Blooming Lettuce

Before I ripped them out, I thought I'd show everyone what happens when lettuce goes to seed.  It isn't something that most people are aware of.

Seeds result after flowers are pollinated.  Doesn't matter if that flower is an ornamental or edible.  If you buy a plant seed, its parent had to flower.  Blooming broccoli is quite pretty.  Just doesn't taste good.

Everything is blooming early, after the heat waves we've been having in this La Niña year.  I got an enormous first artichoke out of Artie.  The stevia is already bolting and needs frequent trimming.  The celery, parsley, and oregano are holding their own.  I thought one kale was going to go, but it was just having trouble in the heat.

I'm planting my spring seeds and hoping it stays cool enough for them to do well.  I'm supposed to have three more months of temperate weather before summer sets in.  Instead, I'm already getting cherry tomatoes.  Just one volunteer in the box.  I'm not putting much in the Pond this year, so the calendula can finish killing the nematodes.

One last shot of the Pond before I got around to weeding and pulling out the watercress.  It was also going to seed and tough from the heat.  The planter box was refilled for turnips.  Without competition, the calendula are finally starting to flower.

Artichoke and Yogurt Soup

I'm starting to get artichokes, and there was still one bag of them left in the freezer from last year.  Time to use them up.

Frozen artichokes are often overlooked at the supermarket.  They are much cheaper than a whole one if you're just chopping it up for a recipe.  Canned in water is also an affordable option.  These are generally the smaller side buds that no one would buy at $4 each.  You only need to buy the fresh ones if they're being served whole.

Variations of this soup are attributed to Greek and Turkish cuisines.  I'm leaning Greek with this one, pulling from several recipes online, and thickening it with potato flakes.  You could use leftover mashed potatoes, or cook up and mash a small potato in the broth if you wish.  This was far easier, and I have the end of a box to use up.

It was way too hot to still be called winter when I made this a couple of weeks ago, so I had it chilled, like an artichoke vichyssoise.  Every recipe I read had it served hot, which is why you don't add the yogurt until it's in the serving bowl.

It isn't specifically a Passover recipe, but I'm giving it the label because it is KLP and we're still in the holiday.  I made my matzah lasagna once the Seder leftovers were gone, so there's nothing new to post.

1 Tb olive oil
1 C diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
*12 oz artichoke hearts, can be frozen or canned
1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp celery salt
1 qt no sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1 tsp dill weed
1 Tb lemon juice
1/2 C potato flakes or 1 C mashed potato (1 small)
*1/2 C Greek yogurt

1.  Heat the oil in a soup pot.  Add the onion and cook over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, another 2 minutes.

2.  While that's cooking, chop the artichoke - and potato, if working from raw.  If you plan to purée the soup, any size will do.  I was keeping it chunky and simply chopped the hearts about the same as the onion.

3.  Add artichoke (and potato) to the pot.  Season with celery salt and dill weed.  Once heated, add broth.  Bring to a simmer and cook 10 minutes.

4.  Once soup has simmered, taste for saltiness and adjust with kosher salt if necessary.  Bear in mind that the potato will cut the saltiness a little, and if you're serving it chilled, that will further dull the flavors.

5.  If puréeing, do that now.  It can be done with an immersion blender or in batches in the blender, carefully.

6.  Return soup to a simmer.  Add potato flakes and lemon juice.  Allow the flakes to hydrate for five minutes, stirring occasionally.

7.  If serving hot, ladle out into bowls and add a dollop of yogurt to each.  You can garnish with fresh dill if desired.  Or, chill for at least 4 hours.  I whisked the yogurt with a bit of broth to smooth it out before adding to the bowl.  It will melt on its own if you're serving the soup hot.

Serves 4-6

Difficulty rating  :)

Chicken and Watercress Soup

The watercress is taking over.  That's fine, since the warm temps made all my arugula bolt.  I'm seeding another round now that it's cooler, but that's going to take at least a month before I can pick it.

My search for "watercress and chicken recipe" came up with salads and this soup.  It's Chinese-inspired, which is great for Lunar New Year.  I skipped the mushrooms and added fish sauce (well, Worcestershire because I didn't realize I was out of fish sauce) for that umami.  One version advertises itself as Keto, which is true of all the recipes I read.  I added a little pearl couscous to it to add some heft and thickening power.  I debated picking up won ton wrappers for the carb, but I have a lot of couscous to use up.

The quick version uses pre-cooked chicken and a box of broth.  I had time the day before to simmer bone-in chicken thighs and make my own bone broth, then shred the chicken.  All I had to do when I got home from work was bring it back up to a low boil with the veggies and pasta, then throw in the cress at the end.

*4 boneless/skinless chicken thighs or 1 lb shredded cooked chicken
*1 quart chicken stock
1 Tb olive oil or chicken fat
*3 cloves garlic
*2 tsp grated ginger
*1 Tb soy sauce
1 tsp fish sauce (or *Worcestershire sauce)
*1 bunch green onions, sliced
*2 carrots, peeled and sliced, or 1 15 oz can drained
*4 C watercress or baby spinach leaves
1 8 oz package sliced mushrooms, optional
*1 C frozen peas, optional
*1/2 C pearl (Israeli) couscous, optional

1.  If working with raw thighs, slice into strips.  Melt the bit of fat in a soup pot.  Toss chicken strips into soup pot on medium with the garlic and ginger and stir-fry until lightly browned.  Pre-cooked, just get the garlic and ginger going in the oil until fragrant.

2.  Add in chicken stock, sliced onions, soy, fish sauce, carrots, and any add-ins you might like.  If chicken is pre-cooked, now is the time to add it.  Bring to a simmer and cook until the chicken is done and any vegetables or pasta have softened.

3.  Stir in watercress leaves and bring to a boil for 3-5 minutes.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  Serve hot.

Difficulty rating  π

Cheesy Beans with Garlicy Greens

Didn't plan on that rhyming.  Slightly clickbait-y, but that best describes this dish.

With the kale doing better in the cooling weather and chard starts going on their true leaves, I need to use up the excess that I froze over the summer.  Also, it's time for a break from putting tomato in everything.

I'm doing the beans from dry this time, for the texture.  I didn't want mushy beans with cooked chard.  This becomes a two-part recipe.  The flavors go together very well.  The "sauce" for the beans also tasted great on the roasted carrots I made with it.

*3/4 C dry white beans such as Great Northern or Navy
4 oz garlic-onion soft cheese such as Alouette, Boursin, or Rondelé
2 Tb olive oil
*1/2 C diced red onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
*2 bunches kale, chard, or spinach, roughly chopped
salt and pepper to taste

1.  Early in the day, sort and rinse the beans.  Cover with water by two inches and soak for 8 hours.  Drain.  Refill pot with water to cover by one inch.  Bring to a low boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook two hours, until tender-firm.  Drain, reserving about a tablespoon of the cooking liquid.  Stir in the cheese and allow to melt in the hot beans.

2.  When the beans are about fifteen minutes from done, start the chard.  Heat the oil over medium in a pot or deep skillet.  Add the onion and cook until softened, about five minutes.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.

3.  Add the chopped greens to the skillet, lightly seasoned with salt and pepper.  Cook until greens are well wilted.  If you're having spinach, that will only take a minute or two.  Kale, more like ten.  Completely forgot to take a photo.

4.  Plate the cooked greens in a ring and spoon the beans into the middle.  Serve hot.

Difficulty rating  :)

Change in Gardening Tactics

When I started pulling summer plants out of the Pond, I found root knot nematode damage.  And forgot to take a photo.  It looks like little knobby nodes all over the roots, and comes from microscopic nematodes boring into them.  I've only become aware of the existence of this pest this summer, so it may have been damaging my plants for years.  The infestation isn't severe, but might explain why I've had more above-ground pests this year.  If it's a new problem, maybe it came in with a new bag of dirt or mulch.

There are amendments you can add to soil and beneficial nematodes that kill the bad ones.  I opted to "poison" my dirt to the baddies with flowers in the marigold family.  It's the most organic method I found and only $3 for a pack of seeds.  It's too late for warm-weather marigolds, so the lady at the garden center recommended calendula.  I also have to refrain from planting anything that the nematodes eat for at least a year.  Good thing I like beets.

I know I under-plant flowers, and pollinators in general.  I only want to water things I can eat.  Well, calendula petals are edible.  I'm in the early stages of research.  I won't have flowers for a couple of months.  They can be used in teas for a variety of medicinal purposes.  Calendula oil is a thing for eczema.  They even serve as a substitute for saffron.  Guess I'll have to start drying flower petals now.

As for the pots in the garden, they were disease-free as far as I could tell.  So was the lettuce patch out front.  I'll have to put my chard and leek starts in those.  My volunteer cilantro is already coming up on its own, as well as some carrots I must have forgotten about.  I knew I was dropping seeds when I harvested them, but there is no such thing as too many cilantro plants in my world.

We had a lovely rain last week to deep-water everything, and it looks like there won't be any more 80º+ days this year.  The next day, I seeded the lettuces, root veggies, and herbs.  I reluctantly gave up and bought parsley and celery starts.  The home-grown starts still need more time inside.

One quick note about the calendulas.  Props to Botannical Interests, I had a 100% germination rate.  That one empty cell in the photo was slow to break through, but had already germinated when I took it.  I rarely have that happen on the first try.  It took three seedings to get all the leeks, and the chard was about a 50% germ rate for year-old seeds.

We'll see how much of the winter garden is ready to use in December, but at least I finally got it started.

Fall's Bounty

After a fairly blah summer, the garden really started to pick up when it got hot and humid at the end of August.  The past month has meant daily trips to see what needs harvesting.  Usually, that's cherry tomatoes, but other plants have been earning their keep.

I experimented with carrots in a pot that was too small for them, and they did very well.  I've been sowing carrots every couple of weeks in new spots to see what works, and the little pot and the pond have been the greatest successes so far.  I don't need a cellar-full of carrots.  They keep better in the ground.  It's just nice to be able to pull one when I forget to put it on the grocery list.  The pot will probably be for an herb once I pull the last one.

I pretty much ignored the green beans for two weeks.  It was close to 90º, monsoon humid, and I only had one day off work.  I saw the white buds peeking between the leaves when I was watering the pot, but it takes a couple of weeks for a bean to grow.  They blend in with the stems.  Finally, I decided to pick whatever was there to have with a chicken dinner.  Well...

I put them on the kitchen scale.  A quarter pound, which doesn't sound like a lot, but it was three servings.  And there are more flowers and baby beans.  They were just waiting for the right weather conditions.  These are all the bush variety.  There's one weak pole bean left, twining itself into the tomato plants and not producing any beans.

The pot next to the bush beans has been empty for a couple of months, since I harvested all the turnips.  I finally decided to put in some September peas.  I rigged up a trellis out of scrap wood and twine, and we'll see how many I can get before December.

Two or three days a week, I'm working to preserve tomatoes.  Since I don't need canned, some became freezer pasta sauce.  The excess cherry tomatoes are becoming either dehydrated halves if I have the 5 hours it takes to dry them, or confit if I only have a couple of hours.  The big guys are turning into pickles or oven-dried.  I'm trying to avoid freezing any, since that renders them only good for sauce or other uses when you want them to dissolve.

I'm trying to start the fall greens and herbs, but it refuses to stay below 80º.  I can't even do kitchen pots, since it's up to 85º inside half the time.  There's no point in germinating arugula or cilantro if they're going to bolt before they have enough leaves to harvest.  I'm on my third attempt at parsley and celery.  It's just a touch too warm.  If this one doesn't work, I'll reluctantly buy starts.  I did manage to get some leeks going inside.  They will be transplanted when they're strong enough.

I'm not going to grow kale next year.  For one thing, chard tastes better.  Mainly, I'm tired of fighting the bugs.  If I take a break, the butterflies will forget and go somewhere else.  I'm also going to skip that space hog broccoli.  It's cheap in the market.  I can grow four types of lettuce, about six turnips, or a dozen carrots in the space it takes to grow one broccoli, and lettuce can survive the flooding if it rains a lot this winter.  There's going to be a shocking amount of square footage once the determinate tomatoes come out.

Beef and Eggplant Rolls

This is actually about using more tomatoes, if only for the sauce.  Something similar came up in my YouTube feed, so I went looking for recipes.  My recommendations are now eggplant cooking channels.  Sigh.  Many of the recipes were by Jewish bloggers, serving this on the High Holy Days.  Good timing.  Ok, I decided to top them with mozzarella, so this version is no longer kosher, but everything up to that point is.

While I didn't grow the 50 pounds of tomatoes it would take to break even on the new pots and soil, I probably grew 10 lbs of them.  That's more than I was expecting.  I wouldn't have spent $3 per pound on vine-ripened tomatoes for this, but it was a great way to use a sudden glut off several plants, plus some of the tomato paste pucks I had frozen.

I don't shop often at Trader Joe's, but went over to the eggplant barrel while I was there for some olives and an apple.  They were huge and half the price of everywhere else, so I got two for this recipe.  Did not take into account that they were too wide for the V-slicer.  Even slicing imperfectly by hand, I only needed one for this recipe and ended up roasting the other into baba gannouj.

This recipe has a lot of components.  Wish I had thought that through and made some of it in advance.  You could also use a small jar of pasta sauce instead of making your own.  Again, every recipe for the foreseeable future is going to be tomato-related.

*1 lb lean ground beef (90% or higher)
kosher salt and cracked pepper as needed
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp allspice
*1/4 C chopped parsley
*1/4 C chopped cilantro
1 Tb fresh or 1 tsp dried mint
*2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large or 2 medium eggplants
olive oil as needed
*1/2 red onion, diced
*1 carrot, diced
*1 rib celery, diced
*1 Tb fresh basil or 1 tsp dried
*1-1/2 lbs fresh tomatoes, diced, or one 28 oz can crushed
*2 Tb tomato paste
*2 Tb Marsala or Port, optional
1 C shredded mozzarella, optional

1.  In a bowl, knead together ground beef, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, paprika, cumin, allspice, chopped parsley, chopped cilantro, mint, and one minced clove of garlic.  Refrigerate for an hour while you do the rest of the prep.

2.  Preheat oven to 400º.  Cut off the cap of the eggplant and slice lengthwise into slabs less than half an inch thick.  Ideally, you will have 8 slices so each gets 2 oz of meat.  Lay on parchment-lined baking sheets.  Brush lightly with olive oil, bearing in mind that eggplant is a sponge and you don't want to add too much.  Flip and do the other side.  Then sprinkle lightly with salt.  Roast for 15 minutes, flip the pieces, and roast an additional 5 minutes.  You want them flexible and only half cooked.  Set aside to cool.

3.  While the eggplant is roasting, start the sauce.  Drizzle about 2 Tb of oil into a saucepan and heat over medium.  Add diced onion, celery, and carrot and cook until softened, about 10 minutes.  Add one clove minced garlic, the basil, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Bring to a low boil and cook until everything softens together into a sauce, about half an hour.  If desired, use an immersion blender to smooth it out.  Add wine, if using, and allow the alcohol to boil off.  Taste and adjust seasonings.

4.  To assemble, turn the oven down to 350º.  Ladle half a cup of the sauce into a 9x13 casserole and spread it around to coat the bottom.

5.  Divide the meat into however many slices of eggplant you have.  Spread thinly and cover as much of the eggplant surface as you can.  Roll up from the cap end to the round one and place, seam-side down, in the dish.  Repeat with all the slices and meat.

6.  Pour remaining sauce over the rolls.  Bake until a thermometer reads 165º when inserted into the thickest roll, about 40 minutes.  If desired, pull the casserole out when they reach 140º and sprinkle with cheese.  Replace and continue to bake to temp.  Allow to rest 10 minutes before serving.

Difficulty rating  :-0 ( :) if you use a jar of sauce)

White Bean Stuffed Tomatoes

Yes, I planted too many tomatoes, but I didn't think they'd do this well.  Also, the Monster variety lived up to its name for the first time.  The Beefsteak were the smaller ones.  This is after I processed the case of Romas, since I didn't plant any of those.  I don't need more canned tomatoes this year.

With "white bean" as my meal plan protein, I googled "tomatoes stuffed with white bean" and found a trove of Italian-inspired recipes.  They largely matched up with what I had in mind, which was slightly more Turkish or Lebanese.  This hybrid recipe is being tagged as non-American primarily because there's no rice or breadcrumbs in it.  That would be an American touch.  I did make some herbed rice to serve with it as the starch, and opened the last jar of asparagus from last year as the vegetable.  Just about any pasta would also go well, but I'm having pasta with my next recipe and I try to limit how much I have per month.

I tried to cook the beans in the Crockpot.  It was a hot day and I didn't want to leave the stove on for hours, especially if I was going to be using the oven later.  It didn't work.  At least, not in the 5 hours I gave it, even on High.  I had to simmer them for an hour before I could start.  Time to can up some more beans so I have them ready to go again.

*2/3 C dry white beans such as Navy or Great Northern (or not quite a can)
2+ Tb olive oil
1/2 red onion, diced
*1 rib celery, diced
*2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tb olive oil, plus more for brushing
*4 large or 8 medium round tomatoes (not Romas)
1 Tb Italian seasoning or 1/2 tsp each rosemary, parsley, and basil and 1 tsp oregano
salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
*2 Tb parmesan cheese, optional
fresh herbs to garnish

1.  The night before or early in the day, sort and rinse beans.  Soak in water to cover by 2 inches for 8-12 hours.  Drain.  Bring to a simmer in fresh water or vegetable broth to cover and cook until tender, 2 hours.

2.  While the beans are draining in the sink, drizzle oil in the pot.  Heat over medium.  Cook onion and celery until tender, 5 minutes.  Add garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper and cook until fragrant.

3.  Fold beans into mixture.  Stir in balsamic vinegar.  Set aside while you prepare the tomatoes.

4.  Preheat oven to 400º (can be while stovetop items are cooking).  Drizzle a bit of olive oil to grease a casserole big enough to hold the tomatoes.  Cut off the tops of the tomatoes and scoop out the insides with a melon baller.  I kept and froze the insides to be part of sauce later.  Lightly salt the insides of the tomatoes, turn upside down, and roast for 10 minutes while the filling is resting.

5.  Turn oven down to 350º.  Turn tomatoes back over with tongs (careful, they're hot and squishy).  Fill with bean mixture.  Sprinkle tops with cheese, if desired.  Roast again until tomatoes are done, about 30 minutes.  Allow to rest 5 minutes before serving.  Garnish with herbs if desired.

Difficulty rating  :)

July Garden Update

I'm pretty impressed by this summer's garden so far.  Not everything has been an instant home run, but there have been fewer complete fails than I'm used to.

A few of the chard are still going.  I heard a description of it as "better tasting beet greens", and that's very accurate.  I'm definitely planting it again next year.  The remaining turnips were smaller than I would have liked, but the greens were dying and I had to harvest.  They were enough for one recipe.

The kale is being hit hard by the cabbage loopers.  I put netting over them.  Hopefully that will keep the mama moth from landing.  Other than that, they're looking fantastic and growing at a good pace.  I'm just losing half the leaves to bug damage.

The cilantro finally finished making its seeds.  I pulled it and dried the stems in a bag for a couple of weeks before rubbing off all the coriander.  What I don't use in cooking will be my seed for next year.

After how many years of gardening, I googled how long it takes a tomato to form.  From blossom to ripe, it's 40-60 days, depending on variety and weather conditions.  That means I have at least a month before my first tomatoes are ready.  I'm definitely ready for endless cherry tomatoes.

Something was eating the leaves off my bush beans.  They were so jagged, and close to the edge of the pot, that I thought it was a critter and sprayed critter-deterrent.  That didn't work, so I started using neem oil.  That didn't work, so I added a diluted Dawn spray to the routine.  Then I opened the screen one day to step outside, and a whole flock of birds came out of the pot.  Really?  The nips absolutely could be from beaks.  Well, I'm not getting out the non-organic pesticides if it's birds, so the critter spray came out again.  Maybe they're getting revenge for me covering the berry bramble with bird netting.  I bought another roll and a cage to support it.  I think it's working.  When the plants are a little stronger, I'll trim off all the bitten leaves.  The first flowers appeared, so beans may be in my near future.

The bird thing really threw me.  I'm thinking that they know I no longer have a cat.  She must have been my scarecrow.  Also, it's only my second time attempting to grow beans, so maybe they found them for the first time.  I'm going to start picking tomatoes at first blush, so the birds and squirrels don't have at them.

It's hard to believe that it's already time to start planning for a winter garden.  I have one celery hanging on, but will have to start next year's fairly soon.  I'll get the herbs going around the end of September.  This spring's peas were a bust, so I'll try again in the fall.  Bird netting this time.

Dehydrating Greens

I finally gave up on the last two broccoli about a month ago.  I could have gotten another small harvest out of them, but they were starting to attract cabbage loopers.  The kale don't need any help bringing those in on their own.  I decided to harvest any non-nibbled leaves and dehydrate them for future use.

Drying foods isn't only for herbs.  There's a whole subset on the NCHFP website for how to preserve by drying.  It doesn't pose the same inherent risks as canning, but doesn't preserve as long.

Having dried greens of any sort can be a way to sneak veggies into a recipe, like spaghetti sauce or casseroles.  You can powder them for smoothies.  They can be used in soups, where they pretty much disappear.  When you buy "green powder", that's most of what's in there.  Dehydrating is also one way to keep greens you bought from going to waste.

The procedure is very simple.  If you don't have a dehydrator, a convection oven can do it.  I set mine to the lowest it will allow, which is 110ºF.

Wash the leaves, then pat them dry with a towel.  Remove any thick stems.  Spread them out on a lined baking sheet.  I had better luck with the parchment one than the Silpat.

Set the trays in the oven and go do other things.  After two hours, check the progress.  They will have gotten smaller from losing water, so you can rearrange them for best airflow, and rotate trays if necessary.  After another hour or two, depending on original moisture content and oven temperature, the leaves should be completely dry and shatter with minimal pressure.

Stuff the leaves into a dry container, or powder first if that's how you want to use them.  Seal the jar to keep out moisture and store in a cool, dark place.  Use within six months for best quality.

Difficulty rating  π

This Got Out of Hand Quickly

I may have mentioned that I ended up with twice as many tomato starts as expected.  Then the chard and kale did very well, and the broccoli lasted longer than it was supposed to.  Here comes the summer planting season, and I'm out of space.

There is no way I'm making back the $150 or so I spent on pots and soil.  At least not this year.  That's fifty pounds of tomatoes.  Sure, I'm growing $100 of kale annually, and possibly $50 of artichokes.  I fully expect everything else to be a monetary loss, and the main benefit is the exercise and outdoor time.  Mental health benefits cannot be ignored in the equation, either.

The non-lawn parts of the back yard are now pretty solidly vegetable pots.  One tomato ended up in the front yard in an under-used spot.  The pumpkin and watermelon are going to have to go in bowl pots, or I'll bury a cheap pot in some of the front landscaping that's too poor for direct sowing.

The chicken wire is back up against the back wall for a pot of cherry tomatoes.  I built a baseboard trim and string trellis for two longer planter boxes of tomatoes and pole beans.  Bush beans are in the pot that Eggy died in.  Hoping they aren't subject to whatever killed it.

Emotionally, I'm getting closer to redoing the entire back yard with garden beds.  There was a day of watching YouTube videos.  The irrigation part is going to be expensive, but I could build the beds on my own and water by hand until then.  I was also eyeing some fruit trees at Home Depot.  I'll have to do more research and save up.