Our Yugoslavian Red lettuce and other misc baby greens are finally ready to eat after spending a little over a month in the closet...under the grow light that is. Actually, I alternated the grow light with the natural light from a sunny window. I am still patiently waiting to see if the cucumbers and tomatoes will actually produce fruit. I have been reading up on force blooming and pollination so hopefully something comes of it. Below are the cucumbers which are called Cucino hybrids I purchased from Park Seed. They are supposed to be great for growing in the greenhouse so I am going to give that a try when we fire up the heat in early March. I also started a couple heirloom tomatoes and a couple cherry tomato varieties. Pictured below the cukes are the heirlooms. They may need a stronger grow light to actually get stocky...I have been pinching them back to try to ensure this but so far they still look a bit "leggy" to me....oh well ...this is just an experiment. I will just have to buy more lights if necessary.
Last week I started some Basil Red Reuben, Boxwood Basil, English Thyme, oregano, Supersweet Tomatoes, spinach and more lettuce varieties. At least I know the spinach and lettuce will do well.
Every year I have a large herb garden but this year I am thinking on expanding it as I am really getting into cooking with them. Like fresh veggies, the fresh herbs are so much better than you buy from the grocery store...and minus the chemicals!
I have been reading up on various studies that report just how many chemicals are used on your average supermarket vegetables..Sure you wash them but really how much of those chemicals are absorbed into the plant ? It is scary to think about. No thanks....no chemicals for me. I will continue to harvest my own even if it means going back into the closet to do it. lol!
I'm amazed at all the cool stuff you guys do. To answer your question on my blog, my smoker can run from $250 for smaller versions all the way up to $2000 for the big guys. They have all kinds of options like digital thermometers and smoke boxes, so you would have to email them. Ace Hardware is a Traeger dealer if you have one near you. I like the pellets for convenience but it has to be cool using wood chips. Anyways, I read your blog often and thanks for the tips, I'm going to use them this weekend.
ReplyDeleteThanks Bob....I see that the bbque gene runs in the family...but whoa $2000??? Do they have a financing plan lol!
ReplyDeleteThose looked like cool grills. Yeah the $2000 Traegers are on a trailer so you can tow them. They look big enough to do a whole hog! So there are cheaper options. I guess you have to figure out what you're using them for to get the most bang for your buck. The pros always use straight wood fueled units with a seperate smoke box (like yours) so that they can control the heat better. But a grill with a chimney (like the Weber Performer) would achieve the same results and be versatile in case you just wanted to grill. Mike's a welder, I wonder if he could weld you up a custom smoker?! Anyways, email me at thesmokerpit@gmail.com so I have your email address and we'll keep in touch.
ReplyDelete