Another blog to look at!

Hey guys,

This is a totally awesome blog about cooking seasonally and growing food in Ontario.
Check it out!
http://seasonalontariofood.blogspot.com/

DIRT!!! Is there anything more beautiful?

Hey guys,
I just wanted to share my excitement with y'all about the nearing of the end of the growing season. Soon we will be having a year end garden feast and then we will have the fun of "closing" the fields.

I have just stockpiled the shed with 3 bales of straw, a bag of white clover seeds, a steel rake, and a pitchfork; woohoo! I'm really looking forward to enriching our soil....I've read some really cool stuff about soil over the summer; dirt is amazing! Also, over the summer I have fallen in love with our compost pile perhaps more than is healthy for a relationship between a human and a mass of decomposed bio-matter.

I think it would be great if we could time our harvest feast with the clover planting....then some time later we would plow it under and lay down the compost and straw.

Peace,
Thomas

what to do with all this zucchini?!?!

Hello Friends,
So when Marco returned with one fat yellow zucchini and announced that it was a challenge to bake something delicious with it, I thought "no, prob." Now that I've already baked one large chocolate zucchini cake, one batch of chocolate chip oatmeal zucchini cookies, and Marco and Erika have used a good chunk, I'm wondering what the H else we can do with it. I've included below some recipes I've come across (from this great website called "Closet Cooking in TO"), as well as the recipe for the cake and cookies. Enjoy, and best of luck!
P.S. Last summer my parents had an over abundance of zucchini, and my mom grated some for me and froze it, and it was splendid to have throughout the winter for cooking and baking.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake
This is a recipe passed down from my mom and grandma. Don't worry—the zucchini gets drowned out by the chocolate, and you don't even know you're eating a vegetable.
i find this cake doesn't even need icing--it's perfect just the way it is. just like you.

1/2 cup butter or margarine (I ommitted this and just added 1/2 cup more zucchini)
1/2 cup veg. oil
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup milk or soy milk
2 1/2 cup flour
4 tbsp cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup choc chips
2 cups zucchini

Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease a 9 x 13 pan and set aside. Cream together butter, oil and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add milk. In a separate bowl (or on top of the wet mixture if you're lazy like me and don't like doing ANY more dishes than you have to) mix together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Add dry mixture to wet mixture, and then throw in the chocolate chips and zucchini. Taste the batter as much as you like--it's delicious! Pour batter into pan, and bake for approximately 35 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean. Enjoy!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Banana* Cookies
* I have learned by experimenting with this recipe that zucchini is a grand substitute for banana in baking!!

Heat oven to 375 & Lightly grease a baking sheet.

Stir together in bowl:
1 C. flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ginger (optional)

Add:
1 C. brown sugar (packed)
1 C. rolled oats

Mix in thoroughly:
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 C. vegetable oil
2 Tbsp vanilla soy milk
1/4 C. mashed banana

Stir in:
1/4 C. chocolate chips

Bake for about 12 minutes, then cool on the sheet a minute before transferring to a rack. Enjoy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Corn and Zucchini Quesadillas

(makes 1 quesadilla)

Ingredients:
1 ear corn (grilled and kernels cut from cob)
1 small zucchini (grated, squeezed and drained)
1 jalapeno pepper (chopped)
1 green onion (sliced)
1 handful cilantro (chopped)
1 teaspoon cumin (toasted and ground)
1 lime (juice)
2 tortillas
1 handful cheese (grated, cheddar cheese and/or monterey jack cheese)

Directions:
1. Mix the corn, zucchini, jalapeno, green onion, cilantro, cumin and lime.
2. Melt a touch of butter in a pan.
3. Place a tortilla into the pan.
3. Sprinkle some cheese on the tortilla followed by corn and zucchini mixture and top with more cheese and finally the other tortilla.
4. Cook until the quesadilla is golden brown on both sides and the cheese is melted. (I placed a plate onto the quesadilla and flipped it from the pan to the plate and then slid it back into the pan.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Parmesan Crusted Baked Zucchini Sticks with Marinara Sauce

(makes 4 appetizer sized servings)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup bread crumbs (I used panko)
1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano (grated)
1 teaspoon oregano
1 pound zucchini/courgettes (sliced into sticks and pat dry)
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg (lightly beaten)

Directions:
1. Mix the bread crumbs, parmigiano reggiano and oregano in a bowl.
2. Season the zucchini with salt and pepper.
3. Dip the zucchini in the egg and then dredge in the bread crumb mixture.
4. Place the zucchini on a baking sheet in a single layer with the skin side down.
5. Bake in a preheated 425F oven until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.

Searching for Taters

I think I see it....

Sweet Yukon GOLD!!!

Bouche! 1 in 1 out, baby!

The Pumpkin (now roughly the size of a preggers' belly) continues to grow

Harvests are starting to expand

Yellow zuchinni the size of your head...mmm.

Recipe - Lemon Verbena Sorbet

So truth be told I'm much more of a cook than a gardener. While I'm excited to learn about how to garden, I'm ALSO excited about the fruits of our labour. So why am I so excited this morning? I came across this lovely vegan recipe which uses Lemon Verbena!

Lemon Verbena Sorbet

- 15 grams (about 2 cups) fresh lemon verbena leaves, rinsed and gently patted dry
- 180 grams (1 cup minus 2 tablespoons) unrefined cane sugar (the soft kind, not granulated)
- one large organic lemon, scrubbed
- 1 tablespoon limoncello (optional, but a bit of alcohol helps keep sorbet smooth)

Makes about 750 ml (3 cups); the recipe may be halved.

In the bowl of a blender or food processor, combine the lemon verbena leaves and the sugar. Using a vegetable peeler, shave three strips of zest from the lemon, and add them in. Process until finely ground.

Transfer to a mixing bowl, add the juice of the lemon, the limoncello if using, and 600 ml (2 1/2 cups) cold water. Whisk to combine, cover, and let this mixture steep in the fridge for 2 to 3 hours.

Strain through a fine sieve to remove the little flecks of leaf (teeny bits may remain, but that's okay), and churn in the ice cream maker. Serve with hazelnut cookies, very ginger cookies, or some of those heart-shaped gingerbread cookies you bought the other day because who says there is a season for gingerbread cookies?

The texture is best when the sorbet is freshly churned. If you have leftovers, apply a piece of plastic wrap closely to the surface to prevent crystallization. Let the sorbet soften for 20-30 minutes in the fridge before serving.

If you don't have an ice cream maker, you can make this as a granita. Prepare the mixture in the morning. Strain it 2 hours later, pour it into a freezer-safe container (preferably glass or metal), and place in the freezer. An hour later, remove the container from the freezer, scrape and draw the sides in with a fork (the mixture will set from the sides in), stir vigorously, and return to the freezer. Repeat every hour. The granita will be ready by dinnertime.

The recipe can be found at the link below with some commentary from the chef/blogger.
http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2009/07/lemon_verbena_sorbet.php

Garden shots: July 20th, 09

This is my first time sharing photos through gmail's Picasa Web album.

Here it goes! Try this link.

Pummmmpkins!

Not only good for jack-o-lanterns, here are some fun facts about pumpkins:

A pumpkin is really a squash. It is a member of the Cucurbita family which includes squash, watermelon and cucumbers.

Pumpkins are grown all over the world on six of the seven continents, with Antarctica being the sole exception. They are even grown in Alaska.

The self proclaimed "Pumpkin Capital of the World" is Morton, Illinois.

Planting Pumpkins:
Pumpkins can be planned directly into your garden by seed or with transplants. If you’re growing your pumpkins in mounds, plant the seeds about 1 or 2 inches deep, in groups of 5. Plant pumpkins in rows with 2 seeds per hole and about 2 to 3 feet between each hole. If you want your pumpkins to mature by Halloween, it’s a good idea to plant them by May or June, but make sure to keep tabs on the soil temperature. Wait to plant your seeds until the risk of frost has past.

Whether you choose rows or mounds, make sure you give your pumpkins plenty of space. It’s preferable that they are surrounded by bare ground without other crops growing. After you’ve planted your pumpkins, frequent weeding is important to keep your pumpkins healthy as they develop.

Also note that you should avoid planting pumpkins where you’ve recently had other vine crops such melons. It’s a good idea to wait at least two years before planting pumpkins in these areas.

How Much to Water Pumpkins:
Pumpkins prefer soil that isn’t too wet, so you should water them infrequently. However, make sure that each watering is a good, deep soaking. A soaker hose or drip irrigation are ideal ways to water your pumpkins. These methods are also helpful to avoid certain common diseases such as powdery mildew. Most pumpkins begin to bloom around late July, so pay close attention to your watering habits during this time. 1 to 2 inches of water a week in recommended, depending on where you live. As the pumpkin fruit starts to develop, reduce watering.

[How to Grow Organic Pumpkins info from: www.pumpkingrowingtips.com]

Health Info:
Pumpkins are rich in Vitamin A and potassium. They are also high in fiber.

Here's some stats on what's in one cup of pumpkin puree:

• Calories: 80
• Carbohydrates: 19 gram
• Cholesterol: 0
• Fat: less than 1 gram
• Potassium: 588 milligrams
• Protein: 2.4 grams
• Vitamin A: 310% of RDA
• Vitamin C: 20% of RDA

Recipe: (obviously a baked good because i LOVE baking!)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 eggs 1 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola or corn oil
1 cup pureed pumpkin (this is easy to do: cut top off pumpkin, hollow out seeds, then cut pumpkin into quarters. grease a cookie sheet with oil, then place pumpkin cut side down on sheet and bake at around 400 for 30-45 minutes, or until soft. time will vary depending on size and thickness of pumpkin)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips

Position a rack in the middle of the oven . Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and butter the paper.

Stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices together in a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs and sugar until smooth and lightened in color, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. On low speed, mix the oil, pumpkin, and vanilla until blended. Mix in the flour mixture to incorporate it. Mix in the chips.

Scoop batter onto baking sheet, and bake until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, about 16 minutes. Cool them on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Eat Beets! (Tara says so)

Beets are great because they are two-two-two foods in one! Well, sort of. They are one veggie, but the roots and the leaves can be used separately to different effect. The leaves (especially if picked early, and tender) can be used in salads, and just need to be washed. If you don’t feel like a salad, then go right ahead and cook them! This is especially useful if the leaves are larger and maybe tougher. Just sautee with some oil and garlic and maybe some chopped onion. You can treat it much like spinach. It can also be added to a stirfry, and I think it might be yummy in a pasta. Perhaps with some goat cheese and toasted pine nuts?

The roots (the beets themselves) are wonderful roasted. No need to peel, just wash, coat with a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper and wrap in some tin foil. Bake at about 400 for about an hour. The skin should come right off. Be warned though, they will stain, especially the red beets. Last time I roasted beets I waited until they were coolish, and then peeled them wearing (clean) dishwashing gloves. The gloves were stained pink, but my hands were A-Ok. Word on the street is that you can also steam beets, but I have never done this myself.

And here is a very yummy sounding recipe for a roasted beet salad:

Romaine and Roasted-Beet Salad with Creamy Roquefort Dressing

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Romaine-and-Roasted-Beet-Salad-with-Creamy-Roquefort-Dressing-4270

Beets!

Beets

Beet Facts

Beets are from the Chenopodiaceae Family and are called Beta vulgaris subsp. Esculenta in Latin.

Beets, like carrots and some other root veggies, prefer soil that has not been recently manured or composted. Forked roots can result.

Beets are compound seeds: if you look closely at a beet seed you will see a number of seedlets fastened together into one “seed.” (Chard is the same.) This means you will often get more than one beet from a seed.

How to Grow Beets

1. I like to soak the seed in hot water (bath temperature) for about an hour before planting.

2. Choose a site in full sun and sow when the soil has warmed a little. Space seeds a little farther apart than you’d think—2 inches is fine—because you will usually get two to four (or even more) “seedlings” from each seed. They should be planted in rows that are spaced thirty to forty-six centimeters apart

3. Cover with about 1 centimetre (0.5") of soil, then tamp down very lightly with your palm.

4. Seeds will germinate in 5-12 days depending on soil temperature (sun and warmth).

5. When beets are about 1.5 inches high, carefully thin them out. This is best done in the morning or in the early evening, when the sun is not shining brightly. Thinned beets can still be eaten for the greens!

6. Beet seeds can be planted as soon as the soil is able to be worked at the start of the growing season. Planting them every two or three weeks would provide a continuous harvest into the fall.

7. The ideal pH is between 6.5 and 7

8. Once the seeds are planted, it is suggested to cover the soil with a little mulch to protect it during rains and dry periods.

Arooooogula

I've been doing a bit of research on arugula. The first thing you should know about this leafy green is that it's considered an aphrodisiac. Who knew, right?
Plant seeds 1 inch apart, ¼ inch deep in rows, or broadcast alone or mixed with other greens. Gradually thin to 6-inch spacings using thinnings for salads.
Prefers rich humusy soil with pH of 6 to 6.8, but will tolerate wide variety of conditions. Evenly moist soil will help slow bolting. Growth is low and compact until heat causes plant to bolt.
Forms a rosette of deeply lobed leaves. Plants become erect when heat induces bolting.
The white flowers that grow when it's mature are indeed edible, and have a creamy taste.
Arugula reseeds often itself - but it's self sterile and needs insects to help it procreate. It can be harvested multiple times throughout the season. (I reseeded arugula myself last summer after harvesting it for the first time in early July.)
You're supposed to avoid planting arugula after other cabbage family crops. (I'm not sure what "after" constitutes here, I'm guessing "in soil previously used for cabbage family crops" ...but if someone's got a better idea, please feel free to share it.)

I got a lot of this info here.

Ok, here is a recipe that I tried last year (with parsley and arugula from my garden) and lost my mind because it was so good.

Arugula-Parsley Pesto

1 cup arugula
1 cup parsley
1/2 cup olive oil
3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup toasted nuts (I used walnuts, but I bet pine nuts would be even better; the original recipe calls for almonds)
2 squirts of lemon juice
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (optional, definitely not necessary)

Blend the arugula and parsley (probably best in batches) with the olive oil and lemon juice, adding the garlic and then the nuts in small batches until a paste is formed.

Use the pesto in pasta, on pizza, as a body rub, etc...

Enjoy!

Robyn

heirloom carrots: fun, nutritious, and in vogue!

http://www.thestar.com/article/666247

Fennel Datasheet

Ideal soil & weather conditions:
- sun to partial shade
- average water needs; prefers well-drained soil

Growing guidelines:
- start fennel as early in the spring as possible; it is better for the bulb to develop in cooler temperatures than in summer heat
- best to plant directly from seeds; sow after last frost, 1/4 inch deep
- fork 2 to 3 inches of compost into the soil before planting; in heavy clay soils, plant fennel in a raised bed.
- once plants come up, thin to 18-24 inches apart
- plant seeds into rich soil & keep bed moist for two weeks, or until first leaves appear, then give it average water
- too much or too little water can cause the plant to "bolt", i.e., go to flower too early and become tough
- when bulb is the size of an egg, pile up soil around it so it continues to grow away from the light; this blanches the bulb and makes it more tender
- feed every two weeks with diluted fish emulsion
- fennel plants are believed to release a chemical that impairs the growth of other plants and should not be grown close to beans, tomatoes or members of the cabbage family (yikes!)

Pests:
- competes poorly with weeds; hill soil and add mulch to prevent such competition
- aphids can cause some damage, otherwise no pest problems

Harvesting:
- you can snip fennel leaves throughout the growing season
- you can harvest any time by cutting through the root, just below the bulb

July 5th Photos

Brad's elven eyes are dreamy....

Marco slays several of the pumpkin juggernauts.

Potato madness!

Potato flowers means the first tubers are present; yay!

The first pea harvest.

The first BIG harvest!

Oh...my...goodness! Foooood? So good!

Thanks so much to Claudia's mother (and her helpers)

for such an awesome dinner. Yum!

Garden Map

The first garden inventory is taken electronically with machine-like accuracy. Behold; the following is an inventory focused map of the garden as it was recorded on July 5th (almost all icons represent an individual plant).

Click the Pic!

June 22nd

The potatoes are almost big enough for hide and seek. The first harvest! Fancifully presented.

One day, these buds will be pumpkins.Carrots: so few, but so proud.Sabrina busy tying up tomatoes.

AAAGGHHH!!!

Two of our lettuces have totally disappeared! What happened?

Ants and Aphids

Everything you wanted to know about the fascinating relationship between ants and aphids...a relationship presently explored on our fava beans!

See the following article; it's really cool!

Research on Broccoli and Potatoes

Information condensed (and copied) from: “The Garden Primer: 100% Organic”, by Barbara Damrosch (2008)

Broccoli Datasheet

Ideal soil and weather conditions:
- Soil site: good drainage and air circulation
- Ideal pH 6.7-7.2
- Needs plenty of nitrogen
- Calcium is important (add lime to achieve this)
- Add well rotted organic matter around plants
- Keep soil cool and moist using a thick mulch; Tolerates cool weather


Growing Guidelines:
- Space plants 30-60cm apart
- Early crops can be inter-planted with something smaller (like baby lettuce and spinach)
- Good mulch helps retain moisture, but in drought be sure to give a good, long soak

Pests and Diseases:
- If cut worms threaten the young plants, use collars made of paper (copper can zap slugs)
- check for sleeping worms in the morning in the ground near the plant
- Cabbage worms are another pest (do little damage, but can spread to other more vulnerable plants). They are camouflaged green with the plant, look closely and pick off. Floating row covers can be placed on top of plants in spring before the white butterflies lay their eggs on them.
- Spray aphids off with a hose
- Root maggots can be a problem in some gardens; you can use small tar paper mats placed on the soil around spring transplants
- Most bugs won’t bother later crops

Harvest:
- Cut first big head off with a sharp knife above any new forming buds
- Keep picking to keep buds from going to flower (after which the plant will stop producing edible stalks)
- Sprouts continue well after head is cut (if not too hot)
- Days to harvest: 70-95 days


Potatoes Datasheet

Ideal soil and weather conditions:
- Prefer a more acid soil than most vegetables (between pH 5.0 and 6.8 is tolerable range)
- Heavy clay soils make it hard for full size tubers to develop, they drain poorly and cause tubers to rot
- Alkaline soils more conducive to disease called Scab; scab produces rough spots on the tubers but rarely ruins the crop
- Well rotted compost is best along with some phosphorous if needed. Avoid wood ashes as they are alkaline
- Soil needs to be very well drained and aerated and should not be extremely rich

Growing Guidelines:
- Plant them in a shallow trench filled partway with soil; then as plants grow mound up soil to add underground space in which the tubers will grow hidden from light (light makes them green and this is poisonous as are the white sprouts from the eyes)
- Make trench 6 inches deep and place potato pieces 1 foot apart; plant potato root end down…but they will grow upside down too; then cover with 3-4 inches of soil and rake in soil from the sides as plant grows
- When plant is 6-8 inches tall, burry all but the topmost leaves (repeat if/when you can)
- An alternative method is to pile up thick mulch – potatoes require consistent soil moisture for good growth so mulching helps anyway
- Don’t plant in fresh manure; encourages scab

Pests and Diseases:
- Watch out for Colorado potato beetles!!! Can wipe out a whole crop (see picture).
- Rub off reddish egg masses under the leaves, hand pick off beetles and place in soapy water
- Aphids and other insects can spread disease and should be picked off
- Floating row covers at planting time are very effective
- Late blight is the worst disease (the same one from the Irish potato famine)
- If foliage becomes blackened, then moldy, then it has…the BLIGHT!!! Remove it, burn it, and wait a few weeks to dig any potatoes under the soil. Best way to combat blight is with clean seed, crop rotation and hope you don’t run into long spells of the cool damp weather that seems to foster it


Harvest:
- Leaves grow first; then, tubers form before approaching cooler weather
- When white or purple flowers blossom it is a sign that potatoes lie beneath (earliest); when foliage dries out and dies potatoes are fully mature (can take 4 months)
- For good storage potatoes, leave them in the ground for at least a few weeks after the foliage withers and browns (this thickens up their skins)
- Dig out potatoes on a dry day (dry soil)
- Days to harvest: 55-80 days (for baby potatoes), 120 days (for biggest)

"plant foods here and here"

(image courtesy of the Avolio archives)

Beans (of the Fava and Coffee varieties)

A Wednesday night of weeding stray beans from rows where they didn't belong, re-tilling the soil, and Coloumbian gold...


Tom collected used coffee grounds from a here unnamed, Seattle-based mega-corporation. The grounds were spread to increase the nitrate content of the soil. (By the time we left, the yard smelled like a venti double-soy latte...)






(Claudia is pleased that the safety-board has been replaced over the lone strawberry plant.)

In & Out: Gardenomics blog is live!

The first official blog post, and we certainly have some catching up to do!
Let's start with the backlogged photos:


There are plenty more to come, stay tuned...