indoor/outdoor garden update/notes

no new recipes to post at this time so spending some time gardening

picture sheet from 04/12/2012, planted approximately 04/01/2012

05/05/2012

thinned multiples to separate containers

some planted in the garden 05/14/2012

flats outside in the warm weather (mid 60’s-70’s) during the day, some days in at night, rain fall, full sunshine, better growth.

 

NOTES

• original plantings, tomato, muskmelon, peppers, cauliflower, brussels sprouts.
• planted muskmelons outdoors too early before soil was warm (start again)
• sprouted over the stove, under counter fluorescent light and natural sunlight kitchen window sill
• using fish emulsion (2-3-1) $12.85/pint and root developer (4-10-3) $7.85/pint sparingly , rainwater when possible, just a bit of 10-10-10, 4lbs@$9.95 granular in some (Miller Nurseries)
• jiffy 7 peat pots for starter, moistened in enclosed container, no water.

  Burgess 8306     Jiffy-7 Quantity 24          $3.79

• transplant mix , garden soil unsterilized, compost, sand, perlite
• approximately 21 seedlings planted 05/14/2012, tomato, brussel  sprouts, cauliflower, two days light rain followed.
• some failures  getting some onions and chives started

 

OUTDOOR GARDEN

Cilantro, Sage,  Parsley (2), Dill, Oregano(2)

• Oregano and  Parsley was split
• Dill and Cilantro new this season

 

 

Raspberries in full force growth

Dwarf Flowering Cherry (Prunus besseyi)

yet to be transplanted

sproutations, indoor garden update

some of the seedlings’ that have sprouted

We have an abundance of containers so I made mini green houses.    I probably could have just used the covers, but I cut out the centers of the covers with scissors, covered the containers with clear plastic wrap, and replaced the cover, now just a rim, and placed them in a warm place. I didn’t need to even water the moist jiffy peat pots. Once the compressed peat pot are reconstituted, just squeeze out the excess water so they are just fully saturated, then seed each one. (The first batch I overwatered) you’ll notice water droplets due to the humid environment of the mini greenhouse.

Over the top console of the stove maintains about 75 degrees or better if your cooking or baking due to the oven vent below the console and the stove uses standing pilots (natural gas stove). Light is provided by the hood light. Poof ! germination  When the seeding height hits the top of the clear wrap, uncover. So far so good ! mostly everything has germinated some slower that others.

countertop garden

The herbs wintered over on the countertop under a light, some new cilantro, with the parsley,

new dill with the sage and the oregano still going. Now that the weather has changed outside they go.

Herbs are difficult so far to start, i don’t know if the cilantro and dill will survive, they grow a bit spindly, the parsley, sage and oregano are established.

Winter Hardy Brussell Sprouts/garden update

Being a mild overcast day and temperatures forecasted to be on the increase, garden work was on schedule today. After picking off the leaves wilted from the cold but relatively mild winter, the brussell sprout planting that survived the winter looked like this.

 

 

or course I sampled a few leaves of the sprouts, scrumptious!

I gave the sprout plant some water and a feeding, anxious to see the continued growth.

 

 

While out there it was a good day to double dig a few rows for some direct seed plantings.

It doesn’t look like much, but enough work (exercise) for now in preparation of planting some root vegetables

possibly turnip and parsnips.

Raked out the rest of the garden and the raspberry area.

It’s amazing to watch the berries fill out from the scraggly canes. I’m going to let the berries  spread more to the left. (East)

Also after reviewing some of the pictures, there is a consistently blurry area to the left, not seen  in all the pictures here as some of the photos are cropped.

I looked at the lens of the camera, bla! smudgy lens needs cleaning, must be from the close up food pictures ?!

Garden thoughts

Kitchen Garden

This year I brought in some of the containers from the garden so i could continue growing herbs for kitchen use. I had some under counter lights  (florescent) my daughter had gotten from a give way on Craig’s List and mounted one under my kitchen cabinet. It gives ample lighting during the day and the temperature stays around 70-75 degrees. Now I recently planted more herbs with the existing ones and they have started to sprout. I’m keeping my fingers crossed as herbs are sometimes difficult to start, for me that is, and that they continue to flourish.

(L-R)  sage is still going strong, it’s flavorful and it has been trimmed and keeps sprouting leaves. The Oregano grows more slowly and each trimming brings new growth. The Parsley is being brought back to full growth as there was little of it left after being outside.

With this on the counter I’m more likely to use fresh herbs with everything. Now before a meal trim some, place in small containers, and set them on the table. Your family and friends can use them to season as you would with salt and pepper.

Great with side dishes such as mashed potatoes, pasta, rice etc. Serve bread with dinner ?  Alongside a plate of olive oil for dipping bread, herbs will give bread a new taste alternative and/or compliment butter.

Chinese Meatball Soup

I didn’t have time to write the recipe. Some soy sauce and spices were used and most likely diced sautéed onions and carrots.  It has some of the brussell sprout leaves in it from the garden and the first time that I successfully made spaghetti noodles. The trick was to have the pasta dough at the right consistency and the rollers well floured.

  

Made on or about 12/21/2011

brussell sprout plants

Harvested from the garden back in December of 2011 (sounds like along time ago), and as I have many pictures taken and not blogged, I have had the chance to utilize the brussel sprouts plants sprouts and leaves . Note: my spell checker keeps suggesting “Brussels”. The sprouts did not form tightly as shown below and in the  in the recipe blog “Tomato Sauce with Pasta and Veggies” but they were crisp and delicious, even eaten raw. Going by the gardeners creed of making use of what ever grows that’s edible, I couldn’t bear to use toss the remainder  of the plant. The leaves were large and full, a deep green.

The brussell sprouts are to the right and all that was left of the plants after the sprouts and leaves were harvested from the main stem was the stalk which went to the compost pile. Actually it could have been peeled and sliced, possibly. I cut the stems from the leaves.                                          

                                   They are like celery but sweeter. So you can use them as you would for sauté and added to recipes.

I blanched the sprouts and the leaves in boiling water for a few minutes and dried them, then stacked the leaves in the freezer between sheet of waxed paper. They can be quickly brought to room temperature and then rolled and cut for soup or a salad. Now I couldn’t pass up the chance to stuff some some of these large slightly rubbery leaves, like stuffed cabbage.  Being right after thanksgiving and having some turkey soup base available, I mixed the turkey with gravy with some prepared bulgur wheat. It does sound a bit strange, but this new combination proved to be a good example of cooking with what you have available.

The stuffed rolled brussell sprout leaves.

Since the filling is made with the cooked turkey, they can be eaten as is, warmed up or frozen for later consumption.

(the lighting makes one look a bit red)

The turkey stuffed leaves are best eaten with a fork and knives as the leaves do put up a slight resistance to bite. I possibly could have boiled them longer but I like some crunch. I definitely like the taste if these plants. I’ll have to check  on my seed supply, for a planting of these for the  2012 garden.

Addendum: As of this writing there is still one more plant out in the garden believe it or not !(January 8th 2012) The few nights of freezing temps did not completely ruin the plant. Some of the leaves have drooped to cover the sprouting mini leaves on the main stalk and they are still bright green. Looks like we’ll get another meal or two of brussell greens !!!

MMMMMMMMMMM…………………….

Tomato Sauce with pasta and veggies

I’ve come to the point where I’ve read way to many recipes and blogs, books, and watched countless cooking shows over the years………so………. My posts are going a more descriptive route rather than a standard measured ingredients and directions format…..  and most likely I’ll refer to them in the future for repeats of some of the dishes I love with variations. Reading other peoples blogs  and cookbooks have influenced me also to go the more narrative style, better a little story of the actual  meal preparation. Thanks to all the bloggers I follow, excellent work!

Blogging right after eating has it’s advantages….

Two sausages from the the freezer along with frozen peeled whole tomatoes,  frozen prepared garlic cubes, frozen vegetable stock. On the fridge side, some defrosted tomato juice, carrots and onions, a bit of bacon fat, 1/2 a can of tomato paste, prepared pasta dough. Frozen sausage goes in the fry pan with 2 cubes of  frozen stock and brought to a boil covered,and then simmered, till sausage is defrosted and stock evaporates, brown the sausage,  I now have a small black and Decker food chopper that was orphaned, now  a new addition to the kitchen, I f*** with it, as adding too much carrots at once  causes it to jam and the blade lift and stop rotating , so some of the carrot is removed till the little chopper does the job and I add the rest of the carrots incrementally ,no problem with it processing  the onions ,add the diced onions and carrots,  and garlic with a dab of bacon fat. More of a tomato vegetable sauce, as one of the Frug’s recipes I recalled. If i have veggies like this available ,celery, green pepper etc., they can be sautéed and added to bulk up the sauce, a good way to get veggies into the meal.

Now in the garden a large green plant that is either broccoli or most likely, looks like Brussels sprouts, when I started them from seeds I didn’t keep track exactly what they are and where they were planted, but one of them is forming a small cauliflower,  frost is forecasted towards the end of the week ,maybe they will survive . The one I picked from closely resembles Brussels sprouts as the stalk is covered with small leafy projections that tightly formed would be Brussels Sprouts only these are less dense but have the definite taste of sprouts. Crisp, green and earthy.

Out of the frying pan goes the sausage to a pot, add tomato paste to the fry pan with the semi defrosted whole tomatoes and than some more frozen stock and season to taste, some thyme purchased for thanksgiving , dried basil and dried oregano . Now it gets poured in the pot with the sausage, simmered and sweetened with a touch of simple syrup and a splash of apple cider vinegar for balance.

Boil water for the pasta and roll out with the machine to noodles, boil and plate them. With the greens in a small pan pour out the pasta water over  the greens  to blanch, drain and plate next to the pasta. Spoon tomato sauce over pasta and greens,(take a photo) top with one half of a sausage, grated cheese.

Eat…………………………E X C E L L E N T ……!……. OOPS, no wine for now.

Now I’m thinking of Brussels sprouts pasta or ravioli after I finished my plate, a good meal, but that will be another kitchen encounter. Christmas looms ahead….

Garden Update

(or the micro farm status report for my, or others, future reference!)

11/05/2011

HUCKLEBERRIES

were the newest addition to the garden this year. I tasted them at various stages as they grew. They seemed to reach their peak of flavor when they were turning from a shiny glossy color to a flat purplish black and semi soft. They have a taste, to me, straight off the plant, of a tart grape with earthy overtones. Some resources on the the internet also said they were better after the first frost.

When the weather warmed up after being on the cold side, the plants bloomed more (white flowering) berries again, Now for approaching winter, I cut back some of the stalks and will see how long they can produce berries, but I don’t know if they will reach ripeness. It’s going to depend on the seasons weather.

I prepared  the berries into a jam just by cooking them with granulated sugar, a bit of lemon juice etc and the taste comes close to grape jelly. Blending them with defrosted strawberries was a good side dish for breakfast.

Definitely a new flavor to keep in the garden with the raspberries.

From Gurneys, I think they were a free addition to a seed order

RASPBERRIES

Just pruned back the old canes.

EGGPLANTS

The leaves have wilted with the cold weather, pruned back some of the plants leaving one that has an eggplant . This year they grew very tall plants and well rooted thick stalks but most of the flowering didn’t occur till late, could have been soil conditions.

BROCCOLI, BRUSSELS SPROUTS, ETC.

A few good leafy plantings, but didn’t seem to produce any formed stalks yet, I have grown broccoli before and it’s temperamental, possibly started to soon. May have to try a different variety. I don’t fuss with soil, fertilizer or plant food to much.

TOMATOES AND PEPPERS

Picked the last ones. The peppers were good plantings, strong green color, tasty crisp peppers. Mixed results with the tomatoes, the first one harvested were exceptionally sweet. I planted different varieties.

SHRUBBERY

After the hurricane,  I cut most  of the shrubs down that formed a line from the gate to the fence letting in more exposure to the sun and elements. Contemplating planting more fruit producing plants in their place. Looks a bit barren for now and some vines that used to grow over the shrubs sprouted.

HERBS

It’s better to grow them in pots/containers as I have brought them in during the cold weather and set them out as it warmed up. My daughter gave me some parsley to go long with the oregano and sage. They are a great addition to recipes, even sampled raw.

TREES

A new tree has sprung up a few years ago. About 12 feet high now along where I am cutting down the tall shrubs that used to be there to provide more sunlight to the garden area. My daughter surveyed it, it is an oak tree.  Trimmed it slightly.

COMPOSTING

Now at the back of the garden, a few cages they were from the  rabbit hutches many years ago serve as composting bins that I empty periodically to mix. Now it will be time for the leaf mulch to be added but I usually wait till most of the leaves have fallen before before pickup with the mower.

RAIN BARREL

Emptied for winter, I just moved it from the down spout and turned it over for now.

MISC

Not related to the garden, this year I have managed to lose a bit of weight, not a lot, and grow my hair longer, probably longer than it’s ever been and having all the connotations associated with it.