Recipe from the Garden

The first thing I want to show you is another haul I made from my garden two days ago.

All of those peppers pictured above? They are just the ones that were ripe and ready. I have another bunch that will be picked in the next week, I'm sure. That means I am making more hot sauce. Although, this next recipe I will try involves a fermentation process that takes two weeks. I'll post it after I have put it together.

The real reason why I am writing this post is because of my dinner from last night. I made a Tomato Basil soup and paired it with a good old fashioned grilled cheese. It was so delicious and garden inspired that I had to share it with all of you.

Tomato Basil Soup

2 large diced tomatoes
1 (11.5 ounce) can tomato-vegetable juice cocktail (or you can juice a few tomatoes if you have a surplus
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
20 fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips
1 cup heavy cream (I used whole milk)
1/4 cup butter or margarine

In a large saucepan, combine the tomatoes, vegetable juice, basil and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, and cook for 30 minutes. Remove from heat. At this point, you may puree the soup if you wish. I recommend you do so either with a stand up blender or a hand blender (what I used). Add the cream and butter; return to medium-low heat, and stir until butter is melted. Serve immediately.

Seriously, this is one of the freshest and smoothest tomato soups I've ever had. Highly recommended! Also, feel free to add in any salt or pepper or anything else as needed. I didn't because I felt it tasted wonderful without any other additions but that is not to say it couldn't be improved on. 

Try it out and let me know what you think! And if you need any fresh basil, ask me. I have PLENTY. 

Giddy from Gardening

This morning I took my son out for the 2nd time in 4 days to do some blueberry picking at a local farm. The first day the whole family went along. A lot of fun was had and we got about 12-13 lbs of blue berries for under 25 dollars between the two days. Amazing deal! They are very sweet and I have no complaints other than I wish the season wasn't so short. There is maybe another week left before they become too soft for picking.

After we came home and I put Jack down for nap, I went out to see what my own garden had in store for me. I wasn't disappointed! Squash galore, a least a half pound of green beans and tomatoes!!

I started moving branches around in my jungle of tomatoes and among the green unripe black cherries I saw the vaguely familiar glint of purplish red that would indicate ripe (or nearly ripe) black cherry tomatoes! I popped the first one I picked right in my mouth. Couldn't help it. It was big, juicy and sweeter than I had remembered. It made me do one of those audible mmmm's of appreciation. It was that good. I'm a happy gardener today!

Red Dragon Hot Sauce

I made homemade hot sauce! For those who know me pretty well, this is pretty exciting as I love hot sauce and salsas of many and all kinds. Here is the recipe that I used.

1 lb blend of Cayenne and Serrano peppers (I didn't measure exactly, just used whatever had ripened up at that point. I think I used about 5 or 6 of each pepper )
2 medium carrots (I used my Purple Dragon carrots from my garden)
1 medium onion, quartered
1 large garlic clove
3 c of water
2 c of white vinegar
2 tbs salt
1 tbsp of ground ginger
1/4 cup of liquid pectin, found near the canning section.

1- In a stainless steel non-reactive pot add all ingredients except for the pectin. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes or until the carrots are soft

2-Turn off heat and add the pectin, stirring well to incorporate

3- Let mixture cool to room temperature then place in blender.

4- Blend on high for about 2 minutes or until fully blended

5- Strain Mixture into a clean container, use a ladle or spoon to press out as much of the liquid as possible and discard the solids.

This hot sauce should keep well in the fridge for about a year.

Here is how it looks!

I have officially named it Red Dragon hot sauce. 1, because it is red from my Cayenne's and has my purple dragon carrots in it. And 2, because it's kind of a bad ass name for hot sauce. It has a pretty good bite to it but is also very flavorful!

If anyone wants some, I have plenty to share. Let me know in the comments and we'll work something out!

Also, I was thinking of sharing a recipe or two a week on here, especially as the season slows down into the fall and winter. What does everyone think? Is that something you'd be into?

Harvest Update

Went out to mow the back lawn and discovered some things were ripe! Found my first and only ripe tomato but a few more are on their way to turning, including my black cherry tomatoes. My mini acorn squash looked about ripe to me due to the orange spots that had previously been yellow and the ease at which they snapped off the vine when I was inspecting them. I picked a few more peppers, both cayenne and serrano. Hot sauce is going to be made this week! And last but certainly not least is the mammoth 2 foot long squash that had been hiding under masses of squash leaves and vines. Not that it takes long for them to get that big. A day or two really. I wonder if it will be at all salvageable for food or if it is beyond good eating status. Oh well! Pretty excited to try all of these new treasures from the garden.

On Composting. A Readers Question.

I've recently received a question from a reader and decided to answer it in blog form in case anyone else has the same questions.

Catherine has asked "I'm using raised beds for my garden that up until this spring were just rock beds. Do you add anything to your soil after all of your crops are done to get them in shape for the next growing season?"

Thanks Catherine, both for reading and for the question. I have in fact worked to make sure my soil has plenty of what it needs in terms of nutrients. I have gotten into composting in the last year. I put anything in it that is bio-degradable and will break down within about 6-12 months. For our house, there are a lot of fruit and vegetable scraps (rinds from melons, banana peels, strawberry tops, etc etc) and we put all of our coffee grounds in the compost as well. Maggie has even brought the shredded paper scraps from work and I've thrown a few garbage bags of shredded paper in there to help even out the moisture content. I keep the scraps in an old coffee bin or those plastic ice cream buckets. Re-purpose those to hold your compost until you take the bucket out to dump it. Anything with a seal-able lid and is easy to clean out would be ideal. Just make sure not to put meat or dairy scraps in the garden. They will spoil and attract animals.

Now as far as where to put your compost. I keep mine in a pile behind my garage. I'm lucky that the back of my yard is framed in by a garage and a shed so it's fairly out of view and protected. Others may not have the space or opportunities to have a pile of compost in their yard without it being unsightly. There are composting bins available as well. A few different styles are available at varying costs. A quick search on Google will give you some ideas of what you will be looking at. Rate of decomposition is a matter of preference as well. My open ground style takes a little longer but I turn it from time to time (once a week or so) and I usually have a nice pile of usable compost in 3-6 months. I have two piles. One I start in the late summer when I pull up my crops and throw the tomato plants and squash vines and other crop scraps onto the pile. And I add onto it through the winter. By the time spring rolls around and you are getting ready to plant, that pile should be broken down pretty well. At that time, you start your new pile and since things break down faster in the summer heat, a good chunk of that pile should be broken down by the time the end of summer summer rolls around. You then can either spread and use that for fall crop planting or just to condition your garden beds before winter.

Another thing that I have next to my compost piles is a leaf pile. When I rake my leaves, instead of sending them to the curb, I dump them into a pile and let them compost and break down for about a year. What will form on the bottom of the large leaf pile is a thing called leaf mould. This is a great page to do a quick read up on it. Either way, the main thing is it is great for your soil and in turn, your plants. I have even asked my neighbors to give me their leaves. It works best to have them chopped up a bit before adding them to the pile but if not? Not a big deal. It might take a little longer to break down and you may have to turn the pile a little to keep the decomposition going but it will still happen. In the fall after I have collected leaves and cleaned out my garden beds, I spread a layer of leaves about 6-12 inches thick. It might look like a lot at first but it will settle over the winter. The leaves will also break down while on your beds. They will provide protection to the soil from the harsh winter and also draw up the worms to help work your soil. (Hint: Worms are one of the best things for your garden. If you find a lot of worms in your garden soil, chances are that is good soil). In the spring, I rake them off with a garden rake onto a blue tarp. I then drag the remaining leaves back onto the larger leaf pile and let them continue to break down through the summer. By the time fall rolls around, just before its time to start over and collect more leaves, your leaf pile should have a good layer of leaf mould on the bottom. Spread that on your garden before you cover it with new leaves from the new fall and repeat the process. Very cyclical. It makes nature happy.

And the last thing that I tend to do is add some organic fertilizer during the season about every 4-6 weeks. Make sure the package says organic and be sure to read dosage instructions. (The different kind of nutrients you'll find in different fertilizers is worth a whole other post).

Soil tends to settle and erode over the years, especially in raised beds. If you find or think that you don't have enough soil, be sure to add some top soil as needed.

I have detailed my own processes but composting can be variable depending on your own situation and your needs. There are a lot of good books on composting out there. Your local library may even have some. Read a few to try and get a feel for what would work best for you and to get even more information.

I hope this has helped. It sounds like it can be complicated but really it is as easy or as complicated as you want to make it. The process, decomposition, is the same in the end!

Home gardeners continue to be targeted

Can you tell the difference between Marijuana plants and Tomato plants?

I'm always baffled by stories like the one in the link above and yet I'm not sure why. It has happened at an increasing rate in the last decade. People who are using their small space to grow food are being targeted and their food supplies are being destroyed under the reasoning of "code violations." Code violations... really. Yet we see no violations when big corporations spray our foods with poison and then ship it out to millions for consumption. No codes broken except for the (oft forgotten in big business) moral code of "Thou shalt not poison the masses." I know some may think this is not a huge deal but it does happen often. I suppose I could link a few more articles showing my point but right now I'm too upset and frustrated and I don't feel like furthering that feeling by revisiting more articles on the same topic. But if someone out there reading wants more information or examples, I'll get it to you.

I guess from all of this my point is simply this: educate yourself and be aware of small liberty violations. Bottom line: It is our rights as humans to grow our own food on our own property. And it's horrible and scary to think that others are threatened enough by this basic desire and right as to destroy something as peaceful and harmless as another persons garden and food source.

You say tomato, I say ripen up already

Seeing red? Not quite yet. 

Yes, it is true. It is the middle of August and I have yet to harvest a ripe tomato. Oh, I have plenty of big beautiful green ones that have just been sitting on the vine. But none that have ripened to that big, robust red we all know and love. It makes me a sad panda. Last year at this time, my tomatoes had been going strong for a few weeks and I was still waiting on my cayenne peppers to ripen. Actually, I had to pull my cayennes at the end of the season before a frost and let them ripen hanging up in my basement (they did, rather nicely too). But as of today? Cayennes are turning red left and right. And my tomatoes are as green as the day they appeared on the vine. Oh sure, logically I can tell myself it is due to the weather being so cool. But screw logic! I want some 'Maters!

Cayennes ripening in the background. 4 have already been picked up to this point

More tomatoes

Black Cherry tomatoes with some Serrano peppers.  

Small tomatoes, big tomatoes. 

Well, in the meantime, at least I can focus on some of my other crops that are ripening up. Remember those Ghost Peppers I was telling you about? 

Boo

If the plant looks bad, it's because it is. The tomatoes have smothered out the sunlight and are slowly killing off the plant. BUT the peppers seem to be making it through at this point. I have recently made the mistake of looking up videos of people eating ghost peppers. Yeah... here's the thing. I like hot and spicy things. But I'm not stupid. With that being said, who wants some ghost peppers!? Seriously, they are yours. I just clear my name of all responsibility. And I will give you a small run down on handling them before I hand them off to you, dear reader. Then I wash my hands of said responsibility. And of hot pepper oil. 

Other things are coming along nicely as well. What you have here is some nice Rainbow Swiss chard along with some Holy Squash Batman!! I can't complain at all about my squash plants. From day one they have taken to their spot in the garden and have made themselves comfortable by filling in any of the empty spaces. Whether it is summer squash, zucchini or acorn squash, they have all been bountiful. 

One small (or big, depending on how you look at it) tragedy is some of the things I have found due to the cool and wet weather we've been having. WARNING: What you are about to see is foul and grotesque. 

F'ing gross

That right there is one of at least 4 slugs I found after a rainy day. That thing in the top left corner? That is one of the other 3 or 4 slugs I found and consequently crushed. Little known fact: Slugs are really really hard to kill under shoe. They just squish and slide and rebound back to form. Sorry, I just threw up in my mouth a little.

Hey lets get back to something pretty! I mentioned earlier in the season that I had planted some wildflowers in my front yard and I would show you what they looked like when fully grown. Well, the time has come! 

I know, I know. The lighting is horrid here. 

Just to give some perspective on how tall these things are getting, I'm about 6'2... minus 4 inches...

So really, they have turned out quite beautiful. Even more then these pictures can show. I'm pretty happy with all of it. I'm excited to start to plan next year as flowers are a fairly new adventure for me but I'm starting to appreciate them more and more. 

I will leave you with a glimpse of some things that are currently growing but not quite yet ready for harvest.

Bush Beans

Moon and Stars Watermelon

Brussels Sprouts

Thanks for hanging in there and reading, especially after that slug picture. 

Garden Tips, Part 2

Ever have trouble with your garden tools getting rusty or not staying quite as sharp as they were when you first purchased them? It's important to keep your tools well oiled. A simple way to do this is fill a 5 gallon bucket 3/4 full of sand. Add in a quart or two of vegetable oil and dip your tools in the oiled sand to help keep them from rusting.

Plant sunflowers among your squash plants. Not only will vine habit squash use the sunflowers as a form of growth support but the sunflowers will also attract birds that will help keep the pest population down around your plants.  

As gardeners, we all hear about using raised beds to your benefit. But did you know there are multiple ways to create raised beds? Here are a few:

Logs: Choose straight logs about a foot in diameter to create bed edges. Smaller logs can be stacked to create a deeper bed. To build a bed that is 4x8 feet, you'll need two 7 foot logs for the sides and two 4 foot logs to put on the ends. 

Concrete blocks: Place concrete blocks with open ends facing up to outline the raised bed. The openings can be filled with soil as well and used as planting pockets for herbs or flowers. Best of all, you can build a bed as big or as small as you like.

Wood planks and rebar: You can construct this raised bed with leftover lumber of almost any dimension. Just make sure the wood is untreated so as chemicals don't leech into your garden soil. Hold the planks on edge with short lengths of rebard pounded into the ground every 2 to 3 feet. To build a 4x8 bed, you'll need two 2 by 12 planks 8 feet long, two 2 by 12 planks 4 feet long and 12 pieces of rebar 24 inches long. 

Sandbags: Using the long, slender bags of sand that are sold as traction sand, outline a bed. Stack the bags about two high. Plus, when you de-construct the bed for winter, you can use the sand for multiple other things in the winter, such as weighing down the back of a light ended pick up truck. 

Did you know that vegetables such as carrots come in a plethora of colors? Many of the vegetables at the supermarket have led us to believe that all carrots are orange, all cauliflower is white and all tomatoes are red. In reality, almost all vegetables comes in a rainbow of colors and each color offers a different range of health benefits. If you cannot find multi colored varieties at your super market or your farmers market, consider ordering seeds and growing your own! 

Weed Stopping Strategies: Every time you rototill or turn over your soil, you are bringing anywhere up to 5,000 weed seeds in every square inch! Rather than tilling try using a broadfork to loosen the soil without turning the upper layers. Once a garden is prepared, most weed seeds will come up in the first 3-4 days after working the soil. Use a sharp garden hoe early on to eliminate what will become tough to pull weeds later after their roots get a holding. Also, don't underestimate the power of mulch to keep weed populations down. 

I hope some of these tips have helped you in your on going quest to learn more about gardening and to be the best gardener you can be! 

Tips for your Garden, Part 1

I recently have read and come across a whole slurry of organic gardening news, notes and just tips in general. I thought it would be a good idea to share some of these as a benefit to anyone reading this and also as a change of pace from the typical "this is what my garden looks like right now" posts.

Drawer Beds: Any old dresser drawers can have their bottom removed, placed in a spot where you want to grow something and then fill it with some good composted soil and there you have a make shift raised bed. Not the biggest area but if you place a few of them in a row you could get a decent amount of things planted. Just be careful if there are certain kinds of paint or if the wood has been treated with anything hazardous that could leach into the soil. 

Organizing Seeds: One way to organize all of those seeds that you have left over from all of the seed catalogs (aka seed porn) is to get one of those over the door shoe organizers with the 24 see through pockets and hang it up where you keep your gardening things. It will keep them organized, out of the way and make them easy to see and find.

Ripening tomatoes: This information is pertinent to myself and may be to any of you out there experiencing this very mild Michigan summer. (Or any other location that is having unseasonably cool temperatures) Warm temperatures, particularly night time temperatures of 70 degrees F and above, are key for ripening tomatoes. When it is cooler the tomatoes will continue to grow but it takes much longer for them to ripen. I am having this issue in my garden right now. A lot of green tomatoes but no red ones yet (or black in the case of my black cherry tomatoes). This time last year I was already swimming in mass amounts of ripened tomatoes due to the record breaking heat waves of 2012. So if you are experiencing this slow ripening phenomenon this year, the low temperatures are why.

Growing fruit: Want to grow fruit but worried that you don't have enough room for the permanent beds fruits usually demand? Look to growing fruit in pots. There are a good amount of strawberries and blueberries that are well suited for container growing. With a little research and care, these fruits can do very well in the space provided. Take care to make sure the soil you prepare for blueberries is slightly acidic by using peat based potting mixes along with some sphagnum peat moss and compost.

BLTs: This isn't exactly a tip FOR your garden but I figured it should be in here nonetheless. There is no better BLT in the world than the one you make with your home grown garden tomatoes. And that's the truth.

Wasps: While generally feared and hated, wasps can actually be beneficial to your garden by feeding on many of the common garden pests that haunt your garden and your nightmares. (Don't worry. I'm still creeped out by wasps as well)