Each year, we take stock of our garden, how well it produced, what it would take to increase our yields, what produce we need to cut from the seed purchase list and what additional investments we need to make. Take, for example, this year’s garden. There were some critical insights gained.
First, we can acknowledge that 75 tomato plants was a bit much. We’ve processed over 200 pounds ourselves. We also gave away about 40 pounds and we still have about 10 pounds left on the vines. Now, some of that will be lost but most of that will end up as food on our table at some point. The key issue is how fast one little family of two can actually use about 200 total pounds of tomatoes next year? Currently, I’ve made 11 pints of salsa, nine pints of ketchup and two quarts of marina (but have enough frozen pureed tomatoes to make another 12-14 quarts.) So, we may go back down to 25 plants or land somewhere in the middle with 50 plants. But 75? Not gonna happen.
Then there were the peppers. It was a hot summer. Peppers like heat. It was a bumper crop. Now, we didn’t end up with an overabundant supply of peppers like we did tomatoes. But, a little pepper tends to go a long way – even with a Louisiana man in the house. So, we may trim those back next year as well, particularly the jalapenos, which knocked it out of the park. Not because it was way too much but just because we likely grew a two-year supply.
On the flip side, we have the beets. Somehow, my husband never dedicates enough space to beets. He loves beets and I need to can about 30-35 pint jars of beets just to get him through until next summer. He typically has cold Harvard beets on a fresh salad at least four nights a week. But somehow we have only about 50 beet plants. That isn’t going to cut it and I’ll have to supplement with local produce. Next year, the production on beets is going to have to increase.
At this point in the season, we have harvested all of our regular potatoes – the blue, red and white varieties we plant nearly every year. The only true disappointment were the russets. Not a lot of yield at all. Otherwise, the Adirondack Blue and Reds did well as did the German butterballs. We have also harvested our onions – 220 of those bad boys – garlic, basil, dill, oregano and three different types of beans: black, red and green. Our cucumbers did so poorly that they’re not worth mentioning. Still to be harvested? Well, we still have some tomatoes and lots of peppers. Then, there’s sweet potatoes which are usually about 50-60 pounds, a little more beets, celery, more red peppers and carrots. And then, the garden goes fallow for the winter. It’s hard to believe, but we are easily over 80% done with the garden. Within the next two weeks, that number will soar to about 95%.
So, it’s time to take stock. With the garden growing and our professional demands starting to expand as well, we need to deploy some big guns. It’s time to bring technology to our aid. This year, we have made some significant garden investments and coupled with last year’s investments, it’s definitely raising our game. Last year, we added five-tiered wire shelving, lights and grow mats to quadruple our plant seed start areas. We also upgraded our general garden supplies with more of the degradable row plastic, upgraded grow trays and even new domes, which were falling apart. But the big kahuna in my world? We added a Breville food processer and then got the extra chopping blades.
Now, the food processor arrived on Thursday in time for beet processing on Friday. It significantly reduced the time to slice beets for this year’s canning, but candidly, that was not the real impetus for this purchase. Nope. I’ve got a gallon bag of those bumper-crop jalapenos waiting to be chopped. After a bumper crop of green peppers were already chopped by hand, I’m looking forward to see what magic this food processor will bring to the table. After buying the food mill attachment for my KitchenAid mixer two years ago, this feels like the biggest garden processing upgrade since then. Today, those sweet chopping blades arrive and I have allocated a solid 10 minutes to finish off my jalapenos for the year.
In the meantime, we will be trying our hand at sun dried tomatoes, more salsa because six jars just isn’t going to cut it and I still have about 18-20 jars of beets to produce. Darryl also used a bunch of jalapenos to make a dried green pepper powder that we will be using to kick-up our heat level on some of our dishes.
All in all, as I sit here on one of the last few really nice days of the season, I can reflect back on a super harvest season. We have an absolutely full freezer which is in “withdrawal only” mode. I’ve expanded my canning expertise to include salsa, black bean salsa, bourbon-soaked peaches, peach jam, and ketchup. We’ve dried our own peppers for both paprika and green pepper powder. We have jars of dried sage, oregano, thyme, basil and dill all ready to get us through the next year. I’ve got about 12 bags of frozen cherry tomatoes for our burst cherry tomato and shrimp recipe (from Run Fast, Eat Slow… it’s yummy!) and enough tomato puree, poblano peppers and green pepper frozen that it will take us at least a year to go through them.
And it’s super satisfying. Not only has my grocery bill dropped by over $400 a month since the garden started coming in, but to know that this food is here and available to us all winter and spring (and into next summer) is soul-rewarding. I feel so much like I am honoring my husband’s love of gardening and the traditions of my mother and grandmother while also doing something healthy and economical for my little family. Moreover, preserving food is a way to interact with my favorite time of the year.
So, as I sit here on a Monday morning, I’m satisfied. My garden has grown and provided. It would like to rest and go fallow. It’s okay. We have more than enough.
The Yuppie Homesteader 