the garden

GROWING FOOD

by

GROWING FOOD AT 9,000 FEET

Garden

Our High Elevation Vegetable Garden, at just under 9,000 feet elevation*, was started in the Spring of 2017. While our focus here at HIGH COUNTRY LIVING will be growing food at HIGH ELEVATION, there will be a great deal of general gardening tips that can apply at any location. 

OUR GARDEN HISTORY

To start off and get an idea of where we're coming from, please read a little of our gardening history. This photo shows our first garden in our former location.

CHOOSING THE GARDEN SITE

Our new garden was in the planning stages for several months, starting with CHOOSING THE GARDEN SITE. All of our careful planning paid off, and we've reaped the reward of a successful garden.

OUTDOOR GARDEN

Our raised beds are topped with hoops to allow protection from the intense sun or cold nights. OUTDOORS we grow the things that do well in our climate; the more tender plants grow in the GREENHOUSE.

GREENHOUSE

We can't grow everything we want to outdoors--not even in the summer months. We've added a heated GREENHOUSE to grow the most tender plants in the summer and a variety of things throughout the winter.

CLIMATE & GROWING ZONES

Mountain climates can be different from one hill or meadow to the next, and determines what we can and cannot grow. At high elevation this can be tricky, and the USDA Zones don't fit for our elevation.

THE FOOD WE GROW

We grow many vegetables, either outdoors or in the greenhouse. See WHAT GROWS AT 9,000' (and what's unsuccessful).

*ELEVATION VS. ALTITUDE

There are many websites and publications about high elevation/high altitude gardening or cooking which use the words “elevation” or “altitude” arbitrarily and interchangeably. Throughout this website you’ll primarily see “elevation,” NOT “altitude” to indicate our location.

ELEVATION is used more for a PLACE on earth and its relation to sea level, i.e. a city, mountaintop, a home garden.
ALTITUDE is used to indicate an OBJECT’s relation to sea level, such as an airplane.

USING INSTANT POT AT HIGH ELEVATION

by

USING AN INSTANT POT AT HIGH ELEVATION

I recently joined the Instant Pot or pressure/multi cooker craze, and have found a whole new world of recipes, reviews and self-proclaimed experts. I certainly don’t consider myself an expert, but after about a year of research and trial-and-error, I’ve got experience that may be helpful to the newbies.

My Instant Pot Ultra was purchased in December 2019, and most of my experience is based on this model. There are a lot of different multi-cookers out there to choose from, and a lot of websites touting pros and cons. Most websites are NOT run by people who actually live at high elevation, and hands-on experience at high elevation is hard to find on the web. My first purchase was the Mueller Ultra Pot, which I chose after comparing it with the Instant Pot Duo SV, which was currently on sale at Costco, and a couple of other popular Instant Pots. After about a week of use, I returned it, did a LOT more research about these multi-cookers, about using them at high elevation, and about high-elevation cooking in general. After a great deal of consideration, I chose the Instant Pot Ultra, 6 quart, and I’m glad I did. If this model is not available at the time of reading or it is not offered at a competitive price, look for some of the features below in the most current models.

 

HIGH-ELEVATION CONSIDERATIONS

At high elevation, we have a few special needs to keep in mind when using these multicookers. Some are often mentioned on various websites promoting them or on those providing recipes. Others are not.

TIME ADJUSTMENT
It is pretty well known that at high elevation, we need to adjust all multicooker recipes according to our elevation. There are charts available on several websites. Generally, the consensus is that for high elevation we should increase pressure cooking time by 5% for every 1000 ft above 2000 ft elevation. So for me, at 9,000 feet, I need to add 35% more time to every recipe. For example, if a recipe says you’ll need pressure for 20 minutes, I’ll need to multiply 20 times 1.35 = 27 minutes. This method has worked well for most recipes, but be prepared for some trial-and-error. For some recipes I add less time, for others I find I need more time. I cannot say for sure, because I have no hands-on experience at lower elevations, but I believe that on the upside, the Instant Pot actually takes less time to come to pressure. Because water boils more quickly at higher elevation—the same would be true under pressure, because the pressure added by the pressure cooker only ADDS it to the atmospheric pressure we are already in, outside of the cooker.

HIGH ELEVATION SCIENCE
This article at HipPressureCooking explains a bit of the science involved. It took awhile for me to wrap my head around all of this, and this article at ScienceABC helps explain how water boils at high elevation. The short version: Water boils at a lower temperature at higher elevation. It boils more quickly at higher elevation. The temperature of boiling water never gets any higher that what your elevation allows for, therefore the food will take longer to cook. Adding pressure inside a pressure cooker allows water to boil at a higher temperature than it would in an open pot, therefore the food cooks faster under pressure.

HIGH PRESSURE VS LOW PRESSURE
Most of the Instant Pots boast their HIGH Pressure is around 10.2-11.6 psi (let’s call it 11 psi). At sea level, this adds the 11 psi to the atmospheric pressure of 14.7 psi, for a total of about 25.7 psi in the pot. LOW pressure is listed as 5.8-7.2 psi (let’s call it 7 psi), so at sea level the pressure inside the pot would be about 21.7 psi.

Here at 9,000 feet, the atmospheric pressure is about 10.5 psi, so after doing the math, HIGH pressure here is roughly 21.5 psi, and LOW pressure would be about 17.5 psi. So for me, using the cooker at HIGH pressure here is about the same as someone at sea level using LOW pressure. We can’t change the pressure that these pots do, but we can keep in mind what’s going on and why we need to add more time to our recipes. When a recipe calls for LOW pressure (this is rare), at my elevation I could easily use the HIGH pressure function instead of LOW pressure with no time adjustment. I tried it, it works.

SAUTÉ FUNCTION
As I began to use the multicookers, I noticed that the SAUTÉ function can be very hot. It seemed that things were burning too quickly and I’d have to turn it down or off or add more liquid or oil to keep it from burning. This is also true when I cook in a pan on my stove—I need to keep my pan at a lower temperature to keep things from burning.

Here is where the article from ScienceABC is helpful. Keeping in mind that with lower atmospheric pressure there is greater evaporation, when I’m sautéing something like onions, the moisture evaporates quickly, leaving the drier part of the onion on the hot pan to burn. On the stove, I’ve learned to keep my burner at a lower temperature and take more time to cook things a little more slowly. The same holds true for multicookers, although some allow for more temperature adjustment than others. I’ve kept my SAUTÉ setting at “Medium” most of the time, I rarely use “High” and sometimes even the “Low” is too high.

SLOW COOK FUNCTION
As with the SAUTÉ function, the Slow Cook function on the Instant Pot Ultra also can provide some adjustments that not all multicookers provide. I found that the Slow Cook “High” setting is too high for many of my needs. When I “slow cook” I am not looking for a full rolling boil, but rather a gentle simmer. The high setting on the two multicookers I’ve used keeps things at a pretty wild boil here at my elevation. Turn it down!!! Now, whenever I slow cook I may use the “high” setting long enough to heat it up, but soon switch it to “medium” to continue the slow cooking time allowance, somtimes allowing for more time.

SIMMERING WITH THE INSTANT POT
Recently I was cooking a tomato sauce that needed to simmer for about an hour. I did not want it to boil or burn on the bottom, I just wanted a gentle simmer, uncovered. As the recipe suggested, I tried using the Sauté function at the LOW temperature setting. It was TOO HOT and resulted in a boil. (And with tomato sauce, that meant a lot of spits flying outside the pot onto my glasses and the countertop.) Then I tried using the Slow Cook function on MEDIUM. It wasn’t hot enough to simmer the sauce. I wanted a little more heat. Slow Cook on HIGH wasn’t enough either, but close.

Water boils at about 195.5° here. I’ve tried various temperatures for keeping a low simmer, and because the Instant Pot cycles itself on and off, adjusting itself to maintain the right heat, sometimes it boils a little more than I want, and other times a little less. Generally for a low simmer of a sauce or soup type of thing, I set my Ultra around 200-202°.  

HOW TO CHOOSE A PRESSURE/MULTI COOKER FOR HIGH ELEVATION
When choosing a multicooker/pressure cooker, keep these things in mind. You’ll need to be able to adjust to longer times when using pressure. When not using pressure, you may want to adjust the heat temperature lower. Look for a multicooker that provides this option. You should also check to see what PSI is promised for high or low settings, and get one that allows for higher pressure. Some of the pots have time limits, i.e. certain functions will only go for an hour or two. You may need a longer time for your recipe, which may require you to reset your time at some point during the process. The Mueller Ultra Pot I originally purchased did not have lower temperature adjustment for the SAUTÉ and SLOWCOOK functions, and I was unable to keep things from cooking too hot. Additionally, the Mueller Ultra used a lower PSI for both their high and low settings, which would have required more time added when cooking recipes created for the Instant Pots. Please see my review of the Mueller Ultra.

The INSTANT POT ULTRA, which is my preferred choice, has an altitude adjustment which automatically changes the times for the pre-programmed buttons. This is a bit helpful, but honestly not much. They claim that the altitude adjustment “takes the guesswork out of recipe conversion.”  Well, only if you use the pre-programmed choices. I think that their claim is misleading. I still have to do the math and make manual changes for any recipes which use the “Pressure” or “Ultra” settings, which is 90% of the time. I’m not keen on using the pre-programmed functions. However, this Instant Pot Ultra allows High-Medium-Low choices for the temperatures of the Sauté or Slow Cook functions, as well as a Custom choice in which you can set your own temperature. Additionally, it will remember which adjustment you chose last, so the next time you use the pot it will go back to that same adjustment until you change it. These things are all very helpful at high elevation. Please see my review of the Instant Pot Ultra.

If you’re considering the purchase of an Instant Pot or other multicooker, keep all these things in mind when making a choice. I sure wish I had known all of these things before my first purchase. Other multicookers may be just as customizable as the Instant Pot Ultra, so there may be other good choices available. Use a keen eye when selecting anything that boasts an “altitude adjustment” and try to find out what it actually does. The advertising buzz lines may be misleading.

COST
If you’re interested in buying one of these multicookers from Amazon, keep in mind that the prices on them may change daily. When I first purchased the Mueller, it was $60, and a couple of days later it was $75. The day I first viewed the Instant Pot Ultra, it was $80, just after Thanksgiving. A day or two later, after I’d decided to purchase it, it had gone up to $85. Later on it was $119. Keep in mind also, that if you want some of the useful accessories that are included with the Mueller Ultra, you’ll be paying some more $$ for all of these, in addition to other accessories that are nice to have. I’ve now spent about $140 on the IP Ultra and all its accessories. Some, I could do without, but they are nice to have. At minimum, plan on getting the glass lid, extra sealing rings, and a steamer tray or basket. I was fortunate to find a perfect steamer tray at my local thrift store. Other nice accessories: a set of stackable inserts for Pot-In-Pot (PIP) cooking, and a taller trivet to stack things higher (such as two halves of a winter squash). There are several other things that some people like, but I think I’m good for now!

 

ADJUSTING RECIPES AT HIGH ELEVATION

In addition to the Instant Pot quirks listed above, it is well to note that you need to use care in finding and using recipes. Many bloggers and website owners who write about their Instant Pots and share their recipes don’t seem to understand the need for high elevation adjustments. Many Most of them do not mention where they are located or what their own elevation is. This is sometimes true of writers at high elevation, also. This is a pet peeve of mine.

One of the web writers, Barbara at PressureCookingToday, has some helpful tips and often mentions on her recipes that she is at 5,000 feet, and that time adjustments may be required depending on whether you are cooking at a lower or higher elevation. That’s what I want to see on all the websites!  

Realistically, I do not always adjust my times the full 35% that is suggested for this elevation. It depends on what I’m cooking, and it’s been a sort of trial-and-error thing. I’ll round up or down the times if I think less time may be adequate or more time might be necessary. I sometimes add more cook time just by choosing a longer, “natural” release rather than the “quick” release.

YOUR CHOICE
Hopefully my experimentation and ramblings here will help you determine whether to purchase a multicooker and how to choose one. Good luck! I’m liking my Instant Pot. It cooks some things a lot faster and cleaner that with old methods. Potatoes cook faster and with less water, and if I want to mash them I do so right in the pot without straining off any water. Brown rice cooks superbly in less than half the time it took in my old rice cooker. Meats that I would cook in the slow cooker all day are now done in a couple of hours, if that. Have fun researching & experimenting!

MY REVIEWS
For a few more details, please see my reviews for the INSTANT POT ULTRA and the MUELLER ULTRA POT.

IPULTRA 500X333

REVIEW: INSTANT POT ULTRA (FOR HIGH ELEVATION)

by with No Comment Cooking

I recently got the INSTANT POT ULTRA (6-Quart) to use at my high elevation of 9,000 feet. Over the past 6 weeks or so I’ve experimented quite a bit with this and have found it to be a good choice for high elevation, but in different ways than advertised.

“HIGH ALTITUDE ADJUSTMENT”
The INSTANT POT ULTRA boasts a “High Altitude” feature. I’m glad I paid a little more to get this model, but not because of this feature. The high-altitude feature allows you to set your elevation in a system setting. The ULTRA description for this feature is misleading: it suggests that it “takes the guesswork out of recipe conversion”. This seems to imply that if I enter the time listed in a recipe, it will do the math for me and change the recipe time I’ve entered based on the elevation I’ve chosen. (Some independent reviewers have also indicated that it will do this.) It DOES NOT do this.

The only thing this adjustment does is change the amount of time for the pre-programmed buttons, such as RICE or PORRIDGE. So, if the PORRIDGE button sets 20 minutes by default at sea level, for my elevation the default time for that function is set at 27 minutes (35% more time added for 9,000 ft). That’s kind of nice, but not all that important for me since I usually follow recipes with their suggested timing rather than blindly push a button. I called IP Support and they verified that it only changes the pre-programmed button settings, NOT any manual times entered.

 

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THE INSTANT POT ULTRA AT HIGH ELEVATION

ULTRA “REMEMBERS”
The Instant Pot Ultra will “remember” settings used previously. So, if I choose PORRIDGE and set it for my own time rather than the default, it will remember my setting the next time I use that program. So, even if I’m not happy with the factory pre-set time for my altitude, it will still remember my own preference.

ADJUSTABLE TEMPERATURES
Because water boils at a lower temperature here (195.5 F at this elevation), some things will boil at factory pre-sets in the Sauté or SLOWCOOK programs, when I would prefer a slow simmer. i.e. The HIGH setting for the Sauté mode is often too hot and some things will burn before they finish cooking (e.g. onions). The ULTRA will allow me to choose my own temperature setting: LOW, MED or HIGH, or my own CUSTOM choice. It is often better at high altitude to cook things longer at a lower temperature, rather than too fast at high temps.

FUNCTIONS
This model has a STEAM function that lets you choose whether you do or don’t want to use pressure. Some other models only use pressure for steaming. This model also provides the ULTRA function, which allows you to do just about anything you want, with or without pressure, any temperature you choose. The YOGURT function also allows a custom choice for temperature: I felt that the default temperature was too hot, and was able to choose my own heat.

FEATURES
I like the automatic locking feature of this model. No need to remember to seal before pressure cooking. There is also a nice “Quick Release” button which allows you to release the pressure easily, without getting your hand in the way of the steam.

 

WHAT I DON’T LIKE

DIAL (PRO AND CON)
The dial allows this model to provide many more functions, such as the ability to choose your own temperatures, but it takes a bit of getting used to. If you turn too fast, a couple of hours will skip by! When something is flashing, you need to press the dial, then turn it to change whatever flashes, then press the dial again to set. I make a lot of mistakes, but am catching on. I can understand the need for this dial to allow for so many of the customizable features available.

ACCESSORIES (LACK)
This (as with all other Instant Pots) does NOT include the very useful other accessories that some other brands include in the box.

 

MY CHOICE

I chose the INSTANT POT ULTRA after a brief encounter with another multicooker that did not provide all the customization that the ULTRA provides. This has been a great choice for my situation and my personal cooking needs. The INSTANT POT MAX also provides many of the same customizable settings, and there may be other multicookers out there that will do the same. Keep in mind that in choosing a multicooker to use at high elevation, it’s important that it provides the ability to make your own customization.

** Please read this post about USING INSTANT POTS AT HIGH ELEVATION for more detailed information.

muellerpot

REVIEW: MUELLER ULTRA POT (FOR HIGH ELEVATION)

by with No Comment Cooking

When looking for an electric multicooker, I first purchased the Mueller Ultra Pot. I already had the Mueller Single Serve Coffee Maker, and I liked it, so their Ultra Pot seemed like it would be a good choice. It had great reviews on Amazon, it was less expensive than Costco’s Instant Pot model at the time, AND it included some accessories that the Instant Pot did not include; a steamer basket, a glass lid to use with the non-pressure functions, and an extra sealing ring. It also included a 2-year warranty. This multi-cooker would be a great choice for people at lower elevations, mainly because of the reasons I first chose it. However, after getting it into my home and using it for about a week, I discovered some issues with it that were not optimal for my use at 9,000’ elevation.

PRESSURE COOKING
This just isn’t the right pressure cooker for this elevation. The Mueller has HIGH and LOW pressure settings. I discovered after purchase that the HIGH setting is only 7.25-8.7 psi, and LOW is 4.35-5.8 psi. These values are found in the User Manual, and I have adjusted them to psi from the KPa values listed there. “High Pressure” (50-60KPa) and“Low Pressure” (30-40KPa) Since most recipes and the times listed in them are geared toward using an Instant Pot at sea level, I’d have to make a lot of adjustments to use the Mueller.

The Instant Pots run at roughly 11 psi for their HIGH and 7 psi for LOW pressure settings. The chart below shows that I’d have to add about 27% more time to all Instant Pot recipes to make them work. I’ve rounded off many of these values.

Mueller Ultra (MU) Instant Pot Ultra         (IPU)         Difference % Difference Add to Recipe
HIGH: ~8 psi HIGH: ~11 psi MU is 3 psi lower MU runs at ~73% of IPU 27% more time
LOW: ~5 psi LOW: ~7 psi MU is 2 psi lower MU runs at ~71% of IPU 28% more time

 

In addition to the additional time I already need add for cooking at 9,000 ft altitude this difference in pressure requires more math (and more time) for every recipe. I’m already adjusting recipes for this elevation by adding 35% more time, and with the lower pressure on the MU vs. the IPU, I would need to add about 60% time to the recipe to compensate for the lower pressure used with the Mueller (35% for altitude, 25% for lower pressure). Too much math and planning, every time I’d want to use it.

SLOW COOKING
The SLOW COOK function has only one setting, apparently pretty high. I tried the SLOW COOK function on the Mueller for something and it stayed at a strong, full boil the entire time. I often prefer a low simmer, which most cookers would do on a “low” setting. This is an altitude issue for me, where water boils at about 195.5°F. If I were at a lower altitude, the one setting for SLOW COOK might not be a problem.

SAUTÉ
The SAUTÉ function also has only one temperature; it stays pretty hot. Many things were burning on the edges before they were cooking on the inside, such as onions.

STEAM
The STEAM function was really no different from the manual PRESSURE cook function. I’d rather steam things without pressure. It was pretty easy to steam things by using the SAUTÉ function with water at the bottom of the pot and placing things on the trivet, which was included. I saw no reason for a STEAM function that was no different from any other PRESSURE choice.

USER MANUAL
Some of the instructions in the User Manual for the Mueller Ultra were confusing or absent. Many of the programs include “Modes”, listed as LOW-NORMAL-MORE. These are not explained anywhere in the manual, nor how to adjust for these amounts. Apparently, they correlate to times, such as less time, normal or more time, as shown on a chart in the manual. Correct me if I’m wrong. When you choose a function, such as “Rice”, keep pressing the function button and it will toggle through all three of these modes to allow you to choose.

There was a “condensation cup” included in the box, but no instruction as to how to put it on the pot. I figured it out.

Additionally, there was nothing in the manual about high altitude cooking. At 9,000 feet elevation I am always keen to check this out. Other web resources indicate that you should add 5% cooking time for each 1,000 feet above 2,000. (At 9,000 feet it is suggested that I add 35% more time.) This will still greatly reduce the cooking times for our altitude.

WHO SHOULD BUY THE MUELLER ULTRA POT
All that being said, this is still a very nice and economical cooker, and if I were at a lower altitude I would not have most of these issues. Owners of this unit should keep in mind that they may need to add more time to Instant Pot recipes to compensate for lower pressure. It was a great deal, with several included accessories: clear lid for slow cooking, steamer basket, trivet, extra silicone gasket.

**For more information, please read the post: USING INSTANT POTS AT HIGH ELEVATION .

USDA Hardiness Zones

GROWING ZONES & MOUNTAIN CLIMATES

by with 3 Comments Garden

I DO AS MUCH RESEARCH AS I CAN  before I plant the garden. I want to be successful! To do so I know I need to plant fruits and vegetables that will grow well in my climate. I also want to choose the specific varieties that should do the best.

In my unique environment, this is very difficult! Many of the books we have read about vegetable gardening are based on the author’s personal experience in their own location. They often don’t seem to have a clue about what it’s like where I live. Many websites are written with lots of suggestions, but often don’t even mention where the authors are located. This is incredibly frustrating. Our short seasons, cold summer nights, & warm days, just don’t fit with most gardening plans and charts. The “local” nurseries and garden shops we go to don’t generally understand or carry varieties particularly suited for our location either, since they are all located at least 3,000 feet lower than my location. (They aren’t exactly “local”.)

USDA PLANT HARDINESS ZONES

ZIP CODE MAPS & CHARTS

Let’s start with the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. You can enter your zip code on this page to find your growing zone, right? Wrong! I enter my zip code and it seems to think I am in Zone 5a. Unfortunately, the map is not very precise. There are plenty of maps & charts which attempt to determine your climate by zip code. These MAY be helpful, but should be considered carefully! I am in a rural area, and climate charts that use zip code locations sometimes try to find the nearest city center to determine information.

THIS MAP actually showed that my town, Guffey, is in Hardiness Zones 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a and 5b, in really big print at the top, with a map that really zooms in to home.

 

I’m located in that green square, which shows my microclimate of 4b in the middle of what’s generally 5a. Most other zip code reference maps don’t show such detail within a zip code. 

Whether it’s growing zones or frost dates, many zip code search finders tend to default either to Colorado Springs (6100-6500 ft, about 65 miles away) or to Canon City (5300 ft, about 37 miles away). Colorado Springs is just about the same latitude as us, so that’s a bit helpful regarding day length. The First/Last Frost Dates on almanac.com show me Canon City’s first & last dates, which are nothing like ours. If you’re in a rural area, finding information for suitable plants can be challenging.

Unfortunately, knowing the USDA Zone is not helpful enough. It is my opinion that these “zones” are inadequate & limited at best. Most seed & plant catalogs, web stores and informational materials seem to rely heavily on USDA Zones to provide information for gardeners as to whether a plant will survive or thrive. But the USDA Plant Hardiness system is lacking and does not consider many other factors. Winter temperatures are only one part of the equation. There are a lot of other factors to consider, such as:

  • Are summer daytimes hot or cool? Are the nights warm or cold?
  • How long is the season? First & Last frost dates don’t coincide with the USDA Zones.
  • What is the latitude, and how many hours of sunlight are there in each day?
  • What is the altitude, and what effect does it have on the climate?
  • Do summer UV rays affect the ability to grow plants successfully?

What I would like to see the nurseries or other resources provide for perennials are things like: how warm should summers be for the plant to thrive or survive? how long does the summer season need to be in order for the plant to produce fruit/vegetables? Can’t they provide something similar to seed packets for annuals, which clearly indicate the “days to maturity”?

SOUTHERN VS. NORTHERN CLIMATES & LATITUDE CONSIDERATIONS

I find many resources that refer to colder “northern” climates that are Zone 3 or 4 on the USDA charts. Often, seed & plant descriptions will indicate when a variety is good for northern climates. I used to think that things that would grow there would grow well here as well. After all, it’s cold there, right? Perhaps so in winter, but northern latitudes have longer summer seasons, warmer summer temperatures and more hours of sunlight than we do here. Both daytime and nighttime temperatures are often higher than ours.

I spot-checked a few cities in northern Zone 3 & 4 areas to determine some of their statistics. I wanted to know whether my assumptions above were valid. I wanted to see the differences between one Zone 4 and another, or between Zone 3 and my own location. I selected these locations:

Home: These are my own observations based on collecting data the past 4.5 years.
Guffey: This is our nearest town.
Minot, ND & Bemidji, MN: Just a couple of northern cities I’ve picked with information easy to find.
Wolcott, VT: High Mowing Seeds is located here. I know they grow a lot of vegetables there and it is not far from Ed Smith, who wrote “The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible”. Many seed producers seem to be in VT, NH and ME.
Harborside, ME: This is where Eliot Coleman’s “Four Season Farm” is located. He has written several gardening books with lots of suggestions that work well for him.

  1. Home – Actual Observations. Last & First Frost Dates are the latest and earliest I have experienced so far.
  2. USDA Zone Map: https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/InteractiveMap.aspx
  3. Last-First Frost Dates found here: https://davesgarden.com/guides/freeze-frost-dates/  Determined from 90% chance of 32° Spring & Fall. Note: The first/last frost dates found at almanac.com may be very wrong!
  4. Daylength Determined from: https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/
  5. Temperatures found on Wunderground
  6. UV Index Mean found here: https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/stratosphere/uv_index/uv_meanmax.shtml

Note that Bemidji, in Zone 3, has about TWICE the season length and 1 more hour per day of sunshine. So, buying a plant that is hardy to Zone 3 may work well for them, but will it work well for me?

ELEVATION CONSIDERATIONS

I have attempted to locate information for planting in high elevation, and I just can’t find much. I’ve checked out a few books from the library and have viewed whatever websites seem most appropriate for gardening in the Rocky Mountains. Most of these resources have a little bit of information about growing plants at high altitude, how to protect them from late and early frost and cold spells, and a lot of basic gardening information useful for any area. I haven’t found a good, informative resource yet to indicate what will or won’t grow at high elevation. There are a few relatively local people who do consultations, workshops & seminars, but they aren’t free and aren’t really in my neighborhood. There are local county and state extension offices, but their information hasn’t been very helpful either. Many of their articles are geared to farmers, not the home gardener, and many are not written in layman’s terms.

What difference does elevation make? In our experience, the major difference in addition to our short season is that our nights are very cool, while the days can be quite warm or even hot. Of course, “hot” for us means anything over 80°, which I suppose may not be considered hot at all for some people. We have daily temperature fluctuations that can span 50°. In mid-summer some days can be as low as 37° in the morning and 87° that same afternoon. I may like this just fine, but many plants don’t! Additionally, our high elevation contributes to a more intense UV Index. This can scorch the plants if not taken into consideration. All of this causes a lot of stress to the plants.

MATURITY DATES FOR ANNUALS

Seed packets for annuals will indicate how many days it will take for plants to grow and/or bear fruit under ideal or average conditions. It’s up to the gardener to determine how long it will take in their own climate. Here, some things (cool-loving plants) mature fairly close to the dates listed, others may take another 50% or more time. Plants grown in the fall & winter in the greenhouse may be warm enough, but since our greenhouse is not given artificial light, everything takes a lot longer to mature.

WHAT DO I DO?

WHAT is my planting zone, really? I may be in USDA Zone 4 or 5 over the winter, but what is my summer zone? What I need to know is: how long of a season do perennial fruits need in order to grow and bear fruit? How warm does it need to be for the various annuals to grow successfully in the summer? Is it possible that some things will not grow here no matter how well I protect them? I would like to find a resource that indicates whether a blueberry, or raspberry, or strawberry plant will produce fruit in my area, in my length of summer season and # of hours of light per day.

It would really be nice to find a system or chart of some kind that takes all of these factors into account. Come on, USDA! Are you going to produce something useful, or continue to fool novice gardeners into believing your chart may actually be helpful?

And for seed & plant companies, one thing that may be helpful for plant descriptions, particularly for perennial fruits & vegetables, would be some kind of indication as to what length of summer season does it require? what summer temperatures would be best? how many hours of sunlight would it require? Many annual vegetables do answer these questions, I just don’t often find that kind of information for perennial plants and bare roots when purchasing.

For the most part, I’m doing the best I can by trial and error, whether planting annuals or perennials. If I buy a perennial, I look for something hardy to Zone 3, one zone colder than my location. Even then, I know that it may not do well. If something doesn’t do well one year, I try something different the next, and try not to be upset. 

Some of my trials and notes for everything I’ve attempted to grow are found at “What Grows at 9,000 Feet.”

112819 kitchen 500x333

MOUNTAIN COOKING

by

MOUNTAIN COOKING

One of the things I love to do is cook! Over the years I’ve created many of my own recipes or modified others which have become favorites at our house. I enjoy baking, too, and have a particular fondness for sourdough breads. I had a lot of fun helping to design our small-house sized kitchen, and I find it just perfect for our needs. 

I in no way consider myself and expert, but I’ve lived in high elevations for roughly 30 years and enjoy cooking healthy meals from scratch. Although I still experience a few flops, I think I’m finally getting it down. I lived at about 6,300 feet at Lake Tahoe for 24 years, then moved down to 5,200 feet, near Fort Collins, CO. Now at nearly 9,000 feet I’ve added a few more modifications to my cooking and baking. My latest kitchen appliance, the Instant Pot Ultra, has sent me off in search of understanding some of the science behind atmospheric pressure and how it affects cooking, and what adding pressure in an enclosed pressure cooker does at this elevation. Please see the posts “INSTANT POT :: HIGH ELEVATION”, and “Review: Instant Pot Ultra for High Elevation”.

There are many variables to everyone’s cooking experiences, in addition to elevation. How experienced are you? How many trials and errors have led to final success? Do you keep at it until you get it right? What kind of appliances are you cooking with: gas, electric, induction, convection, pressure? What is your elevation? What is your water like: hard well water, filtered water, community water? What is your local humidity like? These variables, in addition to your choice of ingredients and technique all make a difference to the outcome. All you can really do is keep at it; try and try again until you get the result you want.

I’ll be including some of my favorite recipes here; some are old favorites and others will be new finds as well as new creations of my own. All of the recipes included here will work well at 9,000 feet. I know because I’ve done them, and have made adjustments as needed for this elevation. I’m not an expert photographer, so don’t expect beautifully lit and perfect photos. I’m not trying to make a business or compete with all the wonderful cooking websites out there.

My recipes are done from scratch. I rarely include things like cans of soup or packets of prepared mixes. Here you’ll find streamlined recipes that assume you have some cooking knowledge, such as how to measure, what sauté or deglaze means, etc. I’m slowly adding recipes. Please come back later to see what’s been added.

One of my pet peeves is finding internet recipes with lengthy descriptions and seemingly unending photos or videos showing every detail of the process. The actual recipe is finally found minutes later, at the end of the page. Aaaarrrgghh! I’m so glad that most writers now add a “Jump to Recipe” button near the top, because I find it a waste of my time scrolling down the page to determine whether I even have the ingredients on hand. I will not include a gajillion photos of each step in the process and probably never a video. When I feel an instruction is strange or problematic, I may then provide more detailed instructions or even a photo if I think it will be helpful, other than that, I’ll spare the endless photos.