Just a hint for you….the birds that are pooping on your cages was a problem for us too until I got some plastic zip ties and put them on the top facing upwards. Birds don’t want to land on them. When caging I use about 8-10 zip ties on each side so that the birds just don’t want to go near them. Hope that helps you. Cheers Theresa - Australia
I really appreciate your dialogue about food. So many homesteaders are all or nothing. And for the ones who can (or choose to) do 100% all-natural, that's awesome and admirable. But your approach seems a lot more balanced, realistic, and emotionally healthy. Thank you for not being afraid to say that you buy snacks at the store for your kids or eat out from time to time. I truly believe that the best thing any of us can do is make the most good choices we can, and not feel bad about the times we can't. Balance is vital, and every good choice makes an impact. Progress, not perfection.
I found myself crying while watching this video. My mother used to can from our garden and I didn’t really understand what a blessing that was to our family. She’s gone now, passed away last November. Unfortunately she never got to taste the peaches from the tree she helped me plant. I’m growing as a gardener while going to nursing school and I hope my mom is proud of me. I know she is…she put it in writing before she left us. ❤ I miss her, and this video makes me want to can some home grown bread and butter pickles…her favorite. Thanks so much for inspiring us to eat well and live well.
Aww❤️🩹 I’m so sorry for your loss! I’m sure she would be incredibly proud of you! Prayers and blessings to you as you navigate life without your dear mom. Keep up the good work! ❤️
Hi! As a mom I have no doubt your mom is very proud of you and and happy for your awakening in life, and don’t stop school until you finished. I helped my daughter with the kids, while she went to school and after, was the best happened to her.
If you were to add a washed grape leaf in your pickle jar it will help them stay crispier! The tannin in the grape leaf is what helps the cukes stay crisp. Great harvest!
We save the pickle juice leftover in the jars, into small popsicle things. Perfect treat for a hot sweaty day. Great source of electrolytes For adults and kids
I am from a country called algeria 🇩🇿 and I want to let you guys know I am watching your video from there, and your vids are my favorite part of the day ,so please keep making videos ,love you guys ❤
For one so young, you have an amazing amount of wisdom. I agree, focus on staying on the sunny side and not wallowing in negativity, dismay or worry. Let that stuff go.
Oh my goodness could you guys stop being so AWESOME!!! I just found your channel and have been binge watching and you guys seriously are just soooo much fun to watch! The amount of knowledge you both have is just mind boggling, thank you for all the information, my poor brain is struggling to retain it all but loving every minute of you both ❤ Love from me in Melbourne Australia 🇦🇺
I grew some zinnias this year. First flower I’ve grown and oh man, they are my favorite thing that I’ve grown. All of the colors are amazing and they’re such great cut flowers. I walk outside and just smile.
Hi. Wow !! Wir essen auch gerne eingelegte Gurken, aber sie wachsen bis jetzt nicht so gut in meinem Garten. .. vielleicht nächstes Jahr wieder .. 🤷🏼♀️ ... ich liebe sie eingelegt, nach schlesicher, also polnischer Art, mit Dill, Meerrettich, Senfsamen ( manche fügen noch Knoblauch hinzu oder andere Gewürze wie Chili) und heißem Wasser mit Salz vermischt und abgekühlt und dann erst aufgegossen, es fermentiert dann wie Sauerkraut, man braucht es nicht einzukochen. Ihr seid super !! Und euer Garten ist superwow !! Grüße aus Bayern 🌞🍀👋
Michelle, this wasn't just an educational video about canning. you speak such wise words. I always pray the words of the American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr: God give me the serenity to accept what can not be changed, the courage to change what can be changed, and the wisdom to know the difference. Lovely greetings from Munich. Thank you so much
Thank you so much for the encouraging words, Michelle. I'm in a bit of a down spot right now and that really was uplifting! Bless you both and your family.
I love your gardening videos. And your cooking shows, and the rest too. No extra hype or drama. What a whopping amount of garden goodies. I'm so glad your children help a lot. That has got to be more helpful every year as they learn more and get faster and more knowledgeable. Love to you all from Central Oklahoma
So many influencers have discount codes for Forjars. I did not know they were made in China. Good information to know when making the decision to purchase. I thought your comparison was super fair and honest. Thank you.
I put my cattle panels (4ft X 16ft) up the long way so you can walk underneath them down the path as you would inside a high tunnel. Plant your indeterminate tomatoes or pole beans etc along the back side of the trellis towards the sun and they will grow 12-15 feet or more up and over the trellis. My garden beds are 20 ft long so it takes 5 cattle panels to make one trellis. We use zip ties to secure the panels together in addition to the short metal poles we put in. This was not a cheap, but these are very sturdy and should last for years. Also good for long vining squashes, cucumbers, and in the spring peas:). My husband is 6’4 and he has plenty of head space to walk underneath the trellis and the path is about 3 feet wide, maybe a little more. Hope this helps. Happy growing!
An idea for you guys on your cattle panel trellises for tomatoes - if you weave your plants through each of the holes as they grow taller, they’ll be supported without falling over. You have to do with the newer growth and keep up with it, but I’ve found good success here! Also, when you put your cattle panels up, place them about knee height or higher, then your tomatoes will be >6’ high! They’ll start to topple over just slightly before they need the support, then they’ll be tall enough!
Thank you for your perspective Michelle ❤I agree I’m sure so many moms trying to do the same can relate to this. You guys are such a light in this world. ❤
Michelle, you are truly just brilliant, and im so glad i get the pleasure of watching your channel. Thank you, to all you's for your wisdom, your courage, your inspiration 💚
Bend your cattle panels into arches, attach to the tposts about 12-18 inches up. They grow up and over and you have access inside the tunnel as well as outside. OR use 2 panels and ziptie into a triangle instead of an arch. Cattle panels are such an awsome investment. Use them on top of your beds to keep critters (chickens) from digging. Still big enough holes to grow thru. Use them as a roof to trellis bigger plants. Easy to store after the season or repurpose for quick pens or emergency fencing, etc
I use two cattle fence for my tomatos. I put up right away, panels 5-6 inches apart. Works great this way. I also have the panels about 8 inches off the ground. Works good for weeding and if its an incredible year there is another 8 inches of support for the plants.
I bought some majestic lids from our local Amish store. I had failures with lids that I’ve never had with other brands before. I had 2 lids “pop” off in the pressure canner, and also while water bath canning. Scared me to death! Been canning for years and never had so many failures. I just did the “finger tip tight”. I’m taking them back to the store. 🤷♀️
I’m so thankful for people like you who do these videos. I want to get into canning but I have no one to do it beside me or show me. I’m a see it and do it kind of learner, so just using books is hard for me! Your videos mean so much to me!
If you're afraid to get started, just can water for your first time. That way, you won't be wasting any food if it goes wrong, and you'll have emergency water on hand. It's a great way to learn the process of canning.
Thank you for another great video. I love the fact that both of you are real and show the ups and downs of life. I love the fact that you don’t flip out over eating the foods that are available when you are away from home. Pray over it and have the faith that it will be fine. Your garden is beautiful this year. I just purchased a 3 burner camp chef stove to start canning on my back porch. Seems like I ruin one of my burners on my electric stove every summer with the pressure canner because it’s so heavy. I also got a roaster to cook my tomato product’s in. We will see how this goes I haven’t used it yet. ❤Have a wonderful week!
Wonderful video! Your garden is beautiful and loved all the family together, Happy you got away for a break and enjoyed some down time. Pickles look delicious!!! 👌💯Such a Lovely Family💜💛💙💚
You have to start the cucumber plants on the trellis. Once they get going they are better about climbing themselves. But when they first start you have to thread the vines through the holes in the trellis.
Thank you for the recipe!!! I’m going to try them. They’ll have to be fridge pickles bc I don’t have someone to help me can. But that’s okay! You’re gardens look so magical. Thanks for letting me live vicariously through y’all ❤
I started using them this year also. I love them so far. The deep thunk when they seal is so very satisfying. It's like what it sounded like back when I started canning decades ago.
I totally agree with the frustration about our current food situation availability! I have had to travel a lot recently and shopping at the stores is so unsatisfactory and unhealthy! Always glad to get home to my garden and chickens and feel good about my own home grown food! Keep up the good work!
If I ever have extra brine, even for something like pickled beets, I will process that into a jar as well, because they can be added to bbq sauces, or as marinades for meats, poured into coleslaws or potatao salads. There are so many ways to use up pickle brines. And I am dedicated this year to only using my ForJars lids, and so far 500+ jars in, I have a 100% seal rate, and price for me is super important, and I always can get a good deal from them. They have an amazing support team and are actively working with home canners to provide amazing products. They are looking into moving state side, but I don't let it deter me from purchasing from them. They are here for us.
Use the same arch you use for the lufa for tomatoes tie up to start then you can walk through an pick tomatoes on both sides Sometimes I plant climbing beans or small melons on them
Beautiful family!! I love your garden & your videos are great. Appreciate your knowledge. I grew up canning with my Mom, did some with my children, & I am now canning & baking with my Grandchildren. FYI:you can also use your pressure canner to water bath. Just set the lid on top, do not close.
Ever since we moved into this house 5 1/2 years ago, I couldn't get a good crop of cucumbers. Between cucumber beetles, lanternflies, and vine borers, it was a mess. This year, however, we are having an amazing year! My plants are going over the top of their 8' trellis! SE PA
I use just one cattle panel for my tomatoes but I use 8' or more t-posts and I raise the cattle panel up to the top. Plenty of space & height to tie the indeterminate plants as they grow. It's also easier to cut the leaves at the bottom of the tomato plant and get the hose in there and water them because the cattle panel is not in the way at ground level. I get tons of huge tomatoes, 3rd year in a row now.
I'm a long time lover of your channel. Great job on this video guys! I loved Michelle's voiceover about having hope and finding the balance between health and enjoying the summer with her kiddos. Totally relatable!
I love your honesty about all you guys do, you two are a amazing team and I love all you do and how you learn what works and what doesn’t and are willing to share with your viewers in an honest way. Please continue what you are doing I’m learning and enjoying your channel immensely!!!
Can you put the brine ingredients in a pinned comment please? The one in the description box is a link to a site that I can’t access from the UK without disclosing my email. Glad you had a lovely cabin-camping trip. Hope the Yukon Gold were just finished and not got any viruses.
We so enjoy the videos you all create. Even my small kiddos love watching you guys garden! I tried the pickle recipe with some of our cucumbers, and wow! They're so yummy! Thank you! New family favorite.
Maybe a tomato arch would work better for you? Plant on both ends of the arch? Think I saw someone do those from a cattle panel as well and create al "alleyway" of it.
I love your garden and your family, so sweet. I use use cattle panels for my tomatoes but i also use tomato cages, I zip tie the 2 together. helps with stability and support. Best of luck.
Feel exactly the same about the food while away on trips. We usually pack a bit of our own to bring, which helps us feel like we get a better balance if we can't get good food on vacation. Otherwise, we all feel sick after a day of junk food.
I've read (and experienced) that cucumbers actually need a lot of help to climb, they aren't super strong and you really have to train them constantly. And there are definitely bush type cucumbers too.
If you enjoy hummingbirds in your flower garden, look into hummingbird sage next year! We got it on accident a few years ago and have planted it every year since. It brings about many sweet hummingbirds which are so fun to watch!!
You guys are my favourites. Everything you do makes sense. It’s funny, I’m in Southeast Asia with my grandson for the whole summer this year, and I know it sounds crazy, but I miss my garden. I planted all the stuff that made sense to leave alone, and hired a guy to cut the grass and water when it gets too dry. We shall see how that goes. You have inspired me to do a lot more trellises. ❤ peace and love.
I quick pickle so many veggies this time of year. I've got a gallon container in my fridge with cauliflower, carrots, celery, onions and a few cucumber spears. I love sweet and sour cauliflower pickles.
We want to thank you for your efforts in posting these videos. My wife and I recently discovered your channel and we enjoy the content immensely. We are semi retired and have really been focused on health and habits. Your garden info helps a lot! Best regards from Kansas 😊
My cucumbers did fantastic this year too. Canned pickles,relish, ate a bunch of cucumber salad, supplied my neighbors with cucumbers and still have a frig. full.😊
Out of curiosity i thought I'd check what the postage would be to get the jars sent to me in Western Australia. $231 postage 😯 might have to find something more local
you are so blessed, my garden gave me nothing! Nothing to can this year or no canning last year. Farmers market is expensive this year, an bushel of tomatoes was $159.
I’ve been looking forward to seeing how your wildflower patch would do! I tried something similar this year but it didn’t work as well. I’m really inspired to try again next year! Your little patch is exactly what I’ve been envisioning! I think I’ll go back and watch that other video again to see what I can try differently. What a beautiful spot to enjoy!
"I feel like a proud mother!" That is exactly how it feels harvesting! This is the first year we have been successful with our cucumbers too (3rd year trying). I tried the silver slicer variety and they have done awesome trellising, so maybe something you want to try. I learned about them from another creator-Honey Trail Farm with Kim and her family. Also love how you mentioned what it might be like to experience a real food America- THAT WOULD BE AMAZING!!! Thanks for sharing!
The superb is thicker and people are saying they are having them fail when canning. Someone said you need to hand tighten those a bit more before canning
We are friends with the man who made them. He said that if you tighten them too tight, air can't be sucked out during the sealing process. Tightening them too little is also not a good thing. All of mine sealed!
Garden looks great! Your words were very truthful. Well said Ma'am. We do not have Ball lids here so I can't comment on those but I will say that I was sent a few Superb lids to try and although they were fine, I felt the ForJars lids were a thicker, better product. Granted, they are currently made in China, but they are in the process of opening a factory in the USA. The machine's for building the lids all come from the same country so they are just waiting on that...as I understand it. But for me, up here in Canada, what set's ForJars apart is that they have a distribution centre up here AND they took the initiative to develop the GEM lid when our Canadian company said no more. There are millions (and probably more) of GEM jars in people's homes and the Canadian companies essentially said buy new jars. When I emailed all the companies about GEM lids, ForJars was the only one to answer and they were the only one to fill the void by developing the GEM lid. Thus allowing all the folks up here to continue to can in their GEM jars. True story! Your pickles look good!
I’m not sure if it’s a good idea but I cut the tips of our asparagus ones they reached just over a meter tall. So far they are not flopping over like they did in past years. But are still getting quite bushy. So far I think it’s a good thing. We’ll see how it will work out in the end. Your flowers are beautiful and your whole garden too😍
That double cattle panel setup for your tomatoes actually looks pretty brilliant! Looking forward to seeing what you think of it at the end of harvest. Keep us posted!
My cucumbers were over achievers this year! I have harvested 100+ cuks and it’s just my husband and I at home now . I have given cuks to our son and his family. I have 8 pints of sweet spicy pickles 8 pints of dill 6 pints of sweet freezer relish and 6 pints of dill freezer relish! I pulled my plants and I’m going to replace them with a cold crop
Fun to see your garden! We grow lots of cucumbers in our high tunnel. They don’t naturally trellis like pole beans but we train them up a string with clips and it works well! They just need a little help.
I noticed that you are not covering your jars in the canner a full inch above the lids. I’m not familiar with that one brand of lid but I know all the directions say to completely cover them at least one inch. Just something I noticed. I love your channel very much. ❤😊
I learned just having water 3/4 way up the jar. Always worked fine. I learned from a Mennonite friend who was a fabulous cook. Her pickles were delicious. 3 cups water, 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 2 T salt and 1 of sugar, 1 or 2 garlic cloves, a good sized bunch of leafy dill, more leaves than seeds, a grape leaf, or, horseradish or mulberry leaf for crispness.
On the cattle panels they are just set up wrong. You plant the tomatoes directly under the panel in 1 long row so you can walk on both side. When they start growing you direct the major limbs thru the panel. It really does work well.
Hey, I'm a newer viewer and really loving your channel :). On the tomato trellising, my favorite way since trying it last yr. ( so, on my 2nd season of doing it) is Josh Sattin's "trellis to make you jealous" ( btw he is by no means an obnoxious guy, it's just what he named it). It's the same basic system growers use in high tunnels but without needing to use clips or anything to secure the tomatoes to the twine, or the twine to anything, either, and It's about the easiest, fastest way to trellis them that I've tried. I think this is also what Josh shows, but I bury the bottom end of the twine under my plant when planting it. If too late for that,tying it to a stake works too. The top is tied to the overhead pole whether it's conduit as Josh used or whatever one can make work. If u leave extra length & use a slip-knot, you can "lower and lean" late in season for access & just... room for plant to keep growing, if u want. Meanwhile, you just - once or twice a week- wrap the top of the main leader around the twine as it grows. I have a lil cattle-panel hoophouse also built last yr and I tie off just off to the side of top center inside, and grow my french type cantaloupes successfully in there using this method to help keep the path open among other things, too. Ditto with a row of ( mostly cherry) tomatoes on one side in there. So, in or out, with whatever u tie to overhead, I love this method ! Esp. for ease of removal at the end !!!!! SOOOO much better than trying to de-vine a cattle panel or even a tomato cage ! If u use non-plastic twine ( esp. from hay bales, so, already reused once..) u can compost it.
Definitely needed all the advice! Especially us moms need this as we want to feed the best to our family but until our world changes, learning that stressing about the food can be just as harmful as eating the bad food itself. Absolutely loved this video!! (I wish our cucumbers did as well - we got hit hard by powdery mildew here in Michigan and my cucs did not make it)
Training the tomatoes to a single stem and clipping them to the cattle panel or tying them really helps with that system, otherwise I'm afraid harvesting will be a pain with two together like that.
What a world where it’s not all preserved and artificial. It would be amazing to not worry but that’s why we all put up all we can so you don’t have to worry about it. That cucumber harvest is amazing mine are just starting to produce so I’ll be canning pickles before long
I use nothing but ForJars lids now and for 4 years, I've not had one failed seal. I've heard they are in the process of getting their production moved to the USA. I hope that's true because I really like their lids.
