Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler: Happy Mardi Gras!!

A day late, hopefully not a dollar short. You may be wondering, what does Fat Tuesday have to do with gardening? It's in the winter, you say, and you live in the North where it's freezing!

Believe it or not, I made a big pot of Emeril Lagasse's Chicken and Sausage Jambalya on Lundi Gras with 5 major ingredients from my garden. Of course, I've veganized his recipe, but it is so good I've made it every year for around 5 years now.

So here are the 5 ingredients I used from my garden:

1. The baggie of tomatoes I froze as described back in this post


2. Three fresh bay leaves (plant taken indoors to overwinter, as pictured)


3. The thyme I dried on Thanksgiving Eve


4. A bunch of frozen flat-leafed parsley that I grew from seed


5. Habaneros. OK, only my partner used these, I'm too chicken. They are so hot! But more details on these frozen habaneros will follow in another post soon.

Here is the result, and recipe. BAM! It was delicious!
I used Emeril's Kicked-Up Jambalaya recipe this time. I actually had a different one that I saw Emeril make on his show all those years ago, but lost it at some point over the last year so I had to recreate this one from what I could find online now. So I used this one even though it was shrimp and Andouille sausage with seitan and tofurkey italian sausage. It would have been better if I made Julie Hasson's seitan sausage with Andouille spices of course, but, I had no time for that. I think the Tofurkey sausages work pretty well in a pinch, because they have a nice spicy bite but aren't too Italian-y. Then I added a bit of liquid smoke and smoked paprika to make up for the difference in sausage spice.

1/4 cup olive oil
1 package White Wave prepared seitan, sliced into thin bite-sized chunks
Creole seasoning, recipe follows
1 package Tofurkey Italian sausage, cut into 1/3-inch rounds
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped bell pepper ( I like a mix of red, yellow and orange, but green works ok)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 fresh bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tsp liquid smoke (optional)
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped thyme leaves
1 cup chopped tomatoes
12 ounces dark beer (I use Negra Modelo)
36 ounces water
2 cups white rice
Salt and pepper
1 cup chopped green onions (I used the greens of onions and garlic since apparently my green thumb means I can’t keep onions in the house a week without them sprouting)
1/2 cup chopped parsley

In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium high heat. Season seitan well with Creole seasoning (Bam!) and saute on medium-high until it is nicely brown, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove seitan and set aside until later. Add remaining olive oil to pot and when hot, add sausage pieces and saute until browned on both sides, about 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.

(NOTE: I grilled my sausage on a George Foreman grill first until they were nice and crispy, then just rolled them around in the pot for a minute or two to get the flavor in there. You want to make sure the seitan and sausage get very crispy, since they will soften a bit when you add them into the rice and veggie mixture at the end. I also deglazed the pan with 2-3 tbsp of cooking sherry, since the spiced seitan left lots of nice brown bits at the bottom and I didn’t want it all to stick.)

Add onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, bay leaves, cayenne, more Emeril’s Essence Creole seasoning (BAM! BAM!), liquid smoke, paprika and thyme and cook until vegetables are wilted, about 6 minutes. Add tomatoes, beer and water, season with salt and pepper and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Add rice to pot, stir well and return to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and cook for 15 minutes, or more until rice is just shy of tender. Add seitan, sausage, green onions and parsley to pot, mixing carefully, and continue to cook, covered, for another 5 minutes.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly. Yield: 2/3 cup

Gardening Binge 2009 #2: Check!

I knew after my last seed order a few weeks ago, there were still a few things I forgot. I definitely wanted to order the Agribon row covers. I also want to make the existing wild violet area (as described in this post last year) on the other side of the yard into an edible flower bed, but didn't get anything for that when I ordered my veggies. So, today I had some time to spare and of course my thoughts immediately went to my garden, and the little violets that should be sprouting any week now. One thing led to another, and bye bye hard earned $$$! Haha. At least I don't feel too bad since they are all edible and most perennial. Here's the haul, all organic, from Peaceful Valley:

• Anise Hyssop (Mint Licorice) Agastache foeniculum
• White Yarrow Achillea millefolium*
• Bergamot Lavender Monarda fistulosa*
• Calendula Flashback Calendula officinalis
• Nasturtium Rainbow Whirlybird Mix Tropaeoleum majus
• Nasturtium Climbing Amazon Mix Tropaeolum majus
• Garlic Chives Allium tuberosum
• Catalogna (Italian) Dandelion Greens Cichorium intybus (these were Free!)
• Tendergreen Mustard (also Free!)
  
• Mache Gala (a.k.a. lamb's lettuce or corn salad)
• The lightest Agribon (19) to keep the worms off my Kale
• The next heavier Agribon (30) to protect crops from frost

*Native to New Jersey!

Wuhoo! I'm so excited I don't even know what to do with myself. Well, actually I do- make lots and lots of origami boxes to use as pots for indoor seedlings! I better get to it- hopefully it will work and you'll see the results in my next post.

Now I need to put some more details here on a couple of these new plants that I've never grown before.
-Anise Hyssop= Height: 2-4'; Spacing:18-24 in. (45-60 cm); Sun to Light Shade; Propagation: From seed; sow indoors before last frost (cold, moist stratification dramatically improves germination); blooms mid to late summer

-White Yarrow= Height: 6" - 4'; Spacing: 1 - 2'; Full Sun; Drought resistant; Propagation: Divide in the spring. The seed germinates in 2 weeks at temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees. Light is necessary for seed germination (so plant no deeper than 1/4 inch). Germination time indoors may be as little as 5 to 7 days.; bloom in June, but will bloom again in September if the dead clusters are removed

-Bergamot Lavender = Height: 3' - 5' (mowing may keep it shorter & water/fertilizer will make it grow huge); Spacing: 12 - 24" (good air circulation keeps away powdery mildew); Full sun to light shade; Somewhat drought resistant (moreso than monarda didyma) but may like moist feet - seems to depend; Propagation: Direct seed 2 seeds/in or start indoors 4-6 wks before last frost and transplant when frost danger has passed. Planting Depth: 1/8"-1/4"Soil Temp. for Germ.: 60-70°FDays to Germ.: 10-21; Blooms in June/July, may continue through Sep. if deadheaded

Other Possibilities:

• Tagetes tenuifolia (lemon or tangerine signet marigold)
• Malva sylrestris (common mallow, french hollyhock)
• and/or Alcea rosea (Hollyhock) probably doesn't taste as good as mallow but it sure is cute! Also has upward, tall habit
• Bellis perennis (English Daisy, Lawn Daisy) small, adorable and I NEED it haha
• Centaurea cynaus (Bachelor's Button, Cornflower) pretty, blue, many colors but also large: 2 - 3 feet tall
• Platycodon grandiflorum (Balloon Flower) Another purple 2 - 3 foot tall totally gorgeous edible flower
  

Sunny Calendula

I just realized I never posted any pictures of the Calendula plants I grew in summer 2008. They were lovely! I direct sowed heirloom Oktoberfest seeds in late spring, but it took them until fall to really explode. I only just read a book recently that told me they are actually fall plants, so this is normal. Guess that's why they call them Oktoberfest! They made wonderful fall bouquets, and we ate a couple in salads. I dried the rest to use as flavoring (supposedly they are the poor woman's saffron, though I still haven't tried it) and also used them to make bath salts along with Lavender as described in another post. Above you can see a picture of the whole plant, which was pretty wild looking, I guess because it was heirloom. Below is a collage of the individual blooms.

Garden Dimensions

Not a very exciting post, but I need to record this. I just took the measurements of my garden beds. We built them last year just where they seemed to fit, with however many bags of soil/cinder blocks we had at the time. No measuring was involved whatsoever. So today I went out there with a tape measure and got some data to use in planning where I will plant what this year. I definitely want to be more careful than last year, because several of the plants got ruined from being too close together. The jalapeno and cayenne were swallowed by the tomatoes and the carrots totally covered by the peppers. Not this year if I can help it!

first small bed near left fence by herb garden: 31.5 x 46 = 2.6' x 3.8' = 9.8 sq ' = 10'
second small bed near herb garden 31.5 x 47.5 = 2.6' x 3.9' = 10.14 = 10'
large bed near left fence: 42 x 94.5 = 3.5' x 7.9' = 27.6' = 27.5'
largest bed built last in the fall: 58.5 x 126 = 4.9' x 10.5' = 51.45' = 51.5'

total approximate square footage of garden = 99

I can hardly believe it is almost 100 square feet. That sounds way bigger than it seems.

Soon we'll have another two large beds on the other side of the yard too. The piles of soil are already there, covered in tarp- but we've got to wait for the freezing night temps to subside before we can dig them up.

Dogscaping

Here is a list of dog-friendly plants to use in dogscaping a yard, that I got from what I thought was a really nicely done free ebook: http://www.moplants.com/eBooks.php

Grasses

• Switch Grass: Panicum virgatum
• Fountain Grass: Pennisetum setaceum
• Maiden Grass: Miscanthus sinensis ‘Gracillimus’
• Pink Muhly: Muhlenbergia capillaris
  

Perennials

• Purple Coneflower: Echinacea purpurea
• Blazing Star: Liatris spicata
• Shasta Daisy: Chrysanthemum maxima
• Black-eyed Susan: Rudbeckia hirta
  

Plant Herbs That Repel Fleas

• Fleabane/pennyroyal: Menta pulegium perennial
• Fleawort: Erigeron canadense annual
• Wormwood: Artemisia absinthum shrubby perennial
• Sweet Bay: Laurus nobilis tree
• Eucalyptus: Eucalpytus tree
• Rosemary: Rosmarinus officinalis shrub
• Tansy: Tanacetum vulgare perennial

However, now that I've done a bit more research I'm having my doubts. First of all, Wormwood is what they use to make Absinthe and it is illegal in certain states. Tansy, although it sounds great as far as keeping away mosquitoes, is listed in several states as an invasive weed. Even worse, on Dave's Garden one of the comments say their German Shepard puppy died from eating too much of it! Pennyroyal may also be invasive, but doesn't seem as much of a threat as Tansy. What she calls "Fleawort" seems to be more commonly called Canadian Fleabane. This one also appears to be a weed, although maybe not as invasive as the others. I see no seeds sold for it anywhere though. Guess I won't be able to have a dog herb garden after all. Darn.

The good news is my other dogscaping ideas worked out much better. We got JJ on July 4th, just a few short months after we bought this house and started building the garden. When my partner and I first discussed getting a dog (the new big house was so quiet compared to our Hell's Kitchen NY 1 bdrm 'closet'!) a big decision was how it would affect the garden. Being my first dog, I really didn't know anything about them. At first I thought we could just tie him up, since that is what my cousin-in-laws do since they don't have a fence. But some animal lovers over at the PPK told me that wasn't good for dogs if you could avoid it. So I went to Home Depot/Lowe's and checked out our options, finally deciding to ring the garden in with a little white picket fence.Luckily, not only was it relatively cheap, easy to install, and cute- it does effectively deter JJ from overzealous trampling of plants. He can still jump over it when he wants to, and we had to put a little extra obstruction where the squirrels tend to gather- but overall it has kept him out of the garden 99% of the time. Here's some pics, of the fencing and JJ wistfully looking over it:










The other major thing we did for JJ was building him a digging pit. We haven't yet had a chance to put an actual patio in the backyard, so the table & chairs are set right on the grass. Of course JJ's favorite spot to dig was right underneath our chairs. So on the advice of that free ebook, we built him a sand pit in the back corner of the yard. This has worked like a charm. When we first put it in, anytime he tried to dig under our chairs we plopped him right on the digging pit and encouraged him to play there. We also keep all of his outside toys in that spot. Now he knows it is his, and loves playing in the sand. Occasionally we have to shovel the sand back into the pit, and it's been frozen the past month or two, but otherwise it has been working out perfectly. This summer I hope to put some grasses, daisies and echinachea around it so he'll have a little shade to play in. Here he is, happily digging away:

Seed Binge 2009: Check!

I've been super busy but after this weekend's 50 degree temps I could wait no longer. I just placed my seed orders!! Here is what I bought:

From Natural Gardening Company:

• Emerité Pole Bean Seed
• Buttercrunch Lettuce Seed*
• Merveille De Quatre Saisons Butterhead Lettuce Seed
• Vivian Romaine Lettuce Seed
• "Astro" Arugula
• Red Ace Beet Seed*
• Fordhook Giant Swiss Chard Seed*
• Marketmore Cucumber Seed*
• White Icicle Radish Seed*
• Easter Egg II Radish Seed
• Purple Top White Globe Turnip Seed*

From Cook's Garden:

• Summer Squash Tromboncino
• Beet Lutz Green Leaf
• Pea Sugar Snap*
• Carrot Napoli Hybrid

Whee I'm excited now! Seeds with an asterisk* next to them were specifically listed as good types to grow in New Jersey by Rutgers: http://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/download-free.asp?strPubID=FS681 , with the exception of Fordhook Chard which was suggested by a NJ gardener on the garden web forums.

Although that is a long list, I'm still going to have to buy quite a few plants from the nursery. I know I don't have a lot of time this year, and my indoor growing set-up doesn't really exist yet, so I only went with mostly things to be direct seeded outside. A lot of the above list will also be planted in the fall. Last year I learned quickly that you have to get them in the spring, because by the time fall came around none of my local stores had any plants or seeds.

This is what I plan to get from the nursery:

• Yellow Squash
• Regular Zucchini
• Grape Tomatoes
• Rutgers Tomatoes
• Two types of heirloom (maybe from the Rutger's special plant sale)
• Cucumber, maybe a pickling variety & another long seedless
• Italian peppers
• Jalapeno
• Habanero
• Bell Peppers (maybe red and orange)
• Cilantro
• Dill
• Mint
• Basil
• Borage
• Assorted herbs for my dog's garden (haha yes you read that right my dog gets his own garden. This will be explained in a later post)
• Raspberries
• Blueberries
• Strawberries
• Nasturtiums
• Marigolds
• Daisies

I think that's it! Phew!