Happy Halloween!!! 🎃
We're dropping some Tallow Barrier Balm and other skincare goodies goodies at @bocochiro @bryantorchardsfarmmarket this afternoon!
It's a beautiful, warm day and we're blessed to be creating all natural goodness for you and your family!
.
.
.
.
.
#grassfedtallowskincare #roanokeva #tallowbarrierbalm #tallowdiapercream #tallowlipbalm #whippedtallowbalm #calendulasalve #tallowskincare
Testing out some new recipes and these Sourdough chocolate chip muffins were a hit with the biggest critic🤣.
They're sweet, but not overly sweet. So moist and made with organic flour and avocado or coconut oil instead of vegetable oil. They freeze beautifully too! 4/$10.
Sourdough has taken a backseat to the garden in recent months, but since we roll with the seasons on our little homestead, I'm amping up my sourdough baked goods this fall and winter (along with our skincare products of course).
You can order through DMs here or email for porch pickup in Roanoke, and on our website we have a sourdough section with other goodies and pricing ❤️
www.sproutinglifegarden.com
[email protected]
.
.
.
.
.
.
#roanokeva #sourdough #sourdoughmuffins #homemade #eatrealfood
Garlic planting time! 🧄You still have some time to get it in the ground!
A few things I didn't go over in the video....
With any garlic, when you separate the cloves and pick out the biggest ones to plant, leave the papery skin on.
You can use garlic from the grocery store! Usually it's a softneck variety, which doesn't produce garlic scapes in the Spring that can be cut and cooked, but it will still grow!
It is ready to harvest when the bottom three leaves are dry. It's important to cut the scape off of hardneck varieties in the Spring so the plant can focus its energy on growing a big bulb.
Once it's harvested, it needs to cure in a dry place for a couple of weeks for longer storage. The softneck variety you can braid and it looks beautiful!
Any other garlic questions?
.
.
.
.
.
.
#roanokeva #growfoodnotlawns
#garlicplanting
#zone7b
BIG news for these technology deficient business owners🤣 We have a website where you can order straight from us and to celebrate, we're having a 20% off sale for the next week! Please check it out and if you've been on the fence about ordering, now is the time to do it!
You can also order organic sourdough for local pickup or delivery. Thank you for all the support. We're growing and it's because of awesome local businesses believing in us and YOU!
www.sproutinglifegarden.com
.
.
.
.
#roanokeva #sproutinglifegarden #grassfedtallow #tallowskincare #tallowdiapercream #tallowlipbalm #supportsmallbusiness
Once you get one loofah you'll have enough seeds for years to come. After we shake out most of the seeds, we peel it and it's done! I usually cut them into two or three pieces to store.
.
.
.
.
#loofah #luffa #growyourown #sproutinglifegarden #teachthechildren
We're having Sunday veggie garden dinner tonight!
Potatoes, okra, tomatoes, cucumbers, cayenne peppers and corn all from the garden. Crowder peas (the only thing we bought) and our canned chow chow on the menu too.
If you have too much okra on your hands, this is one way to preserve it. We love to bake okra too, but when we're feeling really Southern we fry it up 😂. My okra didn't do so well this year, but luckily we have extra frozen to supplement.
The vacuum sealer isn't necessary, you can just use freezer bags, but it definitely helps it keep fresher longer. Also, when you take the okra out of the freezer, don't forget to bread it again before you fry.
I've got a similar tip for greens, which I'll try to film soon!
Happy preserving 🥫
.
.
.
.
.
#okratips #freezingokra #dontpanicitsorganic #roanokeva #sproutinglifegarden
Just pressed juice😍
I'm glad our son insists on juicing because I don't always take the time nowadays. This is Atlas' blend last night. He loves picking out all the ingredients and pushing it through the juicer......it was beautiful and delicious.
Beets and carrots from the garden
Apples
Lemon
Blueberry
Here is a basic recipe for refrigerator pickles, taken from self proclaimed foodie....you can always half or 1/3 the recipe for smaller batches. Feel free to add other pickling spices or some red pepper flakes to heat it up a notch!
1. Wash your cucumbers and slice them into spears or circles. Pickling cucumbers are best, but smaller regular cucumbers will do just fine. Stack cucumbers, smashed garlic cloves, and peppercorns in mason jars.
2. Get your brine on the stove. Heat to boiling and pour over pickles, garlic and peppercorns. Make sure to cover cucumbers.
3. Let cool, cover and refrigerate. Let sit for one week then enjoy!
10-12 pickling cucumbers
4 cups water
2 cups white vinegar
2 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
big bunch of dill thick stems removed
1 head of garlic skins removed, cloves smashed
peppercorn kernels (about 10 peppercorns per jar, give or take)
We're excited to try fermented pickles next for some good probiotics! We'll keep you posted on how it works out.
.
.
.
.
.
#refrigeratorpickles #cucumbers #roanokeva #dontpanicitsorganic #growyourown
Green beans are going crazy right now! Be sure to pick them often. Peas, flowers, etc are the same way. You end up getting more if you consistently pick!
Also, it's not too late to put some green bean seeds in the ground ( I use bush varieties). They don't require a lot of space, grow quickly and easily and are so delicious fresh.
.
.
.
#gardentip #growfoodnotlawns #roanokegardeners #roanokeva #greenbeans #growyourown
Aerated worm casting tea? Sounds complicated, but really isn't once you get started.
@mountaingateorganics is the best quality I can find since I don't have worms anymore, and it's great stuff! You can also just spread this around your plants and water well if you don't want to go through the trouble of making tea, but the way I do it is super concentrated and gets to the plants quickly.
We also make our own compost, and I spread a fresh layer in between plantings or in the middle of the grow season to give the plants a little boost.
.
.
.
.
#wormcastings #aeratedwormtea #growyourown #organicfertilizer #mountaingateorganics #molasses #tealab #roanokeva #roanokegardeners #urbangarden
I let all the bugs be until they start destroying my crops. Then it's on.
Start with healthy plants, and then squish the eggs before they become bugs and it's easier to keep your plants happy.
.
.
.
.
#gardentip #sproutinglifegarden #squashbugs
#growyourown #growfoodnotlawns #urbangarden #squash
I'm no farmer. I just do a backyard home garden and try to supply as much food as I can to preserve for my family in a small space. I'm self taught with books, accounts on here, lots of trial and error, and I still have A LOT to learn ( and a lot of weeds to pull). But I know how to get the most out of one plant and alllll about squash anatomy 😂
.
.
.
.
.
#squash #roanokeva #sproutinglifegarden #pollinate #gardentip #dontpanicitsorganic #growyourown #growfoodnotlawns #urbangarden
More cucumber talk!
Suckers are located right at a male or female flower. Make sure you aren't clipping the main stem off when you prune!
It's okay to leave suckers, but if you do things get crowded quickly and lead to less airflow, which in turn can cause diseases, and the plant uses a lot of energy growing leaves instead of cucumbers.
I also prune any diseased looking leaves, and any leaves that are touching the ground to promote airflow. Again, not everyone does this. You can just let your cucumber go wild, but in my experience you get more cucumbers and the plant stays healthier longer if you prune some.
.
.
.
.
#cucumbers #growyourown #growfoodnotlawns #roanokeva #sproutinglifegarden #roanokegardeners
