2012 seed ordering has just begun

I ordered seeds for 2012.  This year, we are planning to do much more transplanting to guarantee the germination of seeds.  It is a trade-off between spending hours weeding or spending hours transplanting for healthier plants. 

Also, I will be growing seedlings for my fellow farmers as well as for my own farm and  for local community gardens. 

Drying to Preserve

Drying Herbs in Microwave

From page 30, September/October 2011, Cooks Illustrated has a tip about drying herbs in the microwave.

In their experiment neither cilantro nor parsley were used.  They placed the herbs in a single layer between two paper towels and microwaved on high power for one to three minutes.

I loaded basil between the paper towels and it took much longer, so a little patience and following the directions would have saved me time and energy.

Again, here’s a link for some great information from the National Center for Home Preservation:

http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/dry/herbs.html

Blanching

Microwave blanching…

For kale/chard or other greens might I suggest a microwave blanch and then freeze for later stews/ casseroles.  Following is an article about microwave blanching and I copied the more salient bits:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/04/980413000021.htm

"ScienceDaily (Apr. 13, 1998) — CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Blanching freshly picked vegetables in a microwave not only speeds the freezing process but also maintains the foods' nutritional value better than traditional blanching does."

"The success of microwave blanching depends mostly on quantity, timing and wattage. In this case, researchers blanched two to three servings at a time in a covered casserole dish with about two tablespoons of water. They blanched the asparagus, which had been picked within four hours of the process, at 700 watts for four minutes, then sealed it in plastic and put it into the freezer immediately."  More details follow about microwave blanching with an example maintaining nutrition.

http://nchfp.uga.edu/papers/2003/03orlandogreensabstract.pdf

Steam blanching…

See attached link from the National Center for Home Preservation for steam blanching times for specific vegetables.

http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/freeze/blanching.html

Blanching article from eHow

http://www.ehow.com/how_13887_blanch-vegetables.html

Freezing Tomatoes to Preserve Freshness

Freezing whole tomatoes is an easy way to preserve them.  Unlike peppers, they are difficult to handle when frozen and defrosting them before using is recommended. 

Frozen heirlooms along with some Sungold cherry tomatoes in the back container.

See this link from the excellent Kitchn blog about freezing whole tomatoes.

http://www.thekitchn.com/the-easiest-way-to-preserve-to-154890

preserving, freezing, tomatoes, peppers

Freezing Hot Peppers to Preserve Freshness

Here is the first post.

I am putting together information from last year’s growing season. 

 

A sample of frozen peppers

 

I had a surplus of hot peppers so I suggested freezing them to store for later use.  I reused plastic containers or used plastic freezer bags.  When using the peppers for a recipe, I don’t defrost them— as in their frozen state they are very easy to slice.