Whatcha Up To???

[Mr_Yan]

Got the shipping confirmation for my seed orders

36 and rain for my drive to work. Naturally the ground was still frozen so roads were fun. Winds about 30 with gusts to 45 out of the west

 

[w_r_ranch]

Cut the grass.

The last of my seed orders arrived today. About 20 more days before starting the tomatoes. eggplant & peppers...

 

[Mike]

Winter is among us so nothing in the garden for a while, but I did buy a few more milk crates both standard and long for the freezer and then organized it a bit between beef, pork, and deer.

About to throw some chili on the oven as well.

 

[majorcatfish]

just uncovering the children from last weekend big snow/ freeze today..... love winter gardening....

1/7/17 the big snow and freeze

overall view of the raised beds today 1/11/17 snow in,snow gone...lowest temp 2*

the snow put down a nice blanket of insulation from all that low teens and single digit nights.
today was in the upper 40's/ low 50's
everyone came out like a trooper, a few had frost bite but that 6 mil plastic sure was the key...
really bok chio, lettuce, endive and radishes in 2* bring it on

have to say popeye would be impressed..

the kale just laughed..

whats a winter garden without a good carrot patch..
and the beets

now the green onions took the worst of it... heck the weeds enjoyed being under the plastic......

this weekend need to cut more wire hoops, spread them out to thin this year....

in zones where you can have low tunnels they sure can extend your growing season....
love living between the 35th and 36th line......... "Goldilock" zone

now if i could grow a watermelon here in the middle of winter....
looks like another wonderful weekend to harvest veggies for dinner.

 

[w_r_ranch]

We went the big city of Brenham for our yearly check-up & blood work...

 

[w_r_ranch]

Made bread.

Thawed out the Canadian bacon pork loins this morning & then soaked them in fresh water before trussing them up in butcher string (to keep them round in shape) in preparation for smoking tomorrow..

Started pruning the Crape Myrtles... got half of them done so I'll finish tomorrow.

 

[whistech]

Mr. Ranch, I just started a batch of Canadian bacon curing today.

 

[Mr_Yan]

Yesterday my Johnny's seed order arrived

• Wax pole bean seeds
• paste tomato seeds
• broccoli seeds
• 2" soil block maker

10 degrees out when I left for work this morning.

 

[RLwhaler]

Made bread.

Thawed out the Canadian bacon pork loins this morning & then soaked them in fresh water before trussing them up in butcher string (to keep them round in shape) in preparation for smoking tomorrow..

Started pruning the Crape Myrtles... got half of them done so I'll finish tomorrow.

I remembered when you made some( Canadian bacon) a few years back ..

 

[RLwhaler]

Yesterday my Johnny's seed order arrived

• Wax pole bean seeds
• paste tomato seeds
• broccoli seeds
• 2" soil block maker

10 degrees out when I left for work this morning.

Mr. Yan: Shipping fresh seeds in those temp. (10 degrees)..Does it" Harmed" the seeds? Just curious...

 

[w_r_ranch]

Mr. Ranch, I just started a batch of Canadian bacon curing today.

I remembered when you made some( Canadian bacon) a few years back.

Arlie, how much are you doing??? I love Canadian bacon for breakfast & make a batch at least once a year, sometimes twice (same with the buckboard bacon)!!! Both are easy & the finished product is better/cheaper that store bought.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Got the Canadian bacon on the smoker at 0930 hrs. with a mix of post oak & hickory. They were seasoned last night by bushing them with honey & rolling them in crushed black pepper... I'll slice them tomorrow & Mrs. Ranch will vacuum pack them before putting in the freezer.

​

Put out 2 rolls of hay for the cattle.

Finished pruning the Crape Myrtles. Picked up all the 'trash' & burned it.

 

[Mr_Yan]

Mr. Yan: Shipping fresh seeds in those temp. (10 degrees)..Does it" Harmed" the seeds? Just curious...

Realistically cold temps won't hurt common seeds at all. In fact, for long term storage, cold preserves the seeds and extends viability. Think about the world "dooms-day" seed storage vault north of the Arctic Circle in Norway. Seeds are stored for decades in there at permafrost level temperatures. For cold to kill a seed it would have to be stupidly cold - something like -100 C or even colder, I'm not sure if how many people have really checked.

Heat will kill seeds very quickly though. Again this tends to be an unnatural heat level - think boiling or hotter.

Heck tomato seeds have even been sent in space for a few orbits and brought back a few decades ago to see what would happen. These were a basic paste tomato - I think Rutgers or similar - and now you can by decendents of this experiment (in some catalogs) under the name Sputnik Tomato.

For the off season I keep my garden seed collection in a Plano field box (plastic ammo can) in the refrigerator. With this I have 6 or 7 year old packets of lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, and spinach that have high levels of germination still. The standard width ammo can is about perfect for seed packs to be filed in.


Wet (rotting) will also kill the seeds.

Lack of oxygen will also kill the seeds although slowly. I wonder what the germination rate on one of those "home survival seed banks" is. The kind sold with seeds sealed in mylar bags with desicant, then packed in a PCV pipe costing $99 with enough seeds to plant a 1 acre survival garden.

 

[Mr_Yan]

My Botanical Interests order just arrived. Only 7 packets of seed, less than $25 total order but they still included a "Thank you" pack of lettuce mesclun mix and a monthly desk calendar for 2017.

This is a small boutique type company out of Colorado that does mostly "heirloom" seeds but I've become a fan and have had great value and good service with them. Most packets have a nice amount of seed but still cost less than $2. The packets contain a TON of info on the plant culture. Where most companies just put a few points on the back of the pack the whole inside of the seed pack is printed with starting / growing / harvesting points along with a sketch of the newly germinated plant.

 

[wolffman]

Got my tomato seeds in yesterday, all heirlooms. I really didn't intend on growing anything much this spring up until Dec 9th when I got layed off from work. So, I'm going to grow out about 600 plants and sell as many as I can. Then I'll plant about 200 of them and try to sell tomatoes roadside at the house.

 

[whistech]

Arlie, how much are you doing??? I love Canadian bacon for breakfast & make a batch at least once a year, sometimes twice (same with the buckboard bacon)!!! Both are easy & the finished product is better/cheaper that store bought.

I'm making 10 pounds, minus two chops I cut off the end for supper last night. I cure the Canadian bacon using a Tablespoon of cure 1, 1/2 cup of pickling and canning salt, 3/4 cup of white sugar and 1 cup of dark brown sugar dissolved in one gallon of water. I usually let it cure between 14 and 21 days in my garage fridge. I then rinse the Canadian bacon off, put it on racks in a sheet pan and put it back in the fridge until the next day to dry the surface of the bacon before smoking.

I picked up the whole pork loin at HEB for $1.00 a pound.

 

[wolffman]

Ranch, didn't you post the buckboard bacon recipe at one time? I can't find it.

 

[w_r_ranch]

I thought I did, but I truly don't remember (damn, these senior moments)... It's posted now...
https://homegardeningforum.com/threads/how-to-make-canadian-bacon-buckboard-bacon.846/
How to make Canadian Bacon & Buckboard Bacon

 

[w_r_ranch]

Rainy & 70 degrees here... it's suppose to be like this for the next 5 days.

Made a pot of pinto beans to go with our supper tonight. I ran to the garden & harvested some cilantro (pintos just aren't complete without it, IMO).

​

Made a small batch of stuffed jalapenos.

​

Sliced the Canadian bacon.& Mrs. Ranch vacuum packed it. We ended up with 32 - 8 ounce packages (plus the end pieces that I will add to the pinto beans).

​

 

[majorcatfish]

picked a few veggies for dinner out of the winter garden...

had a wild hair made chicken piccata with chicken thighs and a couple butterflied breasts with roasted winter vegetables,and Alfredo<ok that was boxed>......

that my friends was off the hook........need to register that sauce.....

 

[w_r_ranch]

Rainy & 71 degrees... We ended up with 0.20" yesterday & we have received 0.82" thus far today.

In spite of my dislike for driving in the rain, we needed limes so we went shopping.

 

[majorcatfish]

had the leftovers from last nights dinner for lunch today.....even better..
after heating it walk back into my office sat down, here comes the g/m what do you have there it smells wonderful?
give her a bite ....had to fight her off after that... she asked for the recipe..
told her will give you step by step and every ingredient, in exchange for that bottle of Kentucky whisky in your office....
ok we trade...
really? chicken piccata is so simple to make, but again recipes are only a basic guide, after that it's up to your inner chef how to tweak it....

will post up the tweaks after i have the bottle home......

 

[Mr_Yan]

30 and rain when I left for work. Ice covered most everything. Many people called in for the day. I almost fell six times from my car to the door.

 

[majorcatfish]

30 and rain when I left for work. Ice covered most everything. Many people called in for the day. I almost fell six times from my car to the door.

stay safe, ice is the worst...

 

[w_r_ranch]

Rainy (0.68" thus far) & 55 degrees today (they were way off on the temperature forecast)...

Made a loaf of butter bread.