Fall Farm Gates Sales of Perennial Edible Plants

Wow, that summer went FAST.  Lots has been going on (as usual) on the Eco-Sense homestead.  Our first open house of the fall season for sales of PERENNIAL EDIBLE PLANTS is on SATURDAY Sept 6th from 10am-2pm.  

Details:

3295 Compton Road in the East Highlands.  If you are able bodied, please park at the bottom of our driveway and enjoy the walk up.  If you think you might buy some plants there is room to park up top.  Please leave dogs at home as we have chickens and ducks about.  We do not give formal tours during the plants sales open houses, but please feel free to explore our gardens and look at the house from the outside. Here is the list of plants we have in stock with more coming next week.  Click for Plant List  We also have eggs for sale.

Other items to note:

* Special Eco-Sense news coming next week…for now, it’s a secret.  Stay Tuned.

* The EcoHut is almost complete.  Currently, we are using it for the office for the perennial plant business.  If you are fascinated and inspired by tiny homes (as we are) you will love this small off-the-grid mini home.

Inside the Eco-Hut with archway into sleeping nook.

* We are thinking about what it would mean to go completely local with our food…100%.  Anyone else have these thoughts?

* Roof top solar real estate:  We are now growing food on our solar roof between the solar PV and the solar thermal.  We have squash, watermelons, chard, tomatoes, tomatillos, kale, lambs quarters, etc up there.

Our cob oven and cob benches have been repaired and they look fantastic!

* We’ve been busy fermenting food and beverages.  Gord’s been making beer and wine, and Ann has been brewing ginger beer…here’s the recipe:

• 1 gal jug that fits cork with air lock
• Dissolve 2 1/4 cups of sugar in hot or warm water in the jug. If you are worried about sterility use boiling water…but don’t add yeast until it cools. (If you are using chlorinated city water you should boil the water)
• Add 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• Add 4 tsp powdered ginger (or fresh grated)
• When water has cooled to warm, add half package of champagne yeast
  swirl/shake to dissolve everything
• Top up 1 gal jug leaving a bit of air at the top
• Put air lock on
• Gently shake gal jar every 3 days or so (remove air lock and put proper cap on). 
• After about 10-20 days or so taste a tiny bit…if still quite sweet let it just sit for a while longer. If it has used up all it’s sugar, add a bit more just to allow the carbonation…(see next step). 
• When most of the sweetness is gone, decant into flip top glass jars (or plastic with tight lids). VERY IMPORTANT to flip the cap gently EVERY day so that glass jar doesn’t explode. For plastic jugs just vent daily when the jug gets hard. 
• When you think it’s done and used up most of the sugar put in fridge rather than let the air pressure out to hold in the carbonation…keeping it cool will stop the yeast. The more sugar is used up, the higher the alcohol content.
• Leave the sludge in the bottom of the jar and have another go at it…add sugar, add lemon, add ginger and no need to add more yeast. It worked for me.
• I bet one could make a similar beverage with mint instead of ginger.