Garden The Easy Way

Our Garden July 2016

2016-07-08T18:09:00.002-07:00

Hello Everyone! welcome to our " Our Garden The Easy Way " blog, we hope you enjoy our garden pictures and garden information, we do love our gardening, gardening gives you lot's of good feelings and I think it truly is the best therapy a person can get, you will really enjoy watching your garden grow from a seed or a plant, watching the blooms from the plant turning to a vegetable.

With gardening it is just like getting free vegetables, we raise a good size of garden every year so we can caned some vegetables and plenty to freeze, so in the winter time we can enjoy our delicious garden vegetables.

Marilou and I always plant extra tomato plants, green beans, cucumbers, zucchini, squash, bell peppers, different kinds of peppers sweet and hot, so that we will have plenty to give away to our friends, it is a true blessings to be able to give someone you care about fresh garden vegetables.

Well I guess that's it for today here on " Garden The Easy Way " until next time Happy Gardening Always !

Ken & Marilou

Our Garden May 2016

2016-05-21T13:25:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone, we're back once again here on Garden The Easy Way, it's been a while since our last post about gardening.

It's time again to start to prepare and work in our garden, we know that a lot of us have our own vegetable garden, me and wife love vegetables that's why we have a vegetable garden every year, it's like getting free food, and we know it is fresh and it is so much better than store bought.

We started planting just 3 weeks ago. We put cucumbers, green beans, asian beans, radishes, tomatoes, bell peppers, hot peppers, zuchini, yellow squash. We also have strawberry plants, we took some pictures today May-23-16, they come up every year, and now they have lots of ripe berries and lots of blooms.

Below are some pictures of our vegetable garden.

Until next time, will post some more pictures, thank you for taking time to check our blog. "Happy Gardening".

Elliott Garden Pictures May 5 to June 24-2014

2014-06-24T08:57:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends, Welcome back here today on Garden The Easy Way.

Today this blog is going to be short, as the old saying goes a picture is worth a thousand words, and that is what we are going to do here today on Garden The Easy Way. We are going to share our garden pictures from May 5 to June 24-14, you will see a big difference in only a little over 5-weeks.

Anyone can make a garden and grow their own vegetables, we show you how to do it on our Garden The Easy Way blog at http://www.gardentheeasyway.com also we have lots of good healthy garden recipes and as always lots of pictures.

We hope you like and tell your friends about us, well until next time this is Ken and Marilou wishing you and your family a Happy Gardening Always.

How To Plant and Grow Strawberry

2014-05-22T13:56:00.001-07:00

Welcome back here today on Garden The Easy Way. This is Ken and Marilou and we both are so happy that you have joined us today.

Today we are going to be talking about one of Americas Favorite Fruits, Strawberries, and how you can plant and grow your very own strawberries.

Well it is Spring and all the grocery stores are selling strawberry, and they are so good eating and the health benefits from eating strawberries will shock you if you don't already know, strawberries are very very good for us all.

What a lot of people don't know, strawberry are very easy to grow, they will just about grow anywhere, very easy to have your very own strawberry patch.

Another thing about gardening, your garden fresh fruit and vegetables always taste a lot better, because you harvest out of your garden when it is ready to be picked, when you buy fruits and vegetables from your local store most of them are picked too early and shipped to the stores green.

OK, back to strawberries they are so delicious, my wife Marilou and I decided to plant more strawberries this year. You will say "WOW" when you go to pick out your strawberry plants, they are so many different kinds of strawberry plant to choose from, that is why grocery stores are selling a lot of strawberry in the spring and none in the summer, because the company that sold the strawberries to the store did not plant everbearing strawberry, a lot of varieties of strawberry plants will only produce strawberries from May to June only.

Marilou and I like to plant Everbearing Strawberry because we get to eat fresh garden strawberry, from May to October. We plant Albion Everbearing Strawberry, they have a sweet delicious taste and definitely our favorite to plant. OK, I know what you are thinking why don't the company that are selling to the stores, plant and ship everbearing strawberry? the answer is easy, I am thinking it is because the everbearing strawberry just don't get as big as some of the other brands and the stores like the bigger strawberries for selling. The choice is up to you, do you want big strawberries, just in the spring or do you want a smaller strawberry from spring to October.

How To Plant and Grow Strawberries? You can plant strawberry in pots, back yard, wood or rock form raise garden or just on the ground out of your way. What ever strawberry plant you decide on planting remember this and it will save you some money. When you buy your strawberry plants, they come in a small container, six strawberry plants in one container. Six strawberry plant should be enough and no need to buy more, unless you have big family or you want to freeze a lot of strawberries.

Why I say 6-Strawberry plants should be enough? Is because strawberry plants will grow runners, some people call runner vines but the true name is ( Runners ). About every 6-8 inches the runner will stop and plant it self in the soil where it plants it self that is called a crown, the crown will grow roots down in the soil and now you have a new strawberry plant.

By the end of the summer your six strawberry plants you started with could be closed to 100 or more. You can cut the runner off and transplant them somewhere else if you want. So many people that raise their own strawberries will cut the runner off and give them away to their neighbors and friends.

When it comes to planting strawberries, I like to do it the quick and easy way. Marilou and I like to use Miracle Gro Garden Soil Mix, it come ready to go, all you have to do is add to the plant you are planting, but you can grow strawberry plants in just about any kind of soil, as long as you add a little compost, so that the soil will not pack down too hard, loose soil helps your plants to get more oxygen and grow stronger roots.

It is very important to work up your soil well before planting, like I said strawberry plants are easy to grow, and they will not die out in the winter, from ice, snow and cold weather the plant will die down to the crown,but the crown and the roots do not die, the vine and runners will come back in early spring.

There is one very important thing you have to remember about planting strawberries, you never cover the strawberry plant crown, it must set on top of the soil, only the roots go under the soil.

Never let your strawberry dry out too long, when it get hot in the summer, water every 2-days or a little everyday depending how hot and dry it is and how long it has been since your plants have had any rain.

I know this probably sounds like too much work for a lot of people but it truly is not, gardening is so good for the soul, gardening is truly good therapy for us and it is fun working in your garden, also you are getting some exercise that most all of us need. If you have never grow your own garden you will be very surprised, you will be happy and you will grow a bigger and better garden next year.

There are so many great benefits when you grow your own garden fresh fruits and vegetables, the taste is 100 times better than store bought, and it is just like getting all of your fruit and vegetables for FREE.

Well that is it for today here on Garden The Easy Way, Marilou and I hope you like us and share our garden blog with your friends. We have lots of gardening tips, pictures and a lot of good fresh out of the garden recipes.

Thank you all until next time, Good Gardening To You All.

Planting Tomato Plants, What To Do And What Not To Do

2014-05-05T10:53:00.000-07:00

Hello and good day to you all, and welcome back here today on Garden The Easy Way. This is Ken and Marilou Elliott from Rogersville, Missouri.

Gardening looks like a lot of work, well it is work but most of us could use the exercise, including my self for sure. But let me tell you this, gardening is truly fun and the best therapy a person can get, also the joy from watching your plants grow, and when it comes to harvest your fresh garden vegetables, you will not able to keep from tasting them before you get them in the house.

Fresh garden vegetables out of your garden taste about 100% times better than store bought. Most people do not know store bought vegetables are pick green ( too early ) and shipped to the store. A big plus when you have your own garden, it is just like getting ( FREE Vegetables ).

" WOW " what a long cold winter, we thought it would never end, and now it is so hot 91 degrees here today, we went from winter to summer with no spring. Today we are planting tomatoes and we have lots of pictures to show you how we plant a garden. We will share some very important thing you need to know about planting tomatoes and vegetables in your garden.

Probably the most important thing to remember about planting tomatoes is do not plant too early never plant until all danger of frost has past, we live in central Missouri so we wait till the first week of May. By doing this it could keep you from having to replant new tomato plant.

When you planting a garden it is so very important to till or plow up your soil about 7-10 inches, where you intend to plant, by tilling or plowing the ground deep will give your plants more oxygen and help them get more food and nutrition from the soil, which helps your plants have a longer and healthier life and your plants will produce a lot more tomatoes. We think it is very important to fertilize your garden with natural organic fertilizer such as cow manure or horse, and some people use chicken manure.

We use cow manure, what I do is I will till the garden first, and after I till it all up, I rake the garden with a hand held rake, I pick out all rock and break up all dirt clods and level it all out, and then I take a pickup truck and I go to our local dairy farmer and ask him if I could get some cow manure for our vegetable garden. All natural fertilizer is always the best fertilizer to use in your garden.

The local farmer down the road always gives us the cow manure for ( FREE ), If you ask your local farmer for cow manure, he will probably just give it to you. You will find most all of our farmer are so kind and always willing to help out someone, we not only get the manure for (FREE) our farmer will go get out his tracker with a big scoop shovel on it and load up our pickup for us.

All natural fertilizer is always the best and if you do what we do you can get it for (FREE). I take pickup load of cow manure back to our garden and I use a pointed garden shovel and scattered the cow manure all over the garden. After I have put the cow manure all over the garden, I will get out the garden tiller and I will till the whole garden one more time, it is very important to till the garden so you will have the cow manure mixed up good with the soil so that plants roots can get it.

I would like to tell you one more very important thing about using any kind of manure whether it is cow, horse, chicken, pig, always make sure to use old dry out manure, never use fresh ( wet ) manure, it get so hot, it could kill your plants.

As you can see from the picture, I dig out a hole where I want to plant my tomato plant, I use my little hand held shovel. Very Important to plant tomatoes deep, plant 2/3 of the plant and should be covered, you may ask me why so deep? Because the plant will have a better, stronger root and you will have a lot more tomatoes, better roots mean more tomatoes.

I dig out a big hole about 9 inch deep and the file in back in about 6 inch with some fine loose soil no rock, always make sure there is no rocks or sticks or roots in the hole where you are planting. I always fill the hole up with water and then I will set the tomato plant down in the hole and leave it set there for about 10-15 minutes so that the roots will pull up a lot of water for the plant, so very important to do it this way so that your your plant will not be stress out looking for water, if you do not put water in the hole your plant could die.

As you can see from the picture on this blog, the water is blue color, that is because I like to use Miracle Gro Plant Food when I'm setting out plants, you do not have too, but I do because it give the plant a healthier start.

Well we hope that we have been some help here today on Garden The Easy Way, we hope you like our blog and share us with your friend. So until next time, good gardening always to you all from Ken & Marilou

Pumpkin Pie Cake- One of the most asked for recipes ! 11-13-2013

2013-11-13T09:42:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone, welcome back today on Garden The Easy Way! This is Ken and Marilou and we have a real treat today for you all.

Today we have a very delicious dessert recipe to share with you, that would be great for the holidays or anytime of the year.

We got this recipes from one of our facebook friends. We welcome you all to join us on our facebook, just do a search for Ken Elliott of Rogersville Mo. and we will accept your friend request.

# 1. Pumpkin Pie Cake- One of the most asked for recipes !

Ingredients:
1 (18 oz) can pumpkin (not pie filling)
1 box yellow cake mix (2 layer size)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
1 (13 oz) can evaporated milk (not sweetened condensed)
3/4 cups chopped pecans or walnuts
3 eggs
3 teaspoon cinnamon

Beat eggs and milk together; add pumpkin, sugar and cinnamon. Mix until well blended. Pour into a 9 x 13 greased pan. Sprinkle dry cake mix over mixture. Drizzle with melted butter. Sprinkle with chopped nuts. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 min or until done. Serve (warm or cold) with topping or whipped cream.

~Enjoy!

Thank you for checking in today on Garden The Easy Way, we have 3 more delicious dessert recipes that we want to share with you before Thanksgiving.

Thank you all for being our friends and be sure to check out the rest of our Garden The Easy Way blog, lots of pictures and lots of great recipes, also how to make your own garden and how you too can enjoy fresh garden vegetables.

Until next time, take care and we hope to see you all back here on Garden The Easy Way.

Your Friends Always,
Ken & Marilou
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Elliott's Summer Garden July 22 2013

2013-07-22T12:22:00.003-07:00

Hello everyone this is Ken & Marilou with you here today on our garden blog, Garden The Easy Way, we have a new update to share with you today, some pictures and information about growing your garden in hot summer weather.

To see a lot of garden pictures, we invite you to join our facebook page, just do search for Ken Elliott at Rogersville Missouri, and thank you for joining us and please share us with all of your friends on facebook.

Nothing taste as good fresh garden vegetables, yesterday my wife Marilou picked some green beans out of our garden and she cooked them for suffer, and they were so delicious, we also had some fresh garden cucumbers and cherry tomatoes. I told my wife Marilou we couldn't had a better supper if we would of went to a big city restaurant, Marilou put ground pork meat in a green beans stir fry.

Also I would like to add one other thing about garden vegetables, not only are they so delicious but they are very healthy for you, we all should be eating our vegetables for our health, fresher vegetables are better vegetables, another good reason to raise your own garden, let us help you make and plant and grow your vegetables here on Garden The Easy Way, all the information you will need is right here on Garden The Easy Way, and also we have lots of pictures from start to harvest.

OK now for your tip in how to grow your garden in hot summer heat, first of all I would like to say, I've been gardening for over 45 years, and don't do like a lot of gardening books tell you to do, Do Not water your garden in the morning on a hot ,the hot summer sun can burn your leaves on your plants and in time it will kill your plants, it is always better to water all your garden 1 hour after sun down to be safe. Also when it's really hot 95 to 100 plus it is always good ideal to make a afternoon shade for your garden, don't worry it sound like a lot of work but it is quick and easy to do, we will show you how in our garden blog.

Morning sunshine is so important to any garden, but after 2 o clock your garden has had enough sun, and your garden starts to stress out, the leaves on the plants will start wilting and lay down, specially when it gets really hot like I said 95 to 100 plus is a garden killer, we build a frame out of light wood, and plastic tarps to block the sun, only when it gets extremely hot.

Well this is Ken & Marilou signing off here for today on Garden The Easy Way, hope to see you all on facebook, and we hope you will join our garden blog too. Until next time happy gardening always !

Garden Harvesting In The Fall 2012

2012-10-05T20:03:00.000-07:00

Welcome back here today on Garden The Easy Way, this is Ken and Marilou Elliott. Today we would like to talk about your fall harvest in your garden, the first garden vegetable we are going to talk about is the Butternut Squash. Butternut Squash is called a winter squash, and they are so delicious, and can be prepared in many different ways. Butternut Squash is very healthy for us to eat, and high in fiber. Like I said before in our garden blog, not only are the vegetables good for us, when you raise your own garden you will save a lot of money for you and your family.

OK, how you can tell when it is time to harvest your Butternut Squash, it is when the vine start changing colors from the pretty bright green you seen all summer long to a brown color. You will need to wait until the vine look like it has died to get all that good flavor of the butternut squash. Make sure to cut the vine 1 1/2 to 2 inches from the butternut squash, and then your butternut squash will last all winter long. Just store your butternut squash in a cool dry place, not too hot or too cold about 50 to 70 degrees is best or room temperature will be fine.

To see all of our garden pictures from the start of 2012 To the harvest click here> Our Garden Pictures 2012 https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.436452536387520.103684.100000683327129&type=3 … JOIN US ON FaceBook

Some more good news, my wife Marilou is going to share with you, one of our favorite ways to prepare Butternut Squash, it is so delicious, you going to love it.

Well, that is it for today on Garden The Easy Way. Until next time, this is Ken and Marilou wishing you Happy Gardening Always !

Fresh Garden Vegetables

2012-07-22T17:28:00.002-07:00

Good day to you all, and welcome back here today on Garden The Easy Way.

So very hot here today we had over 20 days in a row with high heat from 99 to 103, we are 10 inches down from rain fall, we have been in a severe drought. I feel so bad for all our farmers, so many of them have to sell their cattle because they are not getting any rain on the pasture so the grass can grow for the cattle to eat, so many farmer have to sell their cattle because the hay is so high cost to buy. So please join us in a prayer for rain, to help save the farmer. ( When the farmer hurts we all will on down the line later.)

We can help you save your garden from dying too early, just look at our garden blog pictures and you will see what we are doing to save our delicious garden vegetables. We just added some new pictures today Sunday July-22-12.https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.436452536387520.103684.100000683327129&type=3 When the temperature get over 90 degrees water well, ( Water 1-hour after sun down. )

Well that's it for today here on Garden The Easy Way. This is Ken and Marilou, wishing you all Happy Gardening Always !

Garden The Easy Way ( New Garden Pictures )

2012-07-08T19:47:00.000-07:00

Hello welcome back here today on Garden The Easy Way, this is Ken and Marilou.

Today we took a few more pictures of our garden to share in our Garden The Easy Way blog and to share with our friends on facebook. To see our garden pictures click here--> https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.436452536387520.103684.100000683327129&type=3 If you would like to be friends with us on Facebook just send a friends request to Ken Elliott Rogersville, Missouri USA.

This year Marilou and I decided we would share our pictures of our garden as it grow from month to month, WOW ! even we were a little amaze what a very big difference 3-4 weeks make in the growing of a garden. There is nothing in this world that taste as good as your very own fresh garden vegetables, they are so delicious, so much better than store bought. When you buy from a store the fruit and vegetables are picked green or too early, with your garden you do not pick early, you wait until it is ready. Tomatoes should be picked when they are dark red not green and shipped in.

We also have a lot of garden information on how to make a vegetable garden and how to make a flower garden, and how to grow beautiful roses. Marilou and I share with you in our Garden The Easy Way blog some very delicious home recipes, we would like to say a big Thank You out to Mr. Paul Schneider of St. Louis, Mo. Mr. Schneider said he loved our Home Made Blackberry Pie Recipe.

Well, that is it here for today on Garden The Easy Way, until next time this is Ken and Marilou, wishing you all Happy Gardening Always.

Garden The Easy Way ( To Save Your Garden From The Hot Sun And Heat )

2012-06-28T19:27:00.004-07:00

Good afternoon to you all, this is June 28 Thursday afternoon, but the way the weather feels you would think it is August 28, it is so hot and dry here, no rain for over 2 weeks. We would like to welcome you all back here today on Garden The Easy Way.

Today we have something very important to share with you all on how to save your garden from the hot sun and heat.

"WOW" ! very hot here today, 101 new record temperature here in Rogersville, Mo. As most of you know so many people lose their garden due to the hot summer heat every year, well we have some good news you can save your garden with just a little work, and a few things to do, and what not to do. I have been gardening for over 40 years and I can help you.

1. Build a frame out of 8-ft boards 1x4 wood, and hang up a tarp on one side to keep the hot sun off your garden in the hot afternoon.

2. After the weather gets over 85 degrees ( NEVER ) water your garden in the morning or during the day. I know lots of gardening books would tell you watering in the morning is best, but after the weather gets over 85 degrees stop watering your garden in the morning. If you do water in the morning or during the day, you could kill your garden. Always after the temperature get to 85 degrees or more water your garden 1 hour after sun down.

To see what our garden look like so far this year click here-> https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.436452536387520.103684.100000683327129&type=3

Well that is it for today here on Garden The Easy Way. We hope we have been some help to you, until next time this is Ken and Marilou wishing you all Happy Gardening Always.

Garden The Easy Way ( How To Make And Grow Vegetable Garden )

2012-06-24T12:49:00.005-07:00

Good Sunday afternoon to you all, and welcome back here today on " Garden The Easy Way ". This is Ken and Marilou Elliott and we are from Rogersville Mo. USA.

Today we have some pictures to share with you all, and some garden information you may not know about. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.436452536387520.103684.100000683327129&type=3

(( WE HOPE YOU WILL ADD US TO YOUR FACEBOOK ))

I have been gardening for over 45 years, and in that time I have learned a lot, things to do and things not to do, to have a good garden.

You all are welcome to check out our Garden Blog, to find out how to plant and grow a vegetable garden.

Fresh vegetables out of your garden are so delicious, about 100 times better than store bought, and a vegetable garden will save you and your family a lot of money.

Friday- May-27- 12 Sunday - June-24-12
We will also show you how to plant and grow a beautiful flower garden, and to grow beautiful Roses even in pots!

Well we will close for today,Until Next Time Good Gardening Always, Ken & Marilou

Getting The Garden Ready For Spring Planting

2012-05-28T13:23:00.001-07:00

Welcome back here today on Garden The Easy Way, this is Ken and Marilou.

First thing today we would like to say it is Memorial Day, and we want to say "Thank you for All those that has paid a Big Price so that we all could live in Peace, and be a FREE Country ". Thank You All and God Bless You All, and the whole world we all live in.

Getting the garden ready for spring planting is a little work but it is sure worth it 100 times over, with the high cost of garden vegetables, and taste is also 100 times better than store bought vegetables. My wife and I even freeze vegetables so we can have them in the winter.

The first thing you need to do in getting your garden ready is pick-up all the rocks and sticks and grass, work-up your soil well with a garden tiller or shovel, dig down 10-12 inches is best.

You should put back in the soil what you took out the year before by adding compost and cow or horse manure, mix up well after adding. Do not over feed your garden with manure, it is hot and will dry out a garden quick, but manure is very good for your garden so make sure to use it.

What I like to do is mix 1- shovel of cow or horse manure to 4-shovel of compost, mix it up well in a wheelbarrow and then I will spread it with my shovel all over my garden about 3-4 inches deep and then till the garden well or you can use a shovel, just make sure to mix well down to 10-12 inches.

After mixing well get your garden rake and level your garden, make your rows in the garden with your garden hoe, or you can use your fingers after planting any vegetable. It is always best to water well after planting.

When planting tomato plants, make your hole extra bigger than the plant roots, it will help them to grow bigger quicker. Before you put your tomato plant in the hole, fill the hole up with water and set your tomato plant down in the water, let it set for a 1-2 minutes before planting, this will keep your tomato plant from going in shock and stress.

Never let your vegetable plants or your tomato plants go completely dry, they will die.

We are adding some garden pictures of last year garden and some early spring garden pictures this year 2012. 8-Tomato Plants Over 8-1/2 Ft. August 2011

Spring May-2012

Well that's it for today here on Garden The Easy Way, until next time this is Ken and Marilou wishing you all Happy Gardening Always.

Blackberry Pie ( How To Make )

2012-04-21T16:49:00.001-07:00

Hello! We hope you are having a good day today, this is Ken and Marilou from Garden The Easy Way.

We shared with you on our last Garden The Easy Way blog, how to plant and grow your own Blackberries. Today we would like to share with you how to make a delicious Blackberry Pie. Blackberry Pie is for sure one of everyone favorites Pies.

I can remember back as a boy, when we would pick wild Blackberries, we always ask Mom to make a Blackberry Pie, you know yet today nothing is better than a big slice of blackberry pie with a glass of milk. Enjoy !

Blackberry Pie ( How To Make )

Things You Will Need:

* 5 cups of blackberries
* 1/2 cup flour ( whole wheat )
* 1/2 cup brown sugar
* 2 deep dish pie shells for the top of Pie
* 2 tablespoons milk
* 2 tablespoons of brown sugar

Preparations:

1. Combine the blackberries, flour and sugar. Mix well until there is no white coating on the berries.

2. Put the berries in a deep dish pie shell and cover with a second pie shell. Crimp the edges of the top pie shell to secure to the bottom shell.

3. Brush the top pie crust with milk. Sprinkle it with brown sugar.

4. Bake the blackberry pie in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

5. Other Options:
* You brush the bottom of the pie crust with egg white before adding the blackberries to prevent the crust from becoming soggy.
* You can also add a few tablespoons of butter on top of the berries before putting on the top crust for a more buttery flavor.

Tips & Warnings:

* If you are using frozen blackberries make sure that the berries are well thawed before making the pie.

* The pie is best made with freshly picked wild blackberries, but tame blackberries also make a very delicious pie too !

Well that's it for today, we hope to talk here again on Garden The Easy Way. This is Ken & Marilou wishing you all Happy Gardening Always.

Blackberries ( How To Grow )

2012-04-12T13:37:00.000-07:00

Welcome back here today with us on Garden The Easy Way, this is Ken and Marilou and today we want to talk about Blackberries.

Blackberries are one of Americas favorite berries and you can prepare them in many different ways. You can make a delicious Blackberry Pie or Blackberry Cobbler, Blackberry Jelly or delicious Blackberry Jam.

I can remember back many years ago as a small boy, picking wild blackberries outside of a little country town in Southern Missouri by the name of Birch Tree Missouri. You could pick a 5 gallon bucket of blackberries in about an hour at the little country store down town, they would give you $2.00 for a 5 gallon bucket, not much money for being in the hot sun and getting the blood scratch out of your arms and hands back and legs. The wild Blackberries have sharp thorns. Oh yes! we always had to pick off a lot of ticks, but back in those days there were not very many jobs out there for a boy out of school for the summer, so we picked wild blackberries. My Mom would can blackberries around 200 quarts every year in the summer in a old granite cooking kettle, it held 7 quarts jars, it set on a old wood cook stove that set in the yard. My brother and I would keep putting wood in to keep the fire going. Fresh blackberries are very delicious as a boy looking back, I remember my brother and I always had dark purple lips and tongue while picking berries.

We were poor country people but we were happy people, back in those days and after all the years have past us by I now know what the older people meant when they said back in the Good Old Day!

We still have a lot of wild blackberries here in Southern Missouri, we even have a few in our backyard, but there are lots of different kinds of tame blackberries. Some of them are thorn less, and they are the most popular because they are thorn less. All blackberries grow best in full sun, and almost all varieties are self-fruitful, meaning that you need to plant only one cultivar. As a rule of thumb, five or six plants will produce enough berries for a family of four. Each blossom will produce a sweet, juicy blackberry. But there is one blackberry thorn less that is most peoples favorite blackberry to plant. It is called "Triple Crown Blackberry " Sweetest Thornless Blackberry

All blackberries taste good but there are some that taste sweeter than others. The Triple Crown Blackberry is the number one choice for those people that want to plant blackberries. All Blackberries will grow just about anywhere and today we would like to share with you how to plant and grow the Americas number one choice of Blackberries, the " Triple Crown Blackberry".

Triple Crown Blackberry ( How To Plant )

Things You Will Need:

* Garden Tiller
* Shovels and Pick
* Garden Hoses
* Manure ( Aged Cow Manure )
* Mulch
* Plants
* Fertilizers 10-10-10
* Two 8' pressure-treated 4x4

Since blackberries are perennial plants that come back year after year, it's worth your time to get the soil prepared correctly. Blackberries grow best in fertile, well-drained soil. Blackberries do best if the soil pH is slightly acidic, somewhere between 5.5 and 7.0. Take a soil pH test and if necessary, add lime to raise the pH or sulfur to lower the pH. The best time to plant blackberries is early Spring or late Fall.

1. Always choose a site that gets full sun, the more sun your blackberry get the better they will do, they must have a lot of sun to produce a lot of berries. Pick out a spot that will be out of your everyday living because you are making a permanent bed.

2. Get your garden tiller and work up the soil well. pick out all the rocks and roots. Go to your local nursery and pick out your plants.

3. Build a Trellises. Blackberry trellises are simple to build and require only a few dollars worth of materials. To build a simple trellis, sink two 8' pressure-treated 4x4 posts 3' deep in the ground. If you're working in sandy soil, you can add a quick-setting mortar mix to anchor the posts. In clay soil, simply tamp down the soil to hold the posts in place.

The posts can be set anywhere from 10' to 20' apart. Make two marks on each post, one mark at 2-1/2' off the ground and the other mark at 4-1/2' off the ground. Then, at those marks, attach 9-gauge coated wire to the posts with staples.

During the first growing season, blackberries don't need to be trained to a trellis. Starting the second year, the canes should be tied to the trellis. One method involves loosely tying primocanes to the wire as they develop. The best time to start is before the buds swell in early spring. When the canes are tall enough to reach the top wire, tie them horizontally along the wire. Another method some gardeners use it to train only the floricanes to the trellis and let the primocanes sprawl on the ground.

4. Dig your hole about 16 inches deep and about 16 inches across in the bottom.

5. Put about 3 inches of age cow manure in the bottom of the hole, put about 4 inches of good top soil, no rocks or roots and mix up well with your shovel. repeat until you get to the top.

6. Using your hands, dig out the soil and manure that you just put in the hole to the same depth as they were in the nursery, put all root down deep and cover well. After planting water well.

7. Spacing 4 feet rows 12 feet apart, spread 6-7 ft.

Triple Crown Blackberries ripen late July, enjoy your delicious Blackberries!!!

Well that's it for today from Garden The Easy Way, this is Ken & Marilou hoping to talk to you again soon, until then Happy Gardening Always!!!

Apricot Jelly ( How To Make )

2012-04-05T14:29:00.000-07:00

Hello, and welcome back with us today on Garden The Easy Way, this is Ken and Marilou. On our last blog we shared with you how to plant apricot trees, and how to grow the delicious apricot !

Apricots are so delicious to eat fresh off the tree, but when you have your own tree or trees you will have so many apricots you will need to do something with them all, You can give a lot of them away, or if you like apricot Jam and Jelly with your morning toast you can, make it your self it is very easy to do!

Today we would like to share with you how to make a delicious apricot jelly ! Most recipes always want you to put a lot of sugar in your jams and jelly but if your fruit is sweet you can, cut back on a lot of that sugar, as we all know too much sugar is not good for us. Another good thing about making your own jam or jelly you can put as much or as little sugar as you want ! We hope you like this apricots jelly recipe. Enjoy !

Apricot Jelly

Ingredients:

7 cups peeled pitted chopped apricots
2 1/2 cups water
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
4 cups sugar
2 (3 ounce) envelopes liquid pectin

Directions:

1. Combine apricots and water.

2. Over medium heat bring mixture to a boil.

3. Reduce heat to a simmer gently for 5 minutes.

4. Take pan off heat; skim and let set 30 minutes.

5. Sieve the apricots and strain juice from pulp (use pulp in apricot jam).

6. Line sieve with 4 layers of clean damp cheese cloth.

7. Strain; cover the juice and refrigerate overnight.

8. Ladle the juice from container, being careful not to disturb the sediment from bottom using 3 cups of juice.

9. To make the jelly, combine juices when they are warm add sugar.

10. Stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved, bring to a rolling boil.

11. Pour pectin in, bring to a rolling boil again, stirring constantly for 1 minute.

12. Remove pan from heat; skim off foam.

13. Ladle into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space.

14. Water bath for 15 minutes.

Well that's it for today, we hope to talk here again on Garden The Easy Way. Until then, this is Ken & Marilou wishing you all Happy Gardening Always.

Apricot Trees ( How To Grow )

2012-03-27T12:47:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome back here today on Garden The Easy Way, this is Ken and Marilou.

Today we will share with you, how to plant Apricot Trees. Apricots are a very delicious fruit, I just love eating fresh Apricots, and I think most anyone out there would love eating them too, but there is nothing like having your very own Garden Fresh Fruit and Vegetables. The taste is 10 times better than store bought, just try it and you too will say " wow so delicious".

We have some more good news, Apricot trees are easy to grow, they are just like most fruit trees, they like full sun. We like the Goldcot Apricot Tree, the best sweet golden fruit by mid July. Great for fresh eating and great for canning.

Planting an apricot tree will provide you with fresh fruit for years to come. Apricot trees come in self-pollinating varieties and in varieties that require another tree for pollination. If you choose a variety that requires another tree for pollination, plant them close to each other. Apricot trees generally produce fruit by the third season after planting; trees that are dwarf varieties will produce less fruit than standard sized trees. Select your apricot tree size to fit your planting site.

Things You'll Need

* Spade
* Compost
* Stakes
* Twine

Instructions:

1. Select your planting site. Apricot trees require full sun. Northern climates can be challenging growing environments for apricot trees because a late spring frost date can kill the blossoms and therefore keep the tree from producing fruit for that season. Planting the apricot tree in a sheltered spot on the northern side of a wall or home will slow the rate the tree warms in the spring and may keep it from blossoming too soon. Well-drained soil is important to prevent root rot.

2. Time your planting to coincide with early spring. Purchase an apricot tree that is still dormant, meaning no leaves have emerged yet on the branches. A younger tree with bare roots is ideal.

3. Dig a hole deep enough and wide enough to accommodate the largest roots of the apricot tree. There should be adequate room to spread out the tree roots without crowding them.

4. Make a small mound of dirt in the center of the hole and place the tree on the mound, then gently extend the roots out away from the center of the hole.

5. Layer in the original soil with compost as you fill the hole. The compost will provide extra nutrients to your growing tree.

6. If your tree is young and your planting site is prone to wind, you may need to stake your tree. Use two or three strong stakes placed in the ground outside of the circle you dug for planting so as not to disturb the roots. use twine to tie the trunk of the apricot tree to the supporting stakes.

Tips & Warnings:

* Standard apricot trees should be planted 25 feet apart; dwarf varieties should be planted 10-12 feet apart.

* Diseases and insects native to your location could harm your apricot tree; contact a local arborist or gardening expert for advice specific to your region.

Well that's it for today, we hope to talk here again on Garden The Easy Way. Until then, this is Ken & Marilou wishing you all Happy Gardening Always.

Plum Jelly Homemade ( How To Make )

2012-03-19T12:37:00.000-07:00

Good day to you all and welcome back here today on Garden The Easy Way. This is Ken and Marilou.

We shared with you how you can plant and grow your very own Plum Trees and have lots of delicious Plum. Today we would like to share a very delicious treat with you how to make homemade Plum Jelly.

Homemade Plum Jelly is so much better than the store bought. Homemade is so delicious and it is so easy to make, and I promise you, everyone will want your home made recipe. ( ENJOY !!!)

Plum Jelly Homemade ( How To Make )

Ingredients:

* 3 pounds of ripe plums
* 1/2 cup of water
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 7 1/2 cups sugar
* 1 package commercial pectin

Supplies:

* Large, non-aluminum pot with lid
* 4 to 6 Pint canning jars and lids

Preparations:

1. Cut the plums. Cut each plum fruit into eighths, and discard the pits. Make sure the plums are ripe, or they will not cook correctly.

2. Sterilizing the jars. Place the jars and lids into boiling water for 10 minutes. When done, leave the simmering water as you prepare the plum jelly.

3. Cook the plums. Place the plum slices, water, and lemon juice in a large stockpot. Bring to a over medium-high heat, stirring often. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 10 minutes. Stir occasionally until the fruit is soft. You should end up with about 4 1/2 cups of plum syrup. You want to pour it through a sieve or strainer get a smoother texture, but this is not necessary.

4. Add sugar. Now, stir in the sugar and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly to help sugar dissolve. Once it has dissolved, add the pectin. Continue to stir and boil for a minute, and then remove from the heat. Let the mixture rest for a minute, and then skim off any foam or top. This is an important step of the plum recipe.

5. Canning the jelly. Carefully remove the jars and lids from the simmering water. Pour even and of the jelly into each jar, leaving 1/4" to 1/8" of space at the top of each rim. Wipe the rims to ensure a good seal, and screw on the lids. Then, place in boiling water for 5 to 10 minutes so the jars will seal. Jelly recipes require the lids to be on securely.

6. Storage and serving. Remove the jars from the boiling water and let sit for several hours without disturbing them. Be careful when removing them, as they will be quite hot. Special jar-holding made for canning come in handy for this task. Once the jars have sat undisturbed for an hours check the seals. As long as the lids do not pop up when you press down in the center, they be sealed correctly and you can store them on a shelf that is cool and dry for up to a year. One may not seal correctly; store these jars in the refrigerator and use the jelly soon.

** Tips **

Plum jelly is a delicious treat for bread, crackers, or toast. You can also use it to top pancakes waffles. Easy to make, it is also an impressive gift. People who receive gifts like these always want a copy of the homemade jelly recipes so they can make the fruit recipes themselves.

Well that's it for today, we hope to talk here again on Garden The Easy Way. Until then, this is Ken & Marilou wishing you all Happy Gardening Always.

Plum Trees ( How To Plant )

2012-03-11T19:37:00.002-07:00

Hello, and welcome back here today this is Ken and Marilou on Garden The Easy Way.

Today we would like to talk about a fruit that is loved all over the world, we are talking about Plums, and we will share with you how to plant and grow your very own sweet delicious Plums.

Plums are native to China, America, and Europe. Today there are more than 200 cultivars being grown. There are two main types of plums, European and Japanese, being marketed today. Generally, Japanese plums are larger than European plums. European plums have high sugar content so they are often dried and used for making prunes. European plums are generally late bloomers so they are well suited for areas with late frosts or cool springs. Japanese plums ripen earlier than European varieties.

Plum trees may or may not need pollinators. Some are self fruitful and some need another plum tree for pollination purposes. Most European plums will either benefit from or require cross-pollination from another European variety. Many Japanese plums require pollinators. Follow nursery recommendations for suitable pollinizers. Plum trees are fast growing and usually begin producing fruit in 3 to 5 years after planting.

Plums are rich in dietary fiber that is effective in improving digestion. They are low in calories and contain ample amounts of vitamins C, calcium, potassium, and carbohydrates. Plums are excellent when eaten fresh and are great addition in salads. They are used for pies, desserts, jams and jellies.

The number #1 World Famous Plum is the Sweet Santa Rose Plum, the most popular plum tree for commercial use and home growing. These trees produce a lot of sweet flavored dark purple fruit. The Santa Rosa tree takes up very little space, yet produces bushels of fruit.

Plum Tree are just like most of the other fruit tree, they must be planted in full sun. When you go to your local nursery ask for a Dwarf Santa Rosa Plum, height: 5-7 ft.

Plums have three main needs, warmth ( especially important at pollination time, light and moisture. Plums flower earlier in the season than most other fruit trees, so they should not be planted in a frost-pocket. If your garden is in a cool area, avoid early flowering varieties good varieties to choose are Czar, Victoria or Marjorie's Seedling.

Plum trees prefer to be positioned in full sun, although some shade in the morning or afternoon will not affect them much.

As far as moisture is concerned, do not plant in a water-logged area, but make sure the soil is unlikely to dry out. Don't plant them near other trees which will simply deprive them of the moisture they need.

( How To Plant Plum Tree )

Technically, you can plant your plum tree any time from late Autumn to early Spring. The best time to plant is in October when the soil is moist but still retains some of the summer warmth.

Soil preparation is best done a month or more before planting so that the soil has time to settle. Dig a 60cm ( 2ft ) deep by 1.2m ( 4ft ) square hole, incorporating as much organic material as possible, aim to get the soil crumbly. Always water well after planting, and never let your new trees go dry to long without, the first year is so important for new trees !

Well that's it for today, we hope to talk here again tomorrow on Garden The Easy Way. Until then, this is Ken and Marilou wishing you all Happy Gardening Always.

Pear Trees ( How To Plant )

2012-03-03T17:45:00.001-08:00

Good day to you all and welcome back here today on Garden The Easy Way, this is Ken and Marilou.

Today we have another delicious fruit. We would like to talk about pear and also how to plant Pear Trees. There are lots of different kind of Pears, and Pears are a delicious fruit, but not only that Pears are very good for our health, Pears contain Vitamins C and B complex, Fiber, Potassium and Carbohydrates. The most popular #1 Pear in the world wide is Bartlett Pear since its introduction in 1797. This multi-purpose Pear is a long standing favorite of orchard and home fruit enthusiasts alike.

The Bartlett look good growing just about anywhere in your front yard or back yard. Bartlett Pear trees are beautiful trees with dark green leaves in the spring. Bartlett pear trees are load with little white flowers, which will turn into golden yellow delicious pear. Excellent choice for both seasoned and first time fruit growers.

Instructions:
Things You'll Need

* Pruning shears
* Garden shovel
* Knife

Choosing a Pear Tree

1. Go to a local nursery or home and garden shop to buy a pear tree.

2. Choose a 4 to 6 foot high tree with 5/8 inch or more diameter. A 1 to 2 year old tree contains stronger roots and has four or five branches.

3. Consider either trees that pollinate themselves (you need only one) or cross-pollination trees (you need at least two) for fruit. Cross-pollination pear trees need to bloom at the same time; check the tag for matching Pollination Code letters.

Planting a Pear Tree

1. Plant trees 20 to 25 feet apart after the last spring frost in an area with all or most of the day sun. Plant dwarf trees closer, 10 to 15 feet, and for small trees like Bartlett, space 15 feet.

2. snip off limbs below 18 inches from the ground with pruning shears.

3. Determine the root spread, then with a garden shovel dig a hole wider than the roots.

4. Cut the sides of the fiber pot with a knife to plant with the tree, but remove a plastic pot.

5. Set the tree in the ground and fill hole with dirt. Pack the soil around the trunk.

6. Water the planting area well.

7. add soil to build up depressions from the watering.

8. Ripens in late August.

***TIPS & WARNINGS***

* Optimum growing soil is non-gravel, with a pH of 5.9 to 6.5.

* Soak dry roots of a newly bought tree before planting.

* Avoid planting Seckel and Bartlett trees together because they can't pollinate each other.

* Don't plant Waite or Magness trees for pollen because they're sterile; however planting other varieties with the same Pollination Code ensure pollination for these two trees.

Well that's it for today, we hope to talk here again on Garden The Easy Way. Until then, this is Ken & Marilou wishing you all Happy Gardening Always.

Cherry Cobbler ( How To Make )

2012-02-18T20:23:00.000-08:00

Good day to you all today, this is Ken and Marilou with you here today on Garden The Easy Way.

Marilou and I have a good cherry cobbler recipe to share with you all today. Marilou found it on the Internet, we have not tried it yet but we will soon, it sound so delicious. This Cherry Cobbler is so quick and easy to make. ( ENJOY ! ).

** Cherry Cobbler **

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Makes: 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling
1 cup Original Bisquick mix
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, softened

Preparations:

1. Spread pie filling in ungreased 1 1/2-quart casserole. Place in cold oven. Heat oven to 400 F, let heat 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven.

2. While pie filling is heating, stir remaining ingredients until soft dough forms. Drop by 6 spoonfuls onto warm pie filling. Sprinkle with additional sugar if desired.

3. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until topping is light brown.

Tips:
** Serve warm cobbler with cream, ice cream or whipped cream.

Well that's it for today, we hope to talk here again tomorrow on Garden The Easy Way. Until then, this is Ken & Marilou wishing you all Happy Gardening Always.

Cherry Pie ( How To Make )

2012-02-17T20:14:00.000-08:00

Welcome back here today on Garden The Easy Way, this is Ken and Marilou.

Yesterday we shared with you how to plant and grow cherry trees, so you could have your very own cherries, well today we want to share with you how to make a good USA cherry pie. I think if you would ask 500 people here in the good old USA what is their favorite pie, at least 350 of them would say that sweet bright red beautiful cherry pie. Yes it is so very beautiful and delicious and here is how you make it.

( ENJOY ! )

INGREDIENTS:

* 5 cups fresh pitted cherries
* 1 1/4 cups sugar
* 1/3 cup flour
* 1 to 2 tbsp. butter
* Pie crust

PREPARATIONS:

1. Pit the cherries. If you don't have a cherry pitter, cut a circle around each cherry with a knife and pull it apart with your fingers to remove the pits.

2. Mix sugar and cherries in a large bowl and leave standing for 20 minutes.

3. Mix flour into the cherry and sugar mixture. Pour into pie shell.

4. Cut up small bits of butter and place them in the filling.

5. Top the filled pie shell with a lattice crust. Bake at 425 degrees for 40 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Cooking time may vary by 5 minutes. In high altitudes, bake at 400 degrees.

6. Cool the pie on a wire rack and serve at room temperature.

TIPS & WARNINGS:

* Let set and cool down 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

* You can serve with 1 scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Well that's it for today, we hope to talk here again tomorrow on Garden The Easy Way. Until then, this is Ken & Marilou wishing you all Happy Gardening Always.

Cherry Trees ( How To Plant )

2012-02-16T19:33:00.000-08:00

Good day to you all and welcome back here today on Garden The Easy Way, this is Ken and Marilou.

Today we are going to share with you how to plant cherry trees. Cherry Trees need plenty of room to grow, they can grow up to 40 feet tall and 30 feet wide depending on the variety you are planting. Cherry Trees look so good growing in a yard or in a field with other cherry trees.

Both sweet and sour cherries are good choices for the home garden. Sour cherries are often used in pies and are widely adapted to different climates. Sweet cherries do not grow well in warm climates and usually need a second cherry tree nearby for pollination. Both trees require pruning and training to grow correctly and produce fruit.

With regularly pruning the tree grows to at least 25 feet. Dwarf cherry trees usually reach 6 to 10 feet. Sour cherries grow to 20 feet tall and wide; dwarf varieties grow 6 to 8 feet high.

Sweet and sour cherry trees can be pruned the same way. They need to have a central stem and open centers. Once mature, the trees require pruning only to remove damaged or weak branches. Sweet cherry trees are pruned to 25 feet tall. Sour cherry trees are often pruned to 15 feet tall.

Cherry trees are relatively delicate and seldom live for more than 20 years, most people feel that they are well worth the extra care that they need because they are so beautiful and yield such tasty fruit. You can significantly prolong the life of your cherry tree while decreasing the amount of daily work that you must invest in it by planting it correctly. A little forethought and planning can go a long way toward making your tree healthier and more productive.

** How To Plant a Cherry Tree **

Things You Will Need:

* Shovel
* Fertilizer
* Weed whacker

1. Select a site that gets plenty of sunlight. Cherry trees love sunlight. Avoid planting in a sunken area where the wind and sun cannot reach your tree.

2. Make sure that that the soil is moderately acidic and well drained. You may need to use fertilizer that is specially designed for cherry trees if your soil is naturally acidic. If you do not know what the pH of your soil is, take a sample to your local garden center and ask for help. Soil that is slightly elevated tends to drain better, so if you have any low hills or rises in your yard, this can be a good site for the cherry tree.

3. Avoid areas where cherry, peach or plum trees have grown before. These types of trees all need the same nutrients and the soil will not be as good for the tree.

4. Plant in early spring. Cherry trees should be placed in the ground as early in the spring as possible, but late enough that all risk of a frost has passed.

5. Plant the tree in a clear area that gives it at least 20 feet on all sides. You may need to clear the area if there is a lot of brush on all sides. You can do this with a weed whacker or a hoe.

* Tips & Warnings *

Cherry trees are very susceptible to a wild plant called Choke Cherry. If you are planting your tree in an area that has been recently cleared, make sure that you keep an eye out for this weed.

Scale insects are the most common pest to cherry trees. Use oil spray to kills and prevent an infestation. Pruning and discarding diseased fruit can control common diseases, such as blossom blight and brown rot.

Well that's it for today, we hope to talk here again tomorrow on Garden The Easy Way. Until then, this is Ken & Marilou wishing you all Happy Gardening Always.

Peach Cobbler Grandma's Old Fashioned ( How To Make )

2012-02-15T19:36:00.000-08:00

Hello! and we welcome you all back here today on Garden The Easy Way, this is Ken and Marilou.

Today we have a very delicious Peach Cobbler to share with you all, the name is " Grandma's Old Fashioned Peach Cobbler".

( ENJOY ! )

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
1/2 cup cold water
5 pounds fresh peaches-peeled, pitted and sliced
1/4 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup butter
2 cups white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar, and salt. Work in the shortening with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and cold water. Sprinkle over flour mixture, and work with hands to form dough into a ball. Chill 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Roll out half of dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Place in a 9x13 inch baking dish, covering bottom and halfway up sides. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

3. In a large saucepan, mix the peaches, lemon juice, and orange juice. Add 1/2 cup butter, and cook over medium-low heat until butter is melted. In a mixing bowl, stir together 2 cups sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cornstarch; mix into peach mixture. Remove from heat, and pour into baked crust.

4. Roll remaining dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Cut into half-inch-wide strips. Weave strips into a lattice over peaches. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar, and drizzle with 1 tablespoon melted butter.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until top crust is golden brown.

Well that's it for today, we hope to talk here again tomorrow on Garden The Easy Way. Until then, this is Ken & Marilou wishing you all Happy Gardening Always.

Peach Pie ( How To Make )

2012-02-14T20:21:00.000-08:00

Good day to you all today here on Garden The Easy Way, this is Ken and Marilou.

We shared with you all, how to plant and grow your very own peach trees, so you can have your fresh peaches, but today we have a very good recipe. we have a delicious Peach Pie Recipe!

( ENJOY ! )

INSTRUCTIONS:

Things You Will Need

* unbaked pastry dough for a double-crust, 12-inch pie
* 6-7 c. peeled, sliced fresh peaches ( about 3 1/2 to 4 lb. )
* juice of 1 lemon
* 1/2 sugar to 1 cup to taste
* 4 tbsp. flour
* 1/2 tsp. cinnamon or nutmeg (optional)
* 3 tbsp. butter, cut up
* 2 egg beaten with 1 tbsp. water
* Pastry Brushes
* 12 inch pan
* Rolling Pins

1. Have unbaked pastry dough ready- it should be refrigerated at least 20 minutes and can even be made the day before and kept chilled.

2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

3. Toss peaches lightly in a bowl with lemon juice, sugar, flour and spices.

4. Sprinkle a little more flour onto your work surface.

5. Divide the dough into balls, one slightly larger than the other. Roll out the larger ball into a circle about 1/8-inch thick and a bit larger than the pan.

6. Transfer the rolled dough to the pie pan- it's easier to lift if you drape it over the rolling pin first. Don't stretch the dough to fit in the pan.

7. Trim the edges to a 1-inch overhang. Add the peaches to the dough-lined pan, piling them up slightly in the center. Dot with the cut-up butter.

8. Roll out the other dough ball into a circle about 1/8-inch thick. Place it on top of the peaches and trim the edges to a 1-inch overhang.

9. Fold the top crust over the lower crust and press them together with your fingers. Crimp the edges decoratively, then cut a few vents in the top crust to let steam escape.

10. Brush the egg-water mixture onto the top crust. It will form a shiny glaze as the pie bakes.

11. Place the pie in the oven and bake 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 degrees F and bake for another 30 to 40 minutes.

TIPS & WARNINGS:

* Peaches can vary in sweetness, so feel free to vary the amount of sugar to taste.

* To peel peaches easily, drop them into boiling water for about 2 minutes. Remove them to a bowl of ice water. The skins should come off easily.

Well that's it for today, we hope to talk here again tomorrow on Garden The Easy Way. Until then, this is Ken & Marilou, wishing you all Happy Gardening Always.