Gardeners! Share your garden photos and garden chatter here.

[terri]

Trying something new this season. Not new to fermenting -- we make our own sauerkraut, fermented pickles, fermented radishes, etc. But fermented tomato juice is a new one for me. We planted a lot of tomatoes and normally we'd can the excess, but when the day came to break out the canner I was feeling lazy and tired. So what would be an easier option? Fermentation!

Did some research on the internet and found enough conflicting recipes and instructions to keep me reading till I die. So I came up with my best assessment knowing what's basically required. I start with a 3 liter jar -- wash and chop the tomatoes and load them in along with a dozen fresh basil leaves, one medium garlic clove cut in half, and two teaspoons of pickling salt. Crush the tomatoes loosely and close the jar. Fermentation will begin soon.

Note the room I left at the top of the jar -- at least that much if you don't want a mess in a day or two when you open the jar to stir it. The tomatoes will rise in the jar and need to be stirred down once or twice a day. Fermentation will take approx. 6-8 days. Watch for a thin film of yeast (white) to form on top of the mixture (just stir it in) and you're a day or two away from the next step.

When the fermentation slows the hard job is to push it all through a sieve to separate the seeds and skins from the juice. I've been getting two liters of juice per batch with a cup left over.

BIG DEAL: If it's going to keep additional salt is required. The salt is essential to preserve the bottled juice. Deciding how much salt was my big struggle with this and where I found the internet varying wildly. I decided on .7% salt solution which is low. This is the catch with all fermented foods; they're salty.

Once bottled (pickling salt added) pour in a little olive oil. Place the cap on the bottle but don't seal. The salt may or may not stop the fermentation. Normally it has for me but one batch didn't and I had to wait two days before I was confident I could clamp down the lid. So far I've bottled 10 liters with 6 more in process. The jar below was just stirred and is finishing day 3. Interesting how the juice settles in the bottle after a couple days.

So far I've used 1 & 1/2 liters with the bottle going in the frig once opened. It's too salty to just drink straight but it makes a great additive in cooking. So far I'm cautiously claiming success.

View attachment 268518

Looks beautiful! The bottle on the left with the olive oil looks so smooth and creamy - nicely done! I imagine it tastes fantastic. Yum!!

 

[Ysarex]

Looks beautiful! The bottle on the left with the olive oil looks so smooth and creamy - nicely done! I imagine it tastes fantastic. Yum!!

Thanks. I'm excited about it. No major energy use canning and overall less work. It is tasty.

 

[jeffashman]

Trying something new this season. Not new to fermenting -- we make our own sauerkraut, fermented pickles, fermented radishes, etc. But fermented tomato juice is a new one for me. We planted a lot of tomatoes and normally we'd can the excess, but when the day came to break out the canner I was feeling lazy and tired. So what would be an easier option? Fermentation!

Did some research on the internet and found enough conflicting recipes and instructions to keep me reading till I die. So I came up with my best assessment knowing what's basically required. I start with a 3 liter jar -- wash and chop the tomatoes and load them in along with a dozen fresh basil leaves, one medium garlic clove cut in half, and two teaspoons of pickling salt. Crush the tomatoes loosely and close the jar. Fermentation will begin soon.

Note the room I left at the top of the jar -- at least that much if you don't want a mess in a day or two when you open the jar to stir it. The tomatoes will rise in the jar and need to be stirred down once or twice a day. Fermentation will take approx. 6-8 days. Watch for a thin film of yeast (white) to form on top of the mixture (just stir it in) and you're a day or two away from the next step.

When the fermentation slows the hard job is to push it all through a sieve to separate the seeds and skins from the juice. I've been getting two liters of juice per batch with a cup left over.

BIG DEAL: If it's going to keep additional salt is required. The salt is essential to preserve the bottled juice. Deciding how much salt was my big struggle with this and where I found the internet varying wildly. I decided on .7% salt solution which is low. This is the catch with all fermented foods; they're salty.

Once bottled (pickling salt added) pour in a little olive oil. Place the cap on the bottle but don't seal. The salt may or may not stop the fermentation. Normally it has for me but one batch didn't and I had to wait two days before I was confident I could clamp down the lid. So far I've bottled 10 liters with 6 more in process. The jar below was just stirred and is finishing day 3. Interesting how the juice settles in the bottle after a couple days.

So far I've used 1 & 1/2 liters with the bottle going in the frig once opened. It's too salty to just drink straight but it makes a great additive in cooking. So far I'm cautiously claiming success.

View attachment 268518

I think just adding vodka to tomato juice will do the trick... that should be fermented enough then... with a pinch of cayenne of course... and some celery salt...

 

[Ysarex]

I think just adding vodka to tomato juice will do the trick... that should be fermented enough then... with a pinch of cayenne of course... and some celery salt...

That is one of the recommended uses I encountered on the Internet for the fermented juice. I'll have to try that.

 

[SquarePeg]

Dahlias are on fire right now. So many blooms and buds. We’ve had some hard rain but they have weathered it well.

 

[Rickbb]

Setting out the winter broccoli, the cherry tomatoes are still going strong. All the other tomatoes are done. The okra is still producing, but the beans and sunflowers are on their last legs. I managed to save a couple of seed heads of sunflowers from the dang tree rats, (squirrels).

Setting out plants due to missing the seed date, should have had the seeds in Aug, but life being what it is, had to wait for plants to be available.

 

[SquarePeg]

The bees and I are still enjoying a plentiful fall garden full of dahlias and zinnias! They are loving this cool weather. I’ve been cutting 2-3 bouquets every day. Some iPhone photos from today.

 

[Rickbb]

Nice flowers, and good shots, we have tried to grow dahlias but between our hot humid summers and the clay soil they don't like us much.

 

[SquarePeg]

Nice flowers, and good shots, we have tried to grow dahlias but between our hot humid summers and the clay soil they don't like us much.

My soil is clay-ish but with lots of big rocks. Fun stuff. I used mostly 7 gal grow bags for the dahlias. They worked well and I was able to move them around in my garden into spots where I’m waiting for newer perennials to grow up and fill in. There are so many beautiful ones to choose from!! I haven’t successfully stored the tubers over winter yet so I got these at Costco. Hopefully this year my storage plan will work out and then I can invest in some of the more fancy ones on my wishlist.

 

[SquarePeg]

Small chance of frost tonight. I cut a bunch yesterday and today just in case!

 

[Rickbb]

Good Morning Glory! Probably the last of them for this year.

 

[cgw]

Curtain call for our rescue/transplant old Bourbon rose "Sidonie." She graced us with a last bloom this week. My late, much-loved MIL nurtured her for nearly 50 years and always called her the "French Byatch" for the many thorns that always scratched. The old rose got a new obelisk home last fall, survived a tough winter and bloomed happily this summer. Gloriously fragrant to boot!

 

[terri]

Curtain call for our rescue/transplant old Bourbon rose "Sidonie." She graced us with a last bloom this week. My late, much-loved MIL nurtured her for nearly 50 years and always called her the "French Byatch" for the many thorns that always scratched. The old rose got a new obelisk home last fall, survived a tough winter and bloomed happily this summer. Gloriously fragrant to boot!

View attachment 269454

I just love seeing these blooms from this very old, much loved, and obviously still vibrant plant. It's amazing that she survived the transplant.

Gorgeous rose!

 

[cgw]

I just love seeing these blooms from this very old, much loved, and obviously still vibrant plant. It's amazing that she survived the transplant.

Gorgeous rose!

Thanks. She and an ancient rambler are part of a long-term garden restoration on a heritage family property we look after. Lots of junk/bird-plant trees, shrubs and invasives cleared and replaced with bulbs, perennials and desirable species. Chopped a pile of young black walnut trees today and gathered buckets of unripe nuts the squirrels won't plant!

 

[SquarePeg]

These cosmos that I planted last year, just one packet of seeds!, reseeded everywhere and took over my butterfly garden this year. I’ve been pulling them up before they can drop their seeds again. I’m sure I’ll still have hundreds of seedlings to pull up next summer. They sure are pretty but they blocked the sun from some of the perennials that I purposely planted. You can’t even see the milkweed and cone flowers that are in there.

I think I need to find a space for the cosmos to grow separate from everything else.