Summer garden = Mostly tomatoes this year

We finally got the last of the tomatoes in this week. Right on par with when I've planted them for the past few years. 

Only this year has been warmer than the past few. 

So, while everyone else's tomatoes are three plus feet by now, ours are still about a foot. 

I am fine with that. Come late August or early September we will be swimming in tomatoes. We planted about 40-45 saucing tomatoes and six slicers. 

Plus, we had the spring harvest of mammoth shallots and garlic in June which many other folks didn't. 

Our task right now is keeping the seedlings happy in the unseasonably hot weather - 10 plus days in the high 80's and up into the hundreds! 

So, we will water deeply and as often as we can. With working full-time and having an eight-month-old, that equals about two times a week lately. Though I have the next five days off, right in the heart of the heat spell, so I am going to try to go over to the community garden and to hit the veggies at home daily.

This year, we purposely choose to do mostly tomatoes at the community garden plot because they can withstand some drought conditions. Theoretically, as long as you are consistent with when and how much you water all should be good. We also planted each plant in a well so they really can be soaked when we water them and then mulched them with straw. 

The other thing we may have to contend with is the fact that tomatoes need a certain nighttime temperature range to set flowers and fruit - anything above 85-90 spells trouble!  So, I am hoping that the plants focus on settling in over the next couple of weeks of hot weather and then it cools down into the 80's in time for them to flower and fruit! 

It's a working experiment. That's a lesson I've learned over and over with gardening. Some of it is up to you, but a lot of it is up to nature and out of your hands. Things rarely go as planned, but often work out well anyhow. 

For now, we water, wait and hope for the best. But, my guess is they'll be flowering and three feet tall in no time!

Love apples for sale!

The Italians called them love apples. The English were convinced that they were poisonous because they are part of the nightshade family. I am, of course, talking about the quintesential summer fruit - tomatoes!

Next weekend I am planting this season's selection and they should be ready for you to plant by around Mother's Day. This year, I am doing someold faves and adding some new ones to the portfolio. They are $2.50 a piece, and I am taking orders now and will have a limited supply available on a first-come, first served basis when they are ready for pick-up in mid-May.

Cherry Tomatoes

• Chocolate cherry: Plants are super productive and produce one inch chestnut and port-wine colored fruit with a delicious, multifaceted flavor.
  
  When I grew these last I was particularly impressed with how they ripened from green to beautiful little bursts of summer after picked in late October. When I took out the tomato vines there was cluster upon cluster of small green globes that I parked on a platter in the dining room to ripen. (Indeterminate, 70 days)

• Sun gold: The unique flavor of this tomato gives it an almost "cult" following. The plants will be loaded with clusters of eight to fourteen tomatoes about an inch in diameter throughout the summer until frost. May be grown in containers with support. (Indeterminate, 57 days)

•  NEW! Yellow pear: These plants are described as being loaded with hundreds of small 1-2 inch fruits. (Indeterminate, 75-80 days)

Sauce/Paste Tomatoes

If you haven't grown tomatoes for sauce yet, I recommend that you give it a try! We were amazed at the bounty and the flavor of homemade sauce. Mark exclaimed that it was summer in a jar each time we opened some throughout the year. Some take little to no space, while others are tall and roomy.

• Heinz:  "A reliable, early-maturing standard processing tomato that produces ripened fruit all at the same time. Dependable producer even in cooler weather. (Determinate, 75-80 days).
  
  I have grown these before and had great success with them. This year I plan to grow 30-40 of these plants at our community garden plot. Sauce-o-ramma!

• Nova: One of the earliest roma types to ripen in Territorial seed's trials, "Nova exploded with fruit before most other saucing types." Meaty, lipstick red, 1 1/2 inch by 2 inch fruit is elongated with a pointed end. (Determinate, 65 days)
  
• Ace: Round fruit, on sturdy, compact plants. Robust flavor with lower acidity. (Determinate, 80 days)

• San marzano: This classic Italian paste tomato is considered by many to be the world's best! A low sugar, low-acid tomato, it has a high solids content and excellent flavor. The oblong red fruits are 3"-4" long and 1.5" wide. (Indeterminate, 80 days)  

Slicing Tomatoes

• New! Ananas Noire: This tomato is a show-stopper because it's skin can be a combination of green, purple, orange,red, and yellow when it is ripe. It looks amazing on a plate and tastes great too. This was my mega producer last year. (Indeterminate, 85 days)

• New! Kellogg's Breakfast: I can't remember the reason for the name, but I've wanted to grow these for years and my friend Judi had the occasion to have one from a friend's garden and exclaimed how delicious it was. I don't need any more reason than that to try it out this year! Territorial describes these as easily reaching 4-5 inches across or larger, the brilliant, orange slicers are rich, meaty, and full flavored. (Indeterminate, 85 days)

• Brandywine: Amish heirloom with famous distinct flavor, grown since 1885. Fruits are 10 to 14 oz., dark reddish pink, tender and juicy. (Indeterminate, heirloom potato-leafed plants, 85 days)

• Burbank slicing: Developed by Luther Burbank around 1915. Determinate and fairly early, Burbank Slicing is a heavy yielder of majestic 3-4 inch fruit. The fruit has a very deep red color and a traditional bold tomato flavor. This was the only variety that Mr. Burbank raised for canning. (Determinate, 75 days)
  
• Red Siberian: I selected this one because of its short growing time - 55 days! - it is described as a Russian heirloom that delivers heavy yields and excellent flavor. Sounds like a great combo to me! (Indeterminate, 55 days)

• Pineapple: Large, irregular yellow fruits are suffused with red streaks that radiate from a red interior. The flavor is rich and fruity. (Indeterminate, heirloom, 95 days)

• Gold medal: This whopper is unbelievably early for its size. The large yellow fruit have an interior blush of red and weigh over 1 pound, some reaching 2 pounds.  The plants grow well in cool nighttime temperatures. (75 days, Indeterminate)

• Japanese Black Trifele: Pear-shaped fruit has green-streaked shoulders, deepening to a burnished mahogany and finally to a darkened, nearly black base. The meaty interior has similar, opulent shades and an incomparable, almost indescribably complex and rich flavor to match. The fruit reach 2 1/2-3 inches long and wide and are very crack-resistant. Despite the name, this thoroughbred has its origins in Russia. (Indeterminate, heirloom potato-leafed plants, 80-85 days)

• Pink Oxheart: Beautiful big, oval, pointed fruit with a fine sweet old time flavor! (Indeterminate, 85 days)

• Green Zebra: This unique tomato is very flavorful and sweet, yet has a zingy and well-balanced taste that isn't too acidic. Mature fruits are golden green with forest green stripes and reach 3 inches in diameter. 
  
  This is one of my absolute favorites. The green and yellow tiger striped fruit are eye catching and the the taste is to die for - oh, and they are super producers!

• Grandma Oliver's Green: The packet describes this tomato as an attractive green heirloom tomato that produces large fruit whose skin is green with a yellow blush and a creamy lime interior - sweet, tangy flavor. (Indeterminate, 80 days)
  
  Last year I kept seeing these beautiful green slicers at the farmer's market. I couldn't bring myself to buy one since I had so many in our garden to eat, but I vowed to try growing them myself this year.

• Black Krim: Dark red-purple fruit, rich sweet flavor. An heirloom from Russia with very unique looking, large fruit. (Indeterminate, 80 days)
  
  My sister introduced me to this variety a couple of years ago and it is a staple in my garden. Stunning to look at, delicious to eat.
  
• Indigo rose: A new release from Oregon State University,  this tomato has deep purple skin where sunshine hits the fruit to red/orange where a leaf or stem shields an area from the sun. The fruits are excellent in salads and for snacking. (Indeterminate, 70 days)

One of my favorite things

I started writing this post a month ago and am just finishing it now. Such is life with a five-month old baby!

Last night we made one of our favorite recipes - pasta with broccoli, sausage and blue cheese. It's an easy and quick recipe that is so delicious. And, this time it included our first harvest from the garden this season!

To make, first put on your water for pasta. Be to add a pinch or two of kosher salt.

Next finely dice one medium shallot (or half a yellow onion if you don't have a shallot) and mince a clove of garlic. Add the shallot and garlic to pan with about a tablespoon of olive oil.
Then add sausage (a half pound will do nicely for two people, and make sure it is a mild enough flavor that it won't clash with blue cheese!). Stir as-needed until sausage is browned and then set pan aside.

Chop broccoli florets and stem into bite-size pieces (if the outer layer of your broccoli is tough be sure to peel it off and use only the tender inside). Set broccoli aside.

Add pasta to water when it comes to a boil and cook it for the recommended time. When you have one minute remaining in your pasta cook time add the broccoli to your pasta water.

Before draining the pasta and broccoli, be sure to set aside a cup of the pasta water. Then strain pasta and broccoli. Add all of the ingredients - meat, broccoli, pasta, etc back into the pot you cooked the pasta in and stir on low heat until cheese melts. Pour in pasta water as-needed to thin sauce to a consistency of your liking and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve!

Winter Dreaming

I love this time of year. Most everything in the garden is dormant, but the possibilities for the coming spring and summer are endless.

And, plants like the winter blooming Witch Hazel is a reminder that spring is on its way.

So, today I am arming myself with seed catalogs, graph paper and a cup of tea as I set about dreaming up this year's garden. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last summer Mark and I added a community garden plot to the mix. And, in early October we planted a variety of winter greens, broccoli, cauliflower, garlic and shallots. It was quite a sight to see since I was eight months pregnant! 

 

 Mark spread hay over the soil last month, so now we just have to wait for those crops to come in this spring.

 

 

 

 

Since the community garden plot is mostly planted, my efforts turn to the garden here at home.

 

On the list for spring are potatoes, favas, carrots, lettuce, beets, kohlrabi, spinach and sorrel. Fortunately, the springtime garden will be mostly self reliant thanks to Portland's maritime climate and abundant rainfall. Good news for us since baby Hazel will need a lot of our attention in the coming months!

 

So, the plan is to carve out 10-15 minutes per weekend through March to plant new seeds and otherwise prep the beds. The spring crops will start going in the ground next month - with potatoes one weekend followed by favas the next and so on, so it won't be overwhelming. Then we can leave the rest up to Mother Nature.

Summertime will be a different story since the warmer, drier weather will require us to water and care for the garden more regularly. Still, with a little planning we can minimize that too.

 In just a few weeks, we can roll up our sleeves and get those hands in the soil again. 

 

Happy gardening to all! 

We be jah-min

This past weekend my friend Tracy and I made strawberry jam. We made three varieties: traditional, pickled and balsamic.

I chose to slow-roast the berries ahead of time to concentrate the flavor. At about 200 degrees, the roasting took about an hour and a half. I also chose to use Pomona's pectin since I wanted the berry-rich flavor to be the main attraction and to use as little sugar to sweeten as possible. For each jam, I added all of the ingredients together, brought them to a rolling boil for 2 minutes and processed in a water bath for 10 minutes.

Traditional

I used the Hood variety to make this jam. They are naturally sweet and really translate the berry flavor without much help.

• 4 cups berries
• 1 cup white sugar 
• 2 T store-bought lemon juice*
• 2 t each Pomona's pectin and calcium water

* Use store-bought lemon juice rather than fresh-squeezed lemons as the latter's acidity is guaranteed to be consistently at the right level while lemon's acidity varies slightly from lemon to lemon.

Pickled

This jam was loosely based on this recipe from Food 52, but I decided that I wanted more punch to my jam than what recipe called for - let the adventures in personal taste preferences begin! I am excited to try this sweet, salty, tangy concoction on toast and with some meat from the BBQ this summer.

• 3 cups Seascape berries
• 3/4 c sugar
• 3-4 T each sherry and rice vinegar
• 1.5 t crushed coriander seeds
• Cardamom*
• 1 t salt
• 2 pinches chili flakes
• 1.5 t each Pomona's pectin and calcium water

* I used sugar that I had ground seeds into previously rather than the amount the recipe called for - I would probably add more for the next go round.

Balsamic 

I love strawberry balsamic jam! It is like a grown up version of the jam I grew up with. I also added cracked pepper and thyme to this batch. Yum!

• 4 cups Seascape berries
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 
• Cracked pepper to taste (I did about a quarter teaspoon)
• Thyme leaves
• 2 t each Pomona's pectin and calcium water

This project officially kicked off my 2014 canning season. Next up - raspberry jam!

Garden-inspired summer fare

Last night, Mark and I had what we considered the perfect summer fare for dinner. Here's what we had:

Favas with lemon juice, olive oil, s & p, and Parmesan.

Lacinto kale purée with garlic and oil from smoked trout.

Zucchini ribbon salad with white balsamic vinegar, s & p, olive oil, and basil.

Cuppa farro salad with veggies from the garden and smoked salmon from our friends Sarah and Darian.

Fresh crusty loaf, tinned smoked trout and prosciutto.

Love a homespun summertime picnic with my sweets!

What is your favorite summertime fare?

Springtime meals from the garden

I love this time of year in the garden. Everything is new, fresh and quickly changing.

This year we have a ton of leeks and garlic, and tonight we started to enjoy the bounty.

Mark used these leek scapes in tonight's stir fry - think texture similar to asparagus stems with a slight leek flavor. Delish.

Garnished with flowers from the sprouting broccoli we enjoyed earlier this spring.

Radish pesto

Last week Mark brought home baby radishes from the farmer's market. The radish were so small that it got me thinking - what can one do with radish greens?

It turns out that you can, among other things, make pesto with them! So, we did. And it was delicious.



I referenced this recipe on the Chocolate and Zucchini blog as a rough guideline for ingredients and amounts. Then I set about to make our pesto.


We had pistachios on hand, so I chose them for the nut portion of the pesto. After toasting them in a pan for about a minute I added them and the radish greens minus the stems to the Cuisinart and pulsed them a few times.

Once I had the right balance of nuts to radish green ratio I added all of the other ingredients - cheese, salt and lemon - and quickly pulsed them a few times. Then I drizzled olive oil in while pulsing a few more times until it was a thick paste. I tend to go easy on the olive oil initially since you can always add more if you want to later on.

There was about a cup left over which should be just enough for another spring pasta dish later this week!

Today was one of those rare sunny March days that made us all think that we've finally left the rain behind. While this isn't the case, the sun did get me thinking of summer, and summer means tomatoes!

This year I have selected a wide variety to grow - both to sell as starts, and in my own garden.

Starts for sale...
I am planning to grow and sell tomato starts again this year - four-inch pots for $2.50 each. They will be ready for pick up by mid to late May, depending on the weather.  I am taking orders right now, and will have some additional starts on-hand on a first come, first served basis.

As a reminder, determinate plants grow to a prescribed size and then produce fruit all at once which is great if you are canning or making sauce from them, while indeterminate will continue to grow and produce fruit the end of the growing season.

Cherry Tomatoes

• Chocolate cherry: Plants are super productive and produce one inch chestnut and port-wine colored fruit with a delicious, multifaceted flavor.
  
  I grew these last year and was particularly impressed with how they ripened from green to beautiful little bursts of summer after picked in late October. When I took out the tomato vines there was cluster upon cluster of small green globes that I parked on a platter in the dining room to ripen. (Indeterminate, 70 days)

• Sun gold: The unique flavor of this tomato gives it an almost "cult" following. The plants will be loaded with clusters of eight to fourteen tomatoes about an inch in diameter throughout the summer until frost. May be grown in containers with support. (Indeterminate, 57 days)

• NEW! Sungreen garden hybrid: I am mainly growing these out of curiosity and to complete the rainbow of tomato colors for cherry tomatoes. They are supposed to be very sweet and are ripe when soft to the touch. I will have a very limited supply of these. (Indeterminate, 70 days)

•  NEW! Yellow pear: These plants are described as being loaded with hundreds of small 1-2 inch fruits. (Indeterminate, 75-80 days)

• NEW! Mini orange: A tasty little tomato that produces massive yields of salad-sized tomatoes all summer. These little 2 oz tomatoes are of the most intense orange color, they seem to be almost glowing.

Sauce/Paste Tomatoes

• San marzano: This classic Italian paste tomato is considered by many to be the world's best! A low sugar, low-acid tomato, it has a high solids content and excellent flavor. The oblong red fruits are 3"-4" long and 1.5" wide. (Indeterminate, 80 days)

• NEW! Heinz:  "A reliable, early-maturing standard processing tomato that produces ripened fruit all at the same time. Dependable producer even in cooler weather. (Determinate, 75-80 days).
  
  I have grown these before and had great success with them. This year I plan to grow nine of these babies in one of the troughs. 

•  NEW! Tumbling tiger: As described by Territorial - This fun and exciting variety defies the boundaries of tomato standards. The bushy plants reach only about 12 inches tall and 18 inches wide. Despite its diminutive stature, it produces an uncanny amount of fruit! The 1 inch wide and 2 inch long plum shaped fruit have a fascinating coloration of green striping overlaying deep red. Meaty, tasty and juicy, it makes a wonderful snacking tomato, but is also great for salsas and processing. Tumbling Tiger's tight determinate habit lends itself to container planting or tight spacing in the garden.(Determinate, 70 days)
  
  I am excited about trying this little guy out!
  

Slicing Tomatoes

• Brandywine: Amish heirloom with famous distinct flavor, grown since 1885. Fruits are 10 to 14 oz., dark reddish pink, tender and juicy. (Indeterminate, heirloom potato-leafed plants, 85 days)

• Burbank slicing: Developed by Luther Burbank around 1915. Determinate and fairly early, Burbank Slicing is a heavy yielder of majestic 3-4 inch fruit. The fruit has a very deep red color and a traditional bold tomato flavor. This was the only variety that Mr. Burbank raised for canning. (Determinate, 75 days)
• NEW! Red Siberian: I selected this one because of its short growing time - 55 days! - it is described as a Russian heirloom that delivers heavy yields and excellent flavor. Sounds like a great combo to me! (Indeterminate, 55 days)

• Pineapple: Large, irregular yellow fruits are suffused with red streaks that radiate from a red interior. The flavor is rich and fruity. (Indeterminate, heirloom, 95 days)
  
  This lovely tomato is going back into my garden this year. I grew it two years ago and absolutely loved it - beautiful and tasty!

• Gold medal: This whopper is unbelievably early for its size. The large yellow fruit have an interior blush of red and weigh over 1 pound, some reaching 2 pounds.  The plants grow well in cool nighttime temperatures. (75 days, Indeterminate)
  
  I loved these tomatoes last year! My bigun' is posted above, and the flavor was outstanding.

• Japanese Black Trifele: Pear-shaped fruit has green-streaked shoulders, deepening to a burnished mahogany and finally to a darkened, nearly black base. The meaty interior has similar, opulent shades and an incomparable, almost indescribably complex and rich flavor to match. The fruit reach 2 1/2-3 inches long and wide and are very crack-resistant. Despite the name, this thoroughbred has its origins in Russia. (Indeterminate, heirloom potato-leafed plants, 80-85 days)
  
  I only harvested one fruit from my plant last year, which was disappointing, but this tomato continues to be one of my favorites!

• NEW! Pink Oxheart: Beautiful big, oval, pointed fruit with a fine sweet old time flavor! (Indeterminate, 85 days)
  
  I read about these somewhere last year, and they were voted to be one of the tastiest tomatoes. I had to try them out!

• Green Zebra: This unique tomato is very flavorful and sweet, yet has a zingy and well-balanced taste that isn't too acidic. Mature fruits are golden green with forest green stripes and reach 3 inches in diameter. 
  
  This is one of my absolute favorites. The green and yellow tiger striped fruit are eye catching and the the taste is to die for - oh, and they are super producers!

• NEW! Grandma Oliver's Green: The packet describes this tomato as an attractive green heirloom tomato that produces large fruit whose skin is green with a yellow blush and a creamy lime interior - sweet, tangy flavor. (Indeterminate, 80 days)
  
  Last year I kept seeing these beautiful green slicers at the farmer's market. I couldn't bring myself to buy one since I had so many in our garden to eat, but I vowed to try growing them myself this year.

• NEW! Black Krim: Dark red-purple fruit, rich sweet flavor. An heirloom from Russia with very unique looking, large fruit. (Indeterminate, 80 days)
  
  My sister introduced me to this variety a couple of years ago and it is a staple in my garden. Stunning to look at, delicious to eat.

• NEW! Indigo rose: A new release from Oregon State University,  this tomato has deep purple skin where sunshine hits the fruit to red/orange where a leaf or stem shields an area from the sun. The fruits are excellent in salads and for snacking. (Indeterminate, 70 days)
  
  The purple skin piqued my curiosity.

About the above descriptions: I have culled these descriptions and images from their seed packets and catalogs – ask if you have additional questions.

In my garden...
This year's garden plan is a bit tomato-centric, but I want to have a large enough crop of saucing tomatoes to can (something) from my garden. I also want to try all of the wonderful slicing and cherry varieties. Here is the plan for the troughs and raised bed on the west side of the house:

Pasta!

In the last two weeks I have made pasta three times - once rolled out by hand and twice with a hand cranked pasta machine.

I had NO IDEA how easy it is to do, and now I think I am addicted!

I used Jamie Oliver's recipe from his Naked Chef cookbook which has well written and easy to follow directions that are accompanied by great illustrative photos.

After trying it by hand and succeeding, I decided to be bold and make roasted squash ravioli for my book club!

First, I roasted the squash, skin and all, the night before, making sure it got caramelized.











Then, I whizzed it up with our immersion blender and added freshly ground nutmeg to taste, about a third of a cup of freshly grated Parmesan and an egg and put the whole mixture into a smallish ziplock bag in the fridge.




With the filling done, I set out to roll the pasta dough into thin sheets for the ravioli. This proved to take more time than skill.

The process involves repeatedly putting the dough through the pasta machine, folding it onto itself and then running it through again at a the next smaller setting.


My dough was initially a little wet, so I kept adding flour dusting to it each time I ran it through resulting in more elastic dough. I also cut the pasta into smaller strips as I got to the smaller settings so that the dough was easily manageable. As I got to the desired thickness I placed the finished pieces on cookie sheets that had wax paper on them and sprinkled semolina flour on each layer so the dough did not stick.

Once all of the dough was rolled out I placed the pieces of dough on the counter, used a brush to give it an egg wash, and then piped a small quarter-sized portion of the squash filling onto the dough. Then I folded the dough over itself and sealed the contents in by lightly pinching the dough together and removing any air pockets when possible.

This is the most important step since an improperly sealed ravioli is likely to come undone while cooking.

By the time the gals arrived for book club I have made the ravioli, but still needed to boil them for about a minute and a half and then coat them in melted butter and sage. Lucky for me, my guests are long-time friends and game for waiting a bit for the finished product.

I served the ravioli in batches, so it wasn't long until everyone had a batch of three followed another three.











I did miss the final step, a dusting of Parmesan, which would have rounded out the flavor.

Oh well, not bad for a first go of it!







I had left over pasta dough, so Mark brought home some ragu sauce from Tails & Trotters for Sunday night's dinner. Yum!

Happy New Year!

So far, 2013 is shaping up to be a great year.

Okay, I know that we are merely one day in, but today Mark and I got to spend the day together doing things we love to do.

That may not sound like much, but since the opening of the Tails and Trotters shop I don't get to see a lot of him, and when I do, he is either distracted by a large work-related to do list, exhausted or both.

So, a whole day together = awesome.

So, what did we do?

I created two hachiya persimmon jams. One with just the persimmons (about 2.5 cups), juice of 1 lemon, a third of a cup of sugar, and 1 teaspoon each of calcium water and Pamona's quick pectin.

The other had these ingredients and about 1 teaspoon of ground up allspice and about an inch of mashed fresh ginger (I tied the ginger into cheese cloth so I could remove it when I felt the ginger level had reached the right level.

This was the first time I used the Pamona's pectin, and I am pretty excited about it since you can make lower sugar jams with it that really allow the fruit flavor to shine through.

It was also my first experience making persimmon anything, and I have to say YUM!

I also used about a  cup of some apple sauce I made the other day to make an applesauce cake (Joy of Cooking) which is very good. We plan to move it into our regular dessert rotation, so I will freeze 1 cup portions for easy accessibility.

For his part, Mark whipped up steaks with a fabulous wine reduction sauce, green beans with a lemon Dijon sauce and tater tots (yes, tots). Delish!

Yep, so far 2013 is shaping up just fine!

Next on the canning docket? Why, I have some pink grapefruits and I plan to marmalade those bitches up next weekend!

Happy New Year!

Pickling with Sherrie

This past summer (yes, it has taken a while to get to this post...) I spent a fabulous couple of days pickling with my friend Sherrie.

In truth, it was supposed to be a one day project, but circumstances and our exuberance made it into two. I rarely get to spend a whole day with Sherrie, and since we are both experienced canners, 45 pounds of carrots and 75 of cucumbers seemed like a manageable task.

I went over to Sherrie's after work to prep the cucumbers since they would have to be salted overnight to wick away the excess moisture. We were making bread and butter pickles, lemongrass ginger pickles, and dills, so we sorted out the smaller ones for dills and then sliced the others into wedges. We also prepped the dills by placing them, a sprig of dill, a clove of garlic and a chile pepper into a jar and covering them with a dish towel.

The next morning we rinsed the wedges and started making brines. For some reason my calculations were way off and we needed to make a few trips to the store for supplies - a good lesson (that I seem to relearn with at least one project a year!) to plan for your pickling session ahead of time.

Check and recheck your calculations. Nothing is more irritating than having to stop midway through a project for a run to the store. Also, there are stores where you can buy things in bulk which helps cut costs IF you plan accordingly ahead of time...Anyway, back to the brines. One of the great things about canning with Sherrie is she has a double camp stove setup outside, so the amount of stove space is effectively doubled. This meant that we could make brines on one stove and process pickles on another. Brilliant!

The second day also involved peeling 45 pounds of carrots and cutting them into sticks. In all reality this proved a bit much in addition to creating three varieties of brine and processing cucumbers, and really should have been a separate project for another day of canning. But, since we were in the midst of it we soldiered on. Sherrie's daughter Ila even lent a hand for a bit.

One thing that made the peeling go faster was having an ergonomic peeler that was actually sharp! If you are still working the cheapy metal one from the grocery store go out and get yourself one that actually works! You will thank me, I promise!

Now, months later I am getting calls from friends and loved ones who have already cracked open and are enjoying their holiday gifts! And, as the year comes to a close, I am starting to think about next year's canning adventures.

Garlic and other new friends

Last fall I planted garlic, shallots, leeks and a couple onions.

I had planted garlic and leeks before to limited success. But, this summer I harvested a good amount of beautiful garlic and shallots. What a boon!

You buy a few bulbs in the fall, plunk them in the ground, ward off the frenetic squirrels for a few weeks and then wait till late spring or early summer to harvest.

Awesome. It was almost too easy.

So, this year (2012) I plan to go bigger with my allium (onion family) fall planting. In July I started leeks from seed. In late October and early November planted the leek starts in the troughs. I set aside about a foot on the side of the trough for the leeks and then created a barrier to the sections with bricks.

The reason for this is that leeks need to have soil added to them so that a larger part of their stems remain white. In order to do this I am starting the leeks in soil that is lower than the rest of the trough's soil. I am using bricks to create a barrier between the area I am planting the leeks and where I am planting other stuff. That way I can start them off lower than the other items and then add soil to create larger white areas in the leek stems. This is definitely an experiment since this is the second time I've ever attempted leeks.

I also planted several types of garlic and shallots. I am excited to see which ones we prefer next summer!

And, in between it all I inter-planted lettuce, pak choy and arugula in one trough and beets in a section of the other. My hope is that they will be done long before the garlic, shallots and leeks really get going and need more room. But, as I said this is a working experiment.

Today as wrap up this blog entry that I mostly wrote earlier this fall, the lettuce and pak choy seem to be coming along best. Both troughs are covered with a shade cloth to help protect their contents and soil from the rain, and lately frost.


Now comes the tough part. Waiting.

Eggplants! Ack, eggplants.

This year I planted four eggplants. Miraculously all four produced fruit. A ton of it.

This left us with an unusual situation. What to do with the leftover fruit once we were eggplanted out.

After baba ghanoush, eggplant Parmesan and Thai curry with eggplant in quick succession we were ready to take a break.

Unfortunately that was when all four plants were in full production mode. I immediately consulted my pickling books, but no recipes jumped out at me. Then it occurred to me, could we freeze it?

It turns out you can, and the process is fairly quick and easy.

Slice the eggplant to the desired thickness.

Blanch it by placing it in boiling water. The goal is to get it slightly translucent, but not too cooked or mushy. I think mine were in the water about 30 seconds.

Take them out of the boiling water and submerge them in ice water. I put them on a rack to let them dry for about a half hour and then bagged them in one meal portions.

Some for Thai curry and the rest for eggplant Parmesan.