SHIFTING ROOTS

home, garden, food, and prairie lifestyle

Beginners Guide to Peonies: Growing Tips and Beautiful DIYs.

Peony season is finally here!  For two weeks in June peony lovers everywhere rejoice and furiously arrange and photograph their precious flowers. . . or maybe that’s just me.  There’s nothing like those delicate shades of pink and that glorious scent wafting from every bloom.

But peonies aren’t always as easy to grow as they might seem. In this post, I go over how to grow peonies (especially if you’re in Canada like I am), how long before your peony will grow, and some tips for transplanting peonies.

Did you know that peonies make excellent cut flowers? Once they have established, peonies will provide you with many cut flowers to use in the five DIY flower arrangements I’ve listed at the end of the post.

If you live in hardiness zones 2-8, you really need to pick up a peony root from your nearest garden centre or friend with too many on her hands.  Here’s everything you need to know to grow and play with herbaceous peonies.

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How to Make Chokecherry Jelly

Just as the Saskatoon berries start to dry out, a new prairie berry emerges: Chokecherries! Chokecherries are very astringent, so they don’t taste good when you eat them straight off of the tree. However, when you extract the juice and copious amounts of sugar, they’re downright delicious.

There are plenty of chokecherries at my Mother-in-law’s acreage, and for once the birds didn’t beat me to them. I was also lucky enough to be at a campsite that was completely surrounded with chokecherry bushes–what luck!! (Please tell me I’m not the only person who likes to go berry picking on their lake vacation.)

So the Hermit and I picked around 25 cups of berries, juiced them up, and made them into this delicious chokecherry jelly.

I’ve included this video so you can see the process. If you’re brand new to canning, you might want to start with this post on canning basics, and this one with all the equipment you need for home canning.

Where do you find Chokecherries?

Both wild and commercially crown chokecherries are good for making jelly. Wild chokecherries grow in the same sorts of places that wild Saskatoon berries do, so if you come across a patch of Saskatoon berries, you might also find chokecherry bushes there a few weeks later.

If you’re purchasing chokecherries, you can get them from online stores that specialize in fruit trees, or from larger garden centres. If you want to order more trees and your garden centre currently does not carry them, you could always ask if they would be willing to put in a special order for you.

Related: 28 Hardy Fruits you can grow in zone 2 and zone 3

Are Schubert Chokecherries Safe to Eat?

Yes! You’ll often see Schubert chokecherry trees used in landscapes, and these chokecherries are perfectly edible too. I’ve made batches of chokecherry jelly with them, and they taste just as good as the wild ones and ones that aren’t used in landscaping.

Back to the Jelly–Will this one actually Set!?!?

I feel you, I’ve had many a batch of jelly end up being syrup. And while I love syrup, it’s really annoying when I intended to make jelly. Over the years I’ve tweaked my recipe so that I’m actually guaranteed success in getting my jelly to set up. It might not be the ratios you’re used to seeing, but it will set for you.

Yield: 6-7 250ml jars

Chokecherry Jelly

Chokecherry Jelly

Chokecherry jelly that will actually set, with instrucitons for using a steamer juicer

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Additional Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours

Ingredients

  • 4 cups chokecherry juice
  • 6 cups white sugar
  • 2 packages of pectin (57 grams each)
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Pick, clean, and wash a large amount of chokecherries to be steamed in your steamer juicer. 1 large ice cream pail should get you enough liquid, but I can't guarantee it or give you an exact amount because it will vary with how ripe your chokecherries are and what variety you picked. No need to remove the stems if you are steaming them.
  2. If using a steam juicer, steam the chokecherries for approimately 60 minutes and collect the juice.
  3. Sterilize 7 small (250 ml) jam jars.
  4. Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Boil for 5 minutes, stiring constantly.
  5. Turn off heat and remove as much foam as possible.
  6. Transfer liquid to jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Clean any spills and secure lids.
  7. Boil for 10 minutes (15 if you live in a higher altitude)
  8. Remove and let sit for 24 hours. Put any jars that don't seal into the fridge and use first.

DO YOU JUST WANT THE RECIPE WITHOUT HAVING TO SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM?

Get over 25 of them– using Saskatoon berries, sour cherries, raspberries, rhubarb and more. For a limited time its only $7–60% off the regular price!

FIND OUT MORE OR BUY NOW!

Gooseberry Jam

Gooseberry Jam is a delicious topping for breads, and so worth the trouble of picking the gooseberries. The bushes have long thorns, which means that you can’t pick these berries in a hurry, and you probably don’t want to make your young kids help you with this task. I got a couple of scrapes each time I went picking, because I’m always so anxious to get the job done or grab the next berry.

Gooseberry jam on toast

My Mother-in-law just loves gooseberry jam, and specifically planted the bushes in her zone 3 garden so we could make this recipe. She shared a little secret with me to get the best tasting jam–make sure at least one cup of the gooseberries are underripe.

Finally, gooseberries are naturally full of pectin, so there’s no need to put any in the jam. I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Closeup of Gooseberry Jam from my easy canning recipe.
Yield: Approximately 7 250ml small jars

Gooseberry Jam

Gooseberry Jam

A basic Gooseberry Jam recipe without pectin.

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Additional Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 6 cups gooseberries (at least 1 cup should be under-ripe)
  • 6 cups white sugar
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Wash gooseberries and remove the tops and stems.
  2. Sterilize jars you'll be using for canning be either boiling for 10 minutes, running through a bottle sterilizer, or cooking in the oven for 10 minutes at 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Boil the lids and rings in water for 10 minutes.
  3. Add gooseberries, sugar, and lemon juice into a tall pot.
  4. Cook on medium high heat, stirring occasionally. Once the mixture reaches a rolling boil, reduce the heat and start timing the boil--15 to 20 minutes.
  5. Turn off heat and remove as much foam as possible.
  6. Pour jam into sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace..
  7. Clean off any spillage on the rims with a clean cloth.
  8. Put on lids and secure with rims. Boil in water for 10 minutes. The water must be at least 1 inch over the top of the jars.
  9. Remove after 10 minutes and set jars on a clean towel. Do not tilt the jar as you remove it, as that could compromise the seal. Do not move jars for 24 hours.
  10. If you have any jars that don't seal, or a jar with too much headspace, put it in the fridge and use that one first.

Notes

If you live at a higher altitude, you may need to boil your jars, lids, rims, and jam for more than 10 minutes to sterilize them.

DO YOU JUST WANT THE RECIPE WITHOUT HAVING TO SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM?

Get over 25 of them– using Saskatoon berries, sour cherries, raspberries, rhubarb and more. For a limited time its only $7–60% off the regular price!

FIND OUT MORE OR BUY NOW!

Saskatoon Berry Jam

I love the taste of Saskatoon berries and this jam recipe keeps the deliciousness going all summer long. American friends, you might also know these berries as serviceberries or juneberries. Whatever you call them, this jam is delicious and easy to make.

One thing that might be a little different about this recipe than others you might find, is that I like to chop up the Saskatoons beforehand, instead of mashing them with a potato masher while they’re cooking. I just don’t like eating a full berry on my toast, I like the texture that comes from blending them up a bit beforehand better.

Enjoy!

Yield: 5-6 small jars

Saskatoon Berry Jam

Saskatoon Berry Jam

A basic Saskatoon Berry Jam recipe that your family will love.

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 5 cups Saskatoon berries
  • 1 medium apple
  • 5 cups white sugar
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 package pectin

Instructions

  1. Sterilize jars you'll be using for canning be either boiling for 10 minutes, running through a bottle sterilizer, or cooking in the oven for 10 minutes at 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Boil the lids and rings in water for 10 minutes.
  2. Pulse clean Saskatoon berries and cored apple in a blender for a minute.
  3. Pour mixture into a tall pot, and add sugar and lemon juice.
  4. Cook on medium high heat, stirring frequently. Add the pectin when the mixture boils.
  5. The pectin package says to boil for one minute, but I frequently find that my jam never sets with that short of a boil. I suggest boiling for 3-5 minutes.
  6. Turn off heat and pour jam into sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace..
  7. Clean off any spillage on the rims with a clean cloth.
  8. Put on lids and secure with rims. Boil in water for 10 minutes. The water must be at least 1 inch over the top of the jars.
  9. Remove after 10 minutes and set jars on a clean towel. Do not tilt the jar as you remove it, as that could compromise the seal. Do not move jars for 24 hours.
  10. If you have any jars that don't seal, or a jar with too much headspace, put it in the fridge and use that one first.

Notes

If you live at a higher altitude, you may need to boil your jars, lids, rims, and jam for more than 10 minutes to sterilize them. Please see this guide for proper altitude adjustments.

DO YOU JUST WANT THE RECIPE WITHOUT HAVING TO SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM?

Get over 25 of them– using Saskatoon berries, sour cherries, raspberries, rhubarb and more. For a limited time its only $7–60% off the regular price!

FIND OUT MORE OR BUY NOW!

How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies (It’s Not What You Think)

Every year we struggle with fruit flies. The temperature rises, you leave out one little piece of fruit, and the fruit flies slowly become overlords of the kitchen. Usually I’m able to get rid of them by keeping the fruit in the fridge, aggressively cleaning, and if all else fails, waiting until October or November when the temperature goes down far enough to kill them off for me.

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But not last year!! I don’t what kind of ridiculous strain of fruit fly came to live with us, but I could not get rid of them. There was no solution, bought or homemade that actually worked.

*gives death glare to anyone who suggests I make that homemade solution with fruit juice and a piece of saran wrap over a cup, or any variation of that*

It does. not. work.

And those sticky tapes? I’ve seen them work for other people, but my particular fruit flies refused to take the bait. Oh no, they laughed. We’ve seen those before and we’re faaaarrrr to smart.

To add insult to injury, the few fruit flies that managed to stick on the tape MANAGED TO FLY OFF AGAIN. What in the world!?!?!?

This fruit is a fruit fly's paradise.

So I had basically handed over my kitchen to the fruit flies and given up on ever having a bug free kitchen. Then one day, I tried to clean out my fridge and failed.

How can you fail at cleaning your fridge, you ask? Well, I had a small baby, was trying to do a million things at once, started cleaning out the fridge, got distracted by who knows what, and left out some containers of fruit. I remember thinking, “oh they’ll be fine. Fruit won’t go bad right away and I’ll put them back in a few minutes.”

A few minutes turned into a few days and suddenly my grapes were no good anymore. But something something interesting happened. The fruit flies finally disappeared.

You see, the grapes were in a Tupperware Fridge Smart. For once, the fruit flies were attracted to the fruit, but there was no way those slimy buggers could actually get out. Sure, it was gross cleaning out the container. But they were finally gone!!!!!!

I don’t sell Tupperware nor am I sponsored by them. If you know a Tupperware Lady, throw some money at her and buy a small herb sized Fridge Smart for around $20. You could also try these containers on Amazon that would likely do the job too. But I’m not sure if they actually work as well as the Tupperware.

pinterest image for how to get rid of fruit flies.

Welcome!

Hi, I’m Kristen and I help new gardeners learn to grow their own vegetables and beautify their yards. I also share recipes that use all that delicious garden produce. Grab a coffee (and your gardening gloves) and join me for gardening tips, simple recipes, and the occasional DIY, all from the lovely city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

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