Vegetable Gardening

[badger]

you guys are making me so jealous!! bountiful crops and root cellars! the apple sauce sounds and looks so yummy!

[GLC1968]

Mudmucker - I love the root cellar! I totally wanted to do something very similiar in one corner of our basement. Our problem is that it's rarely cold enough outside to make it work. Winter lows are typically only around 45F (sometimes it'll drop below freezing if we have a clear night).

I use our basement as it is (unfinished and unheated) and now that we've insulated all the heating ducts, the temps do remain very constant year round. It's only about 60F though - not quite cold enough for most produce. It is perfect wine temp though!

[spokewench]

I love the root cellar! Wish I had a basement!

[badger]

does anyone know what this is? quick search online didn't yield anything worthwhile. I noticed this on a few carrots. It looks like warts, and they just look so nasty!

[mudmucker]

Well, I know this is a vegetable gardening thread ....is mead a vegetable? Chuckle But I am at least using local produce.

Here are some pictures of my latest batch of mead, 2 yrs old, vintage 2008. I took a wine thief to it this morning and wow, this is a nice batch. I stole a glass this evening because I was that excited about it. And whoo boy, alchohol content is nice . I threw a vanilla bean pod in the carboy and a couple of cloves for some subtle undertones. I'll bottle this soon. There is a local apiary in the next town over and I make all my mead with his honey. It might be high time to get some hives in my own yard. I'm going to try some cyser next as I haven't done one yet. Again, I'll use local apples/cider. There is a farm/orchard a mile from my house where I pick all my peaches and apples.

Root cellar continues. I made doors for it last weekend. I'll post more pictures when I have a little more done.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Very cool, Mudmucker.

Badger- I tried googling the carrot warts but no luck either. Gross!

[OakLeaf]

Badger - looks like nematode damage. I wouldn't worry about it if it isn't extensive. There are biological controls if your plot is really infested.

Mudmucker, how cool is that! Yummy!

I pulled in the last of my lima beans tonight. I covered the pepper plants just because it was less work to do that than to bring the row covers in but I doubt I'll get much more out of them this year.