Garden Update ~ Early August

I don't remember the name of these bulbs, but I sure love them.  I have to get out to the garden in the morning to catch them in full bloom though, they close up and go to sleep by early afternoon.


Despite the few days of sunny weather, our garden is moving along.  I'm pulling out onions and zucchini daily and just about everything has something that looks like a vegetable growing.  The corn is almost to the bottom of the second pink row going up on Molly's overalls.  I figured out I can watch the corn's progress by comparing it to the color rows on her pants. I walked around and got some photos of just baby veggies the other day.

Yesterday I filled a box with lots of treats: two kinds of zucchini, crookneck squash, three kinds of beets, red cabbage, broccoli, a dozen artichokes, shallots, onions, squash flowers of every kind of squash I have, (Don't want to take too many from one plant.), fresh rosemary and lavender.

The husband of a dear friend of mine, who passed away in 2009, lives in the house behind my garden and there was some interesting commotion going on.  I recognized his daughter, whom I haven't seen in awhile, Wasipi.  I was glad to see her. I've been wanting to thank her for reminding me of the Green Tortoise's Baja adventure.  Something, we'd want to go on, but I had forgotten about.  After she told me of her 15 day whale watching adventure, I checked it out.  We ended up having an unforgettable Thanksgiving on a secluded beach in Baja with a small group of wonderful people. Turns out, yesterday was Steve's 90th birthday and they were getting ready setting up the celebration in his backyard.  I was happy to fill a bag with some fresh veggies and nasturtiums for their salad.

I dropped some veggies off to another friend on the way home who likes to cook with fresh ingredients. She's just started doing some cooking and baking without animal products.  Felicia told me she had never eaten a beet in her life.  Lucky her, most of us were introduced to beets as canned, overcooked, remnants of their original form.  I am not surprised when someone's first reaction to beets is negative. She gets to try beets for the first time, tender and fresh out of the garden.  My husband never liked them until we started eating them fresh and most times raw. The golden beets are so tender when fresh picked I can eat them like an apple.

Romaine Boats with Cauliflower Mash

The salad: julienne cucumber, kohlrabi, carrots, lightly sauteed mushrooms, and avocado slices tossed with raspberry balsamic vinegar. 

The hummus is called Cauliflower Mash.
     Another recipe from the Veg News,  Jan/Feb 2010 issue.

2 1/2 cups raw cashews
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons barley miso, or any light miso
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 cups cauliflower chopped into small florets
1/3 cup water

In the food processor, process cashews and salt into a fine powder.  Add miso, lemon juice, olive oil, black pepper, and cauliflower, and pulse to combine. With the motor running, add water in a thin stream until mixture begins to take on a smooth, whipped texture. 

Garden 2011 Begins Soon

Today was my annual review at work. Well, I'm happy to say I got through another year still employed.  I didn't used to worry about annual reviews.  Last year I received some negative feedback or, I should say 'opportunities for improvement'. That's not happened before or not in many years.  So, I was mindful of it all year and really worked at improving my knowledge of my job and making somebody else's life a little easier while I am there.  I'm a very lucky person in that I really like what I do and the people I spend my days with.   But, due to the emotional stress I was under in 2009, I made some mistakes.  I wasn't surprised and I don't think my boss was either. My heart, mind, and hands were not often in the same place at the same time. Among some of the issues I faced was a broken ankle that kept me down for almost three months. One of my best friends died early in the year. Robert went to Afghanistan. He did make it home this last December.  Marty was arrested and is still sitting in a cell awaiting the outcome of his big mess.  It's been a full two years since the detective came to our house and took him away.  I managed to make it through this year with the same emotional roller coaster going on, but handled it much better. (In front of people anyway.)  Shew, that worry is over for a few. Things went well today.


The big news of the day is that I got my garden!  Yippee!!!  It's like having some sunshine come into the day.  It's time to get the greenhouse in order.  It just needs a little sweeping and organizing.  We've been keeping some avocados alive down there this winter.  Avocados don't generally grow in the Pacific Northwest.  We had some volunteers come up in the compost pile and scooped them up and put them in buckets and have kept them under the lights.  They're doing pretty well. We probably won't ever get any avocados, but we have some cool plants. I'll get some leeks, onions, and lettuces started very soon.  The lettuces can be grown indoors and the leeks and onions can be put right in the ground soon.  They have a better chance if I start them first though.  I'm very excited to get started.

This year I thought I'd try a Victory Garden Seed bucket from Territorial Seed.  It's kind of like ordering a big grab bag. I am not advertising for them, I am very pleased with my purchase.  I bought a few extra packets of herbs, Stevia, Red Noodle Pole Beans, and some cantaloupe.  But, for $79, it's a great deal.  It's got everything you could want to get a full garden going. I could stop here, but that's not likely.  I do have to shop at the farmer's market too for some plants. I can't wait to get to playing in the dirt! 

In the bucket I found seeds for:

  Bean, Dry/Shelling Pole-Bingo
  Bean, Green Bush-Venture
  Brussels Sprout-Falstaff
  Beet-Early Wonder Tall Top
  Broccoli-Thompson
  Cabbage-Danish Ballhead
  Carrot-Danvers
  Cauliflower-Goodman
  Corn-Golden Bantam
  Cucumber-Wautoma
  Kale-Winter Red
  Kohlrabi-Superschmelz ~ My favorite one to say out loud. Try it a few times. :-)
  Leek-Giant Musselburgh
  Lettuce-Heirloom Blend
  Onion-Pacific Pearl
  Pea-Sugar Daddy
  Pepper, Sweet-Cal Wonder 300
  Pepper, Hot-Early Jalapeno
  Pumpkin-Small Sugar
  Radish-Altaglobe
  Turnip-Purple Top White Globe
  Spinach-Bloomsdale Savoy
  Swiss Chard-Rhubarb
  Squash, Summer-Black Beauty
  Squash, Winter-Bush Delicata
  Tomato-Gill’s All Purpose
  Tomato-Saucey
  Herb, Chives
  Herb, Basil-Sweet
. Flower, Sunflower-Mammoth Gray Stripe

Gardening 2011 here we go.

Thanksgiving Sides - Natural & Raw

I've put butternut squash in salads, but not raw. I'll have to try this. There are a couple in my kitchen just waiting to find a home.


Vegetables for Thanksgiving, Served Natural and Raw

Stuffed Acorn Squash

I cut open an Acorn Squash and a Delicata Squash, rubbed vegan margarine in the halves and set aside.  Then stuffed and roasted them in the oven for about an 45 minutes at 375° until I could put a fork through the squash wall.

For the stuffing, I cooked about a cup of orzo, and a cup of forbidden rice. I tossed them together with a little avocado oil and a little coconut water* I had left over, a few mushrooms, a couple small scallions, and a diced red pepper, sea salt and ground black pepper. I sprinkled a little Parmesan cheese and about a 1/2 tsp of vegan margarine on the top. (For a vegan dish, just leave off the cheese.)

*The coconut water is the thin milky water after using the cream from a can of coconut in something else, like maybe dairy free chocolate ice cream....

The stuffing is good all by itself. I didn't use all of it so I think I'll add some fresh veggies and use it as a salad later too.

Vegetarian Lasagña

When I first moved here one of my new friends thought it was very strange that I would get up and make dinner in the morning, normal for me.  After this, my granddaughter and I will make a vegan chocolate birthday cake for grandpa and while it cools I think we'll check out the Toy Soldier Bazaar.   We have all day to play together, dinner is ready to pop in the oven.

I made a sauce with onions, garlic, julienne carrots and zucchini, a quart of my homegrown tomatoes, chopped green pepper, a diced mild chili, a small can of organic tomato paste, dried herbs from the garden, oregano, basil, rosemary, parsley, sea salt and fresh ground pepper. I added a little agave and some white balsamic vinegar, a dash of cooking sherry, and some sliced mushrooms.  Sliced large because my husband doesn't like them too much.  I still cook with them, but make them large enough for him to pick out.

I made the Ricotta by blending tofu, garlic, a dash of shoyu, oregano, basil, rosemary, parsley, about 1/4 cup olive oil, and about half a large chopped red bell pepper.

I have come along some on the cheese.  I've made this recipe for many years. I used to use cottage cheese, eggs, and Parmesan cheese for a ricotta and about a pound of mozzarella cheese and more Parmesan cheese. This only has about 4 - 6 oz. of cheese for the whole recipe.  I blended grated mozzarella, Parmesan, and Romano cheese.

There's also a layer of chopped greens from the garden, chard and beet greens, between the lasagna layers and the ricotta.

Bake this in the oven on 400° for about 45 - 50 minutes until the cheese melts and browns and the sauce is a bit bubbly.

EZ Harvest Food and Vegan Chocolate Pudding

I have a small collection of little squash from the garden.

Pumpkins, orange and white, butternut squash, and delicata squash.

I roasted some of them for about 40 minutes at 375°.

Took the skins off, scooped out the seeds and cut up one of each kind and split between two bowls. I then heated up the potato leek soup I made yesterday and poured it on top. It became potato leek sauce. I didn't take a picture of it with the soup because we'd been out and we were hungry. I'll do something with the other roasted squash tomorrow.

I wanted something sweet afterward so I whipped up some vegan chocolate pudding.

2 avocados
2 bananas
about a 1/4 cup non dairy vanilla milk
4 TB chocolate hazelnut hot cocoa mix
1 TB mint sauce (fresh mint and agave thickened in the freezer)

all blended in the food processor until smooth.

Garden Update September

It was a slow start and we didn't get to give away as much vegetables as last year, but the garden is booming now.  We've harvested probably three loads just like this one this week.  It's been a busy week of washing, preparing, storing, and finding homes for our garden goodies.  It's been fun though.  I have lots put up for the winter.  I don't think I will be visiting a grocery store as much as I did last winter.  While canning my sauerkraut made from our garden cabbage this weekend, I realized that I am entertained by watching a canner simmer or fresh ice cream churning. Funny.

Roasted Garden Veggies

Columbia River Gorge, George, WA

We went to the Gorge this last Labor day for some sunshine, camping, wandering, and enjoying music with friends.  When we returned after not being to the garden for almost a week, we found that it had kind of exploded.  We harvested at least three carloads of veggies out of there this week.  I not only gave away lots to friends and family, our local produce stand took some too, giving me credit toward some winter veggies and fruit.  Life is good.

A portion of what I harvested yesterday became a tasty vegetable roast shortly after arriving home.

I sliced the squash, eggplant, and tomatoes to about a half inch thick. I chopped the parsley, a little fresh oregano, and the garlic. I layered it all in a glass baking dish lightly greased with some coconut oil. I added a little grated Romano cheese and some Panko bread crumbs to the top. I baked it for about 40 minutes at 375°.

Before Roasting, adding just a small amount of Romano Cheese

After Roasting.

The lemony early girl tomatoes were delightful with the roasted eggplant and fresh oregano. 

Local and "In Season" Processed Food

Enjoying and preserving the gifts of summer, I processed our food this weekend. 

Two batches of Tumeric Refrigerator Pickles, one made with cucumbers and the other with golden zucchini,

fresh tuna and peaches,

baked some zucchini loaf cake,

steamed some fresh from the garden artichokes,

and made some twice baked potatoes with summer squash and potato stuffing topped with a little freshly grated Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.

Stuffed Squash Flowers

The garden is going great.  It provides about a basket a day of a variety of fresh food.  I have lots of herbs drying and really don't have the need to shop for vegetables or herbs right now.  We're only buying fruit at the local produce and farmer's markets and a few things we don't have growing.  I tried to grow some cantaloupe this year and the plants look great, lots of pretty yellow flowers, but so far no fruit. Without a warm spring, most of the plants are producing less and/or later than usual.  I noticed quite a few ears of corn growing and we should have lots of tomatoes ripening soon.

 
We also have lots of squash flowers and I have heard of them being a great treat to eat but haven't tried them before.  I've read some of the nutritional benefits and they are high in potassium, vitamins B and K, and beta carotene.  Thought I'd try it.  Last weekend my friend and I sauteed some flowers in a little oil and herbs and they were delightful.  Yesterday while in the garden, I picked a variety of squash flowers:  summer, zucchini, spaghetti, crookneck, and pumpkin with the idea of stuffing them with a little cheese and herbs and cooking them. The flowers to use are the male flowers, they grow upright on a stem and don't produce squash.  The female flowers have what looks like a little squash at the base.  You can use those, but that will reduce your squash yield.  Leave a couple male flowers so the female flowers can be pollinated.

I used some herb goat cheese, chevre, and a sliced anaheim pepper, also from the garden.  I scooped the cheese with a little tasting spoon, added a couple small slices of the pepper and made a little ball.  I stuffed this at the bottom of the flower.  I dipped them gently a somewhat thin batter of WW flour and homemade soy milk.  Then I warmed a mixture of sesame and safflower oil in a nonstick pan.  I sliced some garlic cloves and toasted them in the oil with a couple sprigs of rosemary and thyme and removed them when they were crisp and set them aside for garnish. Then I sauteed the flowers in the oil until they were just golden brown.

 I added a little black bean corn salsa and the toasted garlic chips I made earlier and it was a full meal for two. These were so good, this plate didn't make it far.  We just stood here after the photo and had dinner.

Artichoke-Chili Bisque and a Little Tree Climbing

Been having some busy days, haven't had time to sit down and blog.  My granddaughter and her mom moved to town, I am so happy about that.  I can see her anytime now and have some good grandma time.  My honey and I spent some time having fun together last weekend, including a visit to the Tree to Tree Adventure Park. This is us 30 or more feet in the air.

I took these swings very slowly, he jumped. Notice, the feet are in the air.

It was a great test of self trust.  I did three courses, my husband did all of them.  Although they make sure you are safe and most people can do this, it is physically demanding.  It's Thursday, we did this Sunday and my arms and thighs are finally not sore.  I am looking forward to doing this again.

What did I make for dinner?

Last weekend we ventured out to Puget Island to a friend's house for dinner.  She's a kitchen witch, not a vegetarian, but a whole foods kitchen witch, a flexitarian. She doesn't use processed foods and when she does prepare animal protein, it's from a local source.  She knows lots about herbs and preparing wild greens.  I'm learning quite a bit from her.  I love to give her vegetables from my garden and then see what she creates with them. We made dinner together Saturday afternoon.  She marinated some fresh tuna fillets, wrapped in bacon, they looked like little fillet Mignon. She seared them gently in avocado oil with a little fresh thyme and sage. She also made a barley salad with black beans and fresh vegetables: corn, zucchini, chilis, onions, garlic, and fresh herbs.  I contributed vegetables for the salad, a dressing made from oranges and tahini, and a fresh artichoke-chili bisque.

Fresh garden salad with Orange Tahini dressing, Vegetable Barley salad, Artichoke-Chili Bisque, and Tuna Fillet

Artichoke-Chile Bisque (Vegan)

10-12 small artichokes, steamed and the outer tough leaves removed
6 roasted Anaheim chilis, skin and seeds removed
1 cup roasted cashews (I roasted raw cashews gently in a saute pan)
3-4 cloves fresh garlic
seas salt, dill, a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, black pepper, and shoyu to taste
3-4  cups filtered water (Start out with 3 cups water then add more depending on the consistency you like, I like it kind of thick.

Blended together until smooth.  This can be eaten warm or cold. 

We also tried sauteing squash flowers for the first time.  I picked a variety of squash flowers Saturday morning, zucchini, summer squash, delicata, and pumpkin.  She sauteed them in the oil from the tuna fillets.  They were pretty fun to prepare, they get puffy again every time you turn them.  I missed getting a picture of them.  They were so good, they didn't last too long.  I have heard you can stuff them, I will try some again soon.

Garden Zucchini Pie

Garden Zucchini Pie

Barb and I use to laugh at how we would harvest our fresh, healthy vegetables, steam them ever so gently, and then cover them in butter and cheese.  We knew we weren't eating exactly healthy, but we were going in the right direction anyway.  This is a variation of a recipe I've made for years.  One of my favorites, it's a variation of vegetable quiche.  I used to use milk and sometimes cream, and much more cheese than I do now.  I've slimmed it down by reducing the eggs and cheese and using non dairy milk.  This time I made my own soy milk so I know what is in that, soy beans, filtered water, and a dash of sea salt.  I try not to use eggs too much, but when I do, I use local eggs from free range chickens.

The Crust

3 cups grated potatoes, about five medium
1 beaten eggwhite
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Squeeze potatoes to remove excess water.  In a large mixing bowl combine the egg white, onion, and parmesan cheese.  Stir in potatoes and press into a 9 inch pie plate.  Pat mixture in the bottom and up the sides of the dish.  I like to think of it as building a bird's nest for my pie.  Bake uncovered in a  400° oven for 35-40 minutes until golden brown.  Cool on  a wire rack.

Filling

2-3 medium zucchini, thinly sliced (3-4 cups)
     I used a mixture of zucchini, starburst, and crookneck squash
2-3 cloves garlic minced
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
This time I added a diced serrano pepper for a  little extra zip.

3 beaten eggs
3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (cheddar or Swiss cheese works well too)
1/2 cup non dairy milk
2 tsp fresh oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Arrange vegetables in cooled potato crust.

In small mixing bowl combine the eggs, cheese, non dairy milk, oregano, salt, and pepper.  Pour on top of zucchini mixture in the crust.  Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Before Baking

After Baking

I had some nice broccoli from the garden and made one with broccoli too.  I left out the serrano pepper on this one just in case my husband didn't like the spicy taste of the zucchini pie.  He didn't say anything and ate three pieces, so it must have been fine.

Broccoli Pie Before Baking

Broccoli Pie out of the oven

Early August in the Garden

Just a little peek at the garden. She's blooming everywhere. There are beautiful herbs, flowers, fruits, and vegetables popping up everywhere. It's a lovely place to be with or without the sun.  Isabelle has a few friends in the garden now too.  I've included a couple of them, another scarecrow-ess named Betsy and her owl. 






The very pretty shiny object in the garden is a hand made sunburst made out of polished steel by one of our local artists. It is a gift from my friend and sister, Rhonda. I had to stop by the garden and let it shine in the sun for a few moments on the way home.

Fresh and Simple: Salmon, Artichokes, & Potato Salad

I love this time of year, everything is so fresh and available.  It's so easy to prepare fresh food, in season, and local.  I can stop by the garden once a day to pick herbs and vegetables now.  I  didn't even need to go to the farmer's market this weekend.  I gather my vegetables and decide what I'm cooking when I get home and survey the ingredients.  Last night I roasted a fresh Salmon Fillet in an agave-mustard glaze, steamed some tender little artichokes from the garden, and made a vegan potato salad.

  A very simple, but flavorful meal.  I whisked about 1 tablespoon grainy mustard with 1 tablespoon raw agave and a dash of red pepper sauce.  I brushed the glaze mixture on the fresh salmon  with a pastry brush and sprinkled some fresh rosemary from my garden. I cut up some small onions I picked just yesterday in half and placed them face down in the pan and on the salmon.  The long green stems sliced and sprinkled on the fish. I roasted this in my oven with the convection fan on to evenly cook everything, for about 35 minutes at 350°.

Before Roasting

After Roasting

The vegan potato salad was also fairly simple.  About 2 lb of little red potatoes, quartered and simmered in water and sea salt for about ten minutes.  A small diced red onion, diced stalks from the rainbow chard, garlic, parsley, about 2 TB sweet pickle relish, half a diced red bell pepper, 2 oz. flax seed oil, 1 oz. homemade garlic chili oil and sea salt to taste. Toss it all together and chill.

Little Veggies

The garden is producing daily food now.  I am picking a pound of peas a day, three or four onions, and lots of herbs.  Yesterday I noticed there are little veggies popping up all over.

8 Ball Zucchini - It's about three inches in diameter.

Little Broccoli beginning

Up close

Sunburst Squash

Golden Zucchini beginning