Recent Articles
Why are strawberries called strawberries?
14.3 years ago strawberries 6 Comments
The common theory is that the origin of the word “strawberry” is based on the practice growing the plants with a layer of straw mulch to help retain moisture, deter pests, and keep the berries cleaner for picking. There is also a thought that they were simply packaged in straw when being brought to market.
There is one problem with this theory which in this article from Snopes sums up very nicely:
The word ‘strawberry’ has been part of the English language for at least a thousand years, well before strawberries were cultivated as garden or farm edibles. They grew in the wild of their own accord, their berries gathered by folks who happened across strawberry patches. Therefore, although the word’s precise origin cannot be determined, we can certainly throw out any etymology dependent upon the plant’s being bedded in straw to protect it from the cold or keep its berries clean. Even if such practices had been used, they would have begun long after the fruit had been given its current name.
So where did the name ‘strawberry’ come from then? There are a couple more theories based on the meaning of the word “straw”
One explanation hinges on a particular meaning of “straw” a particle of straw, chaff, or mote describing the appearance of the achenes (tiny yellow seeds) scattered over the surface of the berry. Another view says it comes from “stray” or “strew,” designating the spread of the plant’s runners (slender tendrils), in that in an unchecked field of strawberries the plants appear to have been strewn across the ground with their runners straying everywhere.
In the end I guess we really do not know for sure where they got their name, so any other theories out there?
How to braid garlic (for guys)
14.3 years ago garlic bulbs, Uncategorized 5 Comments
I normally hang my garlic off my bike to allow it to cure and store to use over the winter, but given the large amount of garlic I have grown and I have gotten into better shape and am actually using my bike, I decided to attempt to create a pretty garlic braid. After spending a 10-15 minutes checking on the internet on the various knots and techniques to braid garlic.
Lacking some basic knowledge and first hand experience braiding, I eventually got confused, gave up, and just winged it and discovered a technique I call “Braiding Garlic For Guys” knowing if I handed the bulbs to my two daughters they would have made a perfect braid with them in just a few minutes. And yes, my wife does not trust me to do our daughters hair…
Step 1: Dry your bulbs
Lay them out into the sun to dry for one hot day. You will be letting the garlic dry longer though this is primarily to get the dirt dry on the bulbs to make Step 3 (Clean up your bulbs) a little easier.
Step 2: Select the right bulbs
If you are lucky enough to only grow large perfectly formed bulbs with no imperfections you can skip this step, but if you are like me you should have at least a few bulbs with small cloves or some that are split open. Set these bulbs aside and use right away in your cooking or do like I did and use them to make some garlic powder.
Step 3: Clean up your bulbs (optional)
Though creating a garlic braid is a good compact way to store your garlic it also looks pretty cool when done right. To make sure it looks its best give each of the bulbs a little haircut by trimming their roots to about 1/4 inch using scissors or shears Follow this with a quick cleaning by a little brushing of your hand and/or a quick brush with an unused toothbrush. Given I am just hanging my garlic in my garage I was a little lazy on the clean up.
Step 4: Start your garlic braid
Begin by taking your 3 largest bulbs and laying them side by side in front of you. Take the stems of the bulbs on the left and right and cross them over the one in the center.
Now take whatever stem (right or left) that is on the bottom and bend it over the stem in the center (which now becomes the new center)
Here is an illustration but easier if you don’t think about it too much:
Step 5: Repeat yourself
Give the right and left side a little tug to make everything is tight and lay a new bulb on the middle of your garlic braid (center) then bend over the stem from the other side over the center (which now becomes the new center) and repeat this step until run out of garlic bulbs.
Step 6: Finish things off
Repeat what you have been doing in Step 5 three or four times obviously skipping the add a garlic bulb to help secure the last few bulbs in place. Finish by tightly tying a piece of twine or string at the top of the braid to keep things from unraveling and giving you something to hang your beautiful braid in a dry location to have garlic which will keep for about 6 months.
Tip: When you need some garlic just cut or pull off bulbs as you need them. I personally save the largest bulbs to replant in the fall to harvest the following year.
Making your own garlic powder
14.3 years ago cheap, dehydrator, garlic bulbs 15 Comments
I like to use garlic powder for making my own BBQ rubs and in cooking where I am too lazy to cut up some fresh garlic. Whenever I go to buy garlic powder at the grocery store I normally end up convincing myself to get 11 ounces of garlic salt at $3.99 versus the $7.49 for a 9 ounce container of garlic powder. Though this not what I really wanted, the cheapness in me always wins. Given I picked up a fancy food dehydrator recently, this year I have opted to make my own.
When creating my garlic braid I found many imperfect bulbs as well as some small bulbs which I set aside to be the victims into making garlic powder.
Step #1: Peel the and clean the cloves
The title pretty much sums it up but you need to get the cloves and peel off the outer layer of all the cloves. I normally following this up with a quick rinse to help get rid of the various loose pieces and make them a little less sticky (and smelly)
Step #2 Slice the garlic
The size is not that important, though the general idea is all of the slices should be about the same general size. This way they all should complete drying at the same time. Obviously the smaller you slice the quicker they will dry which may not be a good thing which I will explain later.
Step #3 Dry the garlic
Place the garlic in your food dehydrator with no pieces touching at 125-130F (or as close as yours can get) and if you sliced thin they could be ready in about 12 hours or if they were huge hunks like mine more like 3-4 days. The easy way to tell if they are done is by picking the largest clove chunk you can find and break it in half with your fingers. If it brittle and breaks cleanly they are ready, if it is soft and bends some check again in about 8-12 hours.
Step #4 Grind the garlic
Here is where you have a couple options, you can grind all of the cloves using a spice/coffee grinder and store in an airtight container or simply store the chunks in an airtight container and grind into powder as needed.
If you smell the chunks you may be surprised that there is not a strong garlic smell, that is because the outside has become oxidized. Though if you break one in half and take a smell or pop it in your mouth (if you are daring) you will see there is plenty of flavor inside. If you grind the garlic chunks they will start to oxidize reducing their effectiveness and given the new much larger surface area of the small particles it will not take long for your garlic to lose the great aroma it previous had.
You can preserve this potency longer by keeping the garlic as chunks and grinding it into powder right before using. Though bringing out and cleaning a spice grinder each time you cook with garlic can be a pain, so I would recommend grinding as much as you expect to use for a couple months and save the garlic chunks in an air tight contain and grind when needed so you always have fresh garlic powder ready to use.
As with any spices once opened they are good for about 6 months ground or 12 month whole when stored in an airtight container and twice those numbers if vacuum packed. So the garlic chunks are useable for one year with about half that for ground variety. You can also store garlic powder or garlic chunks in an airtight container in your freezer to gain a few extra months.
How to find the soil composition of your garden
14.3 years ago science fair, soil composition, soil test 8 Comments
Knowing your soil composition is very important if you are attempting to amend your existing soil to get your premium soil for growing. You soil is made up of four components; sand, silt, clay, and organic material.
Sand has the largest particle size of all these components and creates large gaps between them which is excellent for water to flow through and roots to grow in. On the contrast it is terrible for retaining water and will dry out quickly.
Silt has medium size particles and if you had to choose a single component for effective growing this would be it. Its particles are large enough to allow healthy root growth and also retains water. Though some plants like their roots to be a little more on the drier side so in isolation this may not work for all plants
Clay has the smallest particles thus making it very difficult for water to flow through it. Not really much positive to say about this stuff though if your goal is to hold water this property can be great when used as a substructure out of your plants normal growing area 1-2 feet down, think of it as a natural earth box.
Organic Material is the good stuff (leaves, compost, grass clipping) the stuff that makes your “dirt” alive and becoming living soil. This feed beneficial bacteria and worms to provide rich vermicompost to add natural nutrients to your garden.
Now we know what we are looking for, lets find out what we have in our back yard. All of my vegetable gardens are raised which consist of soil I have brought in myself so I know they will be very loamy and high in organic matter to makes things more interesting.
1. Get Dirt: I dug a small hole (about 6 inches deep in a dead part of my lawn. I filled an apple juice container about 2/3 full. Any container can work for this as long as it is clear and uniform in shape/volume (width/depth) at the bottom.
2. Add Water and Shake: Fill with water about 1-2 inches from the top and shake for at least one minute to ensure particles are well mixed
3. Let Soil Components Rest: Set on a flat surface until water on top is clear or 24 hours (whichever comes first)
Before
After
![002[4]](https://i0.wp.com/www.cheapvegetablegardener.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/0024.jpg "002[4]")
4. Do the Math: After the dust particles have settled you should see 3 distinct lines and possibly some stuff floating in the water. The sediments will settle according to their particle size (sand, silt, clay) and organic material should float above the water.
Given the knowledge mentioned above we can now calculate the percentage of each soil component to determine our soil type take a couple simple measurements.
Total Soil Height = Measure from the bottom of the container to top of sand/silt/clay
Sand Height = Measure from bottom of container to top of sand
Silt Height = Measure from top of sand to top of silt
Clay Height = Measure from top of silt to top of clay
% Sand = Sand Height / Total Soil Height X 100
% Silt = Silt Height / Total Soil Height X 100
% Clay = Clay Height / Total Soil Height X 100
Example of math using my Data
69.47% Sand = 66mm / 95mm X 100%
29.47% Silt = 28mm / 95mm X 100%
1.05% Clay = 1mm / 95mm X 100%
Tip: You can measure with cm/mm/inches and the formulas will still work out as long as you use the same units for all measurements
Now using your Sand/Silt/Clay percentages you can now use the triangle diagram below to determine your soil type. Though it can vary depending on the types of plants you are growing (i.e. succulents like the sand) but in general a nice “Silty loam” is what you want to shoot for, so if you are lacking adding some organic matter is the best way to get moving in that direction
Image from http://web.bethere.co.uk/fm/soil/formed/f0107.htm
Using my data I have “Sandy Loam” soil, though if I would have dug a few inches deeper I would have had a much higher percentage of clay. Even if you are sure you know what your soil type I recommend trying this out you might end up surprised.
Money-Saving Tips for the Organic Gardener
14.3 years ago cheap, organic, recycle 5 Comments
Organic gardening is a hobby many find relaxing and rewarding, and you can take a bite out of your produce bills by eating the delicious fruits and vegetables your efforts yield. However, between the many different planting and gardening tools and supplies you’ll need, the costs can really add up, and anything you can do to save a buck or two here and there will help. Fortunately, there are all kinds of simple money-saving gardening tips for the organic gardener looking to keep expenses under control.
Save Money on Seeds and Planting
If you’re looking for plant trays, hold off before buying brand-new ones. Many garden centers and nurseries will be more than happy to give you their used ones, so be sure to ask if you’re heading out there to pick up seeds or supplies. You can use them as starting pots; they work especially well for kicking off a hardy plant’s growth cycle.
Reusing household items for your gardening whenever possible is one of the best ways to save a few bucks. For example, rather than purchasing seed storage containers, you can use empty film canisters, which you can label to ensure you know which seeds are which. Separating individually started seeds in yogurt containers, plastic bakery trays or ice cube trays is another strategy you can use.
More Money-Saving Organic Gardening Tips
If you’re new to the world of organic gardening, it’s a good idea to get secondhand tools and supplies; you may also find it worth your while to choose plants that are easy to grow and care for so you’re not wasting time and money on finicky, fragile and difficult plants. Mint, lemon balm, thyme, sage and rosemary are excellent beginner herbs. Garlic, radishes, kale and potatoes are recommended vegetable crops for new organic gardeners.
You can cut down on your water usage by harvesting rainwater and creating tiny irrigation moats around your garden that allow you to store water and direct it to where it’s needed. Plants thrive when they’re given rainwater to drink; it’s naturally softened, free of chemicals and additives, and it’s pH-neutral, which in turn helps you maintain the proper pH level in your soil.
Get creative to save even more. If you have old tree stumps, make them part of your garden plan instead of paying several hundred dollars for professional removal. Simply hollow out the center of the stump and grow plants in it!
About the Author
Dontel Montelbaun is a lead writer for www.livetogarden.com, and is an advocate for organic gardening. On LiveToGarden.com you can find articles from Dontel focusing on flowers, outdoor living and landscape design.
