The temperatures have taken a drastic dip this week here in my Ohio garden. We are in growing zone 6A and had lows in the 20’s and highs only reaching mid 40’s. I covered my crops that I am trying to make last with frost covers but I will be pulling out the heavy-duty plastic covering very soon with the temps staying this low. This week I also finished putting up some of the last crops we brought in as well as making some new recipes in the kitchen!
November 3, 2023
In The Garden
This week was our first freeze of the year, and it doesn’t look like temperatures will be getting above the mid 50’s in the coming weeks. I did get everything harvested and my garlic planted before the cold set in. We still have a few crops left that I am hoping can weather out these temperatures for a little longer.
I have some collard greens, kale, winter choy, and a cold hardy romaine type lettuce that I have covered and I’m hoping will last through the end of the year if not longer. I will keep you posted on that experiment. So far things are doing ok but with the time change coming this weekend and the colder weather it’s all a chance.
I also have some carrots that I believe will be ok out there. I have overwinter carrots before, so I feel pretty good about doing it again this year. Although this year they are in a different location and that may play a part on how well they do. The last time I had them closer to our house which does help block the wind and I believe the soil stays a little warmer. This year they are out in the corner garden along with all the other greens. We shall see.
Row Covers
I have everything covered with insect netting along with a heavy weighted frost covering. I will need to replace this with the plastic covering I purchased from Johnny’s Seed to protect them better from the elements. I have never used this plastic covering before and I am excited to see how well things hold up with this new row cover. It is clear to let in the sun and very heavy duty to stand up to some heavy snow and wind. Fingers crossed.
In The Kitchen
With the increase cost in groceries we have been trying to shop less and produce more of our own food. We have done even better this year and I am so proud of all we have accomplished. I have been setting two goals each year for us to achieve and this is done in January. Last year it was to become better at making our own bread and finding a better way to get our dairy. My bread making skills have definitely improved and I couldn’t be happier with this accomplishment. The dairy situation not so much. If you all have any suggestions please leave a comment. This goal will move on to 2024.
All that to say one of the products we have seen a huge price increase in is coffee creamer. I am a sucker for a good creamy cup of coffee in the morning and love my flavored creamers. But wow it is almost $5.00 for one bottle of creamer here in Ohio.
Coconut Coffee Creamer
I love the coconut creamer from Coffee Mate but I’m having a hard time spending that much for creamer. To cut cost we have been making our own coffee syrups. My daughter was a barista at a coffee shop for years and was tasked with making all of their own homemade sauces and syrups, so a saucier. She learned a lot working there and has continued using this to make beautiful syrups. She puts her own spin on things like Miso Carmel sauce, and Apple Jack Syrups and now we have tried coconut, for mom of course.
Our syrups are made with organic ingredients when possible and this was no exception with this coconut. I purchased a 5lb bad of organic coconut from Azure Standard along with their organic cane sugar. This made a lovely coconut syrup but left me with so much coconut shreds after straining it. So, we used the coconut to make a beautiful coconut truffle. This was a total experiment but wow they were amazing and delicious. Two products out of this. The coconut was very saturated in the syrup, and this was the binder for the truffle. I then added an almond to each truffle and pressed them into balls. After baking and when they had cooled, I dipped the bottom of each into a dark chocolate and oh my this is amazing if you like coconut. A great way not to waste the leftover coconut.
Fermented Celery
My celery harvest was nothing short of amazing this year. I will not need celery for a couple seasons. I have used lots in meals lately and we have eaten it fresh. Freezing the celery has always been my preferred method of preservation until last year. This was the first time I tried fermenting celery and I have to say I may prefer this over freezing now.
When you ferment foods, it stays crisp and crunchy. This is what is appealing to me with celery. Freezing celery caused it to be soft and limp when thawed. Of course, we usually use frozen celery in dishes we are cooking with and that really doesn’t matter much. Using this celery ferment allows us to keep that crispness and makes adding this to a salad a great option.
I make a three-bean salad that I add this to in place of buying fresh celery from the store. It is salty but I just omit the added salt that I would normally add to the salad, and it works out great. I found this ferment recipe in the book I purchased last year called Fermented Vegetables by Kristen Shockey & Christopher Shockey. A great resource for all things fermented.
I also use this ferment in those savory dishes that call for thyme, sage, and rosemary. I made a yummy chicken wild rice soup using my last jar from 2022. So good on a cold day with homemade bread!
Wrap Up
The gardening season is coming to an end, and it is time to use some of these beautiful jars of goodness we have worked so hard to preserve up this season. I hope you all have a well-stocked pantry and share some of your recipes, we could all use some help using these food items and adding a little spice to our menus. Happy Cooking!
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