Veggie Garden Update ~ October 2008

I had all the good intentions in the world to get this posted yesterday, to coincide with other veggie garden updates, such as those posted by Tina at In the Garden and Frances at Faire Garden. However, it was probably the last nice and relatively warm day we are going to have here in Western Pennsylvania for a while and much time was spent outside finishing up some tasks, some of which were necessary for this post, by the way. In fact, the rain has started and it is not to get out of the 50's degree wise here for the next several days. And yes, we have had our first frost and it did a great job at killing almost everything that was left in the garden. Although a few things close to the house did survive and there are still plants in the garage waiting transport to their winter homes in the basement. They won't have to wait long because the low of 27 degrees F tonight will force their journey today, rain or no rain.

So in my day of tidying up, first was to pull all the carrots and beets. Not that there were many and not that they were big. The deer had munched the tops so often this summer I was surprised to find anything grew. But there is a small amount which will be used quickly and enjoyed none the less. Lillian was very helpful with this task, as she loves to dig in the dirt, although she also likes just wandering about in the garden picking up bits of sticks and leaves.




The parsley did survive the frost and I will probably cut some of that today to bring inside. I don't know if it will survive the low we expect tonight and it looks so good right now.

Other things which were harvested a few days ago included the rest of the eggplants (this there were a lot of) and a few little peppers. I see some fried eggplant sandwiches and some eggplant parmesan in my future, yum.



On the inside, there is one lone kumquat ripening nicely. Not that one can do much with one kumquat other than gobble it up and wish there were more :) But wait, what is this growing in the kumquat pot, is that a pepper plant ? with a pepper on it ? The deer didn't find this one! Since you are probably wondering why there is a pepper growing with my citrus, let me explain. The kumquat came to us from my husband's parents when they returned home from Florida in April. Apparently the seed was in the dirt and grew and we just let it. We are going to be transplanting the kumquat soon and will split the pepper off and try to winter it inside and see if we get more peppers during the winter. Unlikely with our lack of good sun, but maybe it will be a good start for next year's crop.



So that is it for the harvest. Time was spent removing tomato cages, stakes, fences and posts meant to deter the deer which didn't work, and rototilling the gardens. Thoughts of next year are already bouncing around through our heads. For one thing, we will win the battle with the deer next year. I am tired of lousy yields after all my efforts. I have already bought Liquid Fence which is supposed to work. I haven't opened it yet but it is said to really stink. After it dries, humans can't smell it but the deer still can and they don't like it. I'll be letting you know how that works out for us.

Veggie Garden Update ~ September 2008

Well it looks like I will get this in under the wire for the 20th. At least, if I type fast.

I have to admit that I haven't been paying too much attention to the vegetable garden as of late, only because there has been so much else going on with Ike and the power loss and our roof / garage project. We are also planning a little trip for next week, so that has taken most of my internet time. But I was able to take a tour today and here is what I found.

The beets and carrots are still there, and getting bigger. They deer haven't been bothering them as of late and so they have actually gotten some tops back. I think I will leave them in the ground a while longer and hope they get a bit larger.

Here was the best surprise. Some of the eggplant had gotten quite large. I will be able to pick these once we are back from our trip.

Here's a little pumpkin. We have several this size. All of the larger ones didn't make it. They were eaten by some creature. So we'll be off to the pumpkin patch to buy some in October.

This picture of the asparagus reminded me of Christmas. Surprisingly, I saw Christmas decorations on display already in the stores. That's a bit much I thought. Let's get through Halloween first.

This is not from the vegetable garden, but it is edible so I thought I would include it. Here are two lemons growing quite nicely. Too bad the plant will have to come inside soon which will rob it of the precious sun it so needs.

Culantro

Culantro is an herb I found this year at one of the big box stores and since I had never heard of it, I thought I would give it a try. The sign on the rack said it had the same flavor as cilantro and since my cilantro leaves only seem to be plentiful in the spring, this could be useful later in the summer. I usually use cilantro in salsas with fresh tomatoes or tomatillos or other salads made with fresh garden veggies. By the time the tomatoes are ready, the cilantro has gone to seed and is not very leafy at all. Culantro could very easily be used in place of cilantro in these instances. It would also be good with black beans. I am specifically thinking of a cooked black bean salsa that is served over cheesy grits. I haven't made it in a while but that may be just the thing to use some of this new herb I have.

Culantro is from the same family as cilantro and it does have the same flavor, although a bit stronger. It is indigenous the Caribbean, Latin America and the West Indies. The leaves are serrated and really quite sharp, so you must be careful. To me, this characteristic does not lend it to be useful for eating, but if they are chopped well enough or pulverized in the food processor it won't make a difference. I did read that it grows naturally in shaded, moist areas. So perhaps mine is so prickly because it is growing in the full sun. One advantage to the prickly leaves is that the deer have not eaten it, and it is one of the few successes from my garden this year. I have read that it is attractive to beneficial insects such as the ladybug. I haven't noticed any around it but I haven't looked for them either.

It looks like it has little flower heads, although they are not much to look at, but you can definitely see the jagged leaves in the close up photo.

I don't think this will over winter here in zone 5 but I would buy it again if I see it. Of course, I may get lucky and it will self-seed. I guess I will find out next spring.

Squash and all things viney update!

Yesterday was such a beautiful day here in Western PA - blue sky, no humidity. Which meant I had to get out there and take care of some of those weeds, pick some squash, do some watering, and check on the general health of the garden. I still have more work to do, but lucky me, today is a repeat of yesterday, so I should be able to get back out there soon, for another full day in the garden.

Here are some squash I picked last week. The large one is another mystery squash. It seems to be a cross between a zucchini and spaghetti squash. It's leaves look like zucchini but it vines, and well, you see the result. It was a volunteer just like the rest of the squash shown in this picture. Once I decide what to do with it, I'll let you know how it turned out.

And here are the zucchini and yellow squash I picked yesterday. I think we'll be eating zucchini all weekend. But I should have a few new zucchini recipes to share with you next week.


Finally, I can see a baby cantaloupe. Hopefully it will start growing fast.


And here is another baby butternut squash. It's brother was munched by a deer, hopefully he will have a better fate and be munched by me! I just love the curl of the vine tendrils.


This one is a Kabocha squash, also known as Japanese pumpkin. It's a winter squash, similar to buttercup squash. It's my first year for this one and I'm excited.

This was another volunteer and another mystery. At first I thought it was going to be an acorn squash but now I think it's too rounded. It looks kind of melon like. Any ideas, anyone ?

And here was a nice surprise. This cucumber was a volunteer, growing in the bean patch. So maybe I will have some cucumbers before the end of August - lol!

The Kohlrabi and The Mystery Squash

Many years ago, my sister Michelle gave me this cookbook for my birthday - "Garden Way's Joy of Gardening Cookbook" by Janet Ballantyne. Then one time when I was moving, I lost it. I knew it at the time and I searched and searched for it but I never did find it. So I had to buy another copy, because this is the most awesome cookbook if you are a vegetable gardener. It has a section for every vegetable you can imagine, with so many different types of recipes. If I am inundated with any one thing, I just go here and get some new ideas. I use it so much in the summertime.

Which brings me to the kohlrabi. I always plant a few kohlrabies because my husband really likes them. Several were ready to be picked last week, so I now have them in the house. A lot of times we will just eat them raw with salt, but I was looking for something different. So I pulled out my cookbook and found several saute recipes. Below is the one I chose to make and it was delicious.

Kohlrabi Basil Saute
from Garden Way's Joy of Gardening Cookbook by Janet Ballantyne

2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tablespoons minced fresh basil
1 Tablespoon minced shallot
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
1/2 cup diced sweet red pepper
4 cups diced kohlrabies

Heat the oil in a large saute pan and add all the ingredients. Saute for 8-10 minutes, or until the kohlrabies are tender. Serve at once.

We also ate the mystery squash. To me it is a cross between a white pumpkin and a patty pan squash, and it was edible. I peeled it because the skin was tough, but not really thick. Then I sliced, marinated, and grilled it. I left the seeds in because they didn't seem too big or too many, but I think next time I would take them out.

I love fresh from the garden meals, don't you ?

Help - What is this ?

I am appealing to you for help with identifying this squash like thing. On my garden diagram I have it listed as Patty Pan Squash but it doesn't look like what I think of patty pan squash to be. Maybe because of the color, this is very white and the patty pans I grew in the past were more pale green. Because the shape looks similar to what I think it could be. I am trying to decide if it's ready to be picked and if it can indeed be eaten. I may have to pick one and experiment. Since I have it labeled on my chart I must have bought it this year because the mystery volunteer plants I transplanted from other parts of the garden are labeled as such and are definitely more vining (probably gourds or pumpkins). This plant is more bushy, like a zucchini. Please comment with your thoughts and ideas. I thank you in advance.



I am also posting this picture of flowering onion heads just because I like it. It makes me think of outer space - each round flowering head being an enclosed orb space station where a whole community of people could live.


And here is a picture of those evil deer creatures. In this photo they are far from the house and the little ones are looking deceptively cute. But beware, they have been known to cause much crying, wailing and cursing!

Finished Planting - Finally !

Finally, I am finished planting. I thought I was finished a couple of days ago, then John reminded me that there was still one plant sitting on the sidewalk, still needing a home. And this morning, I found a spot for it. So now I am done.

I did a lot of planting the other day when I thought I was finishing up. But I actually didn't start out planting. I started out cleaning seashells. Yes, you read correctly, seashells. Almost two years ago now, we had gone on vacation to the North Carolina coast and took a day trip down to South Carolina where we went on a boat tour which included some shelling. Well John collected the mother lode of conch shells - which have been sitting in our basement, seemingly forgotten. But really not forgotten, I just hadn't figured out what to do with them. So I cleaned them up and now I have a little seashell garden area. They are where I can see them every day and remember what a great time we had on that trip.


Since I had cleaned up the flower bed to add the shells, I thought I might as well put those two remaining flowers in this bed as well, since there was room. I was going to just put them in pots to have on the deck but this is just as well. And hopefully they won't dry out as quickly as they would in pots.

Then I thought the only thing I had remaining was a monster of a Bleeding Heart that John's parents had dug out of their garden beds (the bed was overcrowded with it). Of course since I love Bleeding Heart we had to take it. I had actually been wanting to get a Bleeding Heart. Trying to find the right spot for this large specimen was the challenge. We decided to put half of it next to the Hellebore, where an azalea which didn't make it left a empty spot. The other, larger portion of the Bleeding Heart was to go where a Peony just wasn't performing. But that meant moving the Peony first. Which meant enlarging the Peony bed. You see, if it was just a matter of digging a hole, it would have been planted right away.

Well, I managed to get all that done, take pictures as I planned to post I was finished planting. It was then John informed me that there was still one lone plant on the sidewalk. But now, I can say, everything is planted.

Here is the Bleeding Heart, taking over the Peony's space.
And here is the Peony with the others, hopefully it will be happy here.

Deer De-Fences

So we have fortified our garden area against the deer.

It's not like we didn't have fences before, but deer being the tricky creatures they are, can jump quite high and over any fence we had up. So using a combination of stakes, garden twine, and trellises we have tried to make the garden area too crowded and undesirable for them to want to be there. So far it's been working. We'll see if it lasts.

What do you do to keep the deer and other pests out ? Let me know in the comments.

This reminds me of a fort. Let's hope it helps keep them out (unless they can figure out how to open the gate!)

I haven't seen any rabbits around this year, which is good, because this wouldn't keep them away from my little bean plants.

Salad Greens and A Salad Recipe

This is the first year that I have sowed seeds in April and in my raised beds I put in spinach, arugula, bibb lettuce, romaine lettuce, and swiss chard. I have to say, it pays to put your seeds in early. I never had any success with spinach but this year I actually had spinach grow. Now, the whole row did not germinate but I had four of five plants which I had to pick all of since the 90 degree heat last week was sending them to want to bolt ( do you blame them ? )

The lettuces are still looking good. I've had the bibb lettuce a couple of times now. Each time I pick it, I try to thin out the row. I haven't picked any romaine yet, but I probably will this weekend. We had some arugula when I was thinning the rows. Now it has all gone to flower but I will leave it since it brings the bees to the garden.

Here is a picture of the cleaned lettuce and spinach. To prepare it I picked it early in the morning so it would be refreshed from the cooler overnight. I let it soak in a sink of cool water, swished it around and made sure all the dirt and creepy crawlies were out of it, and then I spun it in my wonderful salad spinner. I stored it in the refrigerator, loosely packed in a large plastic bag with paper towels.




Now, with all these wonderful greens I didn't just make a regular salad. I made something new from Pillsbury Potlucks (one of those recipe magazines you find at the grocery checkout). I made the Layered Tortellini Pesto Chicken Salad with some modifications. Instead of the pesto dressing which they make I made Green Goddess Dressing with a mix I had from Penzeys Spice. This turned out very good. And it even was good the next day, although the lettuce was getting kind of wilty by the third day. But by then there was just the tiniest bit left so I ate it anyway. Here's my version.



Layered Tortellini Pesto Chicken Salad
Prep time: 40 minutes; Start to Finish: 2 hours 40 minutes; 8 Servings


1 package (9 oz) refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini
1 cup Frozen Sweet Peas (I used the whole package)
5 cups torn romaine lettuce
1 1/2 cups julienne carrots (I used 3 carrots)
2 cups chopped or strips of grilled chicken (I used 3 chicken breasts I had grilled, chopped up)
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into strips
1/2 cup reduced fat mayonnaise or salad dressing
1/2 cup basil pesto
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or basil leaves
(In place of the mayo, pesto, and buttermilk, I used 3 Tablespoons of Green Goddess Dressing, the dry mixture, soaked in 6 Tablespoons of Water before mixing with 1 1/2 cups of reduced fat mayo.)


1. Cook tortellini as directed on package, adding peas during last 2 minutes of cook time. Drain; rinse immediately with cold water. Pat with paper towels to remove moisture (I didn't do this because mine wasn't overly wet, but I put it in so you know the original recipe.)


2. In large clear bowl, layer the lettuce, the carrots, chicken, peas and tortellini, and the bell pepper.


3. In small bowl, mix mayo, pesto, and buttermilk. (Or in my case, make Green Goddess Dressing). Spread over peppers; sprinkle with parsley. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. Stir just before serving.

Voila, the finished salad!

Garden Gnomes Sighted !

The Garden Gnomes have returned from their winter home (somewhere in Southern Florida, I believe) and were seen getting busy doing some garden work. One of them was sighted tending to the peas and radishes while another was busy at the newly delivered pile of compost.

Composting

It's amazing that eggshells and apple cores can turn into black gold. But that's exactly what happens when they are composted. This is such an easy way to get a nutrient rich additive to add to your gardens.

To get started you first need a compost area. Since it can tend to be a bit unsightly, you might want to position it out of the way of the main view of your garden. There are several different compost pile styles to choose from. I have a ventilated plastic shell with a lid that opens at the bottom to pull compost out from. You can just have a pile, which is what I had before a friend gave me the spare shell she had. If you have a pile, you may want to fence it in.

The next step is to add your compost materials. This can be grass clippings, leaves, kitchen scraps, basically anything organic. Just no meats, fats, or dairy products. That is not good for the compost pile. Now the final step and the one that I don't do nearly enough. You must turn your compost pile in order to facilitate the decomposition of the materials. Ideally you should probably do this once a week. Just get in there with a pitchfork and mix up your pile. Since I have a plastic shell, what I need to do is lift up the shell, move it over, and then shovel the pile back in, mixing it up as I go. If you use a fenced in area you can do the same, just have twice the space of your pile and then you can go back and forth each time you turn. The easiest by far is to have a barrel that you can just turn. This is the Cadillac of compost bins and a little expensive to buy, although if you are industrious you can make your own out of an old water barrel. Then it is easy to turn your pile every day, you just spin your barrel and you will have compost in no time.

Once your materials is decomposed you will have a beautiful, black, rich substance. This is perfect for giving a boost of nutrients to your garden soil.

Now I have to get out there and turn my pile. It's been sitting there all winter and I need some compost for my garden !

Happy Growing!

Lilacs in Bloom !

The lilacs are in bloom now and they are beautiful and fragrant.

There are several lilac bushes on our property. They are all a purple variety.

Because most of them are pretty overgrown, they will require a bit of pruning once the blooms are finished.

Here is a good site with info on pruning. I couldn't say it better myself. http://www.gardenersnet.com/lilac/lilac02.htm

Lilacs always remind me of my childhood. There were lilacs at my childhood home and my Grandparents - both in Eastern PA.

Enjoy these photos and please comment and post any of your lilac memories.