One of the reasons I prefer this channel to many of the other homestead channels on UA-cam, is that you grow from a place of joy, hope, and love of gardening and good food. It's a desire for a more robust and sustainable food chain instead of emphasizing fear of scarcity and impending doom. It's great to be prepared, but I have no desire to live in and act from a place of fear. Your channel embodies the joy and hope we all need our lives and gardens. Thank you for what you do.
Confession: I binge watch you and only comment 1% of the time. 😬 I have to say you are an amazing person with a glorious spirit and beautiful heart for God. I love listening to you and can really appreciate your wisdom, humility, you’re ability to self reflect from your self awareness and your willingness to share! Thank you!! I’m dreaming of a high tunnel, we currently have a 21 x 61 garden. Adding back an herb garden. We’ve been gardening for about 6 - 7 yrs but this year we are being more intentional, bigger with trying to sustain our family more. Get back to pickling okra and cucumber. This is the first year I started seeds inside..... I’m excited!! God bless you! ❤️
Right? I normally work while listening through youtube videos on farming, gardening, and livestock management. But there are certain types of videos you have to just sit down and enjoy...and take notes. Jess' garden tours are some of those videos. 😊
Can I just say how much you have inspired my life! I am a stay at home mom going to have my third GIRL this year. And have been down in the dumps the last couple of years not knowing what I’m going to do with my life. Well after branching out from my indoor plant obsession, I found your page. And now I know what I want to do with my life! Also what I want to share with my kids. We are about to buy a property with land, and I have already planned out my garden. I grew up on a farm and worked on farms when I was little. Then moved to the city and met my Handsome farm boy husband. And now to be moving and starting a new adventure with our kids, being able to experience the same things, is so exciting . Sorry if this is all over the place. It’s hard to put into words the inspiration your family has had on our life!
Hey Jess you should make stickers that says something along the lines of "Always Fall Forward". I am painting me a sign for my first garden this year that says that to remind me that there is always next year, and as long as we are learning we are still moving forward. Thank you for all that you do, and for being such an inspiration for me to not only be a gardener, but to be a better, more patient mom. God Bless You and Your Family ❤
You've been massive inspo, I know am known amongst friends as crazy tomato lady... achieved my title in about 4 months 🙌 My partner who is a skater dude and beat boxer and not ever been remotely interested in gardening.. now knows to pinch the 'armpits sprouts' and how to root them and I know hes secretly amazed at what we've grown in 1 spring and summer.. what a community this is. What a life changing year this has been!
I HONESTLY BELIEVE YOU ARE A NATIONAL TREASURE. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU HELP, YOUR NARATION AND TEACHING. I LOOK FORWORD TO SEEING YOU AND LEARNING MORE EVERY DAY. YOUR MY HAPPY PLACE.
I had that fear last year, when funds were tight and suddenly if my little garden wasn't producing well we had no fresh food. The stress of needing that food became so overwhelming that I couldn't keep up with it. Some days I couldn't even go outside. This year my garden is bigger but I've let the fear go and it's so much easier to care for. The failures don't feel like personal failings.
Thank you Jess for doing the weekly garden tours. I watch early in the morning before the household wakes up. I treasure the peace, joy and fun that you share. It's a positive start to my day, a lot of times I'll watch more than once during the week. I realized this morning that there are tidbits of a devotional in your garden tours, so, Thank You!
Your videos have been such a blessing to me this Spring as I have been building several raised beds on my small, one acre plot of land. My small garden is a place of peace for me and your encouraging words and wisdom have helped guide me along the way and shown me that continuing to garden even if I encounter failures is definitely worth it. My daughters and I have harvested tomatoes, squash, cucumbers and carrots so far and am so excited to be growing our own food! I couldn't have done it without you cheering me on and just want to thank you for being real with your viewers. You and your family are precious!
If you want to save your leeks, the best way I have found is slice, wash, dry and freeze them on cookie sheets, then use a large freezer bag to store in freezer. They pop out great and thaw beautiful. You can add frozen to soups, roast etc as well. Just found your channel. Fantastic.
Hello, Just want to let you know how much joy it is in watching your videos. Your gardens and all your plants look so healthy! You are so knowledgeable about a lot of things. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with all of us.
At the end of the season, trim off the outer leaves on "Artie" tie up the rest and mulch heavily with straw. He will overwinter right in the garden and come back for years. I had 3 that I kept for several years, until I wasn't able to get out and prep them for winter last year. Love artichokes and they are so expensive in the stores. God bless.
I just stumbled upon your channel about two weeks ago and have been binge watching in the evenings. Like so many other commenters, I've learned so much!! Thank you! Have you posted more about the artichoke in other videos?!? I have been experimenting with them for the past 3 years with no success, and would love to see how you're approaching yours. I'm also 7b in NC, but I moved here from California where artichokes grew everywhere, even in the sidewalk strips. I miss them! Thanks so much for sharing all you do. (And also thanks to the commenter community - I usually avoid reading comments on anything because the conversation devolves so rapidly, but I've learned a ton from you all too!)
Jess! My very first squash EVER was pollinated yesterday and has doubled in size overnight! I haven’t even watched the garden tour yet, I’m just so excited I had to share. Once again, thank you for being this community’s cheerleader mom! You’re seriously the best. Now time for the garden tour and I’m sure I’ll edit this comment. 🤣 Edit: Failing forward! I love that. Thank you for sharing! Because you’re so right, it’s easy to give up, but you’ll never allow yourself to grow as a person. The garden is nothing without the gardener. ☺️
Jess I have a special request!! I have 6 kids home fulltime, I'm learning so much and am going to want to start canning VERY soon. So while you're in the kitchen showing us what to do with the food, can you show us how you organize storage as well? Including all your squash!? Thank you!! I appreciate all the education you've given me so much!!
I was wondering how and where she stores her canned food and also the potatoes and squashes. I would be so overwhelmed with so much food. I know that proper storage is very important otherwise it could freeze in the winter or just spoil. Does she have a basement or a cellar?
That cuccuzi! Oh my god! My Italian nano and nana used to grow it and I could never find the seeds! We always made a beautiful soup from those. Absolutely amazing! We grew them until the rind was hard and then cut the rind off and cubed the flesh, sautéed for a little with onions and tomatoes and then turned it into a veggie soup. I’m so happy! I’m going to buy some for next year. Yes! Thank you for flashing me back to big Italian dinners from my grandparents garden. I could cry with joy! Leek idea - carmelize them then can? Carmelized leeks are amazing.
Bless you back Jess. You are such an awesome teacher.. I wish you could see and hear yourself the way the rest of us do. You would get to experience some of the joy that you bring to all of us..I to share your passion to Garden. And what’s so great about your channel is that even after Gardening for nearly 45 yrs plus, I still learn new things every time I watch your videos.. it’s so so cool. Thank you for all your inspiration and for sharing all that you do.❤️❤️❤️
Fabulous tour today. Your message was not lost on me. Gotta admit, got a little choked up during it.....blessed for what food I am harvesting and learning from my mistakes. Be well Jess 👩🏼🌾
Here we are Jess rewatching and rewatching again. Come onnn UA-cam alg 😅❤️ big hugs girlie I hope you’re getting some rest during this break and not just staying overwhelmingly busy with other stuff 🥺❤️
So beautiful! I love you & your videos so much Jess! I know I sound like a broken record, but your passion has ignited a fire within me that I didn’t see coming! And for that I will be forever grateful and talk about you and your channel in my own videos and to those I know, until the cows come home!! 💜
You have inspired me so much! I started my life over 8 yrs ago after a divorce. I have two grown children who live on their own. I bought a small house on a quarter acer of land. The land is the side of a hill. I live near in a lake community in CT. I found you because I was looking to see how to make a greenhouse out of vintage windows. This became my Covid project, I am almost done! I love your trellis and thought long and hard how I could try to use that idea on my postage stamp piece of land. I found two places to trellis zucchini, cucumbers, cantalop, and small watermelons! I am so excited! Even though I am late planting this year, I am ready for next spring!!! I want to send you pictures of what you have inspired! Where can I send them?
Love this failing forward mindset! We’ve been growing more food in the garden this year, as many probably are. I’ve had some failures and instead of getting frustrated and trying not to fail, I think “ok, what can I do better next year?” Gardening is a journey! Every year will have its unique challenges and learning opportunities. Thanks for the video Jess!
My favorite leek/potato soup recipe is from the book the $64 tomato (a great read) I altered it slightly...clean and chop (white part) 3 leeks and saute in butter, when getting translucent add chicken broth (a 32oz container or homemade). Add a chopped potato and boil. Once the potato is soft use an immersion blender and blend until creamy, add salt and pepper- easy to scale up for more people! This is my favorite homemade soup bar none.
You only fail when you give up. We all make mistakes, but we keep on going and learn from those mistakes. I've only been gardening for just over 1 year and I've made quite a few mistakes already, but I've learned just as much from folks like Jess and Miah. I have a much better idea of how to proceed with my little garden going forward. I'll still make mistakes, but I love the experience. Just keep chugging along.
Fridge pickles can absolutely last more than a few weeks! In fact a lot of recipes recommend you wait 1-2 wks before sampling. Personally though after a month or 2 they start to lose their crunch. I lost a few jars in the fridge (year old by now) and when I dumped them out they still smelled fresh. I am going to try using pickle crisp (CaCl2) to extend their crunch in the fridge this year.
Hey Hon! New fan here! Got into gardening during the Pandemic and while going over a "plant lifecycle" lesson for my Kinders' school lessons. I ended up with a 4×8 raised bed of cucumbers, summer squash, kale, and wax beans. Ive caught the gardening bug and am loving these videos. Now I have a 18-23ft space for gardening and am soaking up everything I can get. I love your videos! I cant wait to watch em all and soak it all in!
Leaving some grace for a classroom also applies in the kitchen. So many people think that they can't cook, but the only way to learn is to be willing to fail!
I totally realized I had a ton of chamomile growing wild out here after you posted that video. I picked a bunch and had a cup that night. It was exactly what I needed. About to have another cup now.
Another encouraging video 💚 Thank you, Jess. I learn something every time I watch your videos. Your garden is my goal. I'm growing my first real garden this year and I've been running into issues with pests and just my lack of knowledge of how to properly care for my plants but I remembered what you said about pests and problems being part of the process and I am learning and writing down info that I can use next year. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us! I need a shirt with "fail forward" on it! I'd wear it every time I garden 😄
On your weekly garden tours can you add how much you spent at the store on food and how much you were able to supplement from your garden. I love harvest tours with the garden tours :)
Amen! Thanks for the encouragement I needed that; i’ve got flea beetles eating my potatoes up and I was panicking on trying to get them off. But this is the first year after several major surgeries. I’ve had a garden so it’s taking me a while to get back into the swing of things. But I love the failing forward 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜. Thanks
Thank you Jess! So beautiful watching you share your wisdom. I started keeping my eyes open and being more susceptible for opportunities to learn around me since I started watching your journey. :)
Jess, thank you so much for the permission to give ourselves grace. It is SO important and so very hard at the same time. We just moved to our home 7 months ago and I get angry that our gardens aren't heavily producing, when in reality I need to give myself grace and time. Thanks for being so real for us. It's is truly appreciated!
Recipes for leek, from France : Leek-potato soup is delicious but notoriously hard to can (low acidity) perhaps drying the leeks would be best. leek and white wine on chicken white meat is great (or in omelet or quiche or as a salty pie). so canning leek and white wine sauce would be great. Freezing leek slices of course. Leeks here (and where you are with your high tunnel) are grown from seeds now in July and 'stored' in the garden all winter, no problem. they get sweet and less fibrous with the cold and humid months. Bon appétit !
I love the failed forward approach. I will be having my own garden for the first time this fall to grow for my family. It will be a fun classroom for sure!
Love watching your videos and love your honesty on when things are working in the garden and when they're not. Also, I'm in Missouri so the progress of our gardens is very similar. My cucumbers have took off this year, but my tomatoes are being stubborn about turning. Also, I'm dealing with the same pest you are 😩. Your knowledge has been so helpful to me this year and I'm so glad I found your channel!
I have learned so much this year about gardening. The change of mindset from having to do it right to let's just try and see what happens has radically changed the way I feel about our garden. It brings me so much joy to see everything grow and learn how to make it thrive.
Thank you for your words. Going to go back out to my "classroom" with a better attitude towards dealing with the lousy bunny's and woodchucks that think I'm planting my garden for them. God bless you and the great lessons you're helping us learn.
I slice my leeks down the center(not all the way thru) and take off the outer ring. then clean the dirt off them running water thru the leek. I then slice them into rings and freeze them. I put them in snack bags and then into a gallon bag. They are in a single serve bag... I find they last forever in the freezer. Use pickle crisp to preserve the crisp in the canned pickles. It works really well for me.
I agree to freezing them! I do that with swedes & turnips etc for soups & stews! But also with herbs & spinach etc that I don't dry so that I have fresher green things for cooking!
@@sallyburkett-caskinette8723 pickle crisp is not alum, it's calcium chloride. Usually, I see it in the canning section of the store, not in the spices section. It is awesome to help with crispness of pickles without the alum side effects.
Thanks Jess.... my cucumbers 🥒 are already having the bottom leaves dying back.. thinking hot weather here ( I’m in North Carolina) is taking its toll... my first garden this year love the fail forward ❤️❤️💕😇💕❤️
So lettuce seed pods are just like marigolds, cool! We're growing Sikkim and Dragon's Egg cukes and they are prolific for the small amount we planted. My youngest and I made fridge pickles last week. I love the Sikkims because their skin is green when they're good for pickling, but it turns brown when they're ripe. My tomatoes are just now blushing, this has been the longest wait ever! That looks like Jewel Peach Melba Nasturtium. As far as squash bugs, vine borers, and cucumber beetles go, we try to find resistant varieties or varieties that produce a ton before they're killed off. We save seeds from the ones that hold up well. Catnip doesn't repel flea or cucumber beetles, they were crawling all over it this morning, so there goes that. If I find an herb that repel them, I'll let you know. I love the "Glorious Mess"!
As someone who has never grown cucumbers before, are the big holes that are being bored in my cukes most likely beetles? I’ll have to keep an eye out and see if I can find a repellent bc it’s driving me nuts. Harvesting them pretty young seems to help the most right now.
I expanded my garden this year, and I didn’t find the need to rapidly succession plant like I did last year. I decided to put in cover crops in those bare spots. I am really happy with that decision. It is definitely helping with weed suppression and with the added benefits of adding fertility and soil organic matter.
So happy to see your garden tour! They are a highlight of my week. I dream to have a garden like yours. Mine is in an approximately 10x10 space and all in containers since I rent. One day I’ll get there :) your garden is a true inspiration. Thank you for all your videos
If you rent, and still want to garden, check out "straw bale gardening" on google. Both a way to improve your soil, and easily disassembled if you move. It is unelievable The success this approach has in germinanating seeds is unbelievable.
Stacked planter blocks and planks make a nice bed as well. Saw it on a different garden channel. Epic gardening, I think. I'm a bit bummed because I can't find those blocks where I live.
Your garden tours give me so much inspiration! You give great tips & info too. Right now I can only garden in containers and small spaces but my goal is to buy a larger property for multiple raised beds and some trees ☺️ if it’s big enough then hopefully a greenhouse or high tunnel too
Cucuzi..when to pick it: dig your nail and if it resist a little that’s when it’s ready to pick. Usually it’s ready in 20-25 days since pollination. These are big deal for eastern Asian gardeners. We peel the skin off. You can make a beef stew with these. We call it bottle gourds. There are lots of videos on UA-cam on how to cook bottle gourds.
Thank you so much for all the encouragement you give to all of us.. Having issues with no pollinators this year, having to hand pollinate seems every day..Really considering getting bees as this heat and humidity is getting to me..My hair needs it's own zip code!! First time doing raised beds, thank you for that!! its great space!
I was thinking how it really did turn out good for you to have a later start to your growing season. If the (heavy) harvest had come any earlier you may have been in a *pickle* with the kitchen remodel (pun 100% intended). Little life blessings
Just was thinking of you and your gorgeous spirit! All you share with us and your family have been A huge Blessing to me and so many others! Appreciate your sincere honest character in every area of your lives and ours! Keep it Up! Blessings Always ❤️ 😊 🙏 😇 🙋♀️ 🔆
I had nasturtium that looked like that from Annie's heirloom seeds that were called peach melba! Love your garden and family, you've blessed me with your videos :)
Jess, everything is just beautiful. Picked my first tomatoes today. These are Opalka. Gonna have a tomato sandwich shortly. I love your weekly updates. Take care
Is it possible to put a few chickens in those squash beds as you pull the squash out? They could go for the "bugs" as you pull out & hopefully decrease the eggs or whatever is left in the soil before you replant. Seems like it might be worth a try.... Or pay the kids a few cents for each bug that they can "catch", so they doing the hand picking instead of you or Miah.
I make the same salad 🥗, I also add purple basil and crumbled blue or goat cheese. Also, I have pickled seranos that are two years old and still delicious! 1/2 white vinegar 1/2 apple cider vinegar. Sent you an Instagram video for the leeks.
Wonderful fun and eduacational video. I'm excited at the prospect of your cooking the long beans. On another note, I know you have to learn for yourself. I agree that it's the long haul is the goal everyone will benefit most from and I think one of the most important long-term goals is crop rotation using different famalies of plants because the disease and insect eggs or larvae stay in soil for years, not just weeks or months.
I think you would really love Brene Brown! She has such amazing perspectives about abundance and scarcity.. she has a lot of UA-cam videos of her speaking, Ted Talks, and a PodCast. It reminds me a lot of what you were saying :) I love your videos! I am a first-time gardener and you have helped me sooooo much!
Make a big batch of a hearty sausage potato leek soup and freeze (or can) it for winter! Skip the cream and just use chicken stock and add your cream when you reheat it. So good!
You are an inspiration Jess, I m looking forward to spring down here in Australia to try okra and cucamelons (for the 1st time) and putting in some arches. You are a great teacher!
Gardening is such a joy! I'm always learning new gardening skills and definitely a lot from my mistakes. Fail Forward♡ Thank you again for this tour! You are my new garden buddy!!
I luckily learned how to grow more tomatoes 🍅 from my tomato plants 🌱 outside in dirt!! Thank goodness because I had to cut my Tomato plants down from the heat they didn’t do good I think they may have gotten blight So I bought 25 gallon Fabric pots instead of 15 gallon and I’m goona replant my Tomato starts with shade cloth and water irrigation and see If this next set will do better not so much cracking I pray..I did take all the fruit off to ripen!! I’m still trying to learn if it’s edible?? Thanks for all you have taught me This year it’s like I have a problem and you have had the answer for me before the problem Thank You 🙏🏻 😊 Yes I took clipping before they got sick...Prayers these do better..Take Care God Bless Love ya Sheila
Just started watching you on U tube. Love you guys! A quick old Italian recipe is stuffing the cucuzzi’s. Peel them first and cut into 4” pieces, take out insides and stuff with seasoned ground meat. Cook in tomato sauce for 1/2 hr or so. So good 😋
Could you make a video on garden pests and how to prevent or get rid of them? Specifically for southern gardeners would be helpful. My poor plant friends are struggling and I'd love some unconventional wisdom. Thanks for sharing your experience and your bounty!
Hi I just love this channel. the Rusted Gardener channel has a bunch of videos on dealing with pests organically. Methods seem to work well. I’ve been using a couple of seasons now. Really pleased
Your garden looks fantastic. You are always such a joy and inspiration to watch!! Can't wait for what the next weeks bring. Your kitchen looks amazing also xo
North carolina zone 7b as well tomatos just starting to blush peppers going crazy made 22 stuffed bell peppers for the freezer along with stuffed nasturtium leaves and pickles and relish being made every few days
Great video as always, i have seemingly failed with the Okra but will be looking to get more info on them for next year, my toms are looking better and as this is our first full year with our polly tunnel i'm not too sad . Keep the videos coming and cant wait to see you processing all those yummy veg xx
Your garden is amazing and a dream. I live in Germany in an apartment . So I don’t have lots of space. But Next year I’m going to start to garden on my balcony. I have time in the winter to read and plan what I want to try.
I am so happy for you and you family. I'm just north of you in the mountains near Boone, NC and visit friends from time to time in S.C. near Rock Hill that also farm. You inspire me and i enjoy it when you laugh, its infectious.
One of the reasons I prefer this channel to many of the other homestead channels on UA-cam, is that you grow from a place of joy, hope, and love of gardening and good food. It's a desire for a more robust and sustainable food chain instead of emphasizing fear of scarcity and impending doom. It's great to be prepared, but I have no desire to live in and act from a place of fear. Your channel embodies the joy and hope we all need our lives and gardens. Thank you for what you do.
I couldn't have said it better.
I don’t recall watching anyone who projects DOOM....🤷🏽♀️
Confession: I binge watch you and only comment 1% of the time. 😬
I have to say you are an amazing person with a glorious spirit and beautiful heart for God. I love listening to you and can really appreciate your wisdom, humility, you’re ability to self reflect from your self awareness and your willingness to share! Thank you!! I’m dreaming of a high tunnel, we currently have a 21 x 61 garden. Adding back an herb garden. We’ve been gardening for about 6 - 7 yrs but this year we are being more intentional, bigger with trying to sustain our family more. Get back to pickling okra and cucumber. This is the first year I started seeds inside..... I’m excited!! God bless you! ❤️
I finally got smart and started watching with a notepad and pencil nearby. So much info.
Right? I normally work while listening through youtube videos on farming, gardening, and livestock management. But there are certain types of videos you have to just sit down and enjoy...and take notes. Jess' garden tours are some of those videos. 😊
do you know what that huge gourd from migardener was called??
Armenian yardlong cucumber, I believe.
I listen through while doing other stuff first, then rewatch with notepad and a pen. 😂👍
Can I just say how much you have inspired my life! I am a stay at home mom going to have my third GIRL this year. And have been down in the dumps the last couple of years not knowing what I’m going to do with my life. Well after branching out from my indoor plant obsession, I found your page. And now I know what I want to do with my life! Also what I want to share with my kids. We are about to buy a property with land, and I have already planned out my garden. I grew up on a farm and worked on farms when I was little. Then moved to the city and met my Handsome farm boy husband. And now to be moving and starting a new adventure with our kids, being able to experience the same things, is so exciting . Sorry if this is all over the place. It’s hard to put into words the inspiration your family has had on our life!
Welcome to the Homesteading community
Wiccan Chickens Homestead Thank you!
Jess, you are also being a blessing and blessing other people by giving away some of your food. Your planting spiritual seed.
Hey Jess you should make stickers that says something along the lines of "Always Fall Forward". I am painting me a sign for my first garden this year that says that to remind me that there is always next year, and as long as we are learning we are still moving forward. Thank you for all that you do, and for being such an inspiration for me to not only be a gardener, but to be a better, more patient mom. God Bless You and Your Family ❤
You've been massive inspo, I know am known amongst friends as crazy tomato lady... achieved my title in about 4 months 🙌
My partner who is a skater dude and beat boxer and not ever been remotely interested in gardening.. now knows to pinch the 'armpits sprouts' and how to root them and I know hes secretly amazed at what we've grown in 1 spring and summer.. what a community this is. What a life changing year this has been!
I HONESTLY BELIEVE YOU ARE A NATIONAL TREASURE. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU HELP, YOUR NARATION AND TEACHING. I LOOK FORWORD TO SEEING YOU AND LEARNING MORE EVERY DAY. YOUR MY HAPPY PLACE.
I had that fear last year, when funds were tight and suddenly if my little garden wasn't producing well we had no fresh food. The stress of needing that food became so overwhelming that I couldn't keep up with it. Some days I couldn't even go outside. This year my garden is bigger but I've let the fear go and it's so much easier to care for. The failures don't feel like personal failings.
Thank you Jess for doing the weekly garden tours. I watch early in the morning before the household wakes up. I treasure the peace, joy and fun that you share. It's a positive start to my day, a lot of times I'll watch more than once during the week. I realized this morning that there are tidbits of a devotional in your garden tours, so, Thank You!
Your videos have been such a blessing to me this Spring as I have been building several raised beds on my small, one acre plot of land. My small garden is a place of peace for me and your encouraging words and wisdom have helped guide me along the way and shown me that continuing to garden even if I encounter failures is definitely worth it. My daughters and I have harvested tomatoes, squash, cucumbers and carrots so far and am so excited to be growing our own food! I couldn't have done it without you cheering me on and just want to thank you for being real with your viewers. You and your family are precious!
If you want to save your leeks, the best way I have found is slice, wash, dry and freeze them on cookie sheets, then use a large freezer bag to store in freezer. They pop out great and thaw beautiful. You can add frozen to soups, roast etc as well. Just found your channel. Fantastic.
My dad will bury the squash stems with mulch as they grow longer, he says it prevents squash borers.
I did that this year as a last ditch effort to save my squash plants and it really seemed to help!
Hello,
Just want to let you know how much joy it is in watching your videos. Your gardens and all your plants look so healthy! You are so knowledgeable about a lot of things. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with all of us.
Never clicked so fast in my LIFE!!! You are such a motivating person. Thank you for always sharing with us. 🙏🏽
I would love to see all your canned foods at the end of the summer growing season, just to get an idea of the volume! =)
At the end of the season, trim off the outer leaves on "Artie" tie up the rest and mulch heavily with straw. He will overwinter right in the garden and come back for years. I had 3 that I kept for several years, until I wasn't able to get out and prep them for winter last year. Love artichokes and they are so expensive in the stores. God bless.
I just stumbled upon your channel about two weeks ago and have been binge watching in the evenings. Like so many other commenters, I've learned so much!! Thank you! Have you posted more about the artichoke in other videos?!? I have been experimenting with them for the past 3 years with no success, and would love to see how you're approaching yours. I'm also 7b in NC, but I moved here from California where artichokes grew everywhere, even in the sidewalk strips. I miss them! Thanks so much for sharing all you do. (And also thanks to the commenter community - I usually avoid reading comments on anything because the conversation devolves so rapidly, but I've learned a ton from you all too!)
That summer salad brine sat on our table all summer my mom just kept adding!! Vivid beautiful memory. From the table to her salt Shakers.. ❤️❤️❤️
Jess! My very first squash EVER was pollinated yesterday and has doubled in size overnight! I haven’t even watched the garden tour yet, I’m just so excited I had to share. Once again, thank you for being this community’s cheerleader mom! You’re seriously the best.
Now time for the garden tour and I’m sure I’ll edit this comment. 🤣
Edit: Failing forward! I love that. Thank you for sharing! Because you’re so right, it’s easy to give up, but you’ll never allow yourself to grow as a person. The garden is nothing without the gardener. ☺️
I love your passion for plant diversity and fresh pickles! Great job, Jess!
Diversity = Sustainability. Thank you for all of your amazing tips!
Jess I have a special request!! I have 6 kids home fulltime, I'm learning so much and am going to want to start canning VERY soon. So while you're in the kitchen showing us what to do with the food, can you show us how you organize storage as well? Including all your squash!? Thank you!! I appreciate all the education you've given me so much!!
Ball canning book is essential.
@@genevapriest6190 thank you! I'll have to order it
Also check out this site...
nchfp.uga.edu/index.html
I was wondering how and where she stores her canned food and also the potatoes and squashes. I would be so overwhelmed with so much food. I know that proper storage is very important otherwise it could freeze in the winter or just spoil. Does she have a basement or a cellar?
@@kathygoodwin8360awesome, thanks ❤❤❤
Leeks freeze well if they’re prechopped and dehydrated leeks are also great flavour boosters for spaghetti sauces, soups etc.
That cuccuzi! Oh my god! My Italian nano and nana used to grow it and I could never find the seeds! We always made a beautiful soup from those. Absolutely amazing! We grew them until the rind was hard and then cut the rind off and cubed the flesh, sautéed for a little with onions and tomatoes and then turned it into a veggie soup. I’m so happy! I’m going to buy some for next year. Yes! Thank you for flashing me back to big Italian dinners from my grandparents garden. I could cry with joy!
Leek idea - carmelize them then can? Carmelized leeks are amazing.
Bless you back Jess. You are such an awesome teacher.. I wish you could see and hear yourself the way the rest of us do. You would get to experience some of the joy that you bring to all of us..I to share your passion to Garden. And what’s so great about your channel is that even after Gardening for nearly 45 yrs plus, I still learn new things every time I watch your videos.. it’s so so cool. Thank you for all your inspiration and for sharing all that you do.❤️❤️❤️
Fabulous tour today. Your message was not lost on me. Gotta admit, got a little choked up during it.....blessed for what food I am harvesting and learning from my mistakes. Be well Jess 👩🏼🌾
Here we are Jess rewatching and rewatching again. Come onnn UA-cam alg 😅❤️ big hugs girlie I hope you’re getting some rest during this break and not just staying overwhelmingly busy with other stuff 🥺❤️
So beautiful! I love you & your videos so much Jess! I know I sound like a broken record, but your passion has ignited a fire within me that I didn’t see coming! And for that I will be forever grateful and talk about you and your channel in my own videos and to those I know, until the cows come home!! 💜
You have inspired me so much! I started my life over 8 yrs ago after a divorce. I have two grown children who live on their own. I bought a small house on a quarter acer of land. The land is the side of a hill. I live near in a lake community in CT. I found you because I was looking to see how to make a greenhouse out of vintage windows. This became my Covid project, I am almost done! I love your trellis and thought long and hard how I could try to use that idea on my postage stamp piece of land. I found two places to trellis zucchini, cucumbers, cantalop, and small watermelons! I am so excited! Even though I am late planting this year, I am ready for next spring!!! I want to send you pictures of what you have inspired! Where can I send them?
Love this failing forward mindset! We’ve been growing more food in the garden this year, as many probably are. I’ve had some failures and instead of getting frustrated and trying not to fail, I think “ok, what can I do better next year?” Gardening is a journey! Every year will have its unique challenges and learning opportunities. Thanks for the video Jess!
"And that's it, they're (the seeds) saved!". Now come on Jess, you know the next step is to hide them from yourself. 😂
Butternut squash and leek soup is very delicious with and without curry and it cans great!
My favorite leek/potato soup recipe is from the book the $64 tomato (a great read) I altered it slightly...clean and chop (white part) 3 leeks and saute in butter, when getting translucent add chicken broth (a 32oz container or homemade). Add a chopped potato and boil. Once the potato is soft use an immersion blender and blend until creamy, add salt and pepper- easy to scale up for more people! This is my favorite homemade soup bar none.
You can use banana leaves for tamales like corn husks! That's what they do in Honduras when we tried their food
Yum!
yup , that's what mom uses to make her tamales :) she's from Honduras
We use those in southern Mexico for tamales too.I find them to have better flavor than corn husk tamales personally,greetings from Tamaulipas, Mexico
You only fail when you give up. We all make mistakes, but we keep on going and learn from those mistakes. I've only been gardening for just over 1 year and I've made quite a few mistakes already, but I've learned just as much from folks like Jess and Miah. I have a much better idea of how to proceed with my little garden going forward. I'll still make mistakes, but I love the experience. Just keep chugging along.
Fridge pickles can absolutely last more than a few weeks! In fact a lot of recipes recommend you wait 1-2 wks before sampling. Personally though after a month or 2 they start to lose their crunch. I lost a few jars in the fridge (year old by now) and when I dumped them out they still smelled fresh. I am going to try using pickle crisp (CaCl2) to extend their crunch in the fridge this year.
Hey Hon! New fan here! Got into gardening during the Pandemic and while going over a "plant lifecycle" lesson for my Kinders' school lessons. I ended up with a 4×8 raised bed of cucumbers, summer squash, kale, and wax beans. Ive caught the gardening bug and am loving these videos. Now I have a 18-23ft space for gardening and am soaking up everything I can get.
I love your videos! I cant wait to watch em all and soak it all in!
Leaving some grace for a classroom also applies in the kitchen. So many people think that they can't cook, but the only way to learn is to be willing to fail!
I totally realized I had a ton of chamomile growing wild out here after you posted that video. I picked a bunch and had a cup that night. It was exactly what I needed. About to have another cup now.
Another encouraging video 💚 Thank you, Jess. I learn something every time I watch your videos. Your garden is my goal. I'm growing my first real garden this year and I've been running into issues with pests and just my lack of knowledge of how to properly care for my plants but I remembered what you said about pests and problems being part of the process and I am learning and writing down info that I can use next year. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us! I need a shirt with "fail forward" on it! I'd wear it every time I garden 😄
I'm growing cucamelons this year for the first time, it's so good seeing them here in your video so i can see how they progress as they grow
On your weekly garden tours can you add how much you spent at the store on food and how much you were able to supplement from your garden.
I love harvest tours with the garden tours :)
Amen! Thanks for the encouragement I needed that; i’ve got flea beetles eating my potatoes up and I was panicking on trying to get them off. But this is the first year after several major surgeries. I’ve had a garden so it’s taking me a while to get back into the swing of things. But I love the failing forward 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜. Thanks
Thank you Jess! So beautiful watching you share your wisdom. I started keeping my eyes open and being more susceptible for opportunities to learn around me since I started watching your journey. :)
Jess, thank you so much for the permission to give ourselves grace. It is SO important and so very hard at the same time. We just moved to our home 7 months ago and I get angry that our gardens aren't heavily producing, when in reality I need to give myself grace and time. Thanks for being so real for us. It's is truly appreciated!
Recipes for leek, from France : Leek-potato soup is delicious but notoriously hard to can (low acidity) perhaps drying the leeks would be best. leek and white wine on chicken white meat is great (or in omelet or quiche or as a salty pie). so canning leek and white wine sauce would be great. Freezing leek slices of course. Leeks here (and where you are with your high tunnel) are grown from seeds now in July and 'stored' in the garden all winter, no problem. they get sweet and less fibrous with the cold and humid months. Bon appétit !
I love the failed forward approach. I will be having my own garden for the first time this fall to grow for my family. It will be a fun classroom for sure!
The garden looks great overall, but I would be completely overwhelmed! So much learning going on.
Love watching your videos and love your honesty on when things are working in the garden and when they're not. Also, I'm in Missouri so the progress of our gardens is very similar. My cucumbers have took off this year, but my tomatoes are being stubborn about turning. Also, I'm dealing with the same pest you are 😩. Your knowledge has been so helpful to me this year and I'm so glad I found your channel!
I have learned so much this year about gardening. The change of mindset from having to do it right to let's just try and see what happens has radically changed the way I feel about our garden. It brings me so much joy to see everything grow and learn how to make it thrive.
Jess! You are such a joy! I bless you has become something that I hear in my head in your voice when I’m feeling low. xO FROM A DISTANCE
Thank you for your words. Going to go back out to my "classroom" with a better attitude towards dealing with the lousy bunny's and woodchucks that think I'm planting my garden for them. God bless you and the great lessons you're helping us learn.
I slice my leeks down the center(not all the way thru) and take off the outer ring. then clean the dirt off them running water thru the leek. I then slice them into rings and freeze them. I put them in snack bags and then into a gallon bag. They are in a single serve bag... I find they last forever in the freezer. Use pickle crisp to preserve the crisp in the canned pickles. It works really well for me.
Tania Nogle do you mean alum?
I agree to freezing them! I do that with swedes & turnips etc for soups & stews! But also with herbs & spinach etc that I don't dry so that I have fresher green things for cooking!
These kinda comments are what make our community so great! Thanks for sharing!❤️👩🏻🌾
@@sallyburkett-caskinette8723 pickle crisp is not alum, it's calcium chloride. Usually, I see it in the canning section of the store, not in the spices section. It is awesome to help with crispness of pickles without the alum side effects.
You can also make the summer salad and put a dash of vinegar some mayonnaise and cut up some dill and garlic it’s delicious
Thanks Jess.... my cucumbers 🥒 are already having the bottom leaves dying back.. thinking hot weather here ( I’m in North Carolina) is taking its toll... my first garden this year love the fail forward ❤️❤️💕😇💕❤️
So lettuce seed pods are just like marigolds, cool! We're growing Sikkim and Dragon's Egg cukes and they are prolific for the small amount we planted. My youngest and I made fridge pickles last week. I love the Sikkims because their skin is green when they're good for pickling, but it turns brown when they're ripe. My tomatoes are just now blushing, this has been the longest wait ever! That looks like Jewel Peach Melba Nasturtium. As far as squash bugs, vine borers, and cucumber beetles go, we try to find resistant varieties or varieties that produce a ton before they're killed off. We save seeds from the ones that hold up well. Catnip doesn't repel flea or cucumber beetles, they were crawling all over it this morning, so there goes that. If I find an herb that repel them, I'll let you know. I love the "Glorious Mess"!
As someone who has never grown cucumbers before, are the big holes that are being bored in my cukes most likely beetles? I’ll have to keep an eye out and see if I can find a repellent bc it’s driving me nuts. Harvesting them pretty young seems to help the most right now.
I've started putting a couple of grape leaves in with my pickles..... the tannins keep the pickles crispy. You can use tea in a pinch for tannins.
Interesting thanks for the tip
I expanded my garden this year, and I didn’t find the need to rapidly succession plant like I did last year. I decided to put in cover crops in those bare spots. I am really happy with that decision. It is definitely helping with weed suppression and with the added benefits of adding fertility and soil organic matter.
So happy to see your garden tour! They are a highlight of my week. I dream to have a garden like yours. Mine is in an approximately 10x10 space and all in containers since I rent. One day I’ll get there :) your garden is a true inspiration. Thank you for all your videos
If you rent, and still want to garden, check out "straw bale gardening" on google. Both a way to improve your soil, and easily disassembled if you move. It is unelievable The success this approach has in germinanating seeds is unbelievable.
Stacked planter blocks and planks make a nice bed as well. Saw it on a different garden channel. Epic gardening, I think. I'm a bit bummed because I can't find those blocks where I live.
Your garden tours give me so much inspiration! You give great tips & info too. Right now I can only garden in containers and small spaces but my goal is to buy a larger property for multiple raised beds and some trees ☺️ if it’s big enough then hopefully a greenhouse or high tunnel too
The Nasturtium flowers you show looks like Tropaeolum majus to me. Very tasty, a litlle fire in them ;-)
greetz from Belgium
Everything looks amazing! Looking forward to the videos showing us what you do with it all!!!
You have to try cucamelon tzatziki- cut cucamelons in half add a pinch of salt and mix into Greek yogurt with a squeeze of lemon juice or lime juice.
I love how you think! Yes, your always learning with gardening. Every. single. year.
I just found you, I am in love with your thought process! Thank you for sharing what you learn and teaching us!
Cucuzi..when to pick it: dig your nail and if it resist a little that’s when it’s ready to pick. Usually it’s ready in 20-25 days since pollination. These are big deal for eastern Asian gardeners. We peel the skin off. You can make a beef stew with these. We call it bottle gourds. There are lots of videos on UA-cam on how to cook bottle gourds.
Thank you so much for all the encouragement you give to all of us.. Having issues with no pollinators this year, having to hand pollinate seems every day..Really considering getting bees as this heat and humidity is getting to me..My hair needs it's own zip code!! First time doing raised beds, thank you for that!! its great space!
I've been patiently waiting for this garden tour! lol
I think we were all waiting for this one lol
Me too!! 😂
Lol same!!!
You could make potato leek soup & freeze it before adding cream. When you warm it up you can stir in your heavy cream.
Thanks for the great tour! Love to see and can't wait to watch what you do to preserve all this!
I’m watching allllll of last years garden tours abs harvest!!! Longing for the gardennnnnnn
I was thinking how it really did turn out good for you to have a later start to your growing season. If the (heavy) harvest had come any earlier you may have been in a *pickle* with the kitchen remodel (pun 100% intended). Little life blessings
Fail Forward!!! Love this phrase!!
Food technician tip: for preserving the crunchy texture of your canned vegetables, you can add alum (short for "aluminium potassium sulfate")
thanks I couldn’t remember what grandma used❤
“Fail forward” 🤯 I absolutely love that! That would be a great thing to put on your chalkboard sometime! 💕
Thank you Jess 🍅🍆🥔🥕🍉🌽🥦🌶❤☮ I have to say I just love your channel and I have learned so much from you Have a great day☮❤
Because of you, I’m planting a ton of tomato varieties next year. I can’t wait to have a taste test with the family like a real tomato grower, lol.
Just was thinking of you and your gorgeous spirit! All you share with us and your family have been A huge Blessing to me and so many others! Appreciate your sincere honest character in every area of your lives and ours! Keep it Up! Blessings Always ❤️ 😊 🙏 😇 🙋♀️ 🔆
Greek salad with feta cheese but summer salad sounds good. Yum
I had nasturtium that looked like that from Annie's heirloom seeds that were called peach melba! Love your garden and family, you've blessed me with your videos :)
Jess, everything is just beautiful. Picked my first tomatoes today. These are Opalka. Gonna have a tomato sandwich shortly. I love your weekly updates. Take care
Is it possible to put a few chickens in those squash beds as you pull the squash out? They could go for the "bugs" as you pull out & hopefully decrease the eggs or whatever is left in the soil before you replant. Seems like it might be worth a try....
Or pay the kids a few cents for each bug that they can "catch", so they doing the hand picking instead of you or Miah.
I make the same salad 🥗, I also add purple basil and crumbled blue or goat cheese. Also, I have pickled seranos that are two years old and still delicious! 1/2 white vinegar 1/2 apple cider vinegar. Sent you an Instagram video for the leeks.
Wonderful fun and eduacational video. I'm excited at the prospect of your cooking the long beans.
On another note, I know you have to learn for yourself. I agree that it's the long haul is the goal everyone will benefit most from and I think one of the most important long-term goals is crop rotation using different famalies of plants because the disease and insect eggs or larvae stay in soil for years, not just weeks or months.
I think you would really love Brene Brown! She has such amazing perspectives about abundance and scarcity.. she has a lot of UA-cam videos of her speaking, Ted Talks, and a PodCast. It reminds me a lot of what you were saying :) I love your videos! I am a first-time gardener and you have helped me sooooo much!
Asian Cuisine normally sautee the gourd in garlic, onions and tomatoes that way it absorbs the flavor
Make a big batch of a hearty sausage potato leek soup and freeze (or can) it for winter! Skip the cream and just use chicken stock and add your cream when you reheat it. So good!
You've still got time to grow popcorn in some of those empty spaces! Get Ben on that, I bet he'd love it!
You are an inspiration Jess, I m looking forward to spring down here in Australia to try okra and cucamelons (for the 1st time) and putting in some arches. You are a great teacher!
I've been doing my first real garden this year.. thanks to your encouragement. 😅😅 staying positive.. 😘
Gardening is such a joy! I'm always learning new gardening skills and definitely a lot from my mistakes. Fail Forward♡ Thank you again for this tour! You are my new garden buddy!!
I luckily learned how to grow more tomatoes 🍅 from my tomato plants 🌱 outside in dirt!! Thank goodness because I had to cut my Tomato plants down from the heat they didn’t do good I think they may have gotten blight So I bought 25 gallon Fabric pots instead of 15 gallon and I’m goona replant my Tomato starts with shade cloth and water irrigation and see If this next set will do better not so much cracking I pray..I did take all the fruit off to ripen!! I’m still trying to learn if it’s edible?? Thanks for all you have taught me This year it’s like I have a problem and you have had the answer for me before the problem Thank You 🙏🏻 😊 Yes I took clipping before they got sick...Prayers these do better..Take Care God Bless Love ya Sheila
I know cooking videos are not your favorite but I so do appreciate that you'll be making some soon!
Just started watching you on U tube. Love you guys! A quick old Italian recipe is stuffing the cucuzzi’s. Peel them first and cut into 4” pieces, take out insides and stuff with seasoned ground meat. Cook in tomato sauce for 1/2 hr or so. So good 😋
Could you make a video on garden pests and how to prevent or get rid of them? Specifically for southern gardeners would be helpful. My poor plant friends are struggling and I'd love some unconventional wisdom. Thanks for sharing your experience and your bounty!
Check with your County university Extension resources. They should be able to steer you toward specifics for your county.
Thank you!
Hi I just love this channel. the Rusted Gardener channel has a bunch of videos on dealing with pests organically. Methods seem to work well. I’ve been using a couple of seasons now. Really pleased
Your garden looks fantastic. You are always such a joy and inspiration to watch!! Can't wait for what the next weeks bring. Your kitchen looks amazing also xo
North carolina zone 7b as well tomatos just starting to blush peppers going crazy made 22 stuffed bell peppers for the freezer along with stuffed nasturtium leaves and pickles and relish being made every few days
Great video as always, i have seemingly failed with the Okra but will be looking to get more info on them for next year, my toms are looking better and as this is our first full year with our polly tunnel i'm not too sad . Keep the videos coming and cant wait to see you processing all those yummy veg xx
Your garden is amazing and a dream. I live in Germany in an apartment . So I don’t have lots of space. But Next year I’m going to start to garden on my balcony. I have time in the winter to read and plan what I want to try.
I am so happy for you and you family. I'm just north of you in the mountains near Boone, NC and visit friends from time to time in S.C. near Rock Hill that also farm. You inspire me and i enjoy it when you laugh, its infectious.