October 23 notes

I got over 2 inches of rain last night which was surprising as I didn’t hear any storms after a brief one about 6 pm.  The weather was beautiful Sunday after the fog lifted and it was beautiful Monday too.  This is what is known as Indian Summer, a nostalgic grace period from Mother Nature.  I understand we will have some more warm beautiful days later in the week.  Meanwhile the rain is most welcome, making me feel better about my plants making it through the winter.

 I have new rose buds forming on the landscape roses and even blooms on some of them.  The mums are still blooming and I found a little white daisy had popped up by my back door.  The petunias have remained unfazed by the freezing snaps we have as well as some dianthus. 

 My husband made one more mowing run yesterday, mulching up the leaves and trimming back any tall grass areas. On a trip to town yesterday I saw people mowing everywhere.  It’s a good idea not to let your lawn go into winter too long as it promotes fungal disease.  But I think some people just like to mow on those pretty days.

 There is still time to  plant those spring bulbs and the stores have reduced the price on them.  If you find perennials on sale at a good price don’t be afraid to plant them either.  Some may not make it planted this late but many will.

 I will sure be glad when the election is over.  Every day I take a detour from the mailbox to the garbage can to dump all the political flyers I get.  Those glossy things aren’t even suitable for compost.  What a shame all that paper and trees are wasted by printing those things which 99% of the people don’t even read.  But if I said I wasn’t voting for anyone who sent them I wouldn’t get to vote at all.

Extreme gardening challenge

 The Gardening World Cup was recently held in Nagasaki, Japan.  In this garden show 12 applicants are selected from well known garden designers around the world.  They are given 10 days and about 50,000 dollars plus a Japanese crew and interpreter and told to produce a garden based on a theme.  The Unitied States designer was Karen Stefonick, a well known garden designer from the northwestern US.

This years theme was Peace and Restoration, a very appropriate theme for the city that we once nuked and which has been wonderfully restored.   The event is held on the grounds of an estate called Huis Ten Bosch, which is modeled after a Dutch Royal Family estate complete with a castle.

 The competitors sourced local plants and products for their gardens.  Stefonick as well as several other contestants had her Japanese crew out in rice paddies digging up a local weed called Lycoris radiata which has shocking pink spiky flowers to use in her exhibit.  While the stark modern garden produced by Stefonick was nice, the winner was an islamic inspired garden by a Malaysian designer.  The soothing design had blue and white tiles and a star shaped pool.

 I found the garden designs interesting although many lacked plants if you ask me.  You can visit the gardening world cup website at the address below to see the gardens.  I have also attached a couple pictures from the site, the winning garden and the American one, from the site to this newsletter.

 http://www.gardeningworldcup.jp/en/

Ancient fabrics from plants

 The journal Science recently reported on an archeological find, shreds of fabric on a 2,800 year old burial shroud found in Denmark proved to be made from wild nettles.  They traced the origination of the nettles or the fabric to Central Europe, proving that the fabric or the nettles that made it were trade items. 

Around this time in Europe, flax and hemp were being cultivated for fabrics.  Sheep were also being raised for wool in the area.  But it is believed that nettles were still collected from the wild for use in fabrics.  With all the work it takes to get strands of fiber from plants for weaving it makes you wonder who the original inventors of the process were and how they came upon the idea that a weed could be turned into beautiful, durable clothing.

 Conventional, organic or something better

 A new study has shown that a long crop rotation, that is many years before a crop is grown in the same spot again, can reduce the use of pesticides and fertilizers by 88%, reduce groundwater contamination dramatically and not reduce the profit farm land can produce. 

The study was done by Iowa State University with the USDA Agricultural Research Service over many years on a place called Marsden Farm.  The crops were corn, soybeans, oats and alfalfa, with animals added at various times to graze and add manure.  So after corn was planted one year, it could not be planted in the same field until the 5th year. 

 Since the pests and weeds associated with each crop are somewhat different, and the nutrients pulled from the soil are different for each crop the populations of pests did not build up and less fertilizer was needed.  Fewer pesticides allowed natural predators to build up in the field to control pests.  A bonus was that the animals grazed on the plots provided healthy meat and spread their own manure, instead of having manure stockpiled and leaching into the ground and animals confined in small lots eating expensive grain.

This study proves that there is a sustainable and happy medium between conventional farming and organic farming.  It should be prominently featured and promoted to farmers and as of yet, we aren’t hearing much about it. Instead like our political leaders we would rather divide into ideological camps of organic and conventional agriculture.   This is probably because of all the money invested in agricultural pesticides, GMO crops and fertilizers. 

 While we should embrace some technological advances and not completely ban the use of pesticides and fertilizers we need to learn to work with and not against nature. Maybe by the next election cycle we should have a proposal similar to the energy proposal calling for sustainable agriculture practices such as long crop rotations to gradually replace conventional agriculture. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

winters getting close

I need to get started digging my Jerusalem artichokes.  I want to try some new recipes with them this year.  I think even with the drought we should get a bumper crop.   They are so productive and you don’t have to plant them each year I don’t know why more people don’t grow them.  They are much better than Brussels sprouts.

 The 3 apples I saw on my tree disappeared, probably the squirrels got them.  The berries have been stripped from the autumn olive bushes and I think the robins have migrated because I am no longer hearing them.  Birds have still been few at the feeder.   I don’t know if there actually are fewer birds around or if the cats are keeping them way. 

I have been seeing lots of deer in the back of my property, big healthy looking ones.  I hope some hunters around here thin the herd.  They don’t do much damage to my plants up near the house so I tolerate them but I never, ever feed them.

 One small ox eye daisy is blooming outside my back door.  It looks kind of odd sticking out of the grass.  The salvia in the front is still blooming nicely as is a red petunia in a pot but the rest of the front bed has its usual ugly winter look.  Ferns and daylilies are fine in the spring and summer but it sure looks ugly when they die back in the fall.  Years ago I decided to plant some holly plants up near the foundation so there would be some winter greenery to hide the ugly parts.  Only one plant survived but it is doing pretty well and is about 3-1/2 feet high now.  I think I may try to plant some bigger holly plants there again. 

 The oak tree is losing it’s leaves and they are blowing into all the front flower beds, which is fine with me because they don’t matt and protect the plants over winter.  I don’t know why some people have the idea oak leaves are bad for the garden, they are probably better for mulching than other types of leaves.  They do not make the soil acidic as I have heard people say.  They do break down slower than other leaves, which can look a bit messy in spring but they do eventually break down into great humus.

 I don’t do much fall clean up in my garden, other than the veggie area.  I leave it for mild winter days and early spring when I want to be outside doing something.  Right now I am like a bear; I want to be inside eating and sleeping.

 

 

October 16 garden notes

Well we got some of that rain we needed.  Now I can complain about mud.  I got almost an inch of rain over the weekend.  We could still use some more, but the sun today was very welcome.  Looking out my window here I can see that the trees are getting bare, the wind we had really stripped them.  Winter is just around the corner.

 The new Farmers Almanac predicts a cold snowy winter for Michigan but they predicted that for last winter too.  They actually admitted that their weather forecast last year was pretty far off.  I still have some outside things to do so I hope it holds off a little while anyway.  I need to dig potatoes and Jerusalem artichokes still and get my dahlia roots out of the ground.  A few things are still blooming, including petunias, dianthus, mums, perennial sunflowers, salvia, some marigolds, landscape roses and sporadic blooms on the buddleia.

 The wind has been the major problem the last few days. They are working on a huge wind farm with 50 some windmills on the Tuscola-Huron County line.  They are having a hard time finishing it because of the wind!  It seems the cranes used to raise the turbines can’t operate when the wind is high.  Michigan is on the way to becoming energy independent and I hope the trend continues.

Bulbs

If you are still planting bulbs, (yes get them out of the garage and plant them) remember that recent research has found that adding bone meal to the holes where you plant bulbs attracts animals like squirrels and raccoons and makes it more likely that they will be eaten or thrown out of the ground. 

 If you have problems with animals eating the bulbs even though you don’t add bone meal you can plant the bulbs in a wire cage underground or lay wire or a grate on the ground above the planted bulbs.  Narcissus, daffodil and allium bulbs don’t get eaten by mice and the flowers don’t get eaten by deer either.

 While we all are familiar with the common bulbs like tulips, crocus and daffodils why not try experimenting with some of the “minor” bulbs such as snowdrops, English bluebells, Dutch iris, iris reticulata, foxtail lilies and other tiny treasures.  Plant the small bulbs near the house and in places where the snow melts first each spring. 

If you can plant some bulbs in pots and then put them outside in the garage or a shed, where they can get the cold treatment they need to bloom.  Once we have had 6 weeks of temperatures around freezing or lower- usually by January here- you can bring the pots inside to a sunny spot and start watering them.  They should bloom 6-8 weeks later for  early spring flowers inside.

 Halloween Honey

 Beekeepers in France were alarmed when they opened their hives and found red, blue and green honey.  Researchers quickly began to study the phenomena and the honey was not allowed to be sold.  It turns out that the brightly colored honey came from M&M’s.  Bees were flying to a biofuel plant where factory discarded M&M’s were being stored before burning.

Because the dyes in M&M’s are supposed to be safe for human consumption the honey probably was too.  However the government ordered that the piles of M&M’s be stored so that bees couldn’t get their sugar fix and the honey was still kept off the market.  I wonder if the honey would also taste like chocolate?

 Spud news

 Recent food research has shown that potatoes that were cut up before boiling lost much more of their nutrient content and in particular potassium, than potatoes boiled whole.  Unless you are trying to avoid potassium intake choose smaller potatoes and boil them whole for maximum vitamin and nutrient content.   Peeling potatoes also causes some nutrient loss.  

Did you know that storing potatoes in too chilly conditions, below 40 degrees, will cause them to have a sweet taste?  Frying potatoes or making potato chips from potatoes that have been kept in cold temperatures will cause them to be bitter and dark looking. Store your potatoes in a dark, 50-60 degree spot for maximum taste and storage quality.

Scientists are working on a genetic modification of potatoes so that they can be kept at the colder temperatures that inhibit softening, sprouting and greening and still maintain good taste and color.  The modification will come from breeding potatoes selectively that have less of the enzyme invertase, which is thought to cause the unwanted changes when potatoes are exposed to cold.

 Plants may help cure fungal meningitis

 With fungal meningitis in the news this month’s Agricultural Research magazine contains an important article about research that may help conventional anti-fungal medications work better at lower doses.  Researchers Jung Kim and Bruce Campbell were studying natural plant compounds that could help control fungal diseases that affect tree nut crops, peanuts and cotton when they realized their research could have implications for human medicine.

The researchers found that several natural plant compounds helped conventional fungicides work better.  One of the best plant derived products was thymol - from thyme plants.  Other plant products tested were cinnamic acid from cinnamon bark, salicylic acid from willows, and 2-5-DBA found in chard.  Different combinations of plant compounds and conventional fungicides worked better on different fungi.  The antibiotics tested were amphotericin B, fluconazole, and itraconazole.

The natural plant products seemed to work by sensitizing and weakening the fungal organisms, making them more likely to die from a lower dose of antibiotics.   This could help lower the drug side affects many strong antibiotics cause and make the antibiotics much more efficient.  It may also help keep fungi from developing resistance to various antibiotics.

One of the fungal organisms that the parings helped destroy was Cryptococcus yeast, which causes fungal meningitis.  It will be a few years before the laboratory results can be transferred to actual clinical trials although recent problems suggest there is a need to hurry this research along.

The cold weather makes it a good time for baking and cooking projects.  I had one bag of apple slices left from last year’s apple crop in my freezer and I turned them into “stewed” apples with some brown sugar and cinnamon in my crockpot yesterday.  They were really good.  I really miss my apple crop this year and apples are too expensive to buy for cooking this year.  But I have bought some HoneyCrisp for snacking on and I hope all of you have had the joy of fresh apples this year, even though they probably came from another state.


Speaking about thyme, read my new article on Examiner.

Thyme can be purchased as a dried spice or as a fresh herb or you can grow it in your own garden to snip as needed. It’s is an ancient cooking herb that is used in recipes from many countries. Thyme is generally combined with the herbs rosemary, marjoram and sage in cooking. Thyme is used as a seasoning for meat, particularly poultry and pork, but it is also used to flavor some tomato based sauces and it is sometimes used to flavor cheese as it ages.  Read more at the link below.

http://www.examiner.com/article/how-to-cook-with-thyme

Michigan has a bumper crop of black walnuts this year with walnuts piling up on lawns and driveways. Homeowners with a black walnut tree are wondering what to do with the generous harvest. Black walnut nut meats sell for more than $15 a pound and homeowners wonder if they could cash in on those profits. Black walnuts have a distinctive taste that many people enjoy in baked goods and are a rather gourmet food item.  Read more of my article at the link below.

http://www.examiner.com/article/what-to-do-with-all-those-black-walnuts

garden notes for October 9

I had a pretty good freeze here Saturday night and a couple of hard frosts late last week.  I had covered my dahlias but the tips still look a little blackened.  The tomatoes are done and even the marigolds look bad.  However there are still things blooming in the garden.

 Last years Farmers Almanac predicted that this October will have 2 inches more precipitation than normal, which is about 3 inches.  I guess it could still happen but I have my doubts.  We are supposed to get rain tonight and tomorrow but less than a 1/2 inch.   It seems like our early warm weather has resulted in equally early cold weather at this end of the year.   However the NWS forecasters are saying we will have a warm up this weekend and next week so who knows.

 The days are really beginning to feel shorter.  It’s quite amazing that we will lose almost an hour of daylight between today and the end of the month. 

My garden favorites this year

 Last week I told you about MSU’s favorite annuals in their trial garden.  This week I am going to list the stars in my garden.  I really enjoyed the tomato Sunray, an orange-gold tomato that started producing early and kept going until the freeze.  I have to say that my landscape rose Carefree Celebration  really bloomed its head off this year and is still blooming.  It’s a very nice peachy-orange color.  And it really is carefree with no disease problems. 

 I believe I talked about the newer plant I bought this spring called diplodenia.  It proved to be a beautiful addition to the partly shaded garden.  It has deep velvety red trumpet shaped flowers on a low growing plant with thick, dark green glossy leaves. I have brought it inside for the winter.

I bought some milkweeds from the MG plant sale this spring and although I am not sure what varieties I have here they proved to be long blooming and very pretty.  One is yellow and one is red flowered.  Also without a name was an impatiens I picked up at a close out sale.  It was a hybrid of some kind with tiny butterfly shaped lavender flowers with a rose center.  The plant had smaller leaves than a regular impatiens and made a nice compact mound.  It survived the downy mildew the longest of all the impatiens, it is still alive but I hesitate to try and over winter it because it does have signs of the disease.

 Have you tried kale chips?

 If you have watched any cooking shows on TV lately you have probably seen some one preparing kale chips.  I am not one for any cooked greens in the cabbage family but I just had to try this.  I didn’t have any regular kale growing in my garden but I did have some ornamental kale- which is perfectly edible.

 I plucked some frilly outer leaves off the kale, washed them and tore them into pieces, discarding the heavy center rib.  I sprayed a cookie sheet with olive oil pan spray, laid the kale pieces on it and sprayed them with the olive oil spray.  I next sprinkled them with sea salt.  They were then baked at 250 degrees until they turned crispy.  And surprise, they were quite good.  And kale is very good for you, better than most leafy greens; I just had to find a delicious way (fattening) to eat it.

 You have to be very careful that the leaves don’t burn because scorched kale does not taste good.  It just takes about 5 minutes.  I used the green leaves from the outside of the ornamental kale but I am thinking about trying pink and white kale chips from the  colored inner leaves next.  My husband, who also liked the chips, started thinking of even more ways to increase the calorie count by suggesting we sprinkle them with powdered cheese or dip the leaves in bacon grease.

 Smithsonian’s Archive of American Gardens Collection

 This is the 25th anniversary of the beginning of a unique collection of garden photo’s, plans and descriptions from beautiful and unusual private (and a few public) gardens across America.  In 1987 the Garden Club of America donated a very old collection of glass lantern slides of American gardens from the 20’s and 30’s to the Smithsonian to begin the new museum collection.

Since then the Archives of American Gardens has increased to represent 7,000 gardens and has over 70,000 slides and photos as well as other documentation.  Some 30,000 photos are available to view on line.   You can access these at the Smithsonian’s online catalog, SIRIS, www.siris.si.edu.  The Garden Club of America continues to scout out and nominate gardens for the Smithsonian collection.

 Here is the clubs statement as to why they want to document the history of American gardens.

Every moment a garden exists it is subject to the forces of change, loss, and, in some cases, destruction. A familiar and beloved garden today may become a distant memory in just a matter of a few years (or, in the case of a natural disaster, a few hours). Even the most meticulously maintained garden evolves over time to the point where it deviates from its earlier incarnation. Unless gardens are photographed and their origins and life span documented, the thought, creativity, care and labour that goes into them may be lost forever.

To be nominated for inclusion in the collection the garden must not already be documented or be a well known historical garden (such as the Biltmore Estate or Monticello).  It must be a garden that has been planted and maintained, not a natural landscape.  It should have some unique design, unusual beauty or other outstanding feature. The garden owner must agree to have it extensively photographed and documented and sign releases to allow the Smithsonian to display the photos and documentation and to allow garden historians to study them.

There is no prize for being included in the collection nor does the inclusion give the garden any protection.  The garden does not need to be opened to the public.  About 50 gardens a year make it into the Archives.  The Smithsonian reports that the most viewed photos are the earliest ones.

Here is some more information if you are interested.

Archives of American Gardens: http://www.gardens.si.edu/collections-research/archives-american-gardens.html

Garden Club of America Collection: http://www.gardens.si.edu/collections-research/aag-garden-club-collection.html

 

Oh those British gardeners

The British Carrot Growers Association holds a Carrot Whistle Blowing Olympics each year.  Competitors whittle whistles out of carrots and must play a song on them with a theme related to gold.  This years winners were a 4 piece band who whittled panpipes from carrots and played the theme song from a cartoon called Mysterious Cities of Gold.

The reward for this contest is two solid gold coins worth about a $1,000.  If you would like to see the winning song go to this site. ( tinyurl.com/carrotgold)

Information

 Rex begonias are a great plant to brighten up Michigan winters. As a houseplant their colorful foliage will add zest to the windowsill. And they can be moved outside in summer to bring color to shady containers and baskets.

Rex begonias have large leaves, generally pointed, although rounded and other shaped leaves are not uncommon. The leaves are thick and wrinkled looking and come in a variety of stunning colors and patterns. Some plants can reach a foot high and some plants have been bred that stay quite small.

Read the rest of the article here

 http://www.examiner.com/article/growing-rex-begonias

 Grow any pumpkins, sunflowers or squash this summer? The seeds of these plants make excellent winter snacks. They are tasty and nutritious and it isn’t hard to prepare them. Sunflower seeds are one of the few food sources of the much acclaimed Vitamin D. If you don’t think you will want to eat all of the seeds you produce from pumpkins or sunflowers your animals and the wildlife on your property will gladly take your unwanted seeds.

 Read the rest of the article here.

  http://www.examiner.com/article/using-sunflower-and-pumpkin-seeds-from-the-garden

 

October 2 , 2012 garden notes

I was really hoping for some rain today- hopefully it will still come tonight.  September is normally our wettest month of the year but we are down almost 2 inches of precipitation from average.  Now that it is October there is a 50% chance that we will have a hard freeze by October 11 and 90% chance that we will have one by October 30 in Michigan.  There are some very chilly temperatures predicted for this weekend so if you haven’t brought in the tender plants now is the time to do it. 

 Fall color is finally coming to Michigan.  It doesn’t seem as good as in previous years probably because some trees have dropped their leaves from drought and the maples, which make a big color splash, are really suffering from maple leaf tar spot, which causes drying and spotting of the leaves and early leaf drop too.

On my property two plants, staghorn sumac and Virginia creeper provide most of the red color.  On the fence surrounding the pond a Virginia creeper vine has covered a patch about 15 feet across and it is blazing red.  I have it in a few other places where the fall red color is so welcome. The sumac is heavy on the west property line and that is also brilliant red.

I have one red maple that doesn’t look very pretty this year and a silver maple that turns orange and yellow.  I have a few young sugar maples but they aren’t big enough to give much color.  The redbud is usually a pretty gold color.  But most of the trees on the property are evergreens, poplar, birch, aspen, walnut, oak, and catalpa which have pretty bland fall color.  This year the aspen, poplar and birch have lost most of their leaves already.  I am working to plant more trees that do have fall color.

 Don’t stop mowing

 This year mowing was at a minimum.  We are going to mow our lawn one more time at least though.  Grass should not be too long going into winter or it is more likely to get fungal diseases and die.  And the leaves that fall should be mulched with a mower and left on the lawn.  If they are in small pieces they quickly disappear and return nutrients to the soil.  You may have to rake them away from fences and out of some of your flower beds but don’t spend too much energy and time raking leaves when your mower will quickly take care of them. 

When I lived in the city I used to embarrass my son by making him go with me around the neighborhood picking up the bags of leaves people left out at the curb.  I would take them home and layer them on my gardens.  I had a low spot on the back of one of my lots that I used for a vegetable garden.  After 15 years of dumping leaves on that spot I actually raised the soil level higher in the garden than the rest of the lot and it was good rich soil.

Naked Gardening- (now that would embarrass your son)

 Abbey House Gardens in Malmesbury, England, is a public garden near the Welsh border drawing thousands of visitors each year.   It is known for its extensive rose collection, and lovely garden paths wandering through wild and cultivated areas.   On 6 days during the garden season clothing becomes optional and nudists are invited to stroll the paths.  About 600 naked gardeners visit on each of the special days.

The owners of the property, Ian and Barbara Pollard bought the property in 1994 and restored it.  They do most of their gardening in the nude, hence the naked gardening days for visitors.  Besides the owners I wonder if these nudists actually garden in the nude or just like to look at gardens in the nude. Gardening in the nude just doesn’t seem safe to me, and I get dirty enough even with my clothes on.  Add in mosquitoes and sunburn and I don’t know why anyone would find naked gardening comfortable.

 Hottest pepper in the world?

 
A recent issue of HortTechnology reports that studies have confirmed that a chile pepper (Capsicum chinense) of the tongue twister variety name, Trinidad Moruga Scorpion, tested at over 2 million units on the Scoville scale, a scale that is used to determine the relative “heat” in peppers.  Other really hot chile pepper varieties tested included Bhut Jolokia, Trinidad Scorpion, Douglah Trinidad Chocolate, and Trinidad 7-pot Jonah.

Preliminary favorite annuals

 MSU released their pick of the annuals in the 2012 annual flower trials.  MSU grows hundreds of annuals each year from different growers to see how they fare in Michigan.  The final results are usually released later in the year.  The pick of the crop so far include the sunflower ‘Dwarf’, salvia ‘Fairy Queen’, begonia ‘Dragone Dusty Rose’, verbena ‘Superbena Royale Iced Cherry’, pumpkin ‘Windsor’, petunia ‘Surfina Bouquet Denim’, ornamental millet, ‘Jade Princess’, and Calibrachoa ‘Superbells Lemon Slice’.

 Master Gardeners around the nation- and further

 The Maine Master Gardener class consists of 3.5 hr classes twice a week for 12 weeks.  The volunteer committment is 40 hours and class cost is based on income from $110 to $330.  In Kentucky the MG progrm consists of 13, 3.5 hour classes for a cost of $100.

 Did you know there are MG’s in Canada?  Their program is a little different from ours.  Three provinces have MG Associations that certify and coordinate the MG program.  People who wish to become Canadian MG’s can do so in one of three ways.  They can take 3 on line courses from the University of Guelph or on line courses from the Nova Scotia Agricultural College and present their transcripts proving they passed for certification.

 Or if the person has a horticulture related degree or extensive experience in a horticulture field they can take an exam offered 4 times a year in a supervised setting.  They have 2.5 hours to complete the exam and must score 70% or higher.  There is $100 fee for the exam.  If they fail they have one more chance in 3 years to re-take the exam.  A second failure means they must take the courses mentioned above.

A fall star performer

Asters are fall blooming perennials that can add last minute color to flower beds and borders. Perennial asters are easier to grow than mums are and more likely to survive the winter even when planted in full bloom in the fall. There are dozens of varieties of asters and there is sure to be a color and form of aster that will suit any garden.

Aster comes from the Greek word for star, and our wild asters may seem as numerous as stars sparkling across a dry meadow in the fall.  To read more go to;

http://www.examiner.com/article/how-to-grow-asters

 Got Grapes? 

Michigan is home to hundreds of small vineyards producing new and exciting wines but many Michigan homeowners also have table grapes growing in their backyard. If you don’t you can find them at the farmers market near you or you can even collect wild grapes that grow abundantly in Michigan.

Grapes can be canned or even frozen but both of these methods leave something to be desired. The best way to preserve Michigan grapes is to make grape juice and can that or to make grape jelly. One of the easiest jellies to make, grape jelly is a good beginner project in home food preservation. But grape jelly starts with grape juice and a bit of warning here is that you will need at least 24 hours to make grape juice correctly.

http://www.examiner.com/article/using-and-preserving-michigan-grapes

 

"The greatest service which can be rendered any country is to add a useful plant to its culture." - Thomas Jefferson