I just cleaned out the pantry ….. I kept saying to myself “Becky would be proud of you”. Lol. You have no idea what you have done for this old lady. Thank you so much. Edited to say that my husband and I are disassembling an old pool deck and using the wood to make several raised beds for my garlic! Already ordered and paid for!
Food pantries ALWAYS need fresh produce for their shelves. They will greatly appreciate the effort spent to grow/get what you want to donate. They number of people who don’t have access to fresh produce is staggering. ❤
@@AcreHomestead oh that's too good for words. One time when I was donating to a homeless shelter, I asked them what they needed. They said peppers. They couldn't get enough of them in any year. Might be different for different shelters etc. Many grand blessings everyone everywhere..
Since you don’t eat soup leftovers for lunch, put your leftovers in a gallon ziplock or vacuum seal bag and freeze it flat. Thaws out super easy and all you have to do is heat it up
Pro Tip: use soil blocks for items with sensitive roots (head lettuce, beets, onions, leeks, scallions, pak choi, celery, celeriac, yukina) and cells for hardier items. Always direct sow root veggies. Great channel - happy harvesting!!
Isnt a beet a root vegetable too? Anyway, soil blocks have been super helpful for cucumbers, watermelons etc for me. They don't like their roots disturbed much. But that's for summer garden.
@@sandraraituma my friend used to just dig up beets that were an inch thick and transplant them. They would wilt almost forever but then they would stand up and start growing. Many grand blessings everyone everywhere.
Even though I am 63, do not have a garden and only can jam, I love your channel! I am doubling some recipes, using my freezer more efficiently, cooking with more seasoning and tasting as I go! You have a positive impact on so many people - you are making a difference! I love seeing these harvest videos - so many tomatoes! I really should try canning them since I am an hour away from many local farms! I can’t wait to see you can meals in future videos - that will make a big difference for me!
Have the workers that spent all those months creating your garden area been back to see what you have accomplished? I think they would be amazed at your beauty garden 😊
I just want to say how proud I am for what you do. Not just running the homestead, but even the recordings. That is a hard job in itself. Talking to a camera as if it were a room full of people, getting recordings out everyday, and then to get videos out for us to see every two days. And to top it off, being a great, mom, wife, daughter and friend (one can only assume you are all those things just based on your personality). I only started watching to get some ideas about meal prep and have been hooked ever since. I find myself going back watching from when I started, just to remember how you have evolved. Any way, please continue doing what you do and god bless 🙂
Becky, when you bake bread, if you have some extra slices, you could butter them up and put some sliced or shredded cheese between them and wrap and freeze. On the night you want grilled cheese and soup, you won't have to worry about being out of cheese.
Becky, I do the same thing. I just think I'm just going to walk over to see if I have any cucumbers ready. Next thing I know my shirt tail is always bursting with produce, then I end up either going back in the house to grab a basket...or two. Or pulling out a wheelbarrow. The garden has been super abundant this year. What a blessing!
Girl I live in Texas and we have no rain with 110 degree days. Our tomatoes have been done since like June. We are replanting tomatoes now for a fall crop.
It's amazing how much you've been able to grow this year! If you're struggling to find people to give the excess to, maybe find your local food pantry or senior center? Our local senior center cooks daily for our seniors and disabled. One of our churches also has an outdoor pantry where you just drop things off and if anyone has a need, they can come anytime.
Our local community kitchen love getting fresh produce, they supply meals to those that need them or just need company and any surplus is given to those who need fresh fruit and veges for home.
To prevent the cracking of the tomatoes after rain, I have built a roof over each tomato-bed . Wood-frame - greenhouse foil, open sides for ventilation. Works great! Gives me the chance to ripen them on the vines. I feel they develop a better aroma on the vine then picked and ripened inside.
Becky, you should try saving seeds from your most prolific tomato plants for next year. It's super easy...I'm doing it with my 6 year old daughter as part of her homeschool science experiment.
I second the Gorilla Cart. It’s a lifesaver!! I got mine at Home Depot. Make sure you get the one that fully dumps (they have different styles) because the dump feature comes in handy for all different gardening tasks. Or when you want to dump your toddlers into a pile of leaves. (Don’t ask. LOL)
I have canned my whole life. Well, starting around age 10 I began helping my mother with her canning, then continuing on into adulthood. In 2020 w/ time on my hands I began to find more and more canning ideas on UA-cam. Canning soup has been a game changer for me. No more red & white cans on my pantry shelves. Split Pea, Lentil, Vegetable, French Onion, Autumn Harvest Chowder. I look forward to your Tomato soup recipe.
Hi Becky. Green onions, or evergreen bunching onions are usually planted in small bunches. They can be perennial. One of my beds has been in the ground for 2 years. The onions are now huge, but they are getting small new onions around the base. The large onions end up being similar to a leek. Happy planting😊
We have lots of rain and extreme heat here in Middle GA and I found I could pick perfectly fine tomatoes without any cracks in them but then brining them inside and then washing them right away or even just going from outside in the heat to inside in the cold about 30 degrees cooler than it is outside and they crack anyway. You can still eat them. The only time you really can't is when there is worm damage. I hated to see how the vine bores got into my zucchini's and cucumbers. Nasty LOL though even then I've seen some people cut the worm damage out and still use what is left of the fruit. I can't bring myself to do that though.Thanks for another wonderful video Becky. If I was to live close to you I would beg to come over and help you in your most beautiful garden. Keep living the dream and sharing it on here so people like me and myself can enjoy. Just awesome!❤
Well it’s the soil life that breaks down dry ferlizers, and yes the life is more active with heat. So it’s not exactly heat activated but the result isnthe same
I feel you on the burn out. I've been canning for days now. I am finally down to 40lbs of cucumbers and 20 lbs of tomatoes! I know some folks were looking for an update from my last video comment. I gave myself grace last night and went to bed at 8pm. I decided to swap a day with a co-worker at work. I was supposed to be working today but decided to take the day off to finish canning. A co-worker took today from me but gave me a day she needed off.
I am so excited for the slow down of winter to come and the holiday season! This time of year is a bit crazy but we will be glad we put in the work. That is an amazing amout of work you did!
@AcreHomestead for me, the fall and winter is just as chaotic. I will be processing pears, apples and pumpkins. It's also around the time we get our whole cow, 1/2 lamb and 40 chickens from local farms. Of course we make sure my inlaws are well stocked for the winter with meat. We also hunt for moose and venison during fall and winter. Phew.. I'm trying to convince my husband to get some chickens going. Unfortunately we are looking to move within a year onto a bigger homestead down South. Northern Maine life is not something we enjoy and my husband doesn't want to shovel to get to the coop during the 9 months of harsh winter.
@@ladyeofani I couldn't agree more with the idea of too much cold weather. I'm in upstate NY. But I spent 35 yrs in PA. And that was enough for me. Many grand enormous delightful blessings everyone everywhere.
did you know you can over winter your pepper plants? they can go for 5-10 years in a row, I have read some lasting even longer. there is a video on how to do it and since you already have the grow lights it would be perfect for you to do.
May I suggest that you plant some of the red leaf lettuces in the green stock so it is easy for you to go out and pick off the green stock and it will look pretty through those windows in the dining room. Just a suggestion and it will use up those seeds.
My 80 year old aunt still gardens and she lives in the county middle TN. She pulls her tomatoes and let’s them ripen out side in the sun on a wooden door she uses as a table. Her tomatoes are so yummy. Look up peaches and cream corn they has an amazing taste.
I love that you mentioned how many tomato plants you had in the one bed and how many times you had harvested from it and about how many pounds you've gotten from the one bed. That kind of information is very helpful and appreciated. Thank you.
I'm not sure that an extra large zucchini is something to celebrate. They're bordering on inedible when they're that big. They should be harvested while still small and tender and long before the seeds are fully formed. The plant will continue to produce almost limitless zucchini until the first frost so long as you don't allow them to waste all their energy and nutrients producing massive squash with mature seeds.
You may want to consider getting a dishwasher for your growing room so you don’t have to worry about dirt buildup or contamination to your eating and prep dishes. I hope all your new plantings do well.
I figure if the dishwasher sanitizes, then it would be hot enough to not contaminate anything . Isn't that the point? I'm no expert. I was just thinking 😊
Hi there. I love watching you in the garden, kitchen and shopping. This is just an FYI , please when using the garden fabric.... clear the fabric off of all debris left behind. The leaves harbor bacteria and sdd nothing to the soil if left on the fabric. I watched you do those grean onions and had to share this because it was a lesson learned for me on my first year when the fabric qas new. Rain qashes the disease and unbennificial bacteria into the soil . Happy gardening Becky!
Arkansas here. Its not just rain (we haven't gotten a ton this year in the hottest part) It is also bug competition and heat! We grow hundreds of pounds each year and preserve so many different things. Vine ripe is great when we can but often bugs can beat you to a good tomato lol
Since u only grow hardy lettuce.. consider growing the other seeds u have in trays under a grow light this coming winter .. consume them in salad like microgreens .. beneficial and such an easy way to consume them having them in ur home make them an easy harvest whenever u r about to make a salad
Hey, you might want to think about planting or leaving some of you carrots in the ground and harvesting them in the winter. I live just north of you in Canada and we always leave some carrots in the ground and pull them out for Christmas dinner. They are always so much sweeter than what you get in the store that time of year.
I like planting small areas of green beans, I don’t like canned or frozen so I do patches when they become available just enough to keep me in fresh beans through til freeze up!
Im on vacation in Disney World. Our TV has the UA-cam app. After a long VERY hot day yesterday, i got to unwind and watch you on the big screen. My favorite UA-camr... honestly, one of my favorite people!! While visiting my favorite place!!! I was over the moon. We love you Becky!!
Becky, you might try looking for food pantries in your area. There is one not far from my house. And it helps so many families. I have been there before and it really helped me and my children out. Just a thought as to what you can do with your excess of crops. I love watching you. I have learned a lot. Please keep doing these videos. I save them and go back and rewatch them. That way I can go by your recipes to cook for my family. So thank you for sharing your videos with me.
Really, really great video! Enjoy being in the garden with you so much! I wonder if you realize when you call us "friend" and take us along with you how comforting it is to folks who aren't able to get out as much as they used to? Well it is and I thank you! God bless!
I just made tomato soup on the weekend. I had baked a loaf of bread and we had grilled cheese sandwiches with it... yum! Dessert was an apple/plum crumble.. Apples, from the neighbour, are just coming in and it is the end of the plums. Trying to pick them before the bears get them.
Your videos are so wonderful. They make me so happy. I work on a 6 acre organic fruit and vegetable farm, and as soon as I get home I watch your videos. It feels like I'm back at my happy place.
Just a tip about the tomato soup leftovers: tomato soup is just a sauce really, if you do ever find yourself with leftovers you could turn it into a pasta sauce, if that works better for you? Your garden is amazing, my city, apartment dwelling self is super jealous, plus your house is wonderful. Sending hugs from London, UK. xxx
Just love watching you grow and plant and harvest your bounty! My dad had a farm when I was younger I used to pick zucchini and go behind the potato digger and help pick up the potatoes! Unfortunately I live where I can’t plant a garden .
Getting a wagon from costco would be really helpful for you when you are going to and from the garden, especially when harvesting. They have big wheels and can roll over gravel and sand and they are collapsible!
Oh Becky, thank you for taking us into your garden! I had shoulder surgery and couldn't plant a garden this year so I am living vicariously through you 😊. You have such a dreamy garden!!!
My almost 2 year old has joined me in watching your videos and when you are cooking she points at the screen and says tasty! And when you are in garden she says “Ooo pretty!” 😂 I hope she continues to watch with me so we can learn together.
When I harvest leafy greens after they are washed and dried I roll them up in a few paper towels or a towel place it in a plastic bag the greens last for weeks! Thank you for the great tips in gardening and preservation! Blessing’s to you, yours and our Nation 😇
I watch her pick those beautiful yellow/orange tomatoes and all I can think is tomato sandwich on toasted homemade bread with fresh mayo and a little salt
Hey Becky, You are really amazing with all you do. Your enthusiasm is inspiring ❤ We are heading into Spring in South Africa and look forward to planting soon. What happened to you side by side?
I'm thinking she just forgets it or doesn't take the time to get it out. What can we say?? Young people 🤷🤷🤷🤷. Lololol. Many enormous delightful amazing blessings everyone everywhere.
The broccoli is called sprouting broccoli here in the UK, I planted some a few years ago and my husband was all for pulling it up because it wasn’t doing anything but I persuaded him to persevere and it did really well but didn’t flower until Jan/Feb. The grandchildren loved breaking the mini heads off and eating them raw
What a wonderful harvest!! And yes, even better when you can share your hard work. The garden is absolutely beautiful…you did good girl! I love the flowers throughout the garden too….
Hi Becky you are having a great garden year. You know our growing year is way shorter than yours and I and everyone I know grow in rows and I always grew my seed onions right in the garden and radishes and had more than I knew what to do with the only thing that I had started was Tomatoes a nd my Sister had a small green house so got them from her and never had any of them crack so I assume being we got more rain all spring summer and fall they got used to all the moisture we got And we always had wonderful gardens. Thank be to God for that I’m sure. We all have so much to be Thankful for right. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💙❤️💚👏👏👏🥰🤗
It was good to see your parents help you with the potatoes. How are Josh and the baby doing? We would like an update or hear them even if we can't see them.
Ooh I want to try that cilantro/lettuce weed trick. I so appreciate that you are always willing to experiment with new techniques in the garden (and the kitchen). Blessing, Becky and Family!
Please send some of that rain to south east Texas. The drought is horrible. Our garden season was cut way short. It’s so bad our lake is drying up. 🙏🏻 for rain
I just love your garden set up, the raised beds, the fencing, the gravel walkways, it must be a pleasure to work in it. it is sure lovely to look at....I know I may sound vain but when the bones of a thing are well done it just makes everything more pretty. I would love something similar to yours, although at my age it may have to be pared down some...but you did a great job creating something so pretty.
That would make a delicious meal-in-a-jar! Would just need to figure out the amounts of each ingredient. And would probably fit in a 4-ounce jar for one meai. Or make a lot and just use what you need for a meal !
Becky you need to get a garden wagon that you can put all your produce in. You can even shell it into the kitchen or by your back door. Once the baby gets bigger he can even sit in it and help
I am SO HAPPY to hear that you are doing a tomato soup recipe for canning!!! I've got a lot of tomatoes left and I'm running out of ideas so that will be PERFECT! Thanks Becky!!
Hopefully, you've allowed the soil to rest between plantings. You've just harvested potatoes and the soil should have some time to rest. Even in the springtime when you prep the soil for planting, it should be left alone for a short time before you do any planting.
If you don't have to maneuver up and down steps, you would really benefit from a three tier garden cart. I had one years ago and put Rubbermaid tubs in each of the three tiers, and that 4- wheel cart was so much handier and easier for harvesting and hauling stuff than a wheelbarrow
Oh my goodness! Your garden is phenomenal. The amount of produce is incredible. On another matter, I tried your white bread recipe, and its a winner - my husband is thoroughly enjoying the bread and I just need to find time to bake in my busy schedule.
Becky, have Josh put a hook on your door on the inside and hang your apron on it so every time you go out the door to the garden you see you apron hanging on the door to remind you to put it on! LOVE ALL YOUR VIDEO"S!!!!!!
i hear you!! last summer here in southland - bottom of the south island of New Zealand - it was into the mid to high 30's cel...............in the end I froze all the berry fruit as was just too hot to handle making jam - i dont can per say but follow our overflow method of bottling and jam making methods here in New Zealand and have done for decades but last summer was nuts for the heat and the kitchen became a heat crazy! so have made all the jam in june and its all been perfect to make in our winter cooler days! will have a total of 32kg's of apricots, peaches, apples and pears to preserve/bottle this summer - lol its is shaping up to be a very hot dry one again!!
@@avismark8655 very nice! Yes canning in the winter is an awesome way to heat up a cold house. Is your area considered a temperate maritime climate, being an island? I love learning about gardening in other parts of the world
thanks so much for all that you share becky - a real blessing!!! we are into Spring here in New Zealand but its rather chilly and wet already bother it lol but hubby has planted out our carrots, radish and the other seeds that can handle the cooler soil temps........... all other vege plants and seeds will be in by end of oct as the soil will be warmer by then. We live down the bottom of the south island so cold hard winters and dry hot summers which the garden loves. we have increased our tomato plants planting by 40% this year and the majority in tubs the rest in the greenhouse with cucumbers, basil, capsaicin (bell pepper) and gerkins. garlic is thriving and asparagus in its second year is amazing!! both the garlic and aspargus are in tubs. the dehydrator will be going full time this summer for preservation!! spinach, cauli and broc will be in soon and have gained so many different ideas and recipes especially that you have shared that we are now so spoilt for choice LOL!! blessings to you Josh and baby acre - take care and go well
I get quite a bit of rain at the end of summer/beginning of fall here in Missouri! And the weather is so up and down that we can't really trust the forecast. It'll he sunny all day, pour rain for an hour, then sunny again. Missouri weather does whatever it wants. I let my tomatoes vine ripen when I can, but at this point ... if they are blushing, then I pick them. Cherry tomatoes don't crack nearly as much in my experience, so I try to let them stay on the vine as long as possible.
Becky , It is so much fun watching you ramble around your garden and finding so much treasure... I think every one of us wishes it was ourselves ... Congratulations on such garden success. I have a pot of tomatoes on the stove cooking away to be canned shortly , I am watching you in the waiting time , thank you for your video...
I always look forward to your videos. I am inspired to try new things :) I didn't have a garden this year, but when I did, any abundance I couldn't use or give to family and friends, I donated to the local shelters and food banks.
I always planted blue lake bush beans. Usually four fifty foot rows. My grandkids all remember sitting on the back porch swing snapping beans with me. The more you pick them, the better they do.
Wow! You are really having a BUMPER CROP of tomatoes, zucchini & beans, can’t wait to see the carrot & onion haul in a few weeks! And now we get to watch your fall plantings👏🏻!!! How fun! Thank you for being so amazing & sharing your journey in the garden! ❤
I just cleaned out the pantry ….. I kept saying to myself “Becky would be proud of you”. Lol. You have no idea what you have done for this old lady. Thank you so much. Edited to say that my husband and I are disassembling an old pool deck and using the wood to make several raised beds for my garlic! Already ordered and paid for!
I'm so proud of you! that is amazing!
Good for you.
Blessings everyone everywhere
Green beans should only be fertilized at the start of their life. At MI Gardener he explains it. His family are bean growers.
@@katherinez9654 we never fertilized beans. They make their own. Blessings everyone everywhere.
@@MissBetsyLu Thank you for that information.
Food pantries ALWAYS need fresh produce for their shelves. They will greatly appreciate the effort spent to grow/get what you want to donate. They number of people who don’t have access to fresh produce is staggering. ❤
Check with the pantry before you take them to donate. Some pantries can not except non commercial grown products.
@@karengibbs7723 sadly you're right. Blessings everyone everywhere.
Are food pantry will take these. Sadly a lot will not, depends where funding is coming from
I just made my first donation to a local soup kitchen and they were happy to take my excess zucchini!
@@AcreHomestead oh that's too good for words. One time when I was donating to a homeless shelter, I asked them what they needed. They said peppers. They couldn't get enough of them in any year. Might be different for different shelters etc. Many grand blessings everyone everywhere..
Please post the tomato soup canning recipe. I have tons of tomatoes....
Since you don’t eat soup leftovers for lunch, put your leftovers in a gallon ziplock or vacuum seal bag and freeze it flat. Thaws out super easy and all you have to do is heat it up
Pro Tip: use soil blocks for items with sensitive roots (head lettuce, beets, onions, leeks, scallions, pak choi, celery, celeriac, yukina) and cells for hardier items. Always direct sow root veggies. Great channel - happy harvesting!!
Wow supper helpful! Thanks!
You forgot soil blocking for corn transplants. Blessings everyone everywhere
thank you for this garden tips!
Isnt a beet a root vegetable too? Anyway, soil blocks have been super helpful for cucumbers, watermelons etc for me. They don't like their roots disturbed much. But that's for summer garden.
@@sandraraituma my friend used to just dig up beets that were an inch thick and transplant them. They would wilt almost forever but then they would stand up and start growing. Many grand blessings everyone everywhere.
Even though I am 63, do not have a garden and only can jam, I love your channel! I am doubling some recipes, using my freezer more efficiently, cooking with more seasoning and tasting as I go! You have a positive impact on so many people - you are making a difference! I love seeing these harvest videos - so many tomatoes! I really should try canning them since I am an hour away from many local farms! I can’t wait to see you can meals in future videos - that will make a big difference for me!
Me too. 70 and never canned. Started last year and love it. Love you Becky!
I enjoy canning apart from the food also. Blessings everyone everywhere.
@@lindysmallwood2039 👍👍👍🙋👍🙋🙋
Have the workers that spent all those months creating your garden area been back to see what you have accomplished? I think they would be amazed at your beauty garden 😊
Try putting your roo aprons in your baskets . That way they are handy for when your heading to the garden for harvest.
I just want to say how proud I am for what you do. Not just running the homestead, but even the recordings. That is a hard job in itself. Talking to a camera as if it were a room full of people, getting recordings out everyday, and then to get videos out for us to see every two days. And to top it off, being a great, mom, wife, daughter and friend (one can only assume you are all those things just based on your personality). I only started watching to get some ideas about meal prep and have been hooked ever since. I find myself going back watching from when I started, just to remember how you have evolved. Any way, please continue doing what you do and god bless 🙂
Aw thanks so very much for sharing your kind words with me!
Do you have Blessing Boxs there? You could add some veggies. Or have Josh put out a small table for you to Give away to anyone or sell😊
Becky, when you bake bread, if you have some extra slices, you could butter them up and put some sliced or shredded cheese between them and wrap and freeze. On the night you want grilled cheese and soup, you won't have to worry about being out of cheese.
Becky, I do the same thing. I just think I'm just going to walk over to see if I have any cucumbers ready. Next thing I know my shirt tail is always bursting with produce, then I end up either going back in the house to grab a basket...or two. Or pulling out a wheelbarrow. The garden has been super abundant this year. What a blessing!
Girl I live in Texas and we have no rain with 110 degree days. Our tomatoes have been done since like June. We are replanting tomatoes now for a fall crop.
It's amazing how much you've been able to grow this year! If you're struggling to find people to give the excess to, maybe find your local food pantry or senior center? Our local senior center cooks daily for our seniors and disabled. One of our churches also has an outdoor pantry where you just drop things off and if anyone has a need, they can come anytime.
I just did my first local food pantry donation today! I want to do more as I can with excess the garden produces :)
@@AcreHomesteadfabulous idea! I am sure they would be grateful!!!
@@AcreHomestead❤
Our local community kitchen love getting fresh produce, they supply meals to those that need them or just need company and any surplus is given to those who need fresh fruit and veges for home.
To prevent the cracking of the tomatoes after rain, I have built a roof over each tomato-bed . Wood-frame - greenhouse foil, open sides for ventilation. Works great! Gives me the chance to ripen them on the vines. I feel they develop a better aroma on the vine then picked and ripened inside.
That's a great idea!
Good idea also to stop blight from cascading onto your tomatoes. Blessings everyone everywhere.
If you have a local food pantry, I bet they would happily take any of the abundance overload.
Becky, you should try saving seeds from your most prolific tomato plants for next year. It's super easy...I'm doing it with my 6 year old daughter as part of her homeschool science experiment.
Love your organic pantry!
Just a thought: get a small weather tight box in your garden area for gloves, small garden tools, aprons, produce bags.
You need to get a gorilla cart to transport all your bounty to and from the garden. It would make it a lot more efficient for you.
Or a beach cart, a lot cheaper I think. Good advice.
THat is a good idea! I see them at Costco sometimes.
Don’t you have a side by side?
I love my gorilla cart ❤️
I second the Gorilla Cart. It’s a lifesaver!! I got mine at Home Depot. Make sure you get the one that fully dumps (they have different styles) because the dump feature comes in handy for all different gardening tasks. Or when you want to dump your toddlers into a pile of leaves. (Don’t ask. LOL)
I have canned my whole life. Well, starting around age 10 I began helping my mother with her canning, then continuing on into adulthood. In 2020 w/ time on my hands I began to find more and more canning ideas on UA-cam. Canning soup has been a game changer for me. No more red & white cans on my pantry shelves. Split Pea, Lentil, Vegetable, French Onion, Autumn Harvest Chowder. I look forward to your Tomato soup recipe.
Hi Becky. Green onions, or evergreen bunching onions are usually planted in small bunches. They can be perennial. One of my beds has been in the ground for 2 years. The onions are now huge, but they are getting small new onions around the base. The large onions end up being similar to a leek. Happy planting😊
Thank you! Did not know that.
This is amazing! How did you get them started and what did you do to keep them going?
We have lots of rain and extreme heat here in Middle GA and I found I could pick perfectly fine tomatoes without any cracks in them but then brining them inside and then washing them right away or even just going from outside in the heat to inside in the cold about 30 degrees cooler than it is outside and they crack anyway. You can still eat them. The only time you really can't is when there is worm damage. I hated to see how the vine bores got into my zucchini's and cucumbers. Nasty LOL though even then I've seen some people cut the worm damage out and still use what is left of the fruit. I can't bring myself to do that though.Thanks for another wonderful video Becky. If I was to live close to you I would beg to come over and help you in your most beautiful garden. Keep living the dream and sharing it on here so people like me and myself can enjoy. Just awesome!❤
I learned last year that organic granular fertilizer is heat activated. Switching to liquid fertilizer in my fall garden gave me much better results.
Well it’s the soil life that breaks down dry ferlizers, and yes the life is more active with heat.
So it’s not exactly heat activated but the result isnthe same
I feel you on the burn out. I've been canning for days now. I am finally down to 40lbs of cucumbers and 20 lbs of tomatoes! I know some folks were looking for an update from my last video comment. I gave myself grace last night and went to bed at 8pm. I decided to swap a day with a co-worker at work. I was supposed to be working today but decided to take the day off to finish canning. A co-worker took today from me but gave me a day she needed off.
I am so excited for the slow down of winter to come and the holiday season! This time of year is a bit crazy but we will be glad we put in the work. That is an amazing amout of work you did!
That's a cool policy at work. Kudos to them for allowing such flexibility.
@AcreHomestead for me, the fall and winter is just as chaotic. I will be processing pears, apples and pumpkins. It's also around the time we get our whole cow, 1/2 lamb and 40 chickens from local farms. Of course we make sure my inlaws are well stocked for the winter with meat. We also hunt for moose and venison during fall and winter. Phew.. I'm trying to convince my husband to get some chickens going. Unfortunately we are looking to move within a year onto a bigger homestead down South. Northern Maine life is not something we enjoy and my husband doesn't want to shovel to get to the coop during the 9 months of harsh winter.
@@ladyeofani I couldn't agree more with the idea of too much cold weather. I'm in upstate NY. But I spent 35 yrs in PA. And that was enough for me. Many grand enormous delightful blessings everyone everywhere.
I always wondered why you didn’t pick the tomatoes when the first start ripening! I’m in East Tennessee with tons of rain, so that makes sense!
did you know you can over winter your pepper plants? they can go for 5-10 years in a row, I have read some lasting even longer. there is a video on how to do it and since you already have the grow lights it would be perfect for you to do.
No but this year I plan to!
May I suggest that you plant some of the red leaf lettuces in the green stock so it is easy for you to go out and pick off the green stock and it will look pretty through those windows in the dining room. Just a suggestion and it will use up those seeds.
Now that's a great idea! Thanks so much
@@AcreHomestead You are so welcome!
With peppers, if you plant them close enough so their leaves tickle each other in the wind, you will make them yield much more!!
My 80 year old aunt still gardens and she lives in the county middle TN. She pulls her tomatoes and let’s them ripen out side in the sun on a wooden door she uses as a table. Her tomatoes are so yummy. Look up peaches and cream corn they has an amazing taste.
And "Kandy Corn" a big yellow super sweet variety.
Hi Becky- always nice to have a post from acre homestead! I was just noticing how beautiful your view is! Really nice😊
I love that you mentioned how many tomato plants you had in the one bed and how many times you had harvested from it and about how many pounds you've gotten from the one bed. That kind of information is very helpful and appreciated. Thank you.
That's the biggest zucchini I've ever seen in my life! Well done, Becky! Your garden is nothing less than a triumph this year!
I'm not sure that an extra large zucchini is something to celebrate. They're bordering on inedible when they're that big. They should be harvested while still small and tender and long before the seeds are fully formed. The plant will continue to produce almost limitless zucchini until the first frost so long as you don't allow them to waste all their energy and nutrients producing massive squash with mature seeds.
You may want to consider getting a dishwasher for your growing room so you don’t have to worry about dirt buildup or contamination to your eating and prep dishes. I hope all your new plantings do well.
That's a great idea!
I figure if the dishwasher sanitizes, then it would be hot enough to not contaminate anything . Isn't that the point? I'm no expert. I was just thinking 😊
Yes, or even just a large laundry style trough. I was thinking the same thing.
Hi there. I love watching you in the garden, kitchen and shopping. This is just an FYI , please when using the garden fabric.... clear the fabric off of all debris left behind. The leaves harbor bacteria and sdd nothing to the soil if left on the fabric. I watched you do those grean onions and had to share this because it was a lesson learned for me on my first year when the fabric qas new. Rain qashes the disease and unbennificial bacteria into the soil . Happy gardening Becky!
Arkansas here. Its not just rain (we haven't gotten a ton this year in the hottest part) It is also bug competition and heat! We grow hundreds of pounds each year and preserve so many different things. Vine ripe is great when we can but often bugs can beat you to a good tomato lol
I love how you show us how to do everything and make it feel doable for a newbie instead of overwhelming:)
With all the yummy stuff you have been planting and canning your future self will thank you if you get snowed in again
Since u only grow hardy lettuce.. consider growing the other seeds u have in trays under a grow light this coming winter .. consume them in salad like microgreens .. beneficial and such an easy way to consume them having them in ur home make them an easy harvest whenever u r about to make a salad
As a southerner, I want you to try fried green tomatoes. Oh so delicious.
You need one of those canvas carts to take everything back and forth from the garden. They fold up and don't take up a lot of room.
Hey, you might want to think about planting or leaving some of you carrots in the ground and harvesting them in the winter. I live just north of you in Canada and we always leave some carrots in the ground and pull them out for Christmas dinner. They are always so much sweeter than what you get in the store that time of year.
Becky, is there a food bank you could donate your excess produce to? I would consider it a true blessing if I could ever get organic fresh produce!!
I like planting small areas of green beans, I don’t like canned or frozen so I do patches when they become available just enough to keep me in fresh beans through til freeze up!
You can go to your local senior center and leave some vegetables for them to take home. Also, your local food bank.
Rained yesterday after 6 weeks of no rain. I live in Oklahoma. My tomatoes are starting to flower again. Will pick them later even if they are green.
Im on vacation in Disney World. Our TV has the UA-cam app. After a long VERY hot day yesterday, i got to unwind and watch you on the big screen. My favorite UA-camr... honestly, one of my favorite people!! While visiting my favorite place!!! I was over the moon. We love you Becky!!
If you have a food bank in your town they would benefit from your excess love learning from you
Becky, you might try looking for food pantries in your area. There is one not far from my house. And it helps so many families. I have been there before and it really helped me and my children out. Just a thought as to what you can do with your excess of crops. I love watching you. I have learned a lot. Please keep doing these videos. I save them and go back and rewatch them. That way I can go by your recipes to cook for my family. So thank you for sharing your videos with me.
Oh Becky that's so exciting..pls do an update on that cabbage and lettuce bed..
Mix your small seeds with soil in a tin shaker and shake it were you want to plant it. Love all you do. Theresa in South Africa
Really, really great video! Enjoy being in the garden with you so much! I wonder if you realize when you call us "friend" and take us along with you how comforting it is to folks who aren't able to get out as much as they used to? Well it is and I thank you! God bless!
You got this canning/gardening/preserving moms and dads! You are all heroes!
If you haven't tried it already BLT's with tomato soup is life changing. The toasted bread, light mayo, fresh tomatoes and lettuce then the bacon 🤌.
That is an amazing idea!
I just made tomato soup on the weekend. I had baked a loaf of bread and we had grilled cheese sandwiches with it... yum! Dessert was an apple/plum crumble.. Apples, from the neighbour, are just coming in and it is the end of the plums. Trying to pick them before the bears get them.
I like to add some type of melty cheese to my BLT (sometimes without lettuce). So good!
@@danniemcdonald7675 put cukes on sandwiches instead of lettuce. Very very very good. Many grand fabulous enormous blessings everyone everywhere.
@@MissBetsyLu Yes I love cucumbers on sandwiches!
You need to get a wagon to haul your stuff back and forth from the garden to the house it's fun for kids to ride in to❤
Your videos are so wonderful. They make me so happy. I work on a 6 acre organic fruit and vegetable farm, and as soon as I get home I watch your videos. It feels like I'm back at my happy place.
Just a tip about the tomato soup leftovers: tomato soup is just a sauce really, if you do ever find yourself with leftovers you could turn it into a pasta sauce, if that works better for you?
Your garden is amazing, my city, apartment dwelling self is super jealous, plus your house is wonderful. Sending hugs from London, UK. xxx
Blue lake are my favorite green beans!!! Tender, easy to snap, no strings to pull and delicious!
Just love watching you grow and plant and harvest your bounty! My dad had a farm when I was younger I used to pick zucchini and go behind the potato digger and help pick up the potatoes! Unfortunately I live where I can’t plant a garden .
Just use containers or garden indoors. Many grand blessings everyone everywhere.
Getting a wagon from costco would be really helpful for you when you are going to and from the garden, especially when harvesting. They have big wheels and can roll over gravel and sand and they are collapsible!
I like how you organized your seeds by season. I will do that in the future.
Oh Becky, thank you for taking us into your garden! I had shoulder surgery and couldn't plant a garden this year so I am living vicariously through you 😊. You have such a dreamy garden!!!
My almost 2 year old has joined me in watching your videos and when you are cooking she points at the screen and says tasty! And when you are in garden she says “Ooo pretty!” 😂 I hope she continues to watch with me so we can learn together.
When I harvest leafy greens after they are washed and dried I roll them up in a few paper towels or a towel place it in a plastic bag the greens last for weeks! Thank you for the great tips in gardening and preservation! Blessing’s to you, yours and our Nation 😇
I watch her pick those beautiful yellow/orange tomatoes and all I can think is tomato sandwich on toasted homemade bread with fresh mayo and a little salt
So much energy. You go girl .
Those seeds from MI Gardener have been incredible. I am so happy with everything I have gotten from them.
Hey Becky,
You are really amazing with all you do. Your enthusiasm is inspiring ❤ We are heading into Spring in South Africa and look forward to planting soon. What happened to you side by side?
I'm thinking she just forgets it or doesn't take the time to get it out. What can we say?? Young people 🤷🤷🤷🤷. Lololol. Many enormous delightful amazing blessings everyone everywhere.
The broccoli is called sprouting broccoli here in the UK, I planted some a few years ago and my husband was all for pulling it up because it wasn’t doing anything but I persuaded him to persevere and it did really well but didn’t flower until Jan/Feb. The grandchildren loved breaking the mini heads off and eating them raw
What a wonderful harvest!! And yes, even better when you can share your hard work. The garden is absolutely beautiful…you did good girl! I love the flowers throughout the garden too….
Hi Becky you are having a great garden year. You know our growing year is way shorter than yours and I and everyone I know grow in rows and I always grew my seed onions right in the garden and radishes and had more than I knew what to do with the only thing that I had started was Tomatoes a nd my Sister had a small green house so got them from her and never had any of them crack so I assume being we got more rain all spring summer and fall they got used to all the moisture we got And we always had wonderful gardens. Thank be to God for that I’m sure. We all have so much to be Thankful for right. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💙❤️💚👏👏👏🥰🤗
It was good to see your parents help you with the potatoes. How are Josh and the baby doing? We would like an update or hear them even if we can't see them.
They are great! We love our little family :)
I wish I had your energy!!! I love your garden!! I'm living vicariously thru you! Your garden your way! Lol loving it!
Can’t wait for the next video!! Looking forward to watching the processing of your apples! ❤
I'm unreasonably excited to see the new electric food mill cut the work of processing the apples in half!
Ooh I want to try that cilantro/lettuce weed trick. I so appreciate that you are always willing to experiment with new techniques in the garden (and the kitchen). Blessing, Becky and Family!
Please send some of that rain to south east Texas. The drought is horrible. Our garden season was cut way short. It’s so bad our lake is drying up. 🙏🏻 for rain
I just love your garden set up, the raised beds, the fencing, the gravel walkways, it must be a pleasure to work in it. it is sure lovely to look at....I know I may sound vain but when the bones of a thing are well done it just makes everything more pretty. I would love something similar to yours, although at my age it may have to be pared down some...but you did a great job creating something so pretty.
I had to chuckle as i saw you pick up and wield those baskets 'cause you handled them like a baby carrier weilding pro.
You might want to explore making tomato bisque from tomato powder and powdered heavy cream (with fd basil of course!)
Ooooh....this sounds interesting...
That would make a delicious meal-in-a-jar! Would just need to figure out the amounts of each ingredient. And would probably fit in a 4-ounce jar for one meai. Or make a lot and just use what you need for a meal !
Becky you need to get a garden wagon that you can put all your produce in. You can even shell it into the kitchen or by your back door. Once the baby gets bigger he can even sit in it and help
One thing with these new raised beds, they look a lot easier on your back, I really hope your call planting goes very well.
I am SO HAPPY to hear that you are doing a tomato soup recipe for canning!!! I've got a lot of tomatoes left and I'm running out of ideas so that will be PERFECT! Thanks Becky!!
Hopefully, you've allowed the soil to rest between plantings. You've just harvested potatoes and the soil should have some time to rest. Even in the springtime when you prep the soil for planting, it should be left alone for a short time before you do any planting.
Miss your old garden
Becky start a leaf mold compost, it’s great for mulching. You have a large property so you could collect your leaves for free. ☺️
If you don't have to maneuver up and down steps, you would really benefit from a three tier garden cart. I had one years ago and put Rubbermaid tubs in each of the three tiers, and that 4- wheel cart was so much handier and easier for harvesting and hauling stuff than a wheelbarrow
Thank you for sharing this
Oh my goodness! Your garden is phenomenal. The amount of produce is incredible. On another matter, I tried your white bread recipe, and its a winner - my husband is thoroughly enjoying the bread and I just need to find time to bake in my busy schedule.
When roots are so full take the time to spread them a bit before planting them.
In hind site I would have had the plant boxes stained inside & out BEFORE filling them with soil last spring great garden!
Becky, have Josh put a hook on your door on the inside and hang your apron on it so every time you go out the door to the garden you see you apron hanging on the door to remind you to put it on! LOVE ALL YOUR VIDEO"S!!!!!!
This year I just left the cracked ones on the counter to ripen (I am in SC) and then just cut off the part that is cracked before I freeze them.
Dearest Becky,
Thank U for being U.
Thank U for being true.
There is no one like U,
And never will be,
Cause, U r dear Becky,
So loving - so free!
This heat has me burnt out… but fall crops have given me life!! Push through!!!
We got this!
i hear you!! last summer here in southland - bottom of the south island of New Zealand - it was into the mid to high 30's cel...............in the end I froze all the berry fruit as was just too hot to handle making jam - i dont can per say but follow our overflow method of bottling and jam making methods here in New Zealand and have done for decades but last summer was nuts for the heat and the kitchen became a heat crazy! so have made all the jam in june and its all been perfect to make in our winter cooler days! will have a total of 32kg's of apricots, peaches, apples and pears to preserve/bottle this summer - lol its is shaping up to be a very hot dry one again!!
@@avismark8655 very nice! Yes canning in the winter is an awesome way to heat up a cold house. Is your area considered a temperate maritime climate, being an island? I love learning about gardening in other parts of the world
thanks so much for all that you share becky - a real blessing!!! we are into Spring here in New Zealand but its rather chilly and wet already bother it lol but hubby has planted out our carrots, radish and the other seeds that can handle the cooler soil temps........... all other vege plants and seeds will be in by end of oct as the soil will be warmer by then. We live down the bottom of the south island so cold hard winters and dry hot summers which the garden loves. we have increased our tomato plants planting by 40% this year and the majority in tubs the rest in the greenhouse with cucumbers, basil, capsaicin (bell pepper) and gerkins. garlic is thriving and asparagus in its second year is amazing!! both the garlic and aspargus are in tubs. the dehydrator will be going full time this summer for preservation!! spinach, cauli and broc will be in soon and have gained so many different ideas and recipes especially that you have shared that we are now so spoilt for choice LOL!! blessings to you Josh and baby acre - take care and go well
You and Chelsea from Little Mountain Ranch are the best gardeners on You Tube. Her onion harvest this year blew me away! Thanks for the lessons.
I get quite a bit of rain at the end of summer/beginning of fall here in Missouri! And the weather is so up and down that we can't really trust the forecast. It'll he sunny all day, pour rain for an hour, then sunny again. Missouri weather does whatever it wants. I let my tomatoes vine ripen when I can, but at this point ... if they are blushing, then I pick them. Cherry tomatoes don't crack nearly as much in my experience, so I try to let them stay on the vine as long as possible.
Becky , It is so much fun watching you ramble around your garden and finding so much treasure... I think every one of us wishes it was ourselves ... Congratulations on such garden success. I have a pot of tomatoes on the stove cooking away to be canned shortly , I am watching you in the waiting time , thank you for your video...
I always look forward to your videos. I am inspired to try new things :) I didn't have a garden this year, but when I did, any abundance I couldn't use or give to family and friends, I donated to the local shelters and food banks.
Shelters are another place that can really use fresh produce. Thanks. Many grand blessings everyone everywhere
I always planted blue lake bush beans. Usually four fifty foot rows. My grandkids all remember sitting on the back porch swing snapping beans with me. The more you pick them, the better they do.
Wow! You are really having a BUMPER CROP of tomatoes, zucchini & beans, can’t wait to see the carrot & onion haul in a few weeks! And now we get to watch your fall plantings👏🏻!!! How fun! Thank you for being so amazing & sharing your journey in the garden! ❤