Tag Archives: gardening

Our favorite articles about gardening in zone 8b Northeast Texas, raised-beds, composting and more posted on TexasHomesteader.com

Unlocking The Secret To Long-Term Potato Storage

by Texas Homesteader ~

Several weeks back a friend & I were talking about gardening. Her family had a huge garden when she was growing up and they relied on it to keep them all fed.

She was quizzing me on the different things I like to plant in my garden and I rattled off all the faves: Tomatoes, garlic, onion, bell peppers, jalapenos, cantaloupe, squash, green beans, etc.

She asked if I ever planted potatoes and I told her that in the past I’d planted them, but I could never successfully store them long term whether garden potatoes or store-bought. I know that freshly-harvested potatoes have to be cured but even when properly curing them, they would sprout within a short time.

She was surprised that I had any trouble keeping them long term and told me that they just used to store their potatoes on the ground in the barn and they lasted all season. I was intrigued…

Storing Potatoes Long-Term: I've heard that you can store potatoes for months on end if you do it right. I need some potato-storage advice! #TexasHomesteader

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Top Ten Homesteading Posts of 2014

by Tammy Taylor

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I can’t believe another year has come & gone.  This year has certainly been good for RancherMan and me as we got back to business of running our ranch after my health fiasco of last year – we are so blessed!  But now as the year draws to a close I thought if would be fun to share with you, my beloved readers, the top ten most popular posts of 2014.  Grab a cup of coffee, settle in and join me!

I thought it would be fun to share with you the top ten most popular posts for 2014. Grab a cup of coffee and join me! #TexasHomesteader

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Dehydrated Salsa In A Jar Using Dry Vegetables & Salsa Mix. Great Gift Idea!

by Texas Homesteader ~ 

I was dehydrating lots of vegetables from my garden. Each one was placed in a repurposed glass jar in my pantry. Then I decided to assemble various dry veggies, add some seasoning and make dehydrated salsa in a jar as a gift. The gift recipients LOVED IT!

I mixed up a batch of dehydrated salsa using dehydrated veggies from my garden & my own dry salsa mix. Just pour in hot water & stir! #TexasHomesteader

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MYO Pumpkin Puree Using A Solar Oven

by Texas Homesteader
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This year I planted heirloom sugar pumpkins in my garden. And when it was time to harvest them I knew I’d first be able to enjoy them for a bit as decoration. I love the way those little pumpkins looked propped on our antique cast-iron Franklin stove.

But several days later I was in the kitchen enjoying the last of my favorite pumpkin granola.  I knew that  since I planted those delicious pumpkins for use in my granola it was time to cook those babies down into pumpkin puree.

Pumpkin Puree, goodness from the garden! I have a secret weapon for keeping that cooking heat outside, even while cooking! My SOLAR OVEN! #TexasHomesteader

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Preserving The Harvest: Dehydrating Plums

by Texas Homesteader

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I recently acquired two different varieties of ripe plums that totaled about 30 lbs. Now I love fruit, and plums are some of my faves – so sweet, so juicy! But I’m going to have to preserve some of these plums if I’m going to keep them from going bad before they’re all consumed.

I love plum jelly but I’ve made so much jelly lately including apple butter, blueberry jam and even honeysuckle jelly that I don’t need any more in my stockpile. Even though I like to stock my pantry with jellies to sweeten my homemade yogurt, with only two of us at home these days I don’t want to make more than we can use. What else can I do with these delicious plums?

Hummm…  I like to sweeten my homemade pumpkin granola with dried fruit and I recently used the last of my dehydrated jujube fruit. So maybe I can dehydrate these plums into raisin-sized chunks to naturally sweeten my granola?

By making my own dehydrated fruit instead of purchasing it, I've not only saved money but added no packaging to the landfill. Win/Win! #TexasHomesteader

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Preserving The Harvest: Canning Asparagus

by Texas Homesteader ~ 

I grow asparagus in my garden each spring. But even if you’re buying it, asparagus is both fresher and less expensive when it’s in season. Wouldn’t you love to enjoy fresh asparagus throughout the year? Me too!

So I decided to preserve my fresh asparagus by canning it!

Canning Asparagus. I found a great deal on asparagus. I'd love to enjoy fresh asparagus throughout the year so I decided to can it! #TexasHomesteader

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