harvesting greens from outdoors for winter months

[Pia B]

I started to freeze some greens hibiscus leaves and flowers a bunch of cactus pads I cut some up and froze those . Trying to root a few too . I also went to the horse farm to get grass with mixed in dandelion and other good weeds . Is milkweed ok ?? I never gave them to Speedbump to eat so I left those behind .
I am sure I am not the only one that is doing this and looking for advice from others that are storing food for their tort to eat . This is the first winter I am trying this to cut down on store greens .
He gets high quality hay in winter . My horse and goats get the timothy pellets by Standlee I am wondering if my Sulcata can also eat them ?

 

[wellington]

I have fed the grass/hay pellets for horses, yes your sully can have them.
I have bags of leaves and grass hanging. I still have my own trees to pluck yet for winter.
I can buy cactus all winter so I don't freeze that any more, but I do have some cold Hardy ones I'm trying to grow and survive outside. I also have some that I bring in.

 

[Maro2Bear]

Yep, im in the same agreement as you both. I'll bag up a bunch of grasses,mweeds, grapevines, especially cut field grass and dry them for supplements during the winter.

Cactus pads and aloe available at the local market, as are chicory/dandelion greens.

Last year i got a bag of horse timothy pellets and although small, our Sully enjoyed those too.

I'm not sure about milkweed...they have that white, sticky sap, which is pretty bitter to taste. Not sure about that for your Sully. I'll spread the seed pods for the Monarch butterflies.

 

[Bass.Isles]

Do y'all just put them in freezer ziplocks and freeze like that? Because a few months ago I put some fresh wheatgrass, dandelion greens and cilantro in those seal-a-meal bags where you suck all the air out and seal it. Then I unthawed it about 3 weeks later to use, and it was just a soggy, soppy mess. Totally unuseable.

 

[wellington]

Do y'all just put them in freezer ziplocks and freeze like that? Because a few months ago I put some fresh wheatgrass, dandelion greens and cilantro in those seal-a-meal bags where you suck all the air out and seal it. Then I unthawed it about 3 weeks later to use, and it was just a soggy, soppy mess. Totally unuseable.

No, I let mine just hang dry in a mesh laundry bag. I tried the sealer and burnt it out in one day trying to seal a bunch of cactus a few years back when it wasn't so easy for me to get them.

 

[wellington]

Yep, im in the same agreement as you both. I'll bag up a bunch of grasses,mweeds, grapevines, especially cut field grass and dry them for supplements during the winter.

Cactus pads and aloe available at the local market, as are chicory/dandelion greens.

Last year i got a bag of horse timothy pellets and although small, our Sully enjoyed those too.

I'm not sure about milkweed...they have that white, sticky sap, which is pretty bitter to taste. Not sure about that for your Sully. I'll spread the seed pods for the Monarch butterflies.

I soak the hay pellets just like I do the mazuri.

 

[Bass.Isles]

Yeah, the seal-a-meal thing turned out a mess lol. Isla doesn't care for dried vegetation in general, though. Do you mean you hang dry them like, indoors in your garage or something? Or do you mean you hang dry them IN your freezer? Cuz that would be a cool idea.

 

[Bambam1989]

I thought milkweed was a NO feed due to cardiac glycosides.

 

[Maro2Bear]

I soak the hay pellets just like I do the mazuri.

Yep, me too.

 

[Pia B]

I have fed the grass/hay pellets for horses, yes your sully can have them.
I have bags of leaves and grass hanging. I still have my own trees to pluck yet for winter.
I can buy cactus all winter so I don't freeze that any more, but I do have some cold Hardy ones I'm trying to grow and survive outside. I also have some that I bring in.

someone mailed Speedbump a package with cactus leaves today , he has a big fan club Do you just hang them down the basement or do you let it dru outside . I read you use those laundry bags ,smart idea .

 

[wellington]

No, I don't dry my cactus. Just put them in a cool dry dark place but not in a bag. If you want to save them for winter time, I have froze them. They get slimy but the torts never cared. You can also drhydrate them if you want but it takes a long time in a very low over, 200 and best if done in tiny slivers.
The mesh laundry bags is for leaves and grass.

 

[Pia B]

Do y'all just put them in freezer ziplocks and freeze like that? Because a few months ago I put some fresh wheatgrass, dandelion greens and cilantro in those seal-a-meal bags where you suck all the air out and seal it. Then I unthawed it about 3 weeks later to use, and it was just a soggy, soppy mess. Totally unuseable.

I just put my greens in a zip lock squeezed out the air and that is it . Never done it before so I will see how it does . The Hibiscus leaves and blooms I froze 2 weeks ago look great ,they where nice and dry ,sunny day when I harvested them . The grass today was wet so I had to dry it some before I bagged it . I think the next batch I make sure it's dry . All new to me so I mark the bags to know which worked best

 

[Bass.Isles]

No, I don't dry my cactus. Just put them in a cool dry dark place but not in a bag. If you want to save them for winter time, I have froze them. They get slimy but the torts never cared. You can also drhydrate them if you want but it takes a long time in a very low over, 200 and best if done in tiny slivers.
The mesh laundry bags is for leaves and grass.

And you put the mesh laundry bags IN the freezer?

 

[wellington]

And you put the mesh laundry bags IN the freezer?

No, the mesh bags I just hang in my tort shed.
For freezing anything I use ziplock freezer bags or any freezer bag.

 

[JustinGrattan]

Believe it or not I found cactus at my local fee market... They sell it year round! Maybe that will help you guys out. They even sold aloe and cactus fruit.

 

[Bass.Isles]

No, the mesh bags I just hang in my tort shed.
For freezing anything I use ziplock freezer bags or any freezer bag.

Okay, cool. Thanks! The mesh bags are a great idea.

 

[Bass.Isles]

Believe it or not I found cactus at my local fee market... They sell it year round! Maybe that will help you guys out. They even sold aloe and cactus fruit.

The Bravo Spanish grocery stores where I live almost always sell the cactus pads. even though Isla hasn't taken a liking to them yet I keep trying lol. I grow my own aloe. Does anyone know where one could find the opuntua cactus fruit, for purchase?

 

[wellington]

You could ask the place you get your cactus from if they could order you a couple.
It's funny, I have two places to get cactus pads, but they don't sell the fruit. I have another place that sells the fruit, but not the pads.

 

[Big Charlie]

someone mailed Speedbump a package with cactus leaves today , he has a big fan club Do you just hang them down the basement or do you let it dru outside . I read you use those laundry bags ,smart idea . View attachment 220441

What a lucky tortoise! My tortoise has never received mail! lol

 

[Pia B]

The Bravo Spanish grocery stores where I live almost always sell the cactus pads. even though Isla hasn't taken a liking to them yet I keep trying lol. I grow my own aloe. Does anyone know where one could find the opuntua cactus fruit, for purchase?

I have found the fruit in the grocery store but never the pads . They don't carry them often so it's a hit or miss .