Friday, July 8, 2011

Garden update and pickling green walnuts

© 2011 Joshua Stark

Well, it seems as if the latest incarnation of duckproofing - edging the raised beds with five-foot bamboo trellises - is working.  Green beans and corn have been allowed to grow to about 10 inches, and I think I'm seeing some okra popping up, too.

I didn't plant the bed in a formal sense, though, so there isn't much in there.  Basically, I threw in some seeds in a very rough pattern, and then covered them in ducked-up straw that I'd mowed over. 

In the potato patch (a bamboo window blind formed into a cylinder and half-filled with straw), I don't see any potato leaves, but the plants I put in on top (radishes, nasturtium, and I can't remember what-else) are popping up like crazy.

From the successes I'm seeing, I envision a radically altered garden next year:  A keyhole raised bed (with a stone base and four-foot walls), with three or four of these bamboo blind cylinders around. 

As for my pickling walnuts, they have blackened nicely sitting outside in the grill, and today I'm canning them.  Today, I'm also crushing the walnuts that have been steeping in the vinegar for the green walnut ketchup and chutney I'll be making next week.  If you are interested in this or other green walnut recipes, definitely take a look at my Green Walnuts & You webpage.

No comments: