National Weed Your Garden Day on June 13th each year serves as a reminder to all gardeners to take an extra 5 or 10 minutes while weeding their gardens.
One of the best gardening tips is to stay in control of your garden. Unfortunately, weeds grow fast, very fast. With inattention, they can soon become overwhelming. Giving daily attention to your garden makes it easier to maintain. Weeding 5 or 10 minutes each day will make the job seem bearable. It might even be enjoyable. This way you will be in control, and the weeds will not!
Excessive and unwanted weeds will crowd out plant roots and steal the nutrients that are needed for the plants to grow nice and be healthy. Helpful tips on reducing weeds in your garden:
Cover the soil along rows and between plants with mulch.
Make sure to keep all weeds away from young plants.
Plant your plants closely together to leave less room for weed growth.
Have soil weed-free before planting.
Make sure you do not let any of the weeds go to seed.
Keep the edges of your yard mowed short to lessen the invasion of weeds onto your property and into your garden.
On November 1st National Vinegar Day not only makes things taste great, but it also makes things sparkle, too. Vinegar is produced either by a fast or a slow fermentation process. Slow methods are generally used with traditional vinegar and the fermentation proceeds slowly over the course of months or up to a year.This household staple freshens a salad and brightens windows. While vinegar is common, it’s also one of the most useful household items made. Whether cooking or cleaning, be sure to add vinegar to your shopping list.
There are many varieties of vinegar:
Apple cider – Made primarily from apple juice, yeast turns the juice to vinegar.
Balsamic – This darker and intensely acidic vinegar is made from grapes. It makes an excellent salad dressing and can also be cooked down into a syrup.
Beer or Malt – The vinegar comes in a variety of flavors all determined by the beer or malt used to make it. This type of vinegar brings complex flavors to your cooking. Whether making a sauce or a marinade, you won’t go wrong.
Cane – Made from sugar cane syrup, this vinegar is mellow with a mild sweetness. Use it in vinaigrettes or sauces.
Distilled – This powerhouse vinegar made from grain alcohol both cleans and makes great pickles. It is the most versatile of the vinegars. However, it must be pointed out that other vinegars make great pickles, too.
Rice – This sweeter vinegar makes great sauces that pair well with fried foods, Asian cuisine and cooked vegetables.
Red wine – Made from red wine, this vinegar makes an excellent marinade for red meats. Use it to deglaze a pan before making a sauce. It also complements vegetables.
Coconut – Made from the sap produced by the flowers of coconut trees, this vinegar adds sweetness to soups and salad dressings. It’s most often found in Asian and Indian cuisine but is subtle enough to be used in many other recipes.
But those aren’t all. You can also explore flavored vinegars, honey, palm, raisin, and kombucha vinegars, too!
Vinegar offers us so many ways to celebrate! If you’re not sure where to start, simple try making a batch of refrigerator pickles. You can also explore making your own vinegar from your favorite base ingredient. There are numerous recipes out there for this ancient practice. Share your favorite recipes for sauces or dressings, too. Where will you start? Let us know using #NationalVinegarDay to post on social media.
