Gardening and the memories of...
Some of my fondest memories growing up were gleaning in the farmer's fields, that is, collecting the imperfect fruits and vegetables left over in the fields after harvest.
Gleaning and gardening have evolved over time and farmers who used to sell their produce at the end of the road now gather in their communities to sell, which is a constant reminder for me to tend to my own back yard greens. Don't have your own space to grow stuff? Check out Gardening Matters: "Community gardens allow families and individuals without land of their own the opportunity to produce food, and provide a place for gardeners to share knowledge and skills." Find a community garden day location near you OR host your own!
Did the word gleaning peak your interest? Minnesotans check out the following:
Refrigerator Pickles
From the Kitchen of Rosemary Walser (Grandma)
2 to 3 cucumbers (or other vegetables)
1 onion, sweet
1 stalk of celery
2 clove of garlic
Slice vegetable to your preferred size
2T salt
2 cup sugar (I use 1 cup brown and 1/4 cup maple syrup)
2 cup vinegar
1 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp ground ginger
In sauce pan bring water, sugar, and salt to boil let simmer for 5 min.
In glass container, I use two large quart canning jars, (you may need more), add vegetables, then place full jar on folded towel and tap. This is to settle the vegetables into jar; then you can add more vegetables until the jar is packed full (it's okay to over fill).
Add hot liquid to the jars and tap jar to remove air pockets.
Let cool then tighten lid down and refrigerate.
You can start eating as soon as they are cold!
These will keep for 2 to 3 months in refrigerator.
Enough of that, I've got to go eat some refrigerator pickles!
Wishing you comfort in your carrot picklin' life!
I remember the huge garden that my parents planted every year growing up. All the wonderful fresh vegetables and fruits we had, right from our own yard. Not to mention the apple tree - something I am happy to find here in Minnesota.
Some of my fondest memories growing up were gleaning in the farmer's fields, that is, collecting the imperfect fruits and vegetables left over in the fields after harvest.
Taking the harvest home and canning it up, or drying out the fruit and vegetables for when winter came. Now more than ever I am feeling the need to get back to those roots. Though it is still beautiful here in the midwest, now is definitely the time to plan ahead for when the grass turns from green to white. This year with moving into a new home I opted to do container gardening and just planted a few items zucchini, lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes.
Gleaning and gardening have evolved over time and farmers who used to sell their produce at the end of the road now gather in their communities to sell, which is a constant reminder for me to tend to my own back yard greens. Don't have your own space to grow stuff? Check out Gardening Matters: "Community gardens allow families and individuals without land of their own the opportunity to produce food, and provide a place for gardeners to share knowledge and skills." Find a community garden day location near you OR host your own!
Did the word gleaning peak your interest? Minnesotans check out the following:
The Minnesota Project Fruits of the City – We will be expanding the program this year and harvesting more surplus fruit from fruit trees in the Twin Cities.
Facebook Garden Gleaning Project. The Garden Gleaning Project facilitates the harvesting and distribution of fresh produce from private and community gardens for use at local food shelves in Hennepin County Minnesota.
Refrigerator Pickles
From the Kitchen of Rosemary Walser (Grandma)
2 to 3 cucumbers (or other vegetables)
1 onion, sweet
1 stalk of celery
2 clove of garlic
Slice vegetable to your preferred size
2T salt
2 cup sugar (I use 1 cup brown and 1/4 cup maple syrup)
2 cup vinegar
1 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp ground ginger
In sauce pan bring water, sugar, and salt to boil let simmer for 5 min.
For this recipe I've improvised the vegetable list to include the following from our Local Farmers Market and from my backyard. I used:
Carrots | Cauliflower | Banana Peppers | Green Peppers | Red Onion
In glass container, I use two large quart canning jars, (you may need more), add vegetables, then place full jar on folded towel and tap. This is to settle the vegetables into jar; then you can add more vegetables until the jar is packed full (it's okay to over fill).
Add hot liquid to the jars and tap jar to remove air pockets.
Let cool then tighten lid down and refrigerate.
You can start eating as soon as they are cold!
These will keep for 2 to 3 months in refrigerator.
Enough of that, I've got to go eat some refrigerator pickles!
Wishing you comfort in your carrot picklin' life!
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