface) This foam should be removed before adding preserves to canning jars.  This prevents air bubbles in your jars and a cloudy appearance.  Alway use unsalted butter in canning.

Floating fruit is often an issue when you want the fruit evenly distributed. Do not invert jars after canning.  Instead remove the stock pot of preserves from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes before filling the jars.  Use a plastic knife to remove air bubbles and help distribute the fruit, pushing some to the bottom of the jar.  

Apple Preserves

Now to our recipe!  Apple pie fans will love apple preserves because its like apple pie in a jar.  Your house will smell delicious when canning these preserves.

Make About 6 half-pint jars

7 cups cored, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch think tart cooking apples (7-9 large apples)

1 cup apple juice

2 Tbs strained fresh lemon juice or bottled lemon juice

1/2 tsp unsalted butter

5 cups sugar

1 (3 ounce) pouch liquid pectin

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg (optional if you like nutmeg)

Recipe from Blue Ribbon Preserves

• Combine peeled and sliced apples, apple juice, lemon juice, and butter.
• Over medium heat, bring the apple mixture to boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes this replaces air in the fruit with sugar. If you used cooking apples they will maintain their shape
• Add the sugar, 1 cup at a time stirring very gently between each addition.
• Heat until the sugar is completely dissolved.
• Increase heat bring mixture to a boil.  Stir in contents of pectin pouch.
• Return to a full boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Remove from heat, skim foam off and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
• Add cinnamon and nutmeg stirring gently
• Gently stir to distribute fruit.  Ladle into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch head space.
• Wipe rims and threads with a damp cloth.  Apply lids and screw rings.
• Process half pints for 10 minutes, add 10 minutes if above 5000 ft altitude
• Process pints for 15 minutes, add 10 minutes if above 5000 ft altitude.