I used this recipe for the dill pickles. It is a simple, easy recipe and the pickles come out tangy and crisp.

The secret is to soak the cucumbers in ice water for at least 2 hours before pickling.

I used dill flowers and sprigs in each jar.

It is helpful to have a huge pot to sterilize the jars in.

Pack the jars full of cucumber slices, dill, garlic and pour in the boiling brine.

After the jars are packed, process them in a hot water bath for 15 minutes if you would like to store them for a while. If you plan to eat them quickly you can skip this step and keep them in the fridge. I hot water bathed about half of the jars and put the rest in the fridge.

I also made some salsa. It came out so good! I had made some fresh salsa the other night for dinner and decided it would be good canned as well. I picked all the fixings from the garden- tomatoes, cilantro, jalapenos.

I shredded some garlic and onion with the rest of the ingredients in the food processor.

I added a half cup of rice vinegar, salt and pepper and boiled it for about 10 minutes. I drained some of the excess liquid and then processed it in jars just like I did with the pickles.

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It seems early for winter squash but then again everything is early this year.

Ripe tomatoes and yellow beans:

I picked the rest of the rhubarb and some rosemary so I can make that jam I talked about a few weeks ago.

The cucumbers are prolific this year. I think I’ll make some relish with these.

I love how colorful all the veggies are!

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Yes, there are 25 cucumbers in that photo. I better get to work and make some pickles!

Also, here are some new fingerling potatoes we picked when we were harvesting the garlic.

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The garlic looked ready to be picked so we got to work with trowels and gently dug up each bulb.

Luke loves garlic!

Each clove of garlic planted last fall grew into a head.

We ended up pulling about a hundred heads. The best will be saved for next year’s planting.

Hardneck garlic is more cold tolerant and better suited to growing in our climate. The heads tend to be smaller than the average garlic you find in the supermarket.

We brushed off the dirt, trimmed the roots, and braided the garlic into bunches.

We laid the garlic braids on a drying rack on our covered front porch to cure and dry out.

Growing garlic ended up being very easy and low maintenance and we will surely grow it every year!

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Tomatoes weren’t the only thing harvested this morning. I got three nice sized spaghetti squash, a couple yellow squash, zucchinis, cucumbers, and a basket full of yellow wax beans and green beans. Oh yea, and one egg from the coop.

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The Jerusalem Artichokes are growing tall. I can’t wait till they bloom.

The Nasturtiums are starting to bloom.

The edible leaves make a great addition to salads and sandwiches.

The brussel sprouts were nearly eaten away to nothing by the two rabbits that hang out shamelessly in the garden. Luke fenced them in and they are finally coming back.

The pole beans are still climbing away, while the bush beans that were planted at the same time have already flowered and are producing.

Bush beans:

The herb spiral is the most useful spot in the garden. I use herbs in pretty much every meal.

All of the asparagus crowns we planted this spring are growing.

I haven’t counted, but we already have a ton of pumpkins growing. Some of the pumpkins came up in their own from the compost.

Another pumpkin growing on a piece of slate.

Broccoli was another favorite of the rabbits until we fenced it off with bird netting. We haven’t harvested any broccoli yet, but it seems to be growing well now.

The three sisters bed. The pink corn silk is so festive.

A neighbor gave us clippings from his grape vines to root. They are starting to grow leaves and will be transplanted to our new mini vineyard next year.

The eggplant had such a slow start but finally seem to be growing.

The cucumber trellis is working out great! The vines are safely up off the ground and the cucumbers are easy to harvest.

Little pickle:

Kale is prolific. It feeds us from spring till winter and is so good raw, cooked, and thrown in with just about any meal.

Like kale, the swiss chard is another green that feeds us from early spring to late fall. It is so glossy and pretty.

I’d like to stuff and fry this little guy.

Zucchini overload is upon us.

Egyptian onions are a favorite from my childhood. My mother’s garden was filled with them. She brought us some this spring.

Our first attempt at growing cabbage:

Spaghetti squash about ready to be harvested:

This is what we picked for dinner tonight:

cilantro, kale, cucumber, spaghetti squash, green beans, yellow beans, and zucchini

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I went back and labeled everything we’ve got growing this year for reference:

I’d love to do this every month, or at least every season!

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A beautiful Medford tomato that looks like Cinderella’s carriage:

Even the leaves of the Medford are unusual:

The greenhouse is working out really well for growing tomatoes. The Cherry Sweeties are taller than me already and just covered in fruit. Check out the greenhouse:

The plants are trained up string that is tied to the metal supports in the greenhouse:

Also planted in the greenhouse are jalapenos, habaneros, eggplant, and muskmelon.

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Kale and squash:

Heavily mulched cucumber plants:

Cabbage:

Luke checking the mounds of corn we just planted between the squash and gourds:

The corn are transplants. Most of the corn we started in the field was eaten by critters.

Fern like asparagus behind some squash:

Green tomatoes:

Slicer and plum tomatoes:

Pretty pole beans:

Herb spiral:

A new row of carrots:

The cucumber trellis doing its job:

Zucchini and yellow squash:

Staggered plantings of swiss chard:

Three sisters- corn, beans, and squash:

Eggplant:

Yellow and red onion:

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I’m really into canning right now. I made another big batch of jam the other day and have plans to make rhubarb rosemary jelly tomorrow. I’ve always wondered about selling these homemade jams in the future when the farm is a little more established. Since we are zoned agricultural we can legally sell from a home farm stand as long as we grew what we sell. But what about pickles, jams, chutneys, etc?

Some states are introducing “Pickle Bills” that relax the standards for small farmers producing home cooked goods. I read about it here. Does anyone know if Massachusetts has a pickle bill? If not, let’s get one goin!

ps: I love all these old canning propaganda posters. I wish I could blow them up and hang them in my kitchen.

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