Category Archives: Garden

Ghost peppers

August 31, 2015Adventure, Awesome, Food, GardenGarden, Maybe I am glad it didn't stick with me too long, Peppers...or lava...you decide, Ring of Firewarren

A year or two ago, Isaac and a bunch of his buddies discovered hot peppers. They each grew various types and took them to school where they traded, challenged each other, did nerve damage to their tongues, etc…you know, guy stuff. Most of the guys had run of the mill peppers…habaneros, thai chili, cayennes, etc. To be sure, there are some good and hot peppers in that bunch and they were a lot of fun. This year, we decided to step it up a bit and planted ghost peppers, also known as bhut jolokia peppers. In 2007, it was rated as the world’s hottest pepper…a mere 401.5 times hotter than Tabasco sauce. For reference, a jalapeno pepper registers between 1000 and 4000 Scoville units. A freakin’ ghost pepper rates at 1,000,000 (1 million) Scoville units!

Anyhow, we grew a beautiful crop of ghost peppers this year. They grew nice tall plants and this week, started ripening into their beautiful red color. Isaac picked them on Sunday and ate the end off of one of them. We watched as his face turned red and he immediately had to get a tissue as his sinuses drained. He drank a ton of milk and had that goofy look on his face when you know you’ve made a mistake.

Not to be out done, I decided to step it up a notch. I chomped the remaining pepper, including the seeds, and within 10 seconds, knew that I had really screwed up. It took no time for my sinuses to clear and then my lips and tongue felt as if they were swelling…I imagine they probably were. I could feel it down my throat and all throughout my mouth and nose (watch the video link). Finally, and this is the best part, within 3-5 minutes, I had to deliver my supper to the porcelain altar. Luckily, my mouth was so hot that I couldn’t taste a thing!

A video of my reaction

So, if you find yourself in need of something stupid to do on a Sunday evening, find a ghost pepper and eat it all in one or two bites…it’s for the teenage boy in all of us!

By the way, Isaac took a few to school to share with his buddies…sharing is a good thing, right?

Great raspberry year!

August 3, 2015Awesome, Food, GardenGarden, I'd marry raspberries if polygamy were legal, Raspberries!warren

Probably my all-time favorite fruit is raspberries. As a kid, we had a patch in the yard where we could stroll by and get berries any time we wanted. Raspberries tend to get a little wild and spread like crazy. Of course, that makes them wonderful but they can be a bit much for a smaller yard.

Of course,w e have a smaller yard in Charleston so we were unsure whether we could have raspberries. At some point, I stopped caring whether a patch looked good or not so we planted a dozen or so starter canes and our patch was born. Actually, we started a patch of red raspberries and a patch of black raspberries and then we added another red patch. All of them have thrived and produce probably 25 pounds of berries per year.

We have made jellies and jams and syrups with them for several years, but Emily found recipes for black raspberry pie and for red raspberry muffins, both of which are to die for (yes, I said that).

We freeze a lot of the berries and use them as we need them. My word they are just like fresh and so much better than the flavorless ones that cost too much in the stores! Thank goodness for backyard raspberries!!!

By the way, here are the recipes for the pie and muffins…Emily found these somewhere on the Internet so these are not our own…

Black Raspberry pie

Backyard garden

July 22, 2015GardenFree food...from the ground!, Garden, No room for weeds!warren

A couple of years ago, we decided to convert a crummy section of our backyard into garden space. We used to have a gigantic garden but with all of our running around, we found that we could not adequately manage such a large plot. Still, we really liked having fresh vegetables to eat. And honestly, I really enjoy seeing stuff spout and grow regardless of whether it feeds me.

Anyhow, with chickens this year, we found that we had to fence off the garden area. I would love to have a really polished fenced in garden, but when it came down to it, I just needed my seedlings protected so we drove T-posts into the ground and hung welded-wire fence on that…done!

So, without chickens interrupting growth, you can see that our garden has gone nuts! We planted a few varieties of peppers, tomatoes, yellow squash, zukes, potatoes, green beans, onions and a few herbs. WV has had lots of rain this year so we haven’t watered a thing and it’s really doing great…in some ways, maybe too great. Stuff has grown together more than we expected so that’s not ideal but it it generating food!

I found this guy roaming around also. He has enjoyed the garden as well and somehow, has avoided the chickens. As it turns out, we discovered that the chickens like Japanese beetles that have taken up residence on the raspberry plants by the house more than any other thing I have ever tried to feed them. I hate those beetles so am happy to pick them off by the dozens to feed them as a treat!

Fish Hawk Acres

June 19, 2015Awesome, Food, Garden, Nature, WVAwesome, Field to table, Nature, WV kicks ass!warren

West by God Virginia is full of all sorts of interesting delights that often go overlooked. While we are not technically a “fly-over” state as they are traditionally defined, we really are pretty much overlooked for everything except as the butt of jokes.

There are so many things in WV that I would consider gems that most people passing by just miss. A few weeks ago, we discovered one – Fish Hawk Acres. Fish Hawk Acres is a combination catering service, organic farm and outdoor restaurant…at least 4 days a year. We had the pleasure of driving to Rock Cave, WV a small town near Buckhannon…another small town in central WV. Emily and I met in Buckhannon 25 years ago so I reference Buckhannon whenever I can. Anyhow, we drove into Rock Cave and through a few fields to an un-assuming pavilion where Dale Hawkins, the chef and owner of FHA was preparing a gourmet meal with items that were all grown in one of 14 farms nearby.

Vegetables — These vegetables were for sale…fresh from the field

Dale talked some about his theory on sustainability and farming, food and cooking, and his pleasure in returning to the family farm in WV to do what he loves. He found that he was more a chef than a farmer so he partnered with Patti and Lupe Espinosa who took the endeavor from a 3 acre row-crop farm to a 30 acre farm to supply his cooking. Before we ate, Dale and Pati took us on a walking farm through a few fields to describe how they manage and conserve water and soil as well as how they plant vegetables and manage weeds. It was an incredible operation and one that made me wish I could undertake such an adventure.

We returned from the field, ready to eat. I guess there were 100 or so people that dined on beef tips and pork loin, asparagus and fresh roasted potatoes. We had cucumber-basil mojitos (not bad) and salad made from fresh greens.

After dinner, Sarah Loudin Thomas, a WV-native who has authored two books read a few segments from each novel for us. In her blend of WV and now-NC accents, she told us a story of life in WV in the early 1900s. After she read, a number of people asked for her to sign their books including her 5th grade teacher who was in the audience! It was one of the coolest things of the night!

On our way back, we had to stop for gas. For some reason, I felt the need to pollute my palette with ultra-processed ice cream. Still, we had a wonderful time as a family, enjoying one of the many gems that WV has to offer!

Growing time

May 29, 2015Food, Garden, WVGarden, It's food...coming from the ground!, Playing in the dirt!warren

It’s that time of year again…stuff is growing…including my aching back and sunburned neck…but that’s a good thing too I guess. It’s great to be outside and doing stuff. We put the main garden in on Mother’s Day weekend when our chance of frost is gone. What may be more exciting though, I think, is that I got sorghum in the ground again and that it should grow. We planted it at Emily’s grand’s house where we used to do the bulk of our gardening. It’s too big a plot for us to garden in right now but will be perfect for a good sorghum crop.

I tilled a bunch of the land and we planted every sorghum seed I had. We first did sorghum a few years ago. Year 1 was great. Year 2 was a total flop…so bad we didn’t harvest a single cane. I expect that this year we will do well. We planted in good soil with appropriate spacing, etc. It’s a good bit of work processing sorghum and the end result yields not a lot of sorghum syrup but it is so cool to be a part of this old-timey process…kinda the same way I feel about beekeeping. It’s a great family time and, in both cases, the end result is literally finger-licking-good!

I didn’t get many pics of our work but Emily, Abigail and Emily’s Dad planted at the end of a long day’s work tilling and mowing and weeding.

The other big thing that is growing now is our raspberry patches! There are tons of berries on the plants and, after we got fencing in place, they are remaining there not being eaten by the chickens. I think raspberries are my favorite berry and possibly my favorite fruit. It’s hard to beat being able to eat out of your own yard!

We’re in the green

September 22, 2014Canning, GardenCanning, Garden, If I was to be reincarnated as a vegetable I'd want to be a green bean!warren

We plant a garden every year…some years it’s good, some years we look forward to the next year. We used to plant a large garden at Emily’s grandparents’ house. With all the running around we do, it became unmanageable. We still love fresh food and you can’t beat the price (although, building up the garden area ain’t cheap…though that was our decision).

So, we built a few raised beds in our back yard and planted them full of stuff. We started with the largest area built from old railroad ties. We filled it with peppers, broccoli, onions, tomatoes and potatoes. About midway through the summer, we added two 8-foot beds to the mix. You see, we didn’t have any green beans and we absolutely love home-grown green beans. I think the most we ever canned was 70 quarts one year. That might have been a bit much but we really enjoy beans.

Anyhow, with our decision not to plant a garden at Emily’s grands’ place, we were sort of without when it came to beans…on a chance, we decided to plant green beans in July, hoping to have a small crop by frost. We harvested a bunch of beans yesterday and had more than a small crop. Although not a 70-quart crop, we canned 20 pints last night!

Green beans - before and after canning — Green beans – before and after canning

Next year, we will be ready to plant an early spring crop as well as a July crop, hoping to double our return! It’s so cool that two small rows of seed can make us a bunch of food that we will enjoy until next year!The best part is that they were canned within a few hours of being picked…hard to get any fresher than that!

Stuff I’ve seen

September 12, 2014Garden, NatureBugs that bug some people, Nature, Waspers are so metalwarren

I’ve seen things…strange and wonderful things. Well, I wish it was really that dramatic, but I was just leafing back over some old pics the last few evenings, and I came across a few pics that I thought were cool. We have been running so much lately with band and cross-country and soccer and work stuff. It feels like there hasn’t been time to do anything …I almost said fun, but of course, all of that running is fun. Sometimes it’s pretty easy, though, to lose sight of that.

Anyhow, a month or so ago, we were at my parents house visiting. They like flowers and have a really nice flowerbed out front. I took a few pics of the crop they had around there. Pollinators were about gathering what pollen they could. I love yellow flowers so their Black-eyed Susan’s were exquisite. Yes, I just said that…shut up.

I was messing in the bees awhile back and this time of year is interesting. After spring and summer blooms pass and before fall blooms start, bees and hornets and wasps and yellow jackets all compete for limited resources. I always see bunches of yellow jackets in particular, “make a go” at the beehives to try and steal a little of the honey they keep inside. In a healthy hive, the bees keep the yellow jackets away easily. In one hive box that was empty, but in my apiary, I took a look in to see if any bees or other critters were collecting any of the wax scraps that were about…Imagine my surprise when I saw these lovelies…They were not aggressive so I just put the lid back on and walked away…that’s how I roll.

I did find another nest in other bee stuff I had at the house and found a really cool looking nest. It showed all stages of waspers inside…capped brood, larvae, and eggs. You can kind of see them if you look hard and use your imagination.

This stuff fascinates me…I am always amazed at the wonders that are right under our noses!

Taters and maters

August 8, 2014Canning, Food, GardenCanning, Garden, I say "taters and maters" in my best Slingblade accent...try it!warren

I just like saying that title…it is like so many words or combinations….it’s just a fun thing to say. What words do you have like that…stuff that’s just fun to say?

Anyhow, I’ve long posted on gardening endeavors so this is in that tradition. We have a little habit of planting too much and then filling our kitchen full of food that we can never hope to eat before it goes bad. We go a little pioneer (or more like early 20th century) on it and can everything!

It seems like we can never start the canning process before 10pm though. Anyone who has ever canned knows that starting that late has its good and its bad aspects…it’s usually cooler later at night and canning makes things in the house pretty hot. Canning also sometimes takes a long time so starting late might mean sleep deprivation. In our case, we just never have time before 10pm so heat has nothing to do with it.

Getting ready to can some hot garden mix

Anyhow, the other night, we started spaghetti sauce at around 10. Spaghetti sauce is a great way to use up a lot of tomatoes…our recipe calls for 30 pounds at a time. We add spices and veggies and meat and ~~fungus~~ mushrooms. Adding those things means we have to pressure can and boil the living fire out of the jars. Tomatoes alone are pretty acidic so any nasties can usually be killed with straight-up boiling and letting the acids do their work. Adding the other stuff prevents that so pressure canning is necessary…pressure canning simply allows the temp to get a lot higher. Our recipe calls for the canner to stay at temp for 1 hour. Talk about a late night! We did clear out most of our tomatoes though and we will have lovely vittles this winter when spaghetti will taste especially awesome!

Some of this year's potatoes — Some of this year’s first crop of potatoes

Speaking of awesome, home-grown veggies are usually in the own league compared to store bought. I think the biggest difference comes in potatoes. Taters are easy to grow and are just so much more tender and smooth to me when I grow them. It’s striking and makes it well worth the work of digging the tubers. This year, we planted one crop which we harvested in July. We turned right around and planted another crop which appears to be doing very well! I love the idea of two tater crops this year! We usually plant once and take what we get, but the taters were just too good to pass it up!

What the heck is this…redux

July 25, 2014Garden, NatureGarden, Nature, Something bugging you?, The things nightmares are made ofwarren

Way back in 2008 (that’s 6 years ago…seems like last year), I was digging potatoes and found a big brown wormy thingamabob…I asked, what the heck is this? Someone answered it was a tomato hornworm. We often plant tomatoes and potatoes and sometimes they are fairly close together…no big deal.

I thought it was weird the other day, however, when I dug this year’s potatoes and found another big ugly brown larval whatchamacallit. Granted, the potatoes are near the tomatoes again this year, but maybe tomato hornworms which eat tomato plants like to grow up near taters rather than maters.

Hornworm pupa video — Click to see the video

Just like last time, I decided to pick this guy up and torment the kids with it. Emily is desensitized enough that she doesn’t even flinch around me any more but the kids are still subject to my weirdness. I probably should have mashed this one since they ruin tomatoes, but I do not often mess with much of anything if it isn’t directly necessary. It took brazillions of years to evolve the way it did; why should I mess with mother-nature?

Peonies and Ants

May 13, 2014Family, Garden, NatureI love peonies and that's ok, It's a Family Traditionwarren

For as long as I can remember, my family has grown pink peonies. My great grandmother had a substantial stand of them at her old home place and it has been a tradition that a few toes go with family members as we move about so we can propagate the blooms and share something in common no matter where we are. My grandparents had them planted at their place and my parents have them also.

To me, peonies are about as lovely a flower as they make…secondly only to daffodil I expect. Both flowers have the most wonderful fragrances of anything in the world too. I could honest-to-goodness start every day for the rest of my life smelling daffodils and peonies and be a happy man.

We planted our peonies a few years ago when we bought our home in WV. We waited and waited and nothing really showed the first year or two. In fact, I sort of forgot that they were in the ground until last year when familiar shoots started up through the ground. I do not think a single bloom grew but I knew the leaves and was hopeful.

This year, the flowers came on strong and we have buds waiting to open! I took a few pictures of the ants that always go with peony blooms which I thought was pretty cool. I always heard that without the ants, peonies would not bloom. Apparently that is an old wives’ tale. Ants just like the sweet nectar the blooms produce. The blooms will be just fine without the ants though.

So, ants and aphids are welcome…peonies now grow in my yard as they have in my family for at least 4 generations!

My Home Among The Hills

Life in WV!