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September News 2003 |
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and Updates for September 2003 Welcome to our monthly "Newsletter". This is where we announce the most recent additions to our website along with "what's happening in our gardens", helpful hints, herbal tips, etc. Please check back often as we will be updating regularly. What's happening in our garden for September: We have been blessed this year with a gorgeous summer and bumper crops. This has been the nicest summer in recent memories but unfortunately many areas in our province have been devastated by horrendous forest fires – the worst in 50 years. For awhile we thought that my brother-in-law had lost their home. They were quickly evacuated and the forest fire came within 50 feet of their home. Amazingly they were spared but many were not as fortunate. The fires are still raging and we still have not had any rain to speak of. Last week I had a combination family reunion and husband’s 50th birthday party which turned out to be a lot of fun even though a lot of planning and work was involved. Our Sunflowers are once again putting on a magnificent show which our neighbours often comment on. I don’t think anyone is too old to enjoy these happy flowers. They seem to bring a smile to young and old alike. We are now drying our bumper crop of tomatoes in our dehydrator and I am freezing sweet and hot peppers. How to build our Ceramic Heater Dehydrator: My father originally made this dehydrator for me and my husband revamped it. Because I have to dry such large quantities of flowers and herbs to be used in my soaps and herbal skin care products I needed a dehydrator large enough to handle the thousands of rose petals, herbs, etc. This one works beautifully and it is in full production for a good part of the summer. PLEASE NOTE: This dehydrator is ONLY to be used outdoors under cover such as in a carport. NEVER use it indoors and set it on a concrete floor. -Cut 4 pieces of plywood each piece measuring 24” X 24”. -nail together three 24” X 24” pieces to make a 3-sided box. -cut a 10” X 24” piece of plywood and nail it across the bottom front of box. -in the center of this 10” X 24” piece cut an opening that will just allow the front of your electric ceramic heater to sit slightly inside the opening. -build 8 shelves to fit inside the box out of 1 ½” wood strips to which fine gauge wire is attached. (we used 1/4 inch gauge wire mesh) -nail a “starter strip” of wood inside the box out of 1 ½” wood strips on both sides so that first rack will sit on top of this strip. (should be nailed inside the box slightly above where your heater will sit.) -nail remaining 24” X 24” piece of plywood to top of box. -place 1st wire shelf on strip and stack remaining shelves on top of each other. How to Use Your Dehydrator: REMEMBER! Never use indoors and set on a concrete floor. -gather rose petals, herbs or any other matter to be dried and place a layer on each wire shelf. -stack shelves into dehydrator. -place ceramic heater just slightly inside front opening of box. -we set our controls on ½ heat and manual cycle – at this speed and temperature smaller sized leaves dry overnight. -when material feels completely dry to the touch remove from dehydrator. -store in opaque airtight container in a cool dry place. Note: Material must be completely dry to store well or they will develop mould. This dehydrator is what my husband has used for 4 years to dry all of my herbs, flowers, tomatoes, apples, etc. with great success. I don’t know what I would do without it as anything smaller is useless for me. September "To Do" List: Harvesting vegetables: Onions: -bend over tops and make sure each gets maximum sun. -tops must be completely dried off before lifted. -as drying progresses break some of the roots by giving the onion a quarter turn to break some of the roots. -when tops are completely dry, pull onions and spread in sun for 1 to 14 days, turning a few times. (we place them in our greenhouse to cure as we can get rain this time of year. -remove all roots by pulling off rather than cutting off – this is essential. -onions need cool frost-free storage in mesh bags – store only firm, hard bulbs. -onions with thick necks will not keep and should be used first. Winter Squash -must be harvested before first frost which is usually mid October in our area. -wash with 10% bleach and water solution to eradicate any mould spores or fungi clinging to skin, dry well. -cure for 10 days at a little extra heat such as on top of hot water tanks, etc. -store in cool, frost-free area. Tomatoes -before first frost gather all sound tomatoes. -store in frost-free area and they will ripen over several days – I find that some are too green to ripen and use these to make our winter’s supply of relish. -entire vine may be dug up and hung by roots to ripen. Beans -we usually cannot use all the beans we grow. I freeze all we need and dry the rest. To Dry Beans – Leave them on the plant until before first frost. Then we bring them into the furnace room to dry. When completely dry, shell, and store in airtight containers – great for baked beans, chili and soup. -Remember to save some for next year’s seeds. -NOTE: this can also be done with peas. Potatoes -Dig potatoes and lay out on grass on a sunny, dry day turning once. Place in sacks and store in cool dry place. -Save some for next years’ crop. -sow radishes, garlic, salad greens, lettuce, corn salad & spinach. -continue deadheading, fertilizing and watering annuals to prolong blooming. -Roses – keep deadheading and prune climbing roses – rake up diseased leaves. Do not fertilize any more this season as the new soft growth will not withstand cold winter winds. -plant up bulbs in containers – in cold areas bury the pots but here on the west coast a sheltered spot is fine unless we have an exceptionally cold winter. -cut down raspberry canes which have finished bearing fruit to ground level – tie in 3 to 5 new strong canes from each plant for next year’s crop. Greenhouse Gardening for September: (for a cool greenhouse kept at 40 - 45F (5 - 7C) -plants in bloom for this month – bougainvillea, oleander, gerbera, pelargonium, jasmine, begonias, hibiscus, gloriosa lily, bouvardia, plumbago, and abutilon. -I still dampen down the greenhouse regularly on warm sunny days and am being rewarded with an extraordinary display of tropical blooms and gorgeous fragrances. It really is an environment of its own as the high humidity and warmth creates the perfect atmosphere for my most cherished plants. Making a Fuchsia Standard Tree: I have made several fuchsia standards over the years and they make a beautiful display. Eventually they get so large that I no longer have the room to store them over winter so I start again. NOTE: Do not attempt this if you have no place to store them over the winter months as they do not tolerate any frost whatsoever. I store mine in a small heated greenhouse. How To: -purchase a vigorous variety. Plant into a fairly large sturdy pot and insert a stout bamboo cane next to the plant. -remove side shoots (but not the top leaves) from the leading shoot). -tie this stem to the cane. -keep removing side shoots allowing leading shoot to grow to desired height – tie to cane at intervals. -once desired height is obtained pinch out growing top. Allow 5 or 6 strong shoots to develop to form the head of the standard. -remove leaves and shoots from main stem. FIGS: 2 years ago my sister bought me a small fig tree from a garage sale. She is a passionate bargain hunter. I had been told to plant it into a large pot as they have an extremely aggressive root system. It despised our normally cool wet weather outside so I placed it into our large unheated greenhouse where we grow tomatoes, peppers, basil, cucumbers, egg plants, etc. From then on it flourished amazingly and I now have such a large crop of figs I don’t know what to do with them all. At present I am trying to dry them in our small glass greenhouse. The roots from this aggressive tree has grown through the bottom of its pot and fastened itself permanently in the greenhouse where it survived the past winter with no extra heat. Indoor Sunroom or Conservatory: A list of plants presently blooming in our sunroom: -Odontoglossum Orchids -Oncidium Orchids (Dancing Lady Orchid) -Phalaenopsis Orchids -Bromeliad -Cattleya Orchids -Oxalis -Myrtle -Gardenia -Anthirium -as it gets extremely hot in the sunroom this time of year I water twice a week and keep the humidity up by keeping plants on gravel lined trays filled with a little water. -repot overgrown plants or divide. -cut down straggly plants. -tropical indoor plants need to be brought in when the nights get too cool – acclimatize first or they tend to drop their leaves due to too drastic an environment change. (easier to acclimatize if not exposed to too much cool weather.) Exceptions: cymbidium orchids and Christmas cactus can stay out until just before frost – don’t let them freeze though -check pots for slugs, wood bugs, etc. before bringing them in. Check leaves for insects. Growing Conditions for House Plants – Part 2 Location – Medium light – near a sunless window or some distance away from a bright window. Suitable plants for this area include Aglaonema, Aspidistra, Dracaena fragrans, Dracaena marginata, Fatshedera, Ferns, Ficus pumila, Fittonia, Hedera helix, Helxine, Maranta, Philodendron scandens, Sansevieria, Scindapsus, Tolmiea. Herbal Hints: -deadhead any remaining lavender blooms and shear lightly. -continue harvesting, drying and freezing herbs taking only about 1/3 of the plant at a time. -trim and shape herbs tidying them up. Perfect Dill Pickles (I have been using this recipe for years and they always turn out terrific and are so easy.) -sterilize canning jars by running through dishwasher. -pick fresh pickling cucumber and scrub meticulously, rinse and pack into quart mason jars. -add 2 large dill flower heads and 1 clove garlic. -boil kettle full of water -boil canning lids in water for about 10 minutes to soften. For each quart jar make the following: 1 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup pickling vinegar 1 Tbsp coarse pickling salt. Bring to boil and pour over pickles within ¼ inch from top of jar. Wipe rim, cover with lid and ring, tighten, and place in canning pot. Pour boiling water from kettle into canner, cover and process 5 minute in boiling water bath. (count time from when water starts to boil). Remove from canner and let sit undisturbed overnight. Store in cool, dry place. Pickles will be ready in about 4 to 5 months. Chill in fridge first before using, as they are best when crisp. New! Handmade Soap News: After several requests I am now adding a handmade news section. Handmade soap after all is the basis of our company - Country Rose Soap Co. Ltd. My passion for gardening and all things natural was the inspiration to start making my own handmade soap. Commercial soaps always left me with a rash, itchy dry skin and bouts of eczema. I no longer suffer from these problems. Handmade soap gently cleanses and moisturizes due to its naturally occurring high glycerin content. Part 2 – The Discovery of Soap The first definite proof of soap making was found in Ancient Rome. A Roman historian describes soap being made from goat’s tallow and cauterized wood ashes. Common salt was added to make the soap hard. The existence of a soap factory was revealed in the buried city of Pompeii. Soap for personal washing became popular during the later centuries of the Roman era. Natural Cleaning Products: Spray Cleaner 1 Tbsp grated handmade soap 2 Tbsp household ammonia 1 cup hot water 1/4 tsp pine essential oil Combine the first 3 ingredients in a glass jar shaking until the soap dissolves. Strain and pour into a spray bottle. Add the pine essential oil and shake well. To Use: Shake well and spray onto dirty surfaces and wipe area clean. NOTE: Never mix ammonia and chlorine bleach and don’t mix soap and detergent. New! - Organic Gardening Tips: Carrot Rust Fly To prevent the dreaded carrot rust fly from laying eggs and eventually having wire worm burying into our carrots we have found that the only organic method that works for us is a floating row cover. We place this over the carrot row as soon as the seed has germinated using wire pins to hold it down. You will need to loosen if off as the carrot tops grow. Someone also told me that sprinkling in laundry soap in the seed bed worked for her but we did not have any luck with this method. You might want to give it a try. Health and Wellness Exotic Fig Salad Pick fresh, fully ripe figs. To tell if a fig is ripe it turns fully downwards on the tree and is soft to the touch. Handle them gently. -Split the figs in 4 by slicing almost through the fig from top bottom stopping before slicing all the way through. -Place 3 figs into individual salad bowls. Rip up a few pieces of proscuitto or Parma ham, sprinkle with feta cheese and ripped up basil leaves. -Lightly sprinkle a good quality balsamic vinegar over all, toss lightly, cover with saran and chill in the fridge for a least 1 hour before serving. Thanks for visiting! Susan |
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