garden 2021

Sunny today, the seeds have emerged from the growing chamber to get some natural light on the window sill.

TOMATOES AGAIN , THIS YEAR TRYING SWEET PEPPER VARIETY

IN THE GARDEN AND OTHER PICS

THIS YEAR AS WITH THE PAST , TOMATOES ARE BEING GROWN. 2 VARIETIES , MONTESINO F1 AND SAKURA F1 FROM HIGH MOWING ORGANIC SEEDS . TOTAL OF 6 PLANTS AND THIS YEAR WITH PVC TRELLIS. SOIL BASED. STARTED INDOORS

THE MONTESINO ARE SANTA TYPE RED GRAPE TOMATO FOR FRESH EATING. HIGH YIELDS OF 1/2 OZ FRUITS IN UNIFORMLY RIPE TRUSSES. (LOOK LIKE MINIATURE ROMAS) NEW VARIETY THIS YEAR.

SAKURAS ARE FRUITS OF .5 TO .8 OUNCES ARE FLAVORFUL, BRIGHT AND CRACK RESISTANT TO SOME ROOT KNOT NEMATODE. A REPEAT FROM LAST YEAR.

SOME OF THE TRUSSES

ONE OF THE TRUSSES HAD 27 BUDS !

SOME SCRAP PVC TUBING, WEED BLOCK FABRIC AND SOME BRICKS LYING ABOUT MADE THE TOMATO GARDEN IN THE YARD WHERE IT GETS SUN FOR ALL OF THE DAY

TRELLIS IS ABOUT 7 FEET IN HEIGHT, HAD TO ADD SOME STAKED OUT RIGGING TO PREVENTING IT FROM FALLING OVER.NOTE THE DATE TIME STAMP FOR GROWTH. ALSO I TRIM THE SUCKERS FOR MORE STRAIGHT UP GROWTH

SOME HEAVY COTTON STRING TIED TO THE TOP FOR THE PLANTS NOT CLOSE TO THE PVC.

BRIGHT RED COLOR AND FLAVOR TO MATCH

YIELD OF THIS DAY

SALAD TIME ! THIS IS WHY I DON’T GO WITH STORE BOUGHT TOMATOES ! ALSO FRESH BREAD PAN BUTTER FRIED CROUTONS ATE THE WAY TO GO!

EXCELLENT TOMATOES JUST COOKED IN A SKILLET ! WITH SHRIMP, GARLIC, ONION, KALE, AND COUSCOUS, EASY AND FAST ! YES I’M IN THE SHELLS AND TAILS ON CAMP WHEN IT COMES TO SHRIMP , THE SHELLS ENHANCE THE FLAVOR IMO.

TWICE A WEEK NUTRIENT REGIMENT

SOME OF THE LOCAL WILDLIFE, AND YES THE GARDEN TOAD ALSO MADE AN APPEARANCE

STROLLING THE VILLAGE

NICE FLOWERS ALONG THE SIDEWALK IN THE VILLAGE

THE VILLAGE PARK REST STOP

THANK FOR YOUR STOPPING BY MY BLOG, ENJOY THE SUMMER!

3 bean chili with smoked chicken

It started out as a quick search on the Instant Pot app for chili, Have plenty of dried beans in stock, a quick pressure cooker meal means I didn’t have a long soaking and boiling process ahead for a meal within an hour. I found a recipe for a 3 bean chili jar recipe. Remember when the jar recipes were all the rage for gifts ! Still easy to do for your own meal kits.

Pinto, white and black beans, like maybe a 1/4 cup each ,a can of chopped tomatoes, some tomato paste and a bit over leftover condensed tomato soup. The spice list was long, cumin seeds, coriander, dried hot peppers just to name a few. Chopped onions and garlic, celery and carrot to round out the flavor and a toss of frozen corn . Saute as usual add all else. Top off with veggie stock. Seal, set and be back later.

about 50 minutes later

start the plate with a layer of smoked chicken thighs 

add the 3 bean chili…

top with shredded cheese and chips,

a glass of dark home brew, next time a real light or a lime hard seltzer would be better fro contrast, or possibly a fruit shandy . The chili and the smoked chicken was fantastic. 

pasta and tomato with a few others

Back to the garden, this year the tomatoes were soil based rather than the hydroponic which the tomatoes don’t seem to tolerate the high temps of the summer. Still some greens were still used in the hydroponics, some tat-soi and kale mostly.

The tomatoes flourished as removing the suckers resulted in  new heights for the plants and excellent fruit production for both the Roni and Sakura variety.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After numerous salads and the like, I made a pasta dish, simple, quick as one does not want to be over the stove in hot weather, and tasty. Rather bore you with a recipe or technics, let the pictures do the storytelling.

 

 

 

 

Chili Bean Wrap

A simple chili bean mix , made a few flour tortillas to wrap it up.

Saute some diced green peppers, in this case 1, add some diced onion and saute till translucent. Add some seasonings. Now some boneless pork ribs thin sliced are added in, the pork cooks quickly and then add can of Rotel tomatoes with chili peppers. The seasonings can be your choice, a bit of ground cumin, cumin seeds, dried cilantro, etc. Perhaps some garlic or garlic powder. The red chili beans were cooked in the microwave to hurry them along, in water to cover and then at low power for about 20-30 minutes. As the beans cook, let the tomato mixture simmer and reduce and add liquid like some broth or wine and continue to simmer. When the beans were finished, add to the tomato mixture and simmer to incorporate.

A quick mix of water, bacon fat, salt and flour to a dough, rolled and browned in a hot cast iron skillet for the wraps. A bit of yogurt for topping, nothing fancy. (but a few diced green onions would look nice for the picture and a sprig of cilantro)

dried tomatoes

Now that tomato harvest is in full swing, one way of preserving them for future use is by slicing and drying them. Some suggest seasoning the tomatoes before drying, I did not.

• Method 1 was placing the tomatoes in a parchment paper lined tray in the oven, the gas pilot keeps the oven at about 100 degrees farenheit. Very good results in about 24 hours.
• Method 2 was placing the tray , covered with a sheet of plexiglass, in direct sunlight. The resulting water from the tomatoes was trapped so holes were drilled for ventilation. But even with the drilled holes for ventilation, the water vapor was till present. Ultimately, an enclosure should be constructed bigger than the tray alone with adequate ventilation.

I’ve  dried about 3 trays to date, of the tomatoes. Their flavor is very concentrated, the dried tomato could be processed onto a powder if necessary and the uses for dried tomato are many in recipes. Since drying is relatively easy, there is a cost savings if one would buy them outright.

the dried result

stored in a small mason jar, some recommend covering the dried tomato with oil.

plexiglass covered tray for outdoor sun drying.

 

Even with the holes drilled the moisture collects, maybe no cover at all.

In a way it’s ironic that some of the water put into the growing cycle of tomato  is removed by drying, for preservation. I don’t can tomatoes (water bath method), but if there is an oversupply not used during peak ripeness, I may blanch peel and freeze them.

The Garden update/ tomato review

The mid summer doldrums are with us, hot,  balmy and humid weather. The nights are cool. The hydroponic tomatoes and soil grown tomatoes continue. The hydro tomatoes have ceased to grow, some of the foliage browning and dry,  the formed fruit continued to ripen. Some fruit harvested. Most likely a root temperature issue, too hot ! Planning either year round indoor growing or different vegetable next year for hydroponic system.

The soil based tomato plant has thrived still providing new fruit, the first formed fruit ripened and picked. Backed off the the nutrients and since the last rains some watering just from the rain barrel some times twice a day.

 

Two different varieties, Roni and Sakura, the Roni should be the larger of the two. Seeds sourced from High Mowing Organic.

July 16

July 16

Soil based plant. July 23 2018

Hydroponic Deep water culture, outdoor July  23

Uses so far. Salsa. Not shown, tomato sauce for gnocchi, salsa || with chicken and corn chips.

Pizza, hot weather , so baked in the convention oven. Maybe grille outdoor later in the season.

We usually hardly ever buy tomatos from the store , too many disappointments , once you taste them from the vine fresh. The taste of ours are excellent tomato taste, it seems they are at peak sweetness 24 hours after picking. Still good after that robust tomato flavor, no mealy texture, would like to dry some for storage but I think most will be eaten. A delicacy.

Hydroponic update

WTF

I was considering transplanting some of the tomato plants, someone beat me to it apparently .

recent meals

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tomatillo Salsa

 

Rice and beans, Broccoli, and my daughter’s recipe of breaded chicken breast

Rice and bean salad

Fresh bread, all purpose, spent grain, and rice flour combination

Chicken vegetable soup with sausage dumplings.

 

Eggplant, meatball and mozzarella

 

Chicken Curry

From Food 52 Meera Sodha’s Mum’s Chicken Curry

• A spicy chicken dish , I scaled the recipe in half and used 2 chicken thighs , bone in with the skin.
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter and 1/2 tablespoon oil (canola, olive etc.)
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 , 1 and 3/4 inch cinnamon stick
• 1 large onion finely diced
• 1, 1 and 1/4 inch ginger root, peeled and grated
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 fresh chilis, green
• salt
• 3 or 4  oz strained tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoon yogurt, plain whole milk
• 1 lb or so chicken, the thighs are had were large so two we close to 1 lb
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons ground almonds
• 1 teaspoon garam masala

No surprises here, this is  similar to a braised dish and no marination or browning of the chicken is required. As always if you measure and prep the ingredients, the recipe goes easy.

I found these plastic sheets for cutting at the local Job lot, inexpensive and easy to clean plus the diced ingredients can be funnelled right into the pan. Cumin seeds are on the order list, none in stock so I used ground cumin for the saute step.

So in the butter and oil sputter the cumin seeds and cinnamon. Add all the onion and cook till very golden, low medium heat, 10 to 12 minutes. Pound up the chilis and ginger and garlic in a pestle to a course paste, very fragrant ! Add it to the onion mixture. cook for additional 2 minutes.

Now add the paste just cook the following a few minutes layering the ingredients.

Now go with the tomato paste , ground cumin, turmeric, salt to preference and whisk in the yoghurt, cook till heated through.  Add the chicken.

Lid the pan and slow simmer about 30 minutes or until the chicken pieces are done. Finish with the final addition of the ground nuts and garam masala. Flat breads or rice is a good side.

Tomato is the dominate flavor with a spicy finish not too hot. The curry is rather thick and towards the end of the recipe before the chicken was added, I added additional water. Its may be due to the fact or store bought yogurt is thick with no liquid.

I would probably go with more ginger and garlic, but with these many individual flavors additions, it also depends on the quality and freshness of the spices and herbs utilized that could affect the ratio and your preferences.