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gardening_kristi

@gardeningkristi.bsky.social

820 followers 380 following 1.7K posts

Transforming a lawn in the Philly 'burbs into an edible landscape & insect habitat. Growing new gardeners. https://gardeningkristi.substack.com/

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gardening_kristi @gardeningkristi.bsky.social · Jan 12

Hi! I'm gardening_kristi!
👶New to Bluesky 01/12/2025
👩‍🌾Experienced gardener
📸My photos, my gardens
🌱Vegetables, fruit, herbs, spices
🍅Food preservation
🐛Insect appreciation
🦋Native plants, habitat
🤓Penn State Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Speaker

Production vegetable garden beds and compost.

"Patio Prairie" featuring Smooth Asters, Rough Blazingstar, Little Bluestem, and Showy Goldenrod at peak beauty.

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gardening_kristi @gardeningkristi.bsky.social · 21h

I had a fish named after a sun god and a cat named after a spring goddess. Husband and I take turns naming the pets, and he uses puns and comics for his names. Hoping to adopt kittens in spring when there are fewer holes in the house.

gardening_kristi @gardeningkristi.bsky.social · 22h

I initially thought Balor and Grimnir, or another one of the many nicknames for Odin. I burden my pets with legendary names, although your names are legendary as well, and much cuter.

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gardening_kristi @gardeningkristi.bsky.social · 23h

Unexpectedly early frost this morning. I managed to spend my lunch break yesterday gleaning what I could. I'll miss the figs and Roselle Hibiscus. I covered the Wiri Wiri peppers, hoping to get more peppers for pepper sauce. 🌱 #vegetablegardening #organicgardening

A stainless steel bowl of figs, a Felco pruner is visible in the bowl.

Unwashed produce piled on the kitchen counter - peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, Roselle Hibiscus calyxes.

Common Mint, washed, drying on the kitchen counter.

Wiri Wiri peppers, covered with white frost cloth. Garden visible in the background.

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gardening_kristi @gardeningkristi.bsky.social · 1d

Congratulations! They are adorable! 🐱🐱 Yay!

gardening_kristi @gardeningkristi.bsky.social · 1d

I'm so sorry. There's never enough time with our beloved cats. It's very sad. You have my sympathy.

gardening_kristi @gardeningkristi.bsky.social · 2d

Awkward and anxious,
Roast Beef found a home with us,
Uncertain feline

(Came for the cat haikus, you did not disappoint!)

A gray cat with yellow eyes, some white on his face, and some faint, dark, stripes, relaxes under eggplant in a garden bed.

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gardening_kristi @gardeningkristi.bsky.social · 2d

The city names of Reading, Lebanon, and Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

gardening_kristi @gardeningkristi.bsky.social · 2d

Congratulations! May they bring you as much joy, fun, companionship, and love as our cats gave to us. ♥️

gardening_kristi @gardeningkristi.bsky.social · 2d

Seemed the least we could do!

gardening_kristi @gardeningkristi.bsky.social · 2d

At the end of his defense, we presented a friend with a tee that said, "Doctor as Fuck" in glittery letters. "Grown Ass Person with a PhD" would also make an excellent tee.

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gardening_kristi @gardeningkristi.bsky.social · 2d

No, it's never enough. ♥️

gardening_kristi @gardeningkristi.bsky.social · 2d

I'm sorry you're mourning the loss of your pet. I am also mourning the loss of two pets, one died three years ago and one died in June. They left a gigantic hole in my life. I miss them every day. You have my sympathy.

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gardening_kristi @gardeningkristi.bsky.social · 2d

Carolina Mantis mating in the Philly Burbs, and me, with my intrusive phone, took lots of photos from multiple angles. 🙈🌱 #bugsky #insects

Gray and brown colored Carolina Mantis mate on a plant in the Philadelphia suburbs. In this photo, you can see the bottom of their abdomens joined. The male is above the female. They positioned on a plant.

Gray and brown colored Carolina Mantis mate on a plant in the Philadelphia suburbs. In this photo, they are upside down.

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gardening_kristi @gardeningkristi.bsky.social · 3d

The caption should read half pints of jam, not pints. 😅😊🙈

gardening_kristi @gardeningkristi.bsky.social · 3d

Two quarts of delicious Chicago Hardy Figs transformed into 9 pints of delicious jam. Food preservation season chugging along. 🌱 #vegetablegardening #organicgardening

Chicago Hardy Figs, chopped, in bowls on a kitchen counter.

Red fig jam, hot, out of the pot, measured into hot, sterilized, jars.

The color and texture of the fig jam is shown on the fingertip of the cook and gardener. The jam is red, soft set, and transparent. There is a dirty pot in the background.

Fig jam in jars, sealed, out of the water bath, rings removed for storage. The setting is a kitchen. The jam is red, seeds are visible, the jars shine in the sun.

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gardening_kristi @gardeningkristi.bsky.social · 4d

A lovely photo! Pretty horses!

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gardening_kristi @gardeningkristi.bsky.social · 4d

Wowwwww. I'm speechless.

gardening_kristi @gardeningkristi.bsky.social · 4d

It was fun to grow Roselle Hibiscus here in the Philly Burbs, and get some harvest, but this won't be a crop that appears in every year's garden. This is a crop to grow for joy and experience, not yield, at this latitude.

gardening_kristi @gardeningkristi.bsky.social · 4d

This is what the spent ingredients look like when strained from the Sorrel Drink. Drink it plain in a glass. It's delicious. You can add sugar or simple syrup to sweeten it if it's too tart or some plain water if it's too intense. It's also good with some traditional Pot Still rum and grated nutmeg.

The strained ingredients remaining after the Sorrel Drink is brewed. You can see the fine strainer used in the photo and mushy Lemongrass, Canela, and Hibiscus calyxes in the photo.

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gardening_kristi @gardeningkristi.bsky.social · 4d

Yesterday I made my version of Sorrel Drink with the Roselle Hibiscus harvest. Usually the calyxes are dried and purchased from the local International grocery store. I love to make my favorite things with ingredients grown in my own garden. 🌱 #vegetablegardening #organicgardening

Some freshly harvested and washed Roselle Hibiscus calyxes are pictured on a kitchen counter. They are deep red in color. In the background there are green seed pods.

In order to process the Roselle Hibiscus calyxes for immediate cooking or dehydrating, the seed pods need to be removed. Cutting off the receptacle and pedicel, the little stem and the part of the calyx that connect the flower to the little stem, was the easiest way I found. After you cut off this bottom portion, the seed pod is easy to push out.

Roselle Hibiscus calyxes, dried Lemongrass from last season's garden, fresh Ginger, Canela Cinnamon Sticks, Cloves, Allspice berries go into a pot with water to be cooked as my take on Sorrel Drink. The Lemongrass stalks are floating on top, as are the Roselle.

Sorrel Drink simmered for 15 minutes and cooled. It's deep red.

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gardening_kristi @gardeningkristi.bsky.social · 5d

A secret squidmirer. ♥️

gardening_kristi @gardeningkristi.bsky.social · 5d

I've found that repeated exposure over my entire adulthood cooking has made me very sensitive. I have to wear gloves if I so much as look at a chili. If you need relief, soaking your hands in milk helps.

gardening_kristi @gardeningkristi.bsky.social · 5d

Don't let that one get away! 😄

gardening_kristi @gardeningkristi.bsky.social · 5d

Yes, I plant very intensely. Everything that vines is grown vertically. Between the trellises are smaller, short season plants. Large plants like cabbage have radishes, turnips, and scallions in between. I usually keep sowing seeds all season long. This year I stopped sowing in July. No fall crops.

gardening_kristi @gardeningkristi.bsky.social · 5d

They are fantastic green or ripe. Very sweet. They're prolific and early to ripen. The plants stay pretty small and often don't need staking. Easy to do a trial of a few plants without spending much garden space.

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