A friend traded me, pound for pound, kiwi fruit for sweet potatoes! He’s a bit higher in elevation, so escapes many late frosts; so, he can grow the larger kiwi types, whereas I cannot … yet.
20 pounds of kiwis! Last year, a lot of kiwi fruit were dried and came out tasting like sweet-tart candy. Some of these are destined for the same processing, for long-term storage.
One of the great things about rural living is that, when one gets to know neighbors and makes friends, trades and giveaways happen a lot. Fresh produce/ eggs, low carbon footprint, no money or sales tax, repurposed packaging, what’s not to like!
I really need to plant these collard, chard and lettuce seedlings out of the greenhouse and in to my Earthboxes, but I’m afraid something (slugs, earwigs, ???), will get to them before I do.
Is anyone else gardening outdoors right now? Do you transition your seedlings?
After peeling, the kiwi fruit are sliced 1/4 inch (3–4 mm) thick and placed on a plastic mesh, made for dehydrators. This keeps them from sticking to the metal trays/shelves. A pinch of sugar gets sprinkled on the slices using a tiny spoon before they go into the dehydrator. Set at 100°F (38°C), it takes around 48 hours until they’re dried, leathery. For long-term storage, the fried slices are vacuum-sealed in mason jars, which have oxygen absorbers added before sealing. They’ll keep for many years, in a cool, dark spot.
Cook’s Country (I think) has an orange topped one layer cake recipe.
Can you borrow a juicer from somebody or your library? All that juice would be very versatile, if not delish on its own.
My final gardening task of 2024 (or is it the first of 2025): Advance-ordered a couple of new grape plants from One Green World. Our concorde has never produced much since we moved here - not enough heat. We tore it out last fall, and will replace with some Himrod seedless table grapes, which we have grown successfully here. These new plants will be growing in our walk-in berry cage - safe from racoons!
I loved my rosemary hedges and my alstroemeria hedges I had in Oakland way back when. I’m gad your bees are active now, they sure were all over my rosemary then.
