Garden Journaling

What did I plant here last year? When did I start planting my seeds inside? When will the raspberries be ready to be harvested?

These are all thoughts that can go through a gardener's head throughout the year. But now you can easily take the guess work out of gardening by keeping a gardening journal.

This can be as elaborate as you wish. For me, my garden journal is a simple spiral bound notebook I use year after year. A more elaborate design may include seed packets, plant markers from purchased plants, drawings or photographs.

What to write in your journal?

• The name of plants you grew from seed and when you planted them.
• The name of every plant you place in your garden and yard; perennial or annual. Note where the plants are placed in which planting bed or the direction of the yard.
• Any yard maintenance you did: placing mulch, making a new planting bed or trimming trees.
• Any problems with the weather or animal issues in the yard. 
• Draw out your vegetable garden design for the year. This helps you to rotate the types of plants placed every year which is beneficial for the soil and your harvest.
• A list of what is harvested when and how much or the weight of what was harvested. (this is my favorite part!) 
• An additional thing we keep track of is what and how much we freeze, dehydrate or can from the garden and when. 

Take your que from history, no one in America is better known for his garden journaling then Thomas Jefferson. He spent countless hours chronologizing the garden happenings at his beloved Monticello.

Image Credit: Thomas Jefferson Foundation

No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the Earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden. - Thomas Jefferson

 

Preserving Morel Mushrooms

You found them! The elusive prized mushroom known as the... Morel Mushroom. Here is how to keep these prized beauties to enjoy them all year long.

There are a few maintenance things to be done before you enjoy your lucky finds.

• First things first...If there is any question about the type of mushroom you just picked, do not eat it! Check out my tutorial on how to find Morel Mushrooms.
  
• Secondly, be aware that morels contain small amounts of hydrazine toxin that is removed through cooking. Do not eat morel mushrooms raw, ever.
• And of course be aware the you just picked food from the ground, out in nature. That means not only is there dirt on the morel but there could also be other living things on it as well, like bugs or small slugs. To remove these items from the mushroom simply sprinkle them with salt and then cover with cold water. Place the mushrooms into the refrigerator for about 8 hours or overnight to remove anything unwanted.

On to how to prepare these gems. One of the best and simplest ways to enjoy morels is by gently sauteing them in butter with a little fresh ground pepper and a sprinkling of salt.

Or you could soak the mushrooms in an egg batter and bread them with flour, then fry them up. If you slice the mushroom length wise and then bread and flour, the outline resembles a fish. Another common name for morel mushrooms are dryland fish.

If you are not planning on eating your morels right away you can explore the following preserving ideas:

• Freezing:
• The morels can frozen through a method called flash freezing. You can do this by running the mushrooms under cold water or soaking them in a bowl of ice water for a few minutes. Then place them on a cookie sheet or pizza pan and place into a freezer. After the mushrooms are frozen, place them in a labeled container or freezer-safe plastic bag.
• Drying / Dehydrating: (the method I use most)
• Drying is the most popular method of long-term storage and are sold this in this fashion commercially. When I dry morels, I like to chop them prior to drying as then they will be recipe ready. 
• Place mushrooms in a single layer on the dehydrator pans. Set your dehydrator to 130° F for 10-12 hours.
• Dried morels can be reconstituted by soaking in warm water or milk.
• Canning:
• Canning is not recommended because the canning pressure and temperature destroys much of the flavor.

In a post coming soon is a delicious recipe for using your morels.

Jalapeño Popper Dip

Do you like jalapeño poppers? This dip blends the hot pepper into a warm and creamy appetizer perfect for your next event. And it's a great way to use any pickled jalapeños or dehydrated jalapeños you may have from your garden.

Jalapeño Popper Dip

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons dried jalapeños (rehydrate with 1/4 cup water)
  (OR 1/4 cup diced pickled jalapeños)
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 - 8 ounce blocks cream cheese or Neufchâtel cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons bread crumbs

Instructions:

• Combine softened cream cheese and mayo well. Stir in jalapeños, onion and garlic.
• Spread in an oven-proof baking dish (used a medium sized dish).
• Sprinkle top of dip with bread crumbs.
• Bake at 350° F for 20 minutes.
• Serve warm with crackers or corn chips.

Enjoy!  Click for more homemade recipes from Sustainable Blessings.