Time to Start Planting Vegetable Gardens.

[civil42806]

some of the best food ive ever eaten in my life was straight from the garden and from my grandfathers daily bout of surf fishing.

(plus a little friendly rice or home style grits of course)

Need to get a pressure cooker and start canning again.  Does the city still operate the canning facility downtown.  Also for you urbanites, it doesn't actually involve cans, it pints and quart jars with Kerr lids and rings, right Stephan.

Lol.  Yup. Mason or Ball Jars, pints and quarts.  Sterilized lids and some of the best variety of wholly organic foods available anywhere.  While I was in Muncie Indiana (home of Ball Jars in fact) I was always amazed that the best damned food available wasnt available in the stores.

Plus the pickling. 

ever done any of that Civil?

My mother use to make the best baby dill pickles you'd ever taste, fresh dill, cayan pepper out of the garden, mmmmmmm, they weren't kosher but they were excellent, nice lingering burn.  Used to make what we called Butter bread pickles, which is the normal sweet pickles that you buy today.  Still have the pickling vat in my house to day.

[civil42806]

some of the best food ive ever eaten in my life was straight from the garden and from my grandfathers daily bout of surf fishing.

(plus a little friendly rice or home style grits of course)

Need to get a pressure cooker and start canning again.  Does the city still operate the canning facility downtown.  Also for you urbanites, it doesn't actually involve cans, it pints and quart jars with Kerr lids and rings, right Stephan.

Lol.  Yup. Mason or Ball Jars, pints and quarts.  Sterilized lids and some of the best variety of wholly organic foods available anywhere.  While I was in Muncie Indiana (home of Ball Jars in fact) I was always amazed that the best damned food available wasnt available in the stores.

Plus the pickling. 

ever done any of that Civil?

My mother use to make the best baby dill pickles you'd ever taste, fresh dill, cayan pepper out of the garden, mmmmmmm, they weren't kosher but they were excellent, nice lingering burn.  Used to make what we called Butter bread pickles, which is the normal sweet pickles that you buy today.  Still have the pickling vat in my house to day.

And I have been dissapointed to realize that NO ONE, I mean NO ONE knows what the vat is for.

[stephendare]

pickling isnt really done here, I dont know why.

I learned more about it in the midwest than the south.

[civil42806]

pickling isnt really done here, I dont know why.

I learned more about it in the midwest than the south.

You need to get into the more rural areas of the south.  Where I grew up, the community of Mt. Hebron in north alabama pickiling was very common.  My mothers family was from Jax, always came down here and visited and after we lost the farm in the late 70's moved down here permanently.

[jacksonvilleconfidential]

pickling isnt really done here, I dont know why.

I learned more about it in the midwest than the south.

Pickling is quite common here actually and really it depends on the area from which you are from, I think. As ive said in previous threads....i am, pretty much from here (cocoa beach actually) and have had the pleasure of tasting many a pickled treat in Jacksonville.

[Keith-N-Jax]

Also who your neighbors are, there are alot of asians in my mom's neighbor and they pickle things like peppers and papaya all the time and are willing to share. They always brings us new dishes to sample. I grow alot of my own veggies already I enjoy doing it. The growing season is also longer here in Florida.

[stephendare]

funny, other than a little sweet pickling, I have never met a jacksonville family that pickles.

Are there any other jacksonville natives on here?  I was in a state of delight when I came across all the really cool kinds of pickling that you can experiment in.

Muncie was in the process of financial collapse when I arrived.  It wasnt visible, but it was already happening.  As a result the corporate restaurants and uppity local eateries were getting scarce, and one of the best places to find interesting food became the deli counter at Marsh's (the supermarket chain thats close to our Winn Dixie.)

The pickled offerings kindof blew me away.

Your mom's recipe sounds amazing civil.

Got any more?

Recipes jason?

[Jimmy Olsen]

pickling isnt really done here, I dont know why.

I learned more about it in the midwest than the south.

You need to get into the more rural areas of the south.  Where I grew up, the community of Mt. Hebron in north alabama pickiling was very common.  My mothers family was from Jax, always came down here and visited and after we lost the farm in the late 70's moved down here permanently.

My parents always had a garden while I was growing up. It was about a 1/4 acre on their acre of land in Nassau County. They pickled okra, peppers and made homemade dills. My neighbors had a few dozen Chickens, so they made pickled eggs a lot. I don't think many people here in town do it because of the lack of space. But it is very common in rural areas surrounding Jacksonville.

[stephendare]

really? Ive never had the nerve to try pickled okra.

Is it slimy or does it stay somewhat crisp?

Nassau County?  really?

You know one thing I really miss from Indiana was the tomatoes.

So many freaking varieties.   Here locally the choices seem unnaturally limited.

[uptowngirl]

some of the best food ive ever eaten in my life was straight from the garden and from my grandfathers daily bout of surf fishing.

(plus a little friendly rice or home style grits of course)

Need to get a pressure cooker and start canning again.  Does the city still operate the canning facility downtown.  Also for you urbanites, it doesn't actually involve cans, it pints and quart jars with Kerr lids and rings, right Stephan.

Yes, the city does. A lady down the street goes there and has invited me to come along I just haven't yet but plan on joining her sometime

[cracklow]

I'm almost entirely sure the canning facility is still open, although I remember hearing complaints that it was barely open from the neglect - http://duval.ifas.ufl.edu/canning_center.shtml

Agricultural Canning Center

Today's modern Canning Center serves a different function than the original facility built in the early 1930s to feed inmates at a nearby prison.  Changed during World War II, it continues today to serve the community by teaching food preservation and storage techniques. 

The facility on Commonwealth Avenue was built in 1978 to better serve Jacksonville's growing population.  Air conditioned and recently updated,  the Canning Center provides an institutional kitchen environment.  All equipment necessary for canning is provided onsite.  Users provide their own ingredients.

Collaboration between the City of Jacksonville and the University of Florida, School of  Agriculture Extension Service provides funding for the Canning Center's services.  The client list includes Duval County residents, boaters, various churches, people on restricted diets, non-profit organizations within the city, the 4-H School Enrichment Program and other governmental agencies.  It is also used within the Agriculture Department to train its many master food and master gardener volunteers who subsequently assist in educational programming throughout the city.

The Canning Center has established a partnership with Duval County Schools, providing educational tours and teaching the value of agriculture to school age children throughout Jacksonville.  Students arrive at the center after touring a nearby farmer's market.  The Canning Center supervisor leads students through an educational program that teaches the difference between high-acid and low-acid foods and gives basic principles of food and kitchen safety, including a practical exercise in proper hand washing.  Students are taken step by step through the preparation process.  Finally, the students can their own snack, and watch the supervisor seal it mechanically and the students take it with them when they leave.  This is a favorite tour for both students and teachers.

Year-round hours:  8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday – Thursday
Who Can Use The Canning Center?

All Duval County residents who are canning for themselves, their families, churches, or any non-profit organization (not for businesses) may use the facility.  For safety reasons no children under 8 years of age are allowed. Walk in clients are not accepted.  You must call and make an appointment two or three days in advance, if possible.

What Is The Cost?Canned vegetables

$7.50 per hour, per group, including processing time, plus .65 cents per quart can, .45 cents per pint can (all low acid foods, vegetables, meats, soups and stews) must go in cans.  All high-acid foods (fruits, jellies, jams, and pickles) will go in jars.  Clients must provide their own jars.  There is a .15 cents per jar processing fee. To qualify for tax-exempt status, a nonprofit agency must have a valid Tax Exempt Certificate on file and pay for the canning with a check from the nonprofit agency or organization.
What Can We Can?

Tested and tried recipes must be used at the canning center.  The canning of fruits and vegetables are the most popular, but many other items can be canned:  meat, soup, jelly, jam. Etc.  The center has some recipes that have proven over the years to be just great.  Also the Family and Consumer Sciences Program area next door at the Duval County Extension Service/Agriculture Department, has many more recipes.
How Long Will It Take?

That depends on you and the help you bring with you.  Most people who are in by 8:30 a.m. will be out by 2 p.m., depending on recipe.

What Do We Bring?

Only your product and ingredients needed for recipe.  If using jars you must bring your own.  Bring boxes to use carrying the product home.

[Jason]

Excellent info!  Thanks for sharing.

[stephendare]

This is really the time to be buying seeds and soil for a winter crop of vegetables.

It would not hurt if every single person on this board did so and even the ones with no dirt or yard made deals with their neighbors and friends who do in order to get some actual gardens started.

The real problem is that most of our produce comes from other places that require distribution companies to be in business in order to get the food from one place to the next.

when those go under (and they will in scores) even well funded grocery stores will have problems re establishing distribution to their warehouses and fresh food shortages will occur.

Does anyone here have any insight into how the produce deliveries work at the port of jacksonville?

[Doctor_K]

My question is this:

If any part of that hypothesis becomes true, Stephan, what about the Farmers Markets?  I'd imagine those would thrive, no?

On another note, we've already bought more seeds and ceramic pots.  The people that work in our Target's Garden Center practically know us by name.

[Joe]

Obviously, if you can grow food efficiently, that's a net economic gain regardless of what type of market we are in. Vegetable gardens are more useful than lawns, no doubt.

However, you could certainly end up with an economic loss if you are not careful. Fertilizer, bug & weed control, (and your time) can end up being much more costly than store bought produce. Depends on what you grow and how well you do it.