I harvested my first 2012 peas yesterday. There were only two, but I see more growing!
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Saturday, January 28, 2012
Saturday, January 21, 2012
More Seed Sowing
I just planted 5 rows of cool season greens this evening, each about 5 feet in length. I planted "Feldsalat" (more on this in a bit), Stardom Mix, Farmer's Market Sweet Greens and Reds, Monet's Garden Mesclun (these three are all from Renee's), and Rainbow Chard (from John Scheepers). Sprinkled among the rows, I planted Golden Beets and Jewel-Toned Beets (also from Renee's), along with Purple Plum Radishes and Red Meat Radishes (ordered recently from Trade Winds Fruit), and Carnival Blend Carrots (from Botanical Interests).
Back to the "Corn Salad"...I found this delicious little cold-loving green on my trip to Germany. They called it Feldsalat; it was served on almost every salad and I noticed it at the local farmers markets in Freiburg labeled with the same name. It had a mild, but refreshing flavor, somewhat sweet with a slight crispness in the stem without being overly crunchy. The leaves look similar to baby spinach, but with longer stems and a leaf texture more like mesclun. It appears to be harvested almost whole, as a very loose head of leaves. According to the packaging (I found it at a garden shop in England, brand name: Sutton's) it is also called Lamb's Lettuce, but my search of the internet suggests that we call it Mache here in the states, courtesy of the French. In any case, I shall be calling it Feldsalat. Also, according to my internet search, it should do well this winter. It seems to love the cold, and still grows right around freezing temperatures (albeit slowly). It supposedly grows slower than lettuce, but I've never been great at growing lettuce in a hurry, so we'll have to see how it goes.
It's been rather cold at night, which will likely slow down germination, but I expect to start seeing radish sprouts and perhaps some lettuce within a week.
I also planted maybe 20 parsnip seeds. I started them soaking yesterday afternoon, and put them out in between the cauliflower, broccoli, and cabbage plants. I'm not sure how well they'll do, since the seeds are a couple years old now and there's not going to be a ton of sun between all those larger plants...but many of those plants will be coming out in another month or two, so hopefully the parsnips will germinate and set out some roots in the meantime and then they can have all the sun they want.
Lastly, I set some fava beans up between wet paper towels yesterday afternoon. My plan is to get them out in the garden on Monday, filling in the gaps between the pea and sweet pea vines. I don't have room to plant a whole row of only favas, so the crop will likely be smaller this year, but any fava beans are worthwhile in my opinion.
Back to the "Corn Salad"...I found this delicious little cold-loving green on my trip to Germany. They called it Feldsalat; it was served on almost every salad and I noticed it at the local farmers markets in Freiburg labeled with the same name. It had a mild, but refreshing flavor, somewhat sweet with a slight crispness in the stem without being overly crunchy. The leaves look similar to baby spinach, but with longer stems and a leaf texture more like mesclun. It appears to be harvested almost whole, as a very loose head of leaves. According to the packaging (I found it at a garden shop in England, brand name: Sutton's) it is also called Lamb's Lettuce, but my search of the internet suggests that we call it Mache here in the states, courtesy of the French. In any case, I shall be calling it Feldsalat. Also, according to my internet search, it should do well this winter. It seems to love the cold, and still grows right around freezing temperatures (albeit slowly). It supposedly grows slower than lettuce, but I've never been great at growing lettuce in a hurry, so we'll have to see how it goes.
It's been rather cold at night, which will likely slow down germination, but I expect to start seeing radish sprouts and perhaps some lettuce within a week.
I also planted maybe 20 parsnip seeds. I started them soaking yesterday afternoon, and put them out in between the cauliflower, broccoli, and cabbage plants. I'm not sure how well they'll do, since the seeds are a couple years old now and there's not going to be a ton of sun between all those larger plants...but many of those plants will be coming out in another month or two, so hopefully the parsnips will germinate and set out some roots in the meantime and then they can have all the sun they want.
Lastly, I set some fava beans up between wet paper towels yesterday afternoon. My plan is to get them out in the garden on Monday, filling in the gaps between the pea and sweet pea vines. I don't have room to plant a whole row of only favas, so the crop will likely be smaller this year, but any fava beans are worthwhile in my opinion.
Friday, January 20, 2012
The Hatching
My seedlings have started to pop up. The first seed was a Stevia plant on Tuesday, followed by the first tomatoes on Wednesday and Thursday.
two Stevia seedlings
1884 and Sun Gold seedlings
Not sure if the picture does it justice, but this last picture of some Bosque Blue seedlings have cute little purple stems! According to the seed seller, I should select the purplest stems to ensure the bluest tomatoes.
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two Stevia seedlings
1884 and Sun Gold seedlings
Not sure if the picture does it justice, but this last picture of some Bosque Blue seedlings have cute little purple stems! According to the seed seller, I should select the purplest stems to ensure the bluest tomatoes.
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Saturday, January 14, 2012
More about seeds!
Tomato and pepper seeds are sown, along with leeks and a variety of spring herbs such as Parsley, Cilantro, Shiso, Chives and others.
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Friday, January 13, 2012
Cauliflower and Cabbage
Today I harvested some cabbage leaves and sauteed them up with some salt and apple cider vinegaer, served on a La Brea demi baguette with chicken/apple sausage and onions for dinner. The cabbage plants look good, but it looks like it will be awhile yet before they form full heads...so I stole a few leaves from each plant and I hope they don't mind. It was fairly bitter, but it's been quite warm the last couple weeks, so hopefully the heads will be sweeter as we get into February and March, which are typically cooler.
The cauliflower in my garden desperately needs to be harvested and eaten. I think perhaps I'll make something tomorrow or Sunday. This vegan recipe caught my eye. I have no interest in going totally vegan, but Elliott and I could certainly do with less meat and more veg in our diet. I love mushrooms, rosemary, and sweet potatoes, so I don't see how this could be bad.
Over the last few days we've also had a second broccoli harvest and I harvested a few stalks of celery to throw into an oyster stew. The broccoli has been very good, and I was very glad to read that I can expect additional harvests from the plants I harvested from. The celery was full of flavor, even a bit over the top. I'm sure this is due to lack of watering and the heat. It was certainly edible though, and I look forward to making soup stock with it and throwing it into soups, stuffings, and other recipes. Unless it eases up a bit on the taste though, I don't think I'll be snacking on it again soon.
*Update: That recipe for sweet potato and cauliflower mash with mushroom gravy was seriously delicious and extremely filling. Most definitely a make again. I also suspect it freezes well. It was so filling that there are plenty of leftovers!
Cauliflower and sweet potato ready for roasting
Mushroom gravy in progress (if you have and immersion blender or mash by hand, this is only a two pan meal)
Finished product! Wish I'd had a little parsley or chives to garnish with something green, but otherwise it was perfect.
The cauliflower in my garden desperately needs to be harvested and eaten. I think perhaps I'll make something tomorrow or Sunday. This vegan recipe caught my eye. I have no interest in going totally vegan, but Elliott and I could certainly do with less meat and more veg in our diet. I love mushrooms, rosemary, and sweet potatoes, so I don't see how this could be bad.
Over the last few days we've also had a second broccoli harvest and I harvested a few stalks of celery to throw into an oyster stew. The broccoli has been very good, and I was very glad to read that I can expect additional harvests from the plants I harvested from. The celery was full of flavor, even a bit over the top. I'm sure this is due to lack of watering and the heat. It was certainly edible though, and I look forward to making soup stock with it and throwing it into soups, stuffings, and other recipes. Unless it eases up a bit on the taste though, I don't think I'll be snacking on it again soon.
*Update: That recipe for sweet potato and cauliflower mash with mushroom gravy was seriously delicious and extremely filling. Most definitely a make again. I also suspect it freezes well. It was so filling that there are plenty of leftovers!
Cauliflower and sweet potato ready for roasting
Mushroom gravy in progress (if you have and immersion blender or mash by hand, this is only a two pan meal)
Finished product! Wish I'd had a little parsley or chives to garnish with something green, but otherwise it was perfect.
Seeds, seeds, seeds, seeds :)
All my new (mostly tomato) seeds came this week! I stuck mostly to tomato seeds, but bought a few extras that will hopefully feature in this blog over the coming months.
To start, I bought wintergreen seeds. I suspect this was a horrible idea, since I have heard it's hard to start from seed. OH WELL! The seeds need to "stratify" for 60 days...which I took to mean "put them in the fridge for two months." Some websites said I should put them in moist dirt in the fridge. Others said no, that may cause them to rot. I don't know. Anyways, I just put the seed packet in the fridge on Tuesday (January 10th) and in 60 days I will plant half of them and see what happens!
At this point, I'm just waiting to get some tape for my label maker and then I will get my pepper and tomato seeds started!
To start, I bought wintergreen seeds. I suspect this was a horrible idea, since I have heard it's hard to start from seed. OH WELL! The seeds need to "stratify" for 60 days...which I took to mean "put them in the fridge for two months." Some websites said I should put them in moist dirt in the fridge. Others said no, that may cause them to rot. I don't know. Anyways, I just put the seed packet in the fridge on Tuesday (January 10th) and in 60 days I will plant half of them and see what happens!
At this point, I'm just waiting to get some tape for my label maker and then I will get my pepper and tomato seeds started!
Monday, January 9, 2012
Broccoli What!
I grew broccoli!!
First harvest of the season weighed in at 272 grams. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
First harvest of the season weighed in at 272 grams. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Tomato Seeds
Tomato seeds are ordered and on their way!!! I'm taking a chance this year and trying to start my own tomato plants. With any luck, I'll have my first seeds in starter mix by the end of the week!
TomatoFest
Bosque Blue
"Here at the farm, we've crossed a selected strain of the rare blue stock to Amy's Sugar Gem, one of our favorite tomatoes to take to market in Los Alamos and Santa Fe. The result is a vigorous plant which bears wonderful salad tomatoes with the lustrous dark purple of the original and its important antioxidant properties. The skin of this tomato contains as much anthocyanin as a blueberry. The color is darkest when the temperatures are cooler and the fruit is not shaded. Because the color shows up in the young foliage, you can continue to improve the stock by selecting the darkest of your seedings to plant out. This is really an adventure in gardening and we would welcome hearing about your success. We will send 30 seeds per packet so you can share with your family and friends. The vines reach about 5 foot and need support. Ripe tomatoes can be picked at 65 days from transplant."
Yellow Submarine
"If you think yellow pear tomatoes are pretty, and pretty bland, you need to try this import from Ireland.Yellow Submarine has a wonderful wild sweet flavor and the production off these big vines is astounding. Fruit is 1 1/2 inches in length, a vivid golden color and holds well on the vine. They ripen in about 65-70 days from transplant."
I tried these last year, and they didn't disappoint. The taste varied throughout the season, and sometimes was a bit lacking, but they're pretty good compared to the yellow pears I've had in the past and it's hard to beat the color, unique shape, and prolific harvest that comes with this tomato.
Sun Gold
"Beautiful cherry tomato that ripens to a golden orange. The Sun Gold Cherry is possibly the sweetest cherry tomato around. Plants bear lots of fruit, and ripen early, continuing to produce throughout the season. A single large plant has produced over 1000 tomatoes. Hybrid. Indeterminate. 57 days."
These were one of my favorites last year. They just pop with flavor and it was difficult waiting to get them inside and on the scale before I had tasted a few. They are an appealing, sunny orange color and about the size of a cherry.
These were one of my favorites last year. They just pop with flavor and it was difficult waiting to get them inside and on the scale before I had tasted a few. They are an appealing, sunny orange color and about the size of a cherry.
Berkeley Tie Dye
"A beautiful multi-colored tomato with red-gold-green striped fruits. The luscious fruits have a a wonderful juicy flavor with a hint of tartness. Good production, large fruits average from 8-14 ounces. Indeterminate. 75-80 days."
"Warning, high acid content may cause flashbacks. This tomato blows me and alot of my customers away. A favorite to many of my chefs. Mid-late to late, 75-90 days. indet. regular leaf plants. 8-16 oz. Green fruit with yellow and red stripes. Creamy green flesh infused with various shades of red and yellow. Each of these colors has a different flavor resulting in a spicey, sweet, tart tomato with good acid all in one. Originated from one plant 500 F-2 Beauty King."(From Wild Boar Farm - who developed the strain)
"Warning, high acid content may cause flashbacks. This tomato blows me and alot of my customers away. A favorite to many of my chefs. Mid-late to late, 75-90 days. indet. regular leaf plants. 8-16 oz. Green fruit with yellow and red stripes. Creamy green flesh infused with various shades of red and yellow. Each of these colors has a different flavor resulting in a spicey, sweet, tart tomato with good acid all in one. Originated from one plant 500 F-2 Beauty King."(From Wild Boar Farm - who developed the strain)
TomatoFest
Hawaiian Currant
"A sweet red, pea-sized currant that holds fruit on clusters until all are ripe. A very sweet and tasty treat. Hawaiian Currant tomatoes are a sure winner in children's gardens around the world. All TomatoFest tomato seeds are certified organic. Go ahead, give them a try!"
This was another of my favorites last year. Maya did her best to try to kill it, by snapping it off right at the base of the stem, but I managed to save it by putting the branches into my aquaponics garden until it grew some roots and I could replant it. This gave it a pretty late start, but it still ended up being one of my best plants. It also managed to fruit right through September and October, so I was able to serve a fresh tomato salad with Thanksgiving dinner. These tomatoes are seriously tiny, just slightly larger than a pea and they have a great red tomatoey flavor.
Black Plum
(image from Laurel's Heirloom Tomato Plants)
"One of my favorite Russian varieties that produces a long and steady crop of 2-inch elongated plum-shaped fruits colored a beautiful deep-mahogany with dusky-green shoulders. Fruit resembles a small paste tomato but with thinner walls. Unique sweet tangy flavor."
I won't lie; this tomato was a major disappointment last year. The first year I grew them, they were my ultimate favorite. They were almost smokey in flavor and were prolific growers. Everyone else who tried them agreed they were the best. This last year, they were bland and watery. They didn't grow as plentiful either. MAJOR disappointment. But they were so amazing the previous year that I'm going to have to try them again. I'm crossing my fingers that I just had a bad plant last year.
Paul Robeson
(image from Laurel's Heirloom Tomato Plants)
"Tomato seeds for this Russian heirloom were made available by Marina Danilenko, a Moscow seeds woman. This favorite heirloom tomato was named after the operatic artist who won acclaim as an advocate of equal rights for Blacks. His artistry was admired world-wide, especially in the Soviet Union. This "black" beefsteak tomato is slightly flattened, round, and grows to 4-inches. Its deep, rich colors stand it apart from others…a dusky, dark-red, with dark-green shoulders, and red flesh in its center. Very flavorful fruits with luscious, earthy, exotic flavors and good acid/sweet balance. Paul Robeson (aka Pol Robeson) won "Best of Show" at Carmel TomatoFest. As this tomato variety originates from Siberia and sets fruits at lower temps, it is an excellent choice for cooler growing regions."
I've grown this one two years in a row now, since it seems to be a widespread favorite. The first year, I only got a couple tomatoes out of the plant (probably my fault, not its). Last year, I got a few more and was pretty pleased with the taste. It was milder than most of the other tomatoes, but it was fleshy and moderately sweet. I'll give it another try this year because I know it will be good on sandwiches and pizzas and because it is such a favorite among other heirloom growers.
1884
"Great old-time heirloom tomato said to have been discovered by James Lyde Williamson near Friendly W.Virginia in a pile of flood debris from the Ohio River in 1884. A personal favorite of Gary Ibsen, and a priority in his yearly tomato planting. These organic heirloom tomato seeds produce a vigorous, regular leaf, tomato plant that yields large (1-2 lb.) dark pink fruit with lots of tomato flavors. Perfect tomato seeds to include in your garden!"
Opalka
An heirloom originally from Poland. (aka Polish Torpedo) Vigorous vines produce some of the best tasting paste tomatoes with 5-inch long fruit shaped like a banana pepper with a pronounced tip on the bottom. Fruit has very few seeds, is extremely meaty and loaded with rich sweet flavors lending to its sauce appeal.
Yellow Brandywine, Platfoot Strain
"Since 1991 Yellow Brandwine has become an American favorite heirloom tomato. The strain we carry is considered to be the original and best tasting strain, the Platfoot Strain from Gary Platfoot of Ohio. Our TomatoFest organic tomato seeds produce big, indeterminate, potato-leaf tomato plants that yield large amounts of 1 lb., 3 to 4-inch, yellow-orange (gold), round, flattened, slightly ribbed shouldered beefstaek tomato with delicious, intense sweet flavors balanced with a slight tartness."
Clint Eastwood's Rowdy Red
"Named by Gary Ibsen, the seeds of this variety came to Gary from tomato breeder, Archie Millett, who crossed his favorite tomato varieties over many years to finally produce a disease resistant tomato with intense flavor. 'Clint Eastwood's Rowdy Red,' is an open-pollinated tomato (78 days to maturity). The tall, indeterminate, plant produces lots of 2-inch (6-10 oz.), deep-red, round tomatoes with a subtle point on it's end. Fruit has robust, "not for sissies," bold, tomatoey flavors, with a firm, juicy flesh, that invites snacking in the garden, cooking, canning and seed-saving. Its fruity sweetness is perfectly balanced with plenty of acidity, earthy nuances and complexity."
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Happy 2012
I've made it through the first week of 2012, and I'm excited about this year since it's the first year that I've started with things already growing in the garden. This year's resolution? Grow and eat more vegetables!...and also exercise more :)
Despite a 3-week vacation I took for the holidays, with no one tending my plants, the cold season vegs seem to have survived. I'm sure they would have been much happier with some regular watering, but hey! they lived. The edible pea vines are climbing, up to about 3' or 4' and the broccoli and cauliflower look excellent. I'll be harvesting some of each this week, making it the first harvest of 2012. The purple broccoli plants look strong, but no sign of flowers yet, and the red cabbage plants also look great, though their leaves are still quite loose. I don't know how the cabbage heads form, or how long it takes them to do so, but I'm hopeful that it will happen. Between the big plants there are still radishes, carrots, and beets. The beets and carrots are suffering from lack of water, and have grown very little. The radishes also have hardly grown, though this is probably for the best. Strawberry starts from last year are finally taking off, and I hope to add a few more starts this month. The only thing that's looking really sad is the sweet pea vines. I'm hoping it's just lack of water that is stunting their growth, and hopefully a few weeks with regular watering and they'll be ready to bloom come spring time.
When I picked up the big pile of mail from the post-office, it was a pleasant surprise to find three seed catalogs! Let the seed ordering begin!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Basil Galore
I just harvested literally pounds of basil from my aquaponics garden. It was so big the other plants weren't getting any sun. And what else is there to do with lots of basil besides make pesto
Purple basil pesto on gnocchi. Delicious!
Hopefully I'll find time later this week to turn the green stuff into pesto too.
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Purple basil pesto on gnocchi. Delicious!
Hopefully I'll find time later this week to turn the green stuff into pesto too.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Still no pictures. *sigh* I haven't been home much during daylight hours, but I promise to post pictures this weekend at the latest. Last weekend I dug up the squash bed and planted the first winter vegetables. I cheated and bought starts at OSH and Armstrong. I put in 12 brocolli starts (6 are this fun purple variety!), 6 cauliflower, 6 celery, and 5 purple/red cabbage. Along the fence I put in snap pea seeds. And between the brocolli/cauliflower/celery/cabbage, I planted golden and red beets, Carnival Blend carrots, and Easter Egg radishes. I completely forgot that I've been waiting for this season to finally try growing parsnips. I think I will plant parsnips in a couple weeks after the carrots and radishes sprout and I can fill in the gaps. I LOVE PARSNIPS! I hope I can make them grow.
I pulled three butternut squashes and a very teeny melon out of the garden in the process of cleaning the garden out. I also pulled my Dickinson Squash/Pumpkin out a week or two ago. I am SO looking forward to sharing it with friends in pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. In the meantime, it is a decoration on my front porch.
I pulled three butternut squashes and a very teeny melon out of the garden in the process of cleaning the garden out. I also pulled my Dickinson Squash/Pumpkin out a week or two ago. I am SO looking forward to sharing it with friends in pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. In the meantime, it is a decoration on my front porch.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Haven't had ANY time to post anything new. I'm still eeking a little bit of produce out of the garden by it's time for a major overhaul so I can put in the winter garden. I managed to plant a few sweet peas in hopes that I'll get some blooms by Thanksgiving. I know it's not likely, but we can hope? I also planted a bunch of new pots in the aquaponic bed....mostly herbs and lettuces. Hopefully those will be ready for Thanksgiving too. Hope to post pictures soon!
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Gnocci Craving
Having an odd craving for gnocci, so I thought I'd browse Google. I unexpectedly found this: Swiss Chard Gnocci Recipe. Sadly, I just yanked out all my swiss chard the other day (believe me, it was time....it was all old and gross and mildewy), but when the next batch gets going I will have to try this.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Tomato Season Really Begins
Starting to see a few more tomatoes ripen. The sun gold is really going at it.
The opalka produced its first tomato (albeit a small one!) and the mortgage lifter looks like it will have ripe tomatoes later this week!
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The opalka produced its first tomato (albeit a small one!) and the mortgage lifter looks like it will have ripe tomatoes later this week!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Peas and Beans
The peas are GONE. I yanked them out and hung the plants up to dry. In a few days I'll go out and remove the pods from the vines and shell the peas. I definitely did not get a lot of pounds out of my peas this year, but it was entirely because I wasn't out there picking them every couple days. I should have been snacking on peas at least once a day. Instead, the peas got too old and now they'll be dried peas that I can put into soups and what not.
In their place, I've planted beans. I was having trouble deciding what kind of beans to plant because I would like to grow a variety that I can use in soups and chilis and what not, in addition to the typical "green bean" varieties. I looked for awhile at buying several packages of bean seeds, but since I only wanted a few of each type of bean, I decided the best option was to just buy a bag of mixed soup beans from the store and grow those!
I soaked them for two nights, by which time they all had little roots sticking out of them. On Wednesday, I took them out and planted them right along the fence where the peas used to be, using 3" spacing and trying to mix up the varieties as much as possible. A couple beans are already starting to show some leaves. It will be very exciting to see how the variety looks as it grows!
In their place, I've planted beans. I was having trouble deciding what kind of beans to plant because I would like to grow a variety that I can use in soups and chilis and what not, in addition to the typical "green bean" varieties. I looked for awhile at buying several packages of bean seeds, but since I only wanted a few of each type of bean, I decided the best option was to just buy a bag of mixed soup beans from the store and grow those!
I soaked them for two nights, by which time they all had little roots sticking out of them. On Wednesday, I took them out and planted them right along the fence where the peas used to be, using 3" spacing and trying to mix up the varieties as much as possible. A couple beans are already starting to show some leaves. It will be very exciting to see how the variety looks as it grows!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Beet Ravioli
I've looked several times at beet ravioli pictures and recipes online, so when I found myself with a couple of beets and nothing in particular to do with them, I thought I'd try it out. I roughly followed Martha Stewart's Recipe and in hind sight I wish I had followed it more closely, because it turned out to be a complete failure.
Here's how it started: I had four beets, one of which was a Chioggia, which is shown below. (Btw I don't think I'll grow these next year...they aren't that fantastic looking and lose what color they have during cooking
I roasted all four beets, 350 F for a bit over an hour. I refrigerated them overnight, then the next day I peeled them and threw them into my mini food processor.
I then added two eggs to the food processor and blended it up.
This liquid went into a couple cups of flour (roughly half all purpose, half semolina)
I then rolled out the dough using my Kitchenaid and because the dough was so soft and kind of mushy, I decided to refrigerate that overnight. The consistancy of the dough should have been my first clue that I'd f***ed up, but instead I refrigerated the pasta sheets, which actually just made it crumbly and tough. Not helpful.
I mixed up a filling with herbed goat cheese, ricotta, and some shredded mozzerella and loaded it all up into my Kitchenaid ravioli maker. Here are most of the results:
Only a few raviolis ended up looking half decent.
However, because I hate to waste my own work and am somewhat clever, all was not lost. I froze the good looking raviolis for another night. With the demented raviolis and the leftover filling, I decided to put together a lasagna! I ran out to the garden and clipped some chard.
Then I layered that onto the ravioli mess.
Then the cheese filling.
And, somewhat to my horror, some Six Cheese Ragu. Don't get me wrong, I have a unreasonable LOVE for jars of store bought red sauce, but pouring it onto my homemade "ravioli", fresh cut chard, and a decadent goat cheese filling was decidedly sacreligious. BUT it was the only sauce I had on hand, so on it went.
I topped that with a bit more retarded ravioli and pasta scraps, another layer of sauce, and shredded mozzarella.
In the end, it actually was pretty delicious. The pasta texture was a little off, but was honestly quite tasty. I think I will probably even make the beet pasta again. Next time I think I'll follow the recipe a little closer, and will probably skip the ravioli making and go for another lasagna. It would be fun to make a lasagna with red pasta sheets and a white sauce, a reverse of the usual colors.
Stay tuned for a few days from now when I use the ravioli that weren't disasters.
Here's how it started: I had four beets, one of which was a Chioggia, which is shown below. (Btw I don't think I'll grow these next year...they aren't that fantastic looking and lose what color they have during cooking
I roasted all four beets, 350 F for a bit over an hour. I refrigerated them overnight, then the next day I peeled them and threw them into my mini food processor.
I then added two eggs to the food processor and blended it up.
This liquid went into a couple cups of flour (roughly half all purpose, half semolina)
I then rolled out the dough using my Kitchenaid and because the dough was so soft and kind of mushy, I decided to refrigerate that overnight. The consistancy of the dough should have been my first clue that I'd f***ed up, but instead I refrigerated the pasta sheets, which actually just made it crumbly and tough. Not helpful.
I mixed up a filling with herbed goat cheese, ricotta, and some shredded mozzerella and loaded it all up into my Kitchenaid ravioli maker. Here are most of the results:
Only a few raviolis ended up looking half decent.
However, because I hate to waste my own work and am somewhat clever, all was not lost. I froze the good looking raviolis for another night. With the demented raviolis and the leftover filling, I decided to put together a lasagna! I ran out to the garden and clipped some chard.
Then I layered that onto the ravioli mess.
Then the cheese filling.
And, somewhat to my horror, some Six Cheese Ragu. Don't get me wrong, I have a unreasonable LOVE for jars of store bought red sauce, but pouring it onto my homemade "ravioli", fresh cut chard, and a decadent goat cheese filling was decidedly sacreligious. BUT it was the only sauce I had on hand, so on it went.
I topped that with a bit more retarded ravioli and pasta scraps, another layer of sauce, and shredded mozzarella.
In the end, it actually was pretty delicious. The pasta texture was a little off, but was honestly quite tasty. I think I will probably even make the beet pasta again. Next time I think I'll follow the recipe a little closer, and will probably skip the ravioli making and go for another lasagna. It would be fun to make a lasagna with red pasta sheets and a white sauce, a reverse of the usual colors.
Stay tuned for a few days from now when I use the ravioli that weren't disasters.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Fava Fest
The fava bean plants are starting to look a little sad in this summer weather. I suspicion they lose their ability to fight off bugs and diseases in the heat, because their leaves are droopy and munched. Luckily, there was a pretty good crop of mature beans on them. I had been worried when I planted them that it was too late and I wouldn't get a harvest. I think the heat did cause some blossoms and small beans to drop, but those that were into their development already seem to still be maturing just fine.
I harvested about half of the beans that were on the plants. Any that looked like they could use a bit longer to mature stayed on the plants. I pulled about 3 & 3/4 pounds off the plants. My understanding (from an article about the Santa Monica Farmers Market) is that favas run for about $3/pound, so I definitely recouped my seed costs on this one, especially if a few more pounds are still out there growing.
The sad part about favas is the amount of effort that goes into making them edible. First, you have to shell the favas.
You might think these are edible, but in reality there is a thick, pale skin still on the beans. In order to peel this off, you have to boil them in salt water for ~1min. If you cook them any longer, the beans start to get mushy, so after their brief boil they get put right into an ice bath. This loosens the skin which you can then pierce with a fingernail and squeeze the bean out.
In the end, I ended up with about 1 & 1/4 pounds of edible favas. Boy are they delicious though! I put half into the freezer for later and half into the fridge (after I snacked on a few!) I'm hoping to make something with the ones in the fridge in the next few days.
I harvested about half of the beans that were on the plants. Any that looked like they could use a bit longer to mature stayed on the plants. I pulled about 3 & 3/4 pounds off the plants. My understanding (from an article about the Santa Monica Farmers Market) is that favas run for about $3/pound, so I definitely recouped my seed costs on this one, especially if a few more pounds are still out there growing.
The sad part about favas is the amount of effort that goes into making them edible. First, you have to shell the favas.
You might think these are edible, but in reality there is a thick, pale skin still on the beans. In order to peel this off, you have to boil them in salt water for ~1min. If you cook them any longer, the beans start to get mushy, so after their brief boil they get put right into an ice bath. This loosens the skin which you can then pierce with a fingernail and squeeze the bean out.
In the end, I ended up with about 1 & 1/4 pounds of edible favas. Boy are they delicious though! I put half into the freezer for later and half into the fridge (after I snacked on a few!) I'm hoping to make something with the ones in the fridge in the next few days.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Blackberry Heaven
I ate a blackberry today. It was right off the vine, and slightly warm on this summer day. It tasted like eating sunshine.
Then I begrudgingly gave one to Elliott. He didn't really want it, thinking it wouldn't taste like anything. But even he said it was excellent, and he isn't typically forthcoming with compliments, so it must have been excellent.
Then I ate one more, and blackberry season was done for us this year. With the summer heat, growth is at a standstill, and there aren't any more flowers or green berries left. My little blackberry vines are in their first year, and so I'm grateful for the three berries we did get. Most blackberry plants won't produce any in their first year. However, it does make me feel like I can't wait for NEXT summer.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Tomato Season
Picked my first tomatoes this week. 4 Sungolds and 3 Black Plums!
The Black Plums were a little bland, but their texture was good: smooth and moist but not overly drippy. The Sungold was strikingly flavorful. It was tart but not too acidic...more sweet than sour.
It will be awhile yet before any other varieties ripen, but I should get a few more Plums and Sungolds in the next week or so.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
The Black Plums were a little bland, but their texture was good: smooth and moist but not overly drippy. The Sungold was strikingly flavorful. It was tart but not too acidic...more sweet than sour.
It will be awhile yet before any other varieties ripen, but I should get a few more Plums and Sungolds in the next week or so.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
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