Thursday, December 3, 2009

Thanksgiving Garden Eats Part 2

Here are the promised pictures of the food I made for Thanksgiving with garden produce.

Turnip Mashed Potatoes with Turnip Greens:Baby Carrots Roasted with Brussel Sprouts, Rosemary, Thyme, Shallots & Garlic:
Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of the Arugula Salad with Pomegranates & Pecans, b/c my camera battery ran out and I forgot to bring a spare to my mom's. So instead here is the recipe.

And here is a picture of the whole dish, actually leftovers a few days later since I had no battery. But both my husband and I thought it was even better the second time! Oh how I love Thanksgiving food!

Clockwise from the top: Turnip Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Veggies (including roasted cauliflower not mentioned above), homemade Maple Cranberry Sauce, Green Bean Casserole, Celebration Roast and Herb Stuffing in the middle, all smothered in a Marsala Brown Gravy.

Monday, November 30, 2009

NJ Veterans Also Growing for Peace


I just came across this article. It describes how veterans are growing vegetables in community garden plots at the VA in East Orange. I actually volunteered there many years ago, mostly helping with a literature review for a study investigating the causes of Gulf War Syndrome. I really enjoyed volunteering there, especially chatting with the veterans as I went about my research. Now they even have a community garden! I'm tempted to go back and see if I could help out with this project somehow.

Anyway, I just wanted to share this poignant story. The veterans say it gives them a measure of peace, the ability to think, and do something not just for themselves, but also the community. They even have a winter garden similar to mine, and enjoyed turnip greens on Thanksgiving day just like I did. Pretty awesome. Definitely gives me something else to ponder/be thankful about when I eat my leftovers tonight.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Happy Thankgiving!

I'm so happy that my rowcovers seem to be working so far. Just look how lush and green the plants are underneath! Granted, it hasn't been that cold yet - after that one period of frost that killed the peppers, squash and tomatoes, it has been pretty warm since. Still, I think it is helping, and I can't wait to see how long they will stay green. Above you can see the bed with carrots, turnips & a little bit of chard along the sides.
Here is the leafy green bed, with mustard greens, arugula, red romaine & buttercrunch lettuce, and mache. I'm really excited about the mache, since it is supposed to be the one green that will last through winter. It looks really healthy under the rowcover. I can't wait to eat it, but I'm trying to hold out until it gets really cold. Here's a closeup of the mache, which is growing all along the front of the bed:

I harvested a variety of goodies from these beds for today's Thanksgiving feast. The pictures aren't great because by the time I got home from work, it quickly got dark, and on top of that it was raining. But I still had fun out there picking the veggies. The Frech innovation described in Coleman's book - using the ropes - really does make it super easy to get in and out. All I had to do was push the cover back - I didn't even need to untie it. Then just slid it back down when I was done. Here's what I got:
This was maybe about 1/3 of the carrots growing under the rowcover. They're still a bit small, but not too dissapointing. I figure this harvest was about equivalent to a bag of baby carrots, just a lot better tasting and no chlorine involved. :-)
Unfortunately, most of the turnips were still too small to harvest, so this was all I got. The rest of them looked like these four on the left in the picture below.I think it may be because I did a crappy job of planting them back in August, since it was a miserably hot day. I hope what's left under the rowcover grows more (there is still a lot). Worst comes to worst, at least I can eat the greens.
I also picked a ton of arugula. I only have a picture of it packed up and ready to transport to my mom's house. Here is everything ready to go. Starting from the top left, moving clockwise I've got :





-Arugula
-Turnip Greens
-Green Pepper
-Kung Pao & Jalapeno Chili Powder
-Turnips & Baby Carrots
-Nasturtium Lemon Butter
-Thyme, Rosemary & Edible Marigolds







I'll update the blog with everything I made from it later.

Hope everyone enjoys their thanksgiving and has a wonderful day!

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Green and Yellow Bells + Italian Frying Peppers

I've had this post half done for weeks, and just not gotten around to finishing it. I've also got several more on backlog about hot peppers and dehydrating, plus a couple of other topics. The good news is, there is plenty to keep this blog going through the winter months. Then, before we know it, it will be time to start buying seeds and growing them indoors next winter!

So, today let's finally take a look at this season for sweet peppers like Bells & Italian Fryers.

It was actually a pretty terrible year for peppers. Without a doubt, my Italian frying peppers and hot peppers did better last year. The bell peppers didn't do so hot last year either, b/c I'm pretty sure there is something lacking in my soil that they need. But, that said, despite the cold and rainy weather in the beginning of the summer, and bouts with blossom end rot (or something), I still got to eat some sweet peppers.

I bought three flats full from the nursery, which only came in packs of 6 so I had 6 green bells, 6 yellow bells, and 6 Italian Frying peppers. They barely fit in the garden. What you see on the above left is two rows of the Italian Fryers immediately behind the basil on the left side of my garden, and then a row that was half green and yellow bell behind it.

Here on the right is a close up of the Italian Fryers on Oct. 4th, which are tiny. The big difference from last year was that I kept picking all through August and Sept last year, but this year not so much. I wasn't really able to pick them until right before frost, since they weren't exactly ripe.

Then, on the other side of the garden I had the rest of the green and yellow bells (along with all the hots). Here they are on August 1st, still pretty small:

Then, a not so great picture of them (best I have), again on Oct. 4th:
They're definitely bigger, but still struggling. They were a bit better looking than this a few weeks earlier, but after a few bad rain/wind storms, most of the branches fell off. It seemed as if the peppers were too heavy and pulled the branches down, even though they had some bamboo supports. I'm guessing this is because the plants had such a slow start, the foliage was small, so it just wasn't enough to support the weight of the peppers when they finally grew.

The biggest problem was with the Yellow Bells. The green ones were fine, but until early October I couldn't get a yellow bell to ripen without a blemish. You can see the problem below. On the left is the yellow color the peppers should be, but it has those weird brown spots. On the right is the unripe version of the yellow bell, which looks fine. I had to compost so many b/c of brown spots that I ended up just eating them while they were still light green. Which wasn't that bad - they still tasted fine. I just really need to get a soil test to figure out why this is happening.
But, as I said, I was able to harvest at least enough to use in various recipes over the summer. In fact, the brown spot problem seemed to decline over the season - which is exactly what happened to my peppers last year, so that's why I think it has to do with the soil, and not just the bad weather.

You can see here finally, on Oct. 10th, a yellow bell actually ripened fully without a single brown spot! WUHOO!


And really, who uses that many bell peppers anyway, right? They're usually either roasted or diced up in the trinity, not really a stand alone ingredient. Even with a crappy harvest I had to slice and freeze a whole large baggie full of peppers. I also used them in sauces, and salsa.

Then I even got to make my absolute favorite green pepper recipe, which is another one of these recipes that is so simple yet so good. Unfortunately I can't find it at the moment, but luckily it only has 5 ingredients. All you do is put a bit of olive oil in a pan, then saute some diced green peppers and minced garlic with sage. Then you add a can of black beans and heat them through. Super easy! The combination sounds strange, but there is really nothing better than sopping up these beans with some corn bread or pita. Yum!

I also made stuffed peppers for the first time ever. I used the recipe in Veganomicon for Creole Stuffed Peppers, except instead of 2 cans of black eyed peas, I used half bep & half brown rice. Now, stuffed peppers is something I would have never eaten growing up - just seemed so yucky. But wow, were these delicious!! I've even made them again since then. They are definitely now in my regular rotation. This picture isn't great, and in the background is one of these gardein stuffed mexican unchiken breast thingies, which I know some people don't like. But for me, on a busy worknight, being able to microwave something in 2 minutes that doesn't taste half bad works out great.
Finally, in the end, I still picked more peppers than I knew what to do with. The harvest before frost was overwhelming, as pictured here and here. I gave a huge bag to my neighbor, dehydrated some, stuffed some more, made a double batch of pepperonata from Nonna's Italian Kitchen - half we ate with polenta and the other half I froze- and still have two bags left in the fridge! Luckily, my Mom gave me some green bags, which do seem to work. I hope to roast them on the grill today, then freeze them. Phew! Here's two pictures of the dehydrated peppers, before and after:










Next year, I don't think I want 18 pepper plants! If this was how much they produced in a bad year, I'd be drowning in them in a good year! I think I might try buying seeds and starting them myself. That way I can have several different types of peppers, but only 2 plants of each type, not 6.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Final Haul on a Frosty November Morning

Turns out it already frosted last night. I went out bright and early this morning to pick as much as I could before work, and discovered a light frost on everything. Above you can see it on the nasturtiums, already starting to melt in the sun around 7:30 AM. And here is even more on the shady side of the garden:
Considering last night was only expected to go down to 42 degrees or so, and tonight is supposed to go down to 35 - I'm pretty sure we'll get a killing frost tonight. So I desperately picked and picked this morning. Here's the haul so far - not pictured is a huge bowl of kung pao peppers, and I still haven't gotten to any of the edible flowers or herbs. I can't wait to make green tomato salsa, relish, and fried green tomatoes. Yum. Clockwise from the top left: (yellow bowl) red grape tomatoes, (tupperware) jalapenos, (counter) bell peppers, (blue bowl) Roma tomatoes, (pink bowl) yellow grape tomatoes and (silver bowl) Rutger's tomatoes:
It was actually quite lovely out there this morning, once I dragged myself out from under the warm fuzzy covers. The sun was beautiful, streaming through the frosty air. It was a very enjoyable way to start the day. Too bad I'm always so sleepy and can't haul myself out of bed earlier to have breakfast out there every morning!

Monday, November 2, 2009

Frost Warning!!

Oh no. I knew this day would come. There is still soooo much stuff left in the garden, it will take me a day to harvest it all!! Green tomatoes, hot peppers, lots more bell peppers, flowers...dang. And there is no way I can take another day off.

This is why I really hate winter - getting home after dark. I can't pick anything if I can't see it. We really need to get some proper lighting for the backyard. It is at the top of a very long list of things this house needs. (homeownership is no joke, that's for sure!)

I guess I can try to get up early and at least get some in the morning, but this is even more complicated tomorrow since I have to go vote. (still don't know who I'm voting for - I don't like Corzine or Christie)

Oh well, at least I already have the row covers up. I guess I'll just have to pick as much as I can. We'll see what I get tomorrow.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Big Fall Harvest

Wow, I can't believe how much I picked today, and I didn't even get to any flowers.

Here it is: bell peppers, italian frying peppers, lots of hot peppers, mustard greens, a couple radishes, basil, two kinds of mint and shiso leaf:
The peppers and mustard greens I can handle, but the mint and basil are going to be tough. I've got to pick all of the good leaves off individually, then dry them. That's a lot of picking. Uggh. I better get to it. At least I'll have plenty for the winter.

Also, here's a quick pick of my new dehydrator in response to Chris' comment:I'll be using it to dry everything.

Do I love my garden or what?! Took the day off edition

You might remember this "Do I love my garden or what?!" post from last year's veganmofo. Well, it is kind of interesting to reflect on - things are looking better this year, what with my Agribon rowcovers instead of sheets.

Still, I took today off from work (it was a slow week, so my boss was fine with it) just to work in my garden haha! It is bright and sunny, about as good as a fall day could be. Although we haven't had a frost yet (very unusual) we've had extended cool temperatures so things are starting to show signs of dying. The leaves on the herbs are turning brown, which I definitely don't want since I am trying to dry and preserve them for winter. I have a number of things I want to get done:

  1. harvest and dry the hot peppers (habanero & kung pao, mainly. The jalapenos still haven't turned red)
  2. harvest and dry herbs (shiso, oregano, marjoram, eucalyptus, sage, mint, chives & lavender)
  3. harvest and dry the edible marigolds
  4. harvest the nasturtiums and make something with them for dinner
  5. pull down the malabar spinach. It has spots all over it now, since it is a tropical plant I think it is hating the cool weather
  6. sew the extension onto the agribon covering the lettuce bed
Jeesh! It is a lot for one day. I've also got to clean my house since I'll probably have people over for a Halloween party this weekend, and I need to put another coat of plaster/joint compound on a drywall project in the upstairs bathroom. I'm sure I won't get everything done, but, I'll try my best.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Another Squash Post?!?! You've Got to Be Kidding

Nope, I'm not kidding. Here is squash post #5.

As you can see to the left, I had three more to deal with.

Unfortunately, I didn't have time to make anything with them until a week after picking and the big one got soft. Whoops.

But the other two were still good, so I don't feel too bad about letting one go into the compost, with everything I've used them for all summer.

They ended up in a Zucchini, Potato and Cilantro Soup. I found the recipe on epicurious.com, and figured it must be good since it is rated with a resounding 4 forks. But wow, it exceeded my expectations. I hate to hype it up, because then you'll try it and be like "meh", but I can't stop raving about it!! I really am not a huge fan of soup. However this was hands down one of the best I've ever eaten. It was perfectly balanced.

The only thing I had to change to make it vegan was use Earth Balance Buttery Spread instead of butter. I also only used 2 tbsp instead of 3, to make it slightly lower fat. But even without that, it is a low-cal recipe. Plus, it was super easy to make, and also used up some jalapenos from my garden. (Even cooler, if I had my dream half acre of land, it could be made almost entirely from home grown ingredients. *sigh* Someday.)

Here it is sauteing in the pot before adding the broth. Which, btw, was Imagine Organic Vegetable Broth that I got a whole carton for only 99 cents at Jack's in Manhattan! Gotta love Jack's. Wuhoo.And the final product (unfortunately the picture does not do it justice). No croutons were needed.


My partner doesn't even like squash and he ate his all up. It was so good I had two huge bowls! This is definitely my new #1 favorite soup. I look forward to making it in the winter with the squash I dehydrated a couple weeks ago.

I've only got 1 more squash left on the vines. I think they are pretty much done for the season, what with all of this cool weather we've had. (though, no frost yet) So I guess this will probably be the last squash post until next year. :-(

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Fordhook and Rainbow Swiss Chard

This is a picture of my strawberry/swiss chard bed on Oct. 11th. The strawberries are in the middle, and the chard is in a row at either end. Right behind the fountain is a row of Fordhook Giant Swiss Chard, and in the back, a row of Five Color Silverbeet Rainbow Swiss Chard. Last year I grew the Rainbow, but it grew quite slowly and never got that big, although I did get a few harvests and it was tasty (plus pretty). So this year I decided to try the Fordhook Giant, which was recommended for my area by the local Master Gardener program.

Well, it surely lived up to its name!! I couldn't believe the gianormous leaves I harvested from those plants. To the left is a close up with my hand on a leaf for size comparison.

I've gotten at least 3 or 4 nice size harvests off the plants so far, and there is plenty left. They're also biannual, so I'll probably be able to harvest them again next year.

I still have a few plants alive of the Rainbow from last year in another spot in the garden (now under the row covers). Unfortunately, they did get attacked a bit by leaf miners, pretty much chard's only pest. It is amazing how the critters manage to zoom in on their favorite plants so quickly, when just last year my yard was only weeds! At least so far, the leaf miners haven't touched the chard in the strawberry bed.

At first I was a bit worried that the chard would be bitter with the huge size of the leaves and dark green color, but to my pleasant surprise they were amazingly tender and delicious! You can see the last harvest I picked to the right, on the same day I cooked the Italian Brunch described in the last post. Most of it is the Fordhook, with just a bit of the Rainbow that's reddish-purple. It did also grow in yellow, white, and orange-y colors.

I often use chard in cooking in place of spinach. Personally, I like it even better - it tastes mild and delicious to me. I'll put it in tomato sauces, veggie sautes or even lasagna.

Most often though, I just saute some minced garlic in a bit of olive oil, (and sometimes red pepper flakes) then throw the roughly chopped chard in until it just wilts. Then I squeeze on a generous amount of fresh lemon juice, and maybe a bit of salt and cracked pepper. Simple yet outstanding as a side dish. That's how we ate it that day at brunch. Here's a picture: