The Backyard Homestead

by Carleen Madigan

  If you stake your tomatoes, place the stake before you transplant, so you don’t disturb the roots.

  Tie tomato vines loosely to the stake as they grow.

  Pinch suckers to encourage strong growth of the main stem.

  When the vine reaches the size you want, pinch back the growing tip.

  Set the plants about 2 inches deeper than they were in the pot. Pick off a couple of the lower leaves. If plants are leggy (much stem and few leaves), lay down the plant on its side and bury part of the stem along with the roots. Prune the lower leaves off, leaving just the top leaves exposed. Roots will form later on the stem.

  Immediately after transplanting, water the plants well. Mulch four to six weeks later, when the soil is nice and warm. If you let tomato plants sprawl on the ground, a mulch is not necessary.

  Pruning is generally not necessary, but staked and trellised plants will be easier to train if they have only one or two main stems. Pruning means pinching off the shoots or suckers that grow out from the stems at their branching points. This encourages larger fruits.

  A general yellowing or pale green indicates nitrogen need. Avoid side-dressing with nitrogen until after flowering is well under way. You can then side-dress with an ounce or so of 5-10-10 or a quart of manure tea around the base of each plant.

  Turnips

  Direct-sow the seeds about 1 inch apart in single rows spaced 12 to 15 inches apart.

  Thin to 4 inches when the seedlings emerge. Fertilize regularly with fish emulsion and water. Cover with fabric row covers to inhibit pests.

  Begin to harvest the greens and bottoms when the roots are about 1½ inches across. Pull the entire plant and snip off the top. For best flavor, the roots should be gathered before they exceed 3 inches in diameter.

  Freezing Vegetables

  If you’ve ever bought fresh green beans from the supermarket in midwinter and compared them with your own frozen green beans, the merits of freezing should be obvious — there’s no comparison in quality. Following are general tips for freezing vegetables:

  Check the seed catalogs and seed packages to be sure you’ve chosen a variety that freezes well.

  Pick only tender young vegetables ready for table use.

  Wash the vegetables thoroughly by rinsing, repeatedly if necessary. Lift the vegetables out of the water rather than draining the water, which allows the dirt to settle back on them.

  Blanch vegetables (by quickly steaming or immersing in boiling water) before freezing. This procedure sets the color and stops the action of the enzymes that will otherwise continue to mature the vegetables.

  Cool vegetables promptly after blanching, to keep them crisp.

  Dry vegetables thoroughly after cooling, to prevent the formation of large ice crystals.

  Pack vegetables into freezer bags or containers, leaving at least an inch of headspace if using a rigid container.

  Drying Vegetables

  1. Blanch washed, cut-up vegetables in steam or boiling water before drying. Fruits can be treated with an antioxidant, if desired.

  2. Dry in the sun or in a dehydrator until leathery for fruits or crisp-hard for vegetables.

  3. Store in small, airtight containers and keep in the dark.

  Springtime Preserving of Stored Crops

  After several months, the quality of stored crops may begin to deteriorate, particularly when they are not stored under ideal conditions. As long as they are firm and crisp and have good flavor and color, their nutritive value is close to that of the fresh crop. When they begin to wither, however, their food value decreases.

  Rather than letting these crops continue to deteriorate, you may want to preserve them in midwinter or early spring by canning, freezing, or drying. The rush of the harvest season is over, plenty of empty canning jars should now be available if you have been eating vegetables canned in the fall, and space in the freezer is opening up.

  Now is the time to make and preserve pumpkins, squash, turnips, applesauce, pickled beets, or what have you. Crops that wintered in the garden or in outside storage should also be preserved now. These winter vegetables and fruits will then be usable throughout the spring and summer — until the next harvest.

  Start Canning!

  Home-canned vegetables are at least as good as store-bought ones, and perhaps better when you have grown them yourself and know exactly how they’ve been handled and what types of pesticides and fertilizers have (or have not) been used on them. Canned foods have an advantages over frozen in that they require no expensive equipment to keep them — just a shelf in a cool, dark, dry place.

  Good planning is the secret to rewarding and satisfying canning. Be prepared with all the necessary utensils, ingredients, and information. Set aside more than enough time, so that you don’t have to cut corners on processing times. Clear a large surface, since canning takes space, and organize before starting.

  Terms and Processes

  It’s important to consult a good reference before beginning (see Resources, page 340), but here is a general overview of the terms and processes we’ve used throughout this book:

  Raw or cold pack. These phrases are used interchangeably. They refer to prepared but uncooked fruits or vegetables packed in jars to which a hot liquid is added and then processed.

  Hot pack. Hot pack refers to foods that are precooked to some degree, then put into jars for processing. This makes for more compact packing, particularly with greens. A hot pack sometimes requires less cooking time, since the food is already partially cooked. Sometimes it takes as long or longer because of the denser pack.

  Headroom and headspace. These terms generally refer to the space between the top of the food and the top of the jar. Generally ½ inch is allowed, with the exception of starchy foods such as corn and peas, which expand more; they require at least 1 inch. Allowing too much headroom means too much air and the possibility of an improper seal. If you have only enough of a fruit or vegetable to fill half a jar, use it fresh or find a smaller jar to fill.

  Boiling-water bath. This is the cheapest and easiest method of canning for preserving high-acid foods. These include all fruits, all pickles, and those vegetables to which sufficient vinegar has been added to raise the acidity level high enough.

  What You’ll Need

  Glass Mason jars. Check for cracks or nicks in the rims; wash thoroughly in hot, soapy water; rinse; and keep hot until ready to fill.

  Metal screw bands

  Metal lids

  Jar lifter

  Hot pads

  Canning funnel

  Food preparation tools: knives, cutting boards, stock pot, colander.

  For boiling-water bath: deep stock pot or canner with lid and rack; also, a teakettle for adding hot water if necessary

  For pressure canning: pressure canner and rack

  Tools and Terms

  jar lifter

  (for removing jars from the canner)

  rack

  (for boiling-water-bath canning)

  boiling-water bath;

  cutaway shows jars in position

  How to Can Tomatoes

  1. Wash and sort tomatoes. Dip into boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove to cold water to cool for 1 minute.

  2. Pull off skins. Cut off stems as well as blemishes and green spots. Cut into sections.

  3. Put 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice or ½ teaspoon of citric acid per quart of tomatoes in the jars. Pack tomatoes tightly into jars, pushing down so that they are covered by their own juice; leave ½ inch of headspace.

  4. Run a rubber spatula or bubble freer around the inside of the jars to release trapped air bubbles.

  5. Wipe the jar rims with a clean cloth. Place lids in position and tighten screw bands.

  6. Place jars in a boiling-water-bath canner. Cover with 1 to 2 inches of water. Start timing when you have a rolling boil. Process tomatoes for 85 minutes for pints or quarts at elevations below 1,000 feet; see the chart on the next page to adjust for higher altitudes. />
  Pressure canning. This is the method to use for all vegetables (except tomatoes, sauerkraut, and pickles). There are several types of pressure canners, but they all work according to the same principle. The pan has a tight-sealing lid with some type of regulator. When a small amount of water is heated in the canner (usually 1 to 2 inches of water), it is converted to steam, which, as it builds up pressure, reaches temperatures substantially higher than boiling.

  Use a pressure canner to can all low-acid vegetables.

  A Checklist of Precautions

  Prime, quality produce is good insurance. Bruises encourage the growth of bacteria.

  Wash all produce carefully and completely.

  Be sure all equipment and work surfaces are scrupulously clean and in good working order.

  Make sure of a good seal.

  Don’t take shortcuts. Follow directions carefully, so that the result will justify all your time and effort.

  Most important, process for the correct time and at the correct temperature. This is the final key and the crucial factor that, along with the seal, cannot be overemphasized.

  Altitude Adjustment for Boiling-Water-Bath Canning

  If you live at an altitude of 1,000 feet or more, you have to increase the processing time in the canning directions for a boiling-water bath as follows:

  CHAPTER 2

  Backyard Fruits and Nuts

  It used to be that nearly everyone had some kind of fruit or nut tree in his or her yard, and in older neighborhoods, you can still find mature trees that bear fruit reliably every year with little or no care. In West Sacramento, California, almost every yard in neighborhoods that were settled by Dust Bowl refugees in the 1930s has some kind of citrus tree, along with figs and avocados. In rural New England, you can’t swing a cat without hitting an abandoned apple tree (though most of them have been so neglected that the old adage about pruning an apple tree open enough that you could “toss a cat and clear the branches” doesn’t apply).

  At some point in our recent collective history, however, we seem to have decided that the fruit growing in our own yards and surrounding landscapes (and not purchased from the grocery store) is not worth eating. Strolling those same neighborhoods of Sacramento at Christmastime, I’ve been surprised at the sight of bushels of lemons, grapefruits, and oranges falling from the trees and rotting on the ground for lack of willing harvesters.

  With a renewed interest in organically grown food, more people are planting fruiting trees, shrubs, and vines in their yards. Growing fruit can be as easy as potting up a few strawberry plants or putting in a few canes of raspberries. You might think that growing fruit requires a designated orchard space, but in fact many traditional fruiting plants can be easily incorporated into existing landscapes. And there are many traditional landscape plants that also bear edible fruits (see page 115).

  Fortunately, even if you can’t grow your own fruit, you can forage it! Organizations like Fallen Fruit (see Resources, page 340) map fruit trees on public lands where you can go foraging. Even if all you find is imperfect fruit, you can still make jam with it (see page 90) or maybe even wine (see page 129).

  Growing Strawberries

  If there is one fruit every homesteader and suburbanite should cultivate, it is strawberries. No matter where you live, there is a variety that will thrive in your area. Though they do best in cool, moist regions, they can be grown in hot, dry climates, especially where windbreaks are provided and supplemental watering is possible during July, August, and September.

  Selecting the Best-Bet Berries

  There are three distinct fruiting habits in strawberries. Summer-bearers produce one large crop of fruit once during the season, usually for about two weeks. Depending on your growing season and region, you can get early-season, mid-season, or late-season bearers. Everbearers produce a crop in the spring, then either produce smaller crops every six weeks or so or produce one more crop in the fall. Alpine strawberries, the closest descendants of wild strawberries, are perennial and are often grown as borders or ground covers. Unlike the other types of strawberries, they can be grown from seed and will bear throughout the growing season. Their fruits are small and often intensely flavored.

  How They Grow

  Strawberries require two years to produce the best fruit. If you set healthy plants in moist soil in a prepared bed in early spring, they will produce new roots in a few days, followed by several new leaves of normal size.

  For most varieties, runners begin to emerge in June, forming new plants that take root near the original plant. New runners grow from the new plants, and in this way a succession of new plants is soon growing around the original.

  A Fruiting Glossary

  Cane. The woody stem of various berries, grapes, and other plants

  Cultivar. A cultivated variety created by cross-pollinating two different plants within a species

  Girdle. To remove a strip of material or bark all around a plant, thus cutting off its water and nutrient circulation

  Graft. The surgical union of two different plants or trees by attaching a branch (scion) to a rootstock

  Pistil. Female parts of a plant

  Runner. Horizontal stem with new plants along its length

  Scion. The portion of a grafted plant above the rootstock

  Self-fruitful. Describes a plant or variety that can be fertilized by pollen from the same variety

  Plants produce blossoms the first year, and these will develop into fruit if not pinched off. Pinching them off will encourage your plants to develop strong root systems and vigorous growth. Your reward will be next season’s abundant crop of large, healthy, delicious berries.

  In the spring of the fruiting year, buds that developed the previous fall develop into blossoms. The first one to open on a cluster contains the most pistils and becomes the largest fruit with the most seeds. The next and later ones become successively smaller fruits.

  The Best Strawberries by Region

  The following strawberries are renowned for their excellent flavor

  South and Gulf Coast

  Tangi (medium to large)

  Mid-Atlantic Coast

  Pocahontas (medium to large, bright red)

  Raritan (medium to large, firm, bright red)

  Surecrop (medium to large, dark red)

  Northeast 1

  Earliglow (medium to large, deep red)

  Red Coat (medium to large, sweet, firm)

  Sparkle (medium to large, dark red)

  Midwest 2

  Guardian (large, bright red)

  Midway (medium to large, dark red, juicy)

  Sparkle (medium to large, dark red)

  Southern Plains

  Cardinal (very large, rich flavor)

  Pocahontas (medium to large, bright red)

  Trumpeter (medium to large, bright red)

  Upper Plains and Rockies 3

  Cycline (large, bright red)

  Dunlap (medium to large, dark red)

  Sparkle (medium to large, dark red)

  Trumpeter (medium to large, bright red)

  Northwest 4

  Hood (very large, dark red)

  Totem (medium to large, bright red)

  California and the Southwest

  Tilikum (small to medium, soft, tart)

  Tioga (medium to large, firm, shapely)

  1 and southern Quebec and the Atlantic provinces

  2 and southern Ontario

  3 and the Canadian prairies and Rockies

  4 and southern British Columbia

  Planting Strawberries

  Because your strawberry plants will be growing in the same spot for at least two years, prepare the ground well. The small, shallow-rooted plants will have to receive all their moisture and nourishment from the top few inches of soil.

  This soil should be light, rich, slightly acidic (pH of 5.5 to 6.0), and full of rich humus (aged manure, compost, or peat) that will hold moisture even during the driest weather. Strawberries grow best
in moist soil in full sun.

  1. Till soil to a depth of 6 inches, removing weeds and roots. Work 2 inches of organic matter, such as peat moss, compost, or well-rotted manure, into the soil.

  2. Strawberry plants come in bare-root bundles. Snip the roots to a length of 4 inches before planting, and pull off all but two or three of the youngest leaves on each plant. This action will reduce water loss when the plants are in the ground. As you work, keep the plants in a pan with a little water in the bottom and drape a damp cloth over them.

  3. Plant by plunging a trowel straight down into the soil. Pull the handle toward you to open a slit in the ground. Fan out the roots and place them in the opened slit, making sure they don’t bend as you set them in. Then set the top of the crown just above the soil line. Any deeper and the crown will rot; any shallower and the roots will dry out. Remove the trowel and firm the soil with the heel of your hand. Give each plant a pint of water to settle the soil.

  4. As the plant begins to grow, pinch off all flower buds. Pinch summer-bearers until flowering ceases in early summer. Pinch everbearers for about three months and then stop and allow subsequent flowers to produce berries.

  too low

  just right

  too high

  Growth, Care, and Harvest

  The matted row system is an easy way to grow a large bed of strawberries. Set rows of strawberry plants 12 inches apart. Let the plants put forth as many runners as they can. As the runners form, arrange them in a roughly circular pattern around the mother plant. Once you’ve achieved strawberry plants every 3 to 4 inches, snip off additional runners so the plants don’t become overcrowded. Although this system produces good crops, the berries are smaller than those grown using the double hill system.