Purslane - A Good Weed??

Purslane - A Good Weed??

My garden is overflowing with Purslane.  It wasn't until a few years ago that my husband helped me discover this delicious weed - yes I said weed.  Purslane is a very fast-growing weed that can take over your garden but now, whenever I weed my garden I make sure that I am having a salad for lunch or dinner and I include a few Purslane leaves.  Purslane has a mild green lemony flavor and tastes great in any garden salad.  Most importantly, Purslane is actually good for you - I am not a nutritionist but my husband tells me that Purslane is high in vitamin E and Omega-3 fatty acid.

WARNING:  If you are not absolutely sure if you have Purslane growing in your garden then Don't take a chance on eating something that might resemble these pictures!

Common Purslane

 

Reap a Harvest

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."  Galatians 6:9

It's the same with my garden - every year by the end of June I become so impatient wondering when the first cucumber will ripen, or wondering when will I be able to eat the first tomato?  I continue weeding and watering my garden with seemingly no results.  Then I start to think that something is wrong with my plants and that I will have a summer without any fresh produce.  It happens overnight - a snap of God's finger and my garden is overflowing with fresh fruits and vegetables.

The same thing can happen when "doing good."  We might be ridiculed or ignored and therefore become exhausted or even lazy but we must persevere and keep doing good and glorifying Christ Jesus.  We will "reap a harvest" only in God's own time.  So, don't give up! - Be patient and keep on doing good - the harvest is coming!

Lord, thank you for your promises.

Part 1:  Reap What You Sow

Strawberry Mango Jam

Strawberry Mango Jam

4 cups crushed strawberries (washed, hulled & then crushed)

1 cup crushed mango (peeled, pitted and then crushed)

Juice from 1 lemon

1 package of fruit pectin

6 to 7 cups of sugar (I always use less sugar because in my opinion most jams & jellies are too sweet.  Using less sugar might make your jam a little more runny or syrup-like but most times I haven't been able to tell a difference)

Directions may vary according to each fruit pectin brand - all fruit pectin packages come with an instructional insert - but these instructions will work with any regular size pectin package.

1.  Gather your canning jars, lids and rings (you will need 6 or 7 half pints).  Canning Basics - Jar Sizes

     Also, gather all other canning supplies:  Other Canning Supplies

2.  In a large stainless steel pot mix the fruit (crushed strawberries & crushed mango), lemon juice and fruit

     pectin - stir until pectin is dissolved.

3.  Start the water boiling for Jar sterilization:  Sterilizing Jars & Lids

4.  Bring the fruit mixture to a full boil over meduim-high heat - gently stirring all the time.

5.  Add the entire amount of sugar (again - I use the lesser amount - 6 cups) - stirring until dissolved.

6.  Bring this mixture to a full boil again - continuously stirring.  Boil hard for a full minute (you will notice

     some foamy stuff on top - that is supposed to happen.  If it boils too close to the top of the pot then you

     will need to turn the heat down slightly).  Constant stirring is a must!

7.  Remove the pot from heat and skim foam off the top and discard the foam.

8.  By now your jars should be sterilized and ready to be filled.  Take the jars out of the boiling water (I use

     my jar remover and make sure that the water is drained out of each jar).  Fill each jar up to the threads

     of each jar (about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch of headspace)

9.  Wipe the rim of each jar with a damp cloth making sure that any jam residue is gone (any residue left on

      the rim can stop the jar from sealing).

10. Place a sterilized lid on each jar and then tighten a ring on each jar.

11. Place all jars in a "Water Bath Canner" and process (boil) the jars for 10 minutes (make sure that the

      water level in the Canner is 1 inch above the tallest jar)

12. Remove the jars and place them on the counter or table to cool (I always place them on a cloth because

      there have been a few times when a jar cracked and then the jam oozed out making a mess - the cloth

      will help if that happens).  You will hear the wonderful popping sound of your jars sealing.

13. Allow the jar to cool for 24 hours and then store in your pantry or in your fruit cellar until the winter

      and then enjoy a little bit of summer.

Filling sterilized jars with Strawberry Mango Jam



Sealed jars of Strawberry Mango Jam

Other Jelly or Jam Recipes on this blog:

Blueberry Jam

Peach Jam

Copyright, Permissions & Disclaimer

Maintaining Lilac Bushes

 

Maintaining Lilac Bushes

Lilacs are one of the first flowering bushes of the spring and one of the most long-lived.  There are also so many different varieties of Lilacs: double lilac, light purple lilac, dark purple lilac, white lilac, french lilac etc. - the list is endless.

When talking about maintaining Lilac bushes you first need to know if you have a regular oldfashioned lilac bush or a "non-suckering" lilac bush (please see the last 2 pictures at the bottom of this post).  Simply look at the base of your lilac bush and if there are little lilac shoots growing, then you have a regular lilac plant.  Some people do not like the unkempt look of the traditional lilac plant but I don't mind the wild look - I actually prefer it.  Over the years I have been able to start many new lilac bushes from the suckers that my traditional lilac bush produced.  I am able to separate 1 or 2 lilac suckers about every 5 years - (I should add "successfully separate").  There have been times when I tried to separate these suckers too soon and they just ended up dying - trial and error is the best way to learn in this case. 

This lilac bush has produced many "suckers" but none are large
enough to separate.

This lilac bush is about 45 years old (which is
young in Lilac years).

This is a "non-suckering" lilac bush

The Basics of Canning - Sterilizing Jars and Lids

Sterilizing Jars and Lids

Before filling your jars with whatever you are canning, the first thing to do is wash your jars in soapy water.  (My extra jars are stored in my garage so I always make sure that the dust, bugs and whatever else is washed off the jars). 

Next, boil your clean jars.  Some people only scald their jars before canning but I don't want to take any chances, so I boil my jars and lids for 5 minutes before canning.  (I always add a couple tablespoons of white vinegar to the boiling water - this helps keep the glass clear and this is also especially helpful if you have hard water).  Another way to sterilize your canning jars is to run them through the dishwasher and remove them just after the drying cycle when they are so hot that you can barely touch them.  I prefer using the boiling water method because you can do a few at a time and you don't have to wait the entire dishwashing cycle.

Canning jars in boiling water for sterilization

Then the jars are sterilized and they are ready for whatever produce you are canning.  I place the lids in the boiling water just before I begin filling the sterilized jars.  Once I have finished filling the jars then the lids are ready to be used.

Veggie Cream Cheese Swirls (Part 1 of Vegetable Base)

This is great for summer lunches - cold, refreshing, delicious and healthy!

Garden Vegetable Base

1 medium head of broccoli (cut into small pieces)

2 or 3 green onions (chopped)

1 green bell pepper (diced thinly)

1 red or yellow bell pepper (diced thinly)

2 stalks celery (chopped)

3 large carrots (peeled and shredded)

3 cooked or baked chicken breasts (either shredded or cut into small pieces) (sometimes I use leftover baked chicken from the night before or sometimes, to save time, I buy chicken breasts that have already been baked)

1 bunch of cilantro (washed and chopped)

1/4 teaspoon ground hot chile pepper or cayenne (again - I prefer spicy food so I will add more than 1/2 teaspoon - but only add according to your taste)

NOTE:  Many times I will substitue tender young zucchini or yellow squash for the celery or I will add whatever is in season from the garden at that time.

Prepare everything as directed above.  In a large stainless steel or glass bowl - Stir all ingredients together by hand using a wooden spoon.  Divide the "vegetable base" into 3 equal parts.  Use 1/3 of vegetable base for the recipe below.

Note to Vegetarians:  Simply omit the chicken breasts

"Garden Vegetable Base" before dividing into thirds

Veggie Cream Cheese Swirls

1/3 of "Garden Vegetable Base"
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or whatever cheese you prefer)
4 large soft tortilla shells/wraps (I use wheat not corn)
1 package cream cheese cut into 4 equal chunks (softened to room temperature)
fresh greens from the garden, washed and drained (spinach, kale, lettuce, broccoli raab or baby pak choi/bok choy - whatever you prefer)


Stir the shredded cheese in with 1/3 Vegetable Base (from above).  Take 1 tortilla wrap and spread 1/4 of the cream cheese all over 1 side of the tortilla making sure to get close to the edge.  Place some of the vegetable shredded cheese mixture on one half of the tortilla (as shown below) and then place some of your garden fresh greens on top (again - see picture below).  Starting at the filled end simply roll up the tortilla as tight as possible without ripping the shell.  Continue filling the remaining 3 tortilla shells in the same manner.  Now cut into 1 1/2 inch slices and enjoy!!

Filled tortilla shell is ready to be rolled.

  Final filled tortilla cut into Veggie Swirls and ready to eat

Also great if you make this ahead of time and chill for a few hours in the fridge (may be stored in fridge for no more than 48 hours as the wrap can start to get a little soggy after that length of time).

Part 2:  Garden Fresh Pasta Salad

Part 3: Garden Filled Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Planting Sweet Potatoes



Place your sweet potato plants in a pail with some water after they arrive in the mail

Sweet Potato Sets

When your sweet potato plants (sets) arrive don't be alarmed if they apear very wilted.  Simply place them in a pail (with a few inches of water in the bottom) for a few days and you will notice the foliage perk up and the plants become healthly looking. 

Soil is prepared and the furrows are ready for the sweet potatoes to be planted

Preparing the soil

Each row should be about 2 or 3 feet apart.  You will need to mound each row creating a furrow and each furrow should be 8 to 12 inches high (see picture above). 

Sweet Potatoes have just been planted

Planting

Start in 1 row and arrange the Sweet Potato Sets before actually planting.  The potato sets should be planted 12 to 18 inches apart.  Use either a garden trowel or a larger stick to make a hole and then place 1 sweet potato set in each hole and water slightly (make sure you cover the pinkish roots and tightly pack the dirt but do not cover the bud or base of the leaves) .  The spacing of your first row will help you when you plant the next row.  In the second row you will plant your first set by going up six inches from the beginning of the row

- when looking at the first row this would actually be in between the first 2 plants.  If you were to draw a line between the first 2 rows it would look like a zig-zag line (see the picture below - I place some garden twine down to demonstrate).  Then the third line would be spaced like the first row and the fourth row would be spaced like the second (and so on until you are finished planting).  The reason for this zig-zag planting is because the sweet potato vines can become a tangled mess by the end of the season.  If you plant in the way I described these vines will grow inbetween each other plant and will not become twisted.

If you were to draw a line between the first 2 rows it would look like a zig-zag line.

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