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November 14, 2020November 14, 2020

Tokiwa Tokyo Green: How to Raise Abundant, Heirloom Cucumbers

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Tokiwa Tokyo Green Cucumbers were one of the 10 seed packets I picked as a gift from Baker Creek Seeds in the Fall of 2019. I really wanted a different cucumber variety, but this one was the only available. I felt disappointed at the time.

Based on the information on the package Tokyo Green Cucumbers grow in partial shade and…. I decided to plant in what I called the Niederrheiner Garden (because it is near the Lemon Cuckoo Niederrheiner outdoor pen). As a side note, the Niederrheiner pen sat exactly where the garden currently is.

I use my flock to kill off the sod as preparation for garden space. You can read how I use Chickens on the Homestead by clicking below.

Planting Tokiwa Tokyo Green Seeds

I planted every seed I had of the Tokiwa Tokyo Green Cucumbers in a 10 foot row about 4 inches apart. If it was a lack of water or other reason, only 4 or 5 ever sprouted.

I left for a week and came home to find weeds had choked out all but 2 of my seedlings, one growing on each end of my 10 foot row.

Trust

My desire to be positive produced my honest thought, maybe God know something I did not. To be clear, I do not always think this way. But in this instance, this was on my mind with peace in my heart. ‘Trust me’, seemed to be the answer to my disappointment with the lack of sprouting and development.

As a bigger picture the Quinoa did not sprout at all. In this instance I needed to learn my mistake of not planting it early enough. I had no such indication I needed to trust God’s sovereignty about the Quinoa.

Are you familiar with the passage in Matthew 13? Sowing seeds reminds me how Jesus shares the parable of the sower and the various reasons seeds may not produce a harvest. Beyond the garden these truths hold a lesson for how we invest into the lives of others.
~ Maria Graber

Setting up the Trellis

I drove T posts on each end of my row. Repurposing twine from opened hay bales I strung a single string from one post to the other. Tokiwa Tokyo Green Cucumbers vine well.

I planted them close to the Lincoln Peas intending to vine both. The plants will grow and the unwanted vegetation will be choked out by the vegetables. But when the plants are young, those weeds need to be removed.

Weeds

Before leaving I left one string for the cucumbers to vine on. Check out the changes I found when I returned. I quickly added a second twine for the plants to continue vining upward.

These cucumbers really do great in the vining category. Several times a week I would remove them from the Lincoln pea trellis and put them back in their own space. Toward the end of the summer I let them go where they pleased.

Plant Development

The young plants grew rapidly and I found myself adding addition levels of twine 2 or 3 times in the next 5 to 6 weeks.

Flowers

Flowers appeared and my anticipation grew. I did not know what to expect in terms of shape, size and flavor.

Tokiwa Tokyo Green Cucumbers

Finally, I spotted tiny cucumbers growing on the vines. I noted some flowers did not produce cucumbers. . Both male and female flowers grow on one vine. One plant will pollinate itself.

I watched as the cucumbers grew, undecided when I should pick them. I learned they can be eaten at various sizes. The larger the cucumber the larger the seeds inside. (Sometimes) The weather impacted the seed development inside too.

There is a correlation between the bumpy or smoothness of the outer skin and the ripeness of the cucumber.

The bumpy exterior indicates a crisper cucumber with less developed seeds. The smoother skin and often larger cucumber indicates a softer, riper cucumber with larger, (and more developed) seeds.

Uses for Tokiwa Tokyo Green Cucumbers

Dill Pickles
Bread and Butter Pickles
Sweet Relish
Dill Relish
Cucumber Salad

How to Can Dill Pickles

How to Process Bread and Butter Pickles

The Process of Saving Tokiwa Seeds

There are a few different ways to go about saving seeds. I saved seeds 3 different ways from the Tokyo Green Cucumbers this year.

Saving Seeds in Mid-Summer

As I was processing cucumbers into pickles I took a few minuets to save seeds from one of the riper cucumbers. I did not want to miss an opportunity to save seeds in case circumstances prevented any further saving.

I kept back seeds from a riper cucumber and allowed them to dry on a paper plate. Here is what I had this fall.

The Last Cucumber of the Season

I left the last developed Tokiwa Tokyo Green cucumber on the vine well after the fall freeze killed the plant. I removed the seeds before the cucumber had completely dried.

Cutting into the cucumber with a knife, I picked the seeds out.

Saving Seeds from an Over Ripe Cucumber

I choose one of the larger cucumbers in August and allowed it to develop especially large. It was one I missed as I picked about 3 times a week. I wanted this cucumber to select seeds from for next years crop.

I allowed to it to sit and age for 3 months outside on a metal rack exposed to the elements. The ‘rack’ was the top of a wire dog kennel. The cucumber dried up as pictured below.

The cucumber had completely dried. I spent around 30 minutes extracting the seeds for future use. I became apparent despite the fact I had allowed the cucumber to grow large, some of the seeds had not developed enough to be used for planting.

Difference Between a Developed Seed and an Undeveloped Seed

A seed with the potential to sprout and grow a new plant is full, rounded on both sides.

An undeveloped seed will be flat, even pitted in the center and feels empty.

I found the largest number of developed seeds in the rear or larger half of the cucumber.

The front or skinnier portion of the cucumber contained many undeveloped seeds as pictured below.

Storing Tokiwa Tokyo Green Heirloom Seeds

I will store any seeds I have saved in a paper envelope labeled with the name of the seeds and year I saved them. Heirloom seeds often germinate and produce plants beyond the year after they were saved.

Seeds need some air and darkness. I have been advised to not store them in an air tight container such as glass or plastic. However, I am learning on this topic. Do you have any advice for me? Please leave a comment below if you do.

I intend to use these seeds and the produce of these seeds for years to come.

The Abundant Part

I was impressed by how the 2 plants continued to grow and produce up until a killing frost.

I canned 12 cups of relish, and around 32 pints of Dill pickles, and 34 pints of Bread and Butter Pickles from 2 plants. Not to mention all I fed the chickens and shared with friends and family. All. From. Two. Plants.

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August 19, 2020August 19, 2020

How to Can Dill Pickles

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The two Tokyo Green Cucumber plants produced over 20 cucumbers in 3 days. I decided to can dill pickles. Knowing the increase in harvest would happen soon last week I had looked up various recipes and methods. I chatted with friends to hear their process.

This is my first year raising Tokyo Green cucumbers. They were gifted to me from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. Read about all the other new garden plants I am raising here at CG Heartbeats Farm by clicking below.

Plant Trials on a Homestead

Memory Lane

I recalled my grandma’s crocks of marinating cucumbers beside the stairs to the clean basement. Oh, I almost smell the scents that rose up where my grandfather created anything from furniture to trinkets out of wood.

I learned folks used to soak cucumbers in lime or allum to crisp up the future pickles. I decided I would omit this part based on my desire to keep my process as healthy as possible. It seems many do not use this method now.

Before I started, I reached out to my aunts to find out if they had a recipe for my grandma’s bread and butter pickles. I was rewarded with a photo of my grandma’s hand written recipe card for bread and butter pickles. I want to try my hand at those next week.

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Ingredients for Dill Pickles

Water
Vinegar
Salt for pickling
Dill Seed
Garlic
Onion

Tools

Glass Canning Jars
Canning Rings
Water Bath Canner
Jar Lifter
Stock Pot
Table or counter top
Stove

Preparation for Dill Pickles

Saturday, I purchased dill seed, and onions recently, and had a stash of wide mouth lids I have been intentionally accumulating. Also on Saturday, I harvested 10 cucumbers and stored them in the refrigerator. The day I canned, I harvested 14 additional cucumbers. I used around 20 cucumbers to make 14 pints of dill pickles.

I washed 7 pint jars to begin and placed them in a stock pot on the stove to warm them. You may desire to sterilize them in this manner, but I did not heat the jars hot enough for this.

Rather my goal was to reduce the amount of time they needed to reach the boiling point in the water bath to promote crisper pickles.

While the jars heated in the water filled stock pot, I cleaned and prepped 2 bulbs of garlic raised here on CG heartbeats Farm

Spanish Rojo Garlic smaller in size has an earthy flavor.

Metechi produces slightly more oil when pressed.

Montana Garlic has a mild flavor and 6 cloves per bulb.

Majestic

Click on the garlic of your choice to pre-order your selection.

Music Garlic is mild similar to Montana in flavor.

Elephant is known for its mild flavor as it is actually from the leek family.

German Garlic provides a strong flavor for stews and other cooking projects.

Limited availability of all varieties

My Process to Can Dill Pickles

First, I placed 1 tablespoon of dill seed in each jar.

Second, I chopped 2 cloves of garlic into each pint jar and added around a tablespoon of salt.

Third, I sliced Tokyo Green cucumbers into spear shapes filling the seven jars.

I filled the jars half full with apple cider vinegar and added hot water to just below the threads.

I pressed the top of the cucumbers with a plastic spoon to release air bubbles.

After, wiping the rim of the jars clean, setting the lids in place, I turned on the metal rings. Note: I often heat the lids prior to setting them on the jars, but skipped this time due to time and space constraints.

I felt excited to place the prepared jars into the water bath canner. I turned up the heat and waited for the water to boil.

Noting the time when I seen the water had a heavy rolling boil, I waited ten minutes. At this point, I started removing the processed dill pickles to cool. I like to set the jars on towel and often cover them with a towel to keep the heat in. A habit I picked up from watching my grandmother can food in her blue kitchen.

Checking for Sealed Lids

Is there any sound so sweet to a homesteader’s ears as the pop of a jar sealing? I heard the distinct pop a few times in the course of setting jars of dill pickles out to cool. A streak of excitement flowed through me every time!

I waited until the next day to inspect each jar lid to know for sure they were sealed. To my delight all 14 had sealed.

Do you know how to tell if a jar has sealed? Look at the next pictures for examples of sealed jars and jars which have not sealed.

Sealed and Unsealed

No bubble in the center of the lid. This jar is sealed.

Notice the bubble in the middle of the lid. This jar is not sealed in the picture. It sealed later.

Any jars found to have not sealed properly need to be placed in the refrigerator and eaten in the coming weeks. Dill pickles keep for at least 4 weeks under refrigeration. Other canned foods will have different times limits before spoiling.

Other Variations of Dill Pickles

In the second set of 7 pints I canned I added white onion to 5 of the jars and instead of cutting the cucumbers into spears, I sliced them. Searching for a knife to cut them in fancy ripples, I discovered I do not have one.

My two Tokyo Green cucumber plants will be producing cucumbers for weeks to come. I think I will make bread and butter pickles, perhaps relish, and additional dill pickles for they are quite easy to make. Or, I might try adding red bell pepper to add a pretty red color.

What other variations and ideas do you have for preserving cucumbers? I would love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment below.

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August 10, 2020August 10, 2020

Tomato Juice: How to Prepare and Preserve

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To my recollection, the last time I canned anything was around 20 years ago. As I am producing my own food, canning is one of the homestead activities I want to incorporate back into my life. One family branch has a tradition of eating tomato gravy at Christmas gatherings. I have been blessed with a wonderful crop of heirloom tomatoes. In August of 2019, I decided to make tomato juice for my own consumption and as a base for the tomato gravy this coming holiday season.

List of Supplies

Clean pots
Sharp knife
Scrap bucket
Pan with water
Jars
Lids
Rims
Stomper/Colander
Pan/pot for juice to drain into
Water bath canner or pressure cooker
Ladle
Funnel
Measuring cup

Food Ingredients

Tomatoes
Garlic
Onions
Water

Before I share my personal experience making tomato juice, do you want to learn other ways to begin living a homestead lifestyle? Click this link to learn other ways to start living a homestead live-style.

Prep Tomatoes for Tomato Juice

First, gathering a knife, a pan of cool water, 2 clean pots, a scrap bucket, and of course a five-gallon bucket full of tomatoes, I sat on the front porch of my neighbor’s house and cut up tomatoes.

What I started with
Pan with water. I changed the water once when I was halfway through.
Clean pot to cook the tomatoes in.
Srapes or waste left from prepping the tomatoes to cook.
For the fun of jumping ahead: the result. From a heaping 5-gallon bucket of tomates I now have 6 quarts of tomato juice and 7 pints.

I removed any bad spots and the cores. These large, heirloom tomatoes filled 2 pots. I spent 30 to 40 minutes cutting these up.

Before I started cooking the tomatoes on the stove, I cleaned up the jars I wanted to use. My basement has become dirty over the last few years. So, I cleaned them outside with a hose, before cleaning them again inside.

Cook Tomatoes

I added a glass of water to the smaller pan, and 2 glasses of water to the larger pan. I realized later I did not need to add that much water. While I have canned food before, tomato juice is a first for me.

Cut tomatoes in pot — The tomatoes are starting to cook down in this picture.

My plan was to work with my friend, but she needed to be elsewhere. I knew I needed to process those tomatoes or I would end up not getting it done. Feeling excited and a bit unsure, I decided I would move ahead one step at a time. I expected her to return home while I was cooking the tomatoes off, however as life happens, she was unable to be there as early as she thought. I looked up online how long to water bath tomato juice.

Cooked tomatoes — Ready to make tomato juice.

As the tomatoes cook, I prepared candy onions and garlic to add to the tomato juice. I added two onions and a garlic clove to one of the pots as the tomatoes cooked for an experiment of sorts.

Stomper and pan where the tomatoes are pressed for juice — Colander to press cooked tomatoes into tomato juice.

I phoned another friend of mine. I felt a bit unsure. After our chat, I felt more confident. I decided how I was going to add the garlic and onion. I would place one garlic clove and a small onion or a portion of an onion in the jars, for additional flavor. Oops, I realized by that point that I added more water than I needed to. The additional veggies would give the juice additional flavor. Thanks, Dolli!

Tomato juice with onion — The garlic sank to the bottom of the jar and the onion floated to the top.

A closer look at the lids and rings I had found new in their package in my basement, showed me the lids were definitely not fit to use. When the tomatoes were sufficiently cooked, I ran into town to buy new lids.

Stomp Tomatoes to Make Tomato Juice

Using a large pan and stomper, I set out to make my first tomato juice. I pictured myself pouring the contents of the pan (cooked off tomatoes) into the stomper. I seen myself making a huge mess. Instead, I used a ladle to place the cooked tomatoes in the stomper.

Making tomato juice — All that remained after one pot of cooked tomatoes was pressed

My mind wonder as I pushed out the juice to the days of my past. I remember making applesauce in my grandma’s kitchen using similar tools. I am quite fond of applesauce. Remembering fond memories of my youth when member of the family would work together preserving food, feelings of nostalgia lurked in my mind. Despite beginning to get tired, I felt excited to be canning again. Canning touches the creative side of me.

Jars

Inside I rinsed and dried 6-quart jars and 7-pint jars in hot, hot water. I allowed them to air dry on a towel. I again used a ladle to dip the juice from the pan into the jars.

When my friend returned home, I ask her, “do you have a faster way to do this?” We laughed as she said, “oh yes, I do. What was I thinking?” That certainly sped up the process. She handed me a funnel and measuring cup. The measuring cup had a handle and a spout to pour out of. Perfect!

With the jars full, I cleaned of the rims of the jars. The things that come back to me as I went through this process. I remember my grandma using this little sauce pan to heat the lids before placing them on the jars. I am quite certain I have that little pan somewhere, or one like it. For this process, I skipped that step.

Canning Process

Placing lids and rims on the 6-quart jars that I had cleaned the rims into the canner they went. We used her tap water to fill the canner (water bath). The water almost reached the top of the jars. I waited until the water was at a rolling boil.

I took note of the time and made a metal note of what time the jars would be done. During this time, I continued stomping the second pot of cooked tomatoes. I had enough to fill the 7 pint jars I had cleaned. When the pints were filled, clean and covered with lids and rims. I washed up as many of the dishes as I could.

There was only a small amount of waste from all of the tomatoes that were cooked and stomped. To take a guess, I would say it would not have filled a quart jar. Her chickens would get them for a treat. The waste from cutting the tomatoes before cooking went to my house.

Six quarts of tomato juice waiting for water to boil — Six quarts of tomato juice ready to be canned.

When the quarts were done cooking, I ran home to get my own canner. Returning, I took the 7 quarts home in that and later that night I canned those. A side note here: I used water purchased in town to process the pints at home. The tap water left a residue on the quart jars. The purchased water did not.

Cool

I removed the quart jars from the canner placing them on a towel on the counter. I covered the 6 jars with another towel. Some of the jars had already begun to seal. They sat on my friend’s counter for a couple days until I could get back over to pick them up.

Tomato juice waiting to be processed — These 7 pints of tomato juice waiting to be processed.

Storing Tomato Juice

On Tuesday, I stored them in my basement. Here they will sit for future use. The 6 quarts are for making tomato gravy at one of the family Christmas gathering. Yum, I feel hungry thinking about the delicious taste. Have you ever eaten tomato gravy? Leave me a comment below to let me know.

I skipped the part where I write the date on the lids. If I can more, I will go ahead and date them.

Yield

I was rewarded with 6 quarts and 7 pints.

Did this inspire you to preserve food? Are you looking for other ways to live a homestead life style? Use this link for more ideas: 10 Ways to Begin a Homestead Life Today.

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