TOMATO CANNING CLASS 

AT RYAN HOUSE

This fall Ryan House hosted our first canning class with guest speaker MSU Extension educator Beth Waitrovich.  She taught garden and community members the basics of canning safely at home and led a demonstration workshop using a steam canning technique. Steam canning is great way to preserve high-acid foods using a small amount of water that produces steam within the canner and around the jars. Below are the basic steps but be sure to check out these links for details on safe canning at home. Choose website recipes carefully from 1995 or later. USDA, State extension recipes, Mrs. Wages, and Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving are recommended.  Here are a few links below.

Basics of steam canning https://www.canr.msu.edu/uploads/resources/pdfs/basics_of_steam_canning_mi_fresh_2018.pdf

Using, Storing, and Preserving Tomatoes
http://msue.anr.msu.edu/uploads/resources/pdfs/HNI17_tomatoes.pdf
For more recipes see U.S. Department of Agriculture Complete Guide to Home Canning
https://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/publications_usda.html

Select ripe unblemished fruit

Rinse tomatoes then blanch in boiling water
for one minute to loosen skin.

Place in ice bath. Then peel, cut out core, and quarter tomatoes. Many hands make light work. 

Heat one pound of tomatoes quarters while crushing
 with a wooden spoon. Once boiling add
 remaining tomatoes. Bring to boil and boil 
gently for 5 minutes. 

Fill clean hot jars with tomatoes and lemon juice per recipe above leaving 1/2 head space. Remove air bubbles, wipe rim, and hand tighten lid. Process in steam canner per instructions (see link above).

Viola! After steam canner processing be sure to use tongs and keep jars upright while they cool. 

Special thanks to Beth for making the long drive. Her class was not only informative but loads of fun!

Ryan Street Community Garden partners with Ryan Center : Early Head Start and Preschool

RSCG volunteers helped Ryan Center preschoolers start seedlings indoors this spring. The preschoolers learned all about what plants need to grow.

Seedlings grown at Ryan Center including peppers, tomatoes, basil, and broccoli. 

Squash seedlings.

Already established strawberry plants.

RSCG volunteers prepared the Ryan Center raised bed and returned to help preschool gardeners transplant seedlings, plant seeds, and water all the new plantings.

Planting beet seeds. 

Ryan Center gardener watering basil plants.

.

Special thanks to the lead teacher Jaime Gariepy and the other Ryan Center teachers for supporting this project.

Cleaning up the house

The house

There is a house next to the garden and we now have acquired it for garden related activities.This past Saturday a bunch of us cleaned it up. It sat all winter and has been empty for some time so it needed a good cleaning.

It was hours of window washing, vacuuming, sweeping, scrubbing and mopping but in the end it is sparkling clean. There are still some things that need to be done but it is officially functional as a gathering place.

Thanks all for the hard work everyone. 

Sometimes cleaning is fun

Mandy and Beth working hard on the kitchen

Washing windows.

Readying for a New Growing Season

      As the snow begins to melt and the birds sing their songs the urge to garden grows and so us at the garden start making plans. Carrots, tomatoes, kale, broccoli, and so many more vegetables are on our minds.

The snow is starting to melt off the beds and new plants are starting to peek through the ground. Rhubarb is the first of those plants and is coming in nicely. This sweet and tarty plant is perfect for making pies, jams and even though the leaves are poisonous they can be useful. Concrete bird baths can be made with them and a mordant (a substance that combines with a dye or stain and thereby fixes it in a material) can be made for dying fabrics and yarns. 

Rhubarb

Thanks to the weather the beds are almost completely snow free

A few more warm days and all the snow will be gone

This year the Community Garden is planning to have classes. Canning, food processing, and even learning how to dye with plants. Dates are not set yet but will be coming soon. Even some films about gardening will be shown.


Garden Work Days 2018
May 19th 10am - 1pm: First Garden Day: getting the garden ready for another growing season
June 16th 10 am - 1 pm 
July 21st 9am -12pm 
August 18th 9am- 12pm 
September 15th 10am -1pm 
October  13th 10am -1pm Last Garden Day: getting the garden ready for winter

Garden work days are when all the gardeners come together to take care of the communal areas of the garden. Weeding, compost, collecting fruits and herbs from the perennial garden, and working on projects.

This years projects include a rain barrel collection system and continuing work on the mosaic wall.

The Ryan Street Community Garden has acquired the house next to it and has big plans for the house. This will be were classes will be held (hopefully) and other activities. Fixing up and readying the house is one of the projects that will be a priority this year.

The public is welcome in our garden! Although please do not take any produce that has not been given. We work hard for our produce and do not appreciate theft.  Come enjoy the peaceful atmosphere and take a look around. If you have any questions about the garden please feel free to drop by on work days or email Amanda at louniboss@gmail.com