Summer Recap

Where has the time gone?? Storm Season is already upon us with high wind warnings and rainfall for the next few days ... at least! Finally I have time to sit in front of the computer and as long as the hydro stays on through the storm, it's all good.

Pullet Eggs from the 4 Chicks

The extreme weather events of this year made for a more labor intensive existence for the garden, the hens and us! Several daily hikes to the garden for shading, picking and watering, ice blocks and bed sheets up to keep the chickens cool, hosing down the dogs and we even used the air conditioner in the house this summer. By August the four 'Olive Egger' chicks started to lay ... obviously from the photo of their eggs, they are NOT Olive Eggers but an assortment of brown, blue and green'ish shelled eggs. Out of the four chicks I raised, all four were hens ... now that's like winning the chicken Lottery!! Not one Rooster in the bunch! After hand raising these chicks from 3 days old, I couldn't bring myself to splitting up the gang, or sending some to new homes, so I have kept them all. They are friendly, personable girls and they add joy to my Covid lifestyle.

Celebrity F1 tomato -greenhouse grown

The tomatoes I grow near the house for seed saving were a disaster. With the heat dome, their pollen was sterilized and each plant managed to produce only one or two fruits. The Yellow Hawaiian never matured and my Sally's Outdoor Salsa were small and half of the fruit had hard green flesh that were eventually raided by rodents. 

Heaviest tomato this summer

The only tomatoes that did well were the Celebrity F1 that I had in the greenhouse. Unfortunately in my opinion, they looked great but not much flavor. I got a very heavy harvest of large, uniform fruits but most of them ended up in the Roasted Tomato Sauce pot!

The Mercury Cucumbers were a slow start. I staggered plantings in the greenhouse and still lost five plants earlier in the season to stem rot. I had to restart more seed so ended up a bit behind. Once I got four plants thriving in the greenhouse they just took off. There was no way I could keep up, so friends, neighbors, the deer and chickens shared the bounty. I cleaned out the greenhouse when the weather started to cool and just a few days ago finished the last few from the fridge. I have tried numerous varieties of cukes and prefer the smaller Persian types. For one person they are perfect for snacks, salads, sweet pickles and every morning as a snack as I watered.

Greenhouse harvest

This summer I introduced more pollinator flowers to the vegetable garden. I really noticed an increase in bees and other pollinators so will continue this. The sunflowers and nasturtiums always self seed as does the dill weed and oregano. One of the sunflowers produced a two-faced flower. I have never seen this before so had to get proof ... an unusual sight indeed! I have had 'Siamese Twins' on the dill cukes, patty pan squash, some tomatoes and the Mercury cukes but never a sunflower until now!

Two-faced Sunflower

 

The garlic and onion crops were fantastic this year. The largest garlic heads were set aside for seed and planted in a new, prepared bed on October 4th. The bed has been mulched with straw and I have six large bags of dry maple leaves in the shed for winter mulch when the weather turns really cold.

For now I'm happy to get a few indoor chores done and finish making my Christmas gifts of truffles and chocolates.

Until next time ... Stay warm and dry,         Bon Appétit! 

Photos by Sally Rae

A Time to Give Thanks

I have so much to be Thankful for ... Denman Island is a safe and caring community, I can grow our own food 12 months of the year, what I don't grow I can buy from local organic farms, we have a beautiful spacious property with stunning ocean/mountain/island views. I'm thankful for the warm dry home that we built, wonderful neighbors we can rely on, a year 'round abundant water supply, four-legged friends who enrich our lives, provide companionship and entertainment ... we have each other for love and support, and between us skills in; cooking, baking, sewing, gardening, hair cutting, dog grooming, building, massage therapy ... to name only a few!

Garden and greenhouse harvest October 5th, 2020

We have remained safe through the Covid-19 pandemic and are happy to stay at home. I am thankful that although our Island is small we have a Medical Clinic, doctors including TCM, a fire department, first responders, paramedics and home support workers. I am thankful for our General Store, Post Office, Hardware Store and the Farmer's Market. Last but not least, I'm thankful for my family, dear friends, clients and neighbors.

As we all prepare for a different Thanksgiving weekend this year, I wish you thankful thoughts, good health ... and a beautiful celebration dinner. From our home to yours we wish you a happy, safe Thanksgiving ...

Until next time ... Bon Appétit

Photo by Sally Rae

Produce grown by Sally Rae

Storm Season and Garden Clean Up

Mercury cukes and Borghese tomato

 

After a rainy, cold June... the hot, dry September produced some bountiful harvests. My tomatoes are slow to ripen because I had to restart seeds after losing 2 trays of seedlings to damping off. The outside tomato plants are struggling and probably won't produce much... but in the greenhouse some are starting to ripen and they are beauties! Also the Mercury cucumbers in the greenhouse are going to be hard to live without in the coming weeks of cooler weather.

Sally's Outdoor Salsa 1lb. 13oz.

Last week I picked the first and largest of my 'Sally's Outdoor Salsa' tomatoes, weighing in at 1 lb. 13oz. Not a record breaker compared to last years ginormous specimen that tipped the scale at my record of 2 lb. 5 3/4oz. I couldn't wait to slice into this beauty, the photo below, a single  'slice' dwarfs a Portofino Brioche Hamburger bun cut in half! For sure I saved seeds from this one! I had too many cabbages to use and left two of the early Taiwan Cabbage out in the garden. When the rain started I didn't want them to split so I picked them. 

A slice compared to open hamburger bun

Of course the slugs and earwigs had a good time with them in the garden that long. Also under each, about 4-6 little cabbages had started to grow at the base. They looked like big Brussels Sprouts!

Taiwan Cabbage

This past week we had the first big wind and rain storms come through our area. There is still so much to get done with garden clean up. Next week we are predicted to have sun and more sun with temperatures up to 8 degrees C. above normal. What a crazy year in many ways!!

September Seascape Strawberries

 The strawberries are still producing... this plate of berries were picked on September 19th, and today I ate a few while working. With the warm, sunny days next week, I expect to pick another small bowl of beauties! 

2 lb. Earlichamp melon

Today in the greenhouse, the last 'Earlichamp' melon released from the vine... a beauty at 2 pounds! The sweet aroma is incredible. If you noticed, I'm struggling a bit with the new Blogger format. I will eventually figure it out but there are a few glitches in this post, sorry, this could be a steep learning curve for me!!

 Until next time ... Bon Appétit and Happy Gardening!

Photos by Sally Rae

September ... Already?

I'm still trying to wrap my head around flipping the calendar to September! It seems the years fly by quickly anyways but so far 2020 has been a bit weird, learning to live with and through Covid-19! A certain amount of isolation is normal for most Denmanites, many of us have been very happy to just stay home. We are very fortunate to have 12 acres to roam, distance from our neighbors and quiet roads to walk. Even more fortunate to grow most of our own food. 

Tomato and melon side of the greenhouse 'jungle'

I made good use of the greenhouse this year... with 5 varieties of tomatoes (Celebrity, Radiator Charlie's Mortgage Lifter, Aunt Ruby's German Green, Yellow Hawaiian and Borghese), 3 varieties of small salad cucumbers (Mercury, Diva and Patio Snacker), a Partenon zucchini (that I rescued from the garden slugs in May),  Earlichamp cantaloupe, Cream of Saskatchewan watermelon and between all that, lots of flowers to bring in the pollinators. Into a small, sunny corner on August 9th, I added Little Gem Romaine lettuce and Celtuce from Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co. for winter harvest.

First small cantaloupe - September 1st.

I found the first 'Earlichamp' melon had released itself from the vine yesterday. It fits into the palm of my hand and smells amazing! Unfortunately the Cream of Saskatchewan Watermelon had a rough start and by the time it germinated and got going, it was a bit late so I doubt there will be any fruit to sample this year. 
The cucumbers have been incredibly prolific, between 10-17 small cukes every week! I pulled out the 'Patio Snacker' quite early on because it was my first time growing that variety and I was not fond of the spiny skin nor the flavor. The Mercury and Diva are my long time favorites and are more than enough for me to keep up with!

All my tomato starts were late because I lost 2 trays of seedlings to damping off when I transplanted them. The Borghese is from a friend and are mainly used for sun-dried tomatoes. They are small, meaty, oval shaped and grow like a cluster of grapes. In my household these will make a perfect addition to 'Roasted Tomato Sauce'. In mid August I did a severe pruning of the tomatoes... removed leaves for air flow, cut off all the smaller fruit, any new blossoms and shoots. I still have hope that I will get a crop from the greenhouse but the ones outside, in the garden are looking pretty sad. 

Huge Seascape Strawberries

The winter lettuce crop is looking good and is a first time experiment for me. Also for winter harvest I've recently put more cabbage plant starts in the garden... 2 Lennox (110 day) cabbage that will be used in January for my sauerkraut and this year I'm trying 4 Tiara Cabbage for fall harvest. I plant Tiara as an early (45 day) cabbage. They are so delicate, sweet and crunchy it will be hard to live without them on the menu, so this year I'm trying a second, later crop. 

The Seascape Strawberries are in full swing of their second crop and if the weather stays dry, they will continue to produce and ripen into late October. They never disappoint ... huge, juicy and sweet!

Thai Double Blue Butterfly Pea

Another new and unusual seed from Baker Creek was the 'Thai Double Blue Butterfly Pea' ... it was a bit fussy to germinate and an expensive, rare seed. I have seen this flower used to make a blue colored tea that when an acid (lemon juice) is added, it turns to pink. The tea is said to 'refresh the brain and boost its activity and function'. It is also used to color rice and desserts, so I was really excited to find and try to grow this plant! I have it in a pot on the deck, near the door so I can keep a close eye on it. I have been saving the flowers to use later. It is hardy in Zones 10 and 11 so I'll try to overwinter it in my sun-room.

It's time to start planning your garlic bed for this winter. If not already done, sort your seed and get a bed ready for mid October planting. The long weekend weather looks to be sunny and warm here on the Island, so I'm going to take advantage of the great outdoors and start on some garden clean up for fall. I've said it before and I'll say it again, one of my big 'beefs' is hauling huge, unruly, slimy squash plants out of the garden once the weather turns to fall. I'm ready to do that with the summer squash now ... in the sunshine! With the Partenon zucchini in the greenhouse I'll have fresh zucchini for a while into fall I'm sure!

Until next time ... Bon Appétit and Happy Gardening!
Please be safe, stay healthy, wear a face mask and take good care...

Photos by Sally Rae

A Ginormous Tomato, Proteknet and Flexzilla in My Garden!

Sally's Outdoor Salsa, heavy on the vine

This weekend has turned to overcast with the odd rain shower. Evenings are already cool and mornings are damp with dew prompting  powdery mildew on leaves. With shorter days the plants are slowing down production. 
Time to wrap it up for Fall and Winter!

The weather was all over the map this summer; very warm early on, then cool, minimal rain, a shorter heat wave than the past few years and thankfully, no smoke from forest fires. The flora and fauna were confused it seemed. 

A record breaking 2 lb. 5-3/4 oz. Sally's Outdoor Salsa!

I did not see many pollinators around and although I planted more flowers than usual, I had to take on the task of hand pollinating the tomatoes, greenhouse cucumbers and winter squash. Through all my efforts, the harvest was not as bountiful as it could have been.

Most of the tomatoes struggled with small fruit or only 2-3 per plant! However, my 'Outdoor Salsa' tomato (that has become quite famous on Denman and sold by Annie as 'Sally's Salsa') produced a record breaking tomato this year tipping the scale at 2 lb. 5-3/4 oz! I have been saving select seed from this unknown, heirloom variety for about 20 years. My goal was and still is, to save from the largest fruit, that have a minimal amount of seeds. 

Sally's Salsa- very few seeds and meaty, perfect to save seed

Therefore I chose the name 'Salsa' because they are very meaty, not juicy or sloppy and make an incredible, thick salsa or tomato sauce. Some years in the beginning, they were completely seedless and I panicked, for fear I would lose my species! That is when I began sharing seed with friends and the 'Denman Seed Savers' ... and my 'Sally's Salsa' variety came to be! 

Winter Squash ~ Sunshine and Butternut

The Sunshine and Butternut winter squash struggled with the on and off again weather, even with hand pollinating. Feeling that my soil needs more nutrients, I now have a manure supplier and the raised vegetable beds will be amended with composted manure ... once it dries off a bit out there. After the beds are topped up with a mixture of new soil and a good dose of manure, they will be covered with heavy black plastic for winter. This will keep the rain from leaching them out over winter, keeps the weeds controlled and promotes the soil to heat earlier in the Spring. 

The winter carrots have been weeded, thinned and are still covered with Remay to keep the carrot rust flies out. According to Linda Gilkeson, the covers must stay in place until the end of October. They are a pain to deal with so I've found a new solution.

Proteknet-100' in a small package

In preparation for next Spring, I have already purchased 100 feet of 'Proteknet' insect netting and 25 pvc hoops through William Dam Seeds. Organic Market Gardens on Denman Island cover all their crops with this amazing material. Providing it is suspended above the crop on (the recommended) pvc hoops, insects cannot penetrate to lay eggs or munch on your plants! It is a synthetic knitted mesh that allows about 89% light transmission and about 60% moisture transmission and allows air to travel through so the plants don't become too hot. It is UV resistant and lasts about 1-3 seasons. I have heard from Veronica of Alveroni Gardens on Denman, that it is also machine washable on the gentle cycle. I'll have photos next year and am looking forward to using the Proteknet insect netting rather than Remay, floating row cover.

My new favorite thing in the garden for 2019!!

Another new purchase for my yard and garden this year was the 'Flexzilla Swivel-Grip Garden Hose' ... what a dream!! Light weight, supple with no spool memory, flexible even in cooler weather and lies flat when in use. The new 'Swivel-Grip' connectors are worth the extra few dollars and make it easy to tighten or loosen the thread fittings at either end and also serve as anti-kink cuffs. A word of caution though when unraveling it from the packaging, it will kink and knot up. I'd suggest especially with the longer hoses, to unravel it carefully when first out of the packaging. 

Most of us still have lots of work to finish outside to wrap it up for the Winter months. I'm thankful for the rain, it has given me a change of pace to get a much delayed Blog Post out!! Also the break from daily watering has been a welcome reprieve. I've spent many hours at the end of my new Flexzilla this summer. I have set aside my garlic seed from this summer's harvest and the red onions are drying in the garage on racks with fans for air circulation. This is just the beginning, still so much to get done, let's hope for some dry September and October weather! 

Until next time... Happy Gardening and Bon Appétit!


Photos by Sally Rae 

July Garden Update

Full view of my Denman Island 'garden in the forest'

Yikes!! It's the end of July already!
I've been so busy with the early, warm spring and summer; planting, shading newly emerged winter crops and watering, that I've had little time to sit at the computer these days. I've taken a few weeks off from the salon for my annual summer staycation. Don't get too excited about that, it's 2 weeks I take every summer to 'catch up' on weeding, defrosting freezers, removing thistle seed heads on the property, pruning back Grandma's lilac so clients can get through the gate, cleaning the salon and if I have time ... making some freezer meals and soups for when I'm back at work. And that's the short list!!

Winter carrots and beets under remay

I took some photos in the garden on July 18th and this morning (10 days later) while watering, realized the winter carrots and beets have almost doubled in size, so it's time to get a July update happening! 

Garlic Harvest - 2 varieties July 18th, 2019

I pulled the garlic between rain showers a week earlier than last year. I was worried it would get too wet and a test pull of 2 heads proved there were 5 skin wrappers left, proof it was ready to be pulled and dried. Because the roots were a little more damp that I wanted, I cleaned the heads and removed most of the stalks to hopefully speed drying time. A few years ago I set up some old window screens and a fan system in the garage for drying. It is easy to manage and no threat from the weather.

2019 garlic drying

Most crops for winter harvest on the West Coast need to be in by July 1st. 
I have not grown winter carrots for about 4 years because of the damage from the carrot rust fly. To avoid this pest, the carrot beds need to be covered with remay or an insect mesh until at least October. Remay is great in that it provides extra heat, so the seeds germinate well and grow quickly, but it is a challenge in that it must be elevated by supports to allow the carrot tops room to grow and lifted off the bed to water properly.

Carrot bed #1 covered with remay

I'm so excited for winter carrots that I've put in 2 beds. A small bed first then a second bed including some beets with the Lennox cabbage, a 120 day variety. 

Winter garden bed - carrots, beets (remay) and cabbage       

 

Carrot bed #1 uncovered for watering

  











 
 The beets and carrots will be heavily mulched in the fall and we will use them starting in December and through the winter till March. The Lennox cabbage will be harvested in January. 

I've noticed lower than normal pollination this year. Although I've planted more flowers, including marigolds and nasturtiums between the vegetables, I have been hand pollinating the tomatoes, Mercury cucumbers in the greenhouse and winter squash. 

Sunshine and Butternut winter squash

Next year I will plant more pollinator flowers both in the garden and up near the house and greenhouse.

The second crop of Seascape Strawberries are just starting. A few huge, red berries every few days with stems heavy with fruit to come. The Desert King Fig is almost finished ripening. A crafty squirrel has discovered the figs this year and damaged/eaten quite a few of the fruits. 

Seascape Strawberries and Desert King Fig

For the past 2 years I've been pruning the fig tree into a structure that will produce a high breba crop. Breba is the first crop and this method is best suited to the Desert King that I grow and is in the photo. Because of the heavy pruning each spring, my fig crops have been very small ... and that darn squirrel hasn't helped the harvest this summer! 

Until next time... Happy Gardening and Bon Appétit!

Photos by Sally Rae 

The Dirty Dozen and Clean 15

I was surprised how many people have never heard of the 'Dirty Dozen' and the 'Clean 15'. If your brow is furrowed with confusion right now... my case in point!! 

Each year, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) releases the "Dirty Dozen", a list of the most pesticide-laden produce. EWG bases the list on tests done by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The 2017 annual report found a single strawberry sample with 20 different pesticide residues. Researchers also found DDT, a neurotoxic insecticide banned in the USA, in an alarming amount of spinach samples.

A "Clean 15" list is also included in the report, identifying the non-organic produce least likely to be contaminated with pesticide residues. I advise to choose and grow organic as often as possible. Washing may remove some of the residue but systemic pesticides are inside the produce and can still carry pesticide residue even after being washed and peeled. A good rule of thumb is to always eat lots of vegetables but choose organic when possible. Especially when it comes to Dirty Dozen items.

Local, Organic ~ From the Denman Saturday Market

This list should in no way deter you from eating fruits and vegetables, but it should make you aware and cautious of modern chemical farming practices. Using chemicals to kill weeds, microbes and bugs has numerous unwanted side effects including killing soil health and beneficial microbes. Pesticides are linked to dozens of health problems and other issues. Also, even low levels of pesticide exposure can be harmful to infants and young children. When possible, parents should take steps to lower children's exposure to pesticides while still feeding a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.

The EWG’s 2017 Dirty Dozen List

Strawberries
Spinach
Nectarines
Apples
Peaches
Pears
Cherries
Grapes
Celery
Tomatoes
Sweet Bell Peppers
Potatoes

The EWG’s 2017 Clean 15 List

Sweet corn*
Avocados
Pineapples
Cabbage
Onions
Frozen Sweet Peas
Papayas*
Asparagus
Mangoes
Eggplant
Honeydew
Kiwi
Cantaloupe
Cauliflower
Grapefruit

       *Buy organic to avoid GMO Papayas and Sweet Corn

Till next time ... Bon Appétit!

Photo by Sally Rae

Dedicated Denman Island Farmers

Denman Island Farmer's attend even in the snow!

It's unusual for Denman Island to have a snow fall that stays on the ground for more than a few days. As an ex-Albertan, I moved west to get away from the cold and 'white stuff'. The odd year we have had high accumulations of wet snow, then freezing temperatures. This phenomenon makes for dangerous driving, weighted broken tree branches, downed fences and sometimes lengthy power outages. I drove in dry Alberta snow for many years, but this wet, slushy stuff is a whole different ballgame. I never thought I'd beg for rain, but when the snow falls it is the following rains that wash it all away. Sure the clear, sunny sky with snow on the ground is beautiful but snap a few pictures then I've had enough!

Pat ~ Corlan Vineyard and Farm

On October 31st, I was gardening and raking up dry leaves for mulch, dressed in capris pants and a light hoodie... two days later we have 3 inches of snow on the ground, clear skies and temperatures near freezing. This is possibly the earliest snow I've seen since moving here 27 years ago... but I digress. The feature heroes of this post are the dedicated Denman Island Farmers I met at The Old School and Recycling Center this morning. 

Emily ~ Two Roads Farm

Tracy ~ Ruby Slipper Ranch

Where else can you shop for local, organic; produce, meat, eggs and wine in a snow covered field? Yes, Denman Island is a very special place to live!

I managed to scoop the last dozen of large eggs from Pat (Corlan Vineyard and Farm), and lucked out on a special today of 'fresh' turkey from Tracy (Ruby Slipper Ranch) and a bag of incredible vegetables from Emily and Sam (Two Roads Farm). My new addiction is; steamed fresh organic beets, spiralized into beet 'spaghetti', dressed with Signature Cranberry Pear White Balsamic Vinegar and Blood Orange Olive Oil, marinate and serve topped with crumbled goat cheese. Unfortunately today, Two Roads Farm beet harvest is frozen in the ground, so I opted for a fresh, incredibly white cauliflower, broccoli, tomatoes (yes, they were selling local tomatoes in the snow!), a couple of red onions and new to me... a Futsu squash and Sieglinde potatoes, also called German Butter potatoes. According to Sam they are a creamy, yellow fleshed potato that are even better than Yukon Gold!

Fresh Market shopping in the snow... guess what's for dinner tonight?

The snow has started to fall again, it is not quite freezing, so the flakes are huge and will no doubt pile up fast. Environment Canada has issued a Special Weather Statement warning of accumulations of another 4-8 inches. Oh well, at least we will have a Denman feast of fresh, organic food and a toasty fire to keep us warm.

Till next time... stay warm and Bon Appétit! 
     ...and remember to turn your clocks back this weekend!

Photos by Sally Rae