No Corn For You

The squirrels have won the battle of the corn. Earlier in the month they finished off the miniature pop corn eating every ear. Now as the yellow corn is maturing they have gone after that. There are one or two ears that aren't yet eaten but they'll have those in a day or two. More than likely I won't get a single ear. They start in on it before it is ready to pick which pretty much guarantees they get it all. Squirrels are not a gardeners best friend.

Let There Be Light

Just had some major clearing done to the East. In total 4 very large pines and a number of smaller ones. This picture is just East of the garden and the giant pine that is now missing was shading way too much space. I wasn't getting any sun on the East end of the garden until about eleven in the morning. Not acceptable. Otherwise is was a nice enough tree that just happened to be in the wrong place.

We Have Pumpkins

I have never had much success with pumpkins....usually it is either fungus or critters but so far this year things seem to be going in the right direction. There are about 10 of this size and more on the way. Keep your fingers crossed. Oh, they are Amish pie pumpkins and stay pretty small and not the jack o'lantern type

A Friend Is Gone

I am so sad to report that a good friend has passed. Trace Browne died yesterday. Known to to the others that sometimes visit here as the "T" part of "MandT" or as part of "Adjitadiaries" Trace is survived by his partner Michael. This is doubly sad as Trace and Michael were just "officially" married on June 16th after twenty years together. Our heart is with Michael.
Namaste

Trace Browne  b. June 7, 1951    d. July 10, 2014

May the Goddess Guard Him. May Trace Find His Way to the Summerlands. May His Friends and Family Know Peace.

Homemade Sauerkraut

Along with all the other things that happened over the 4th weekend, BBQ, garden, baking, I got the urge for some real sauerkraut and not the stuff from the grocery. Even the stuff labeled fresh in the plastic bags is a pale reflection of proper freshly fermented kraut.
A friend just happened to call from Whole Foods about the time I decided I was going to get a head of cabbage and start a batch. I asked her to pick me up a head of organic cabbage since she was coming by here anyway. I was a little shocked when she handed me the receipt...$1.99/pound for a 3 pound head of cabbage. Ouch! All the more reason to plant it in the fall.
So I've got a batch going. If you are interested in making your own you can get easy to follow instructions for making a small batch in a couple of Mason jars here. It's really easy and pretty foolproof. Mine is going in a 2 quart pickle jar and not two quart jars.
I should have some respectable sauerkraut in about a week.

Just as an aside. A spoonful for homemade kraut has more probiotic bacteria in in than a whole bottle of the diet supplements they sell for a fortune.

BTW I've also ordered some milk kefir grains so I can begin making my own kefir. I buy the stuff every week and it  is good (Lifeway or Trader Joe's...same thing) but I think homemade should be cheaper and better. We'll see.

The pic is from the thekitchn.com

Squash Casserole, Yes, Another One

Still have a lot of squash bit it is beginning to taper a bit. Here is another squash recipe. This one is from the Sautee Inn in North Georgia. It's pretty simple but surprisingly tasty.

Sautee Inn  Squash Casserole

(from Sautee, Georgia, near Helen)

3 cups summer squash, chopped

1 cup onion, sliced or chopped (we chopped)

¼ cup butter, melted

¼ cup almonds, finely chopped (we used unsalted)

1 cup breadcrumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

Paprika

Dash of nutmeg if you like

1 cup of Cheddar cheese, shredded

Cook the squash and onion together in small amount of water until tender (I microwave it). Drain well. Mix with other ingredients. Place in baking dish and top with additional crumbs and sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 350 until slightly browned, about 45 minutes.

This recipe is from the cookbook by  Joseph Dabney, entitled Smokehouse Ham, Spoon Bread, & Scuppernong Wine, celebrating the folklore and art of Southern Appalachian cooking. It won the James Beard Award a few years back and if you are looking for authentic Southern Appalachian recipes this is an excellent source.

 

How About a Zucchini Fritter

It's definitely squash season around here. I've got a fridge drawer full of zucchini and yellow squash and we have been eating on it almost everyday. I even sent a big yellow squash casserole yesterday to an acquaintance that had a death in the family. (This is the South...that's what we do.) So instead of baking, casseroling or whatever tonight I'll pull out the old fresh vege fritter recipe and make zucchini fritters. I've also got a beautiful eggplant that was picked this morning that might like a little soak in buttermilk and a roll in seasoned cornmeal and a quick run through the fry pan as well. This recipe is labeled zucchini fritters but it will work for yellow squash, fresh corn, chard, spinach, and other fresh softish veges. I've never tried it with carrots, beets or the like but it might work with some fiddling.  I don't do a lot of frying but sometimes you just gotta.

Zucchini Fritters

vegetable or canola oil for frying, you'll need enough to get about 3/8" in a big frying pan

3 cups grated zucchini, use a box grater for the best results.
1 cup finely diced onion
2 large eggs slightly beaten
3/4  cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup corn meal (if you don't have corn meal use all flour)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
a couple of grinds of black pepper pepper

In a large bowl mix the zucchini, onions and eggs.
In another bowl mix all the rest of the ingredients. Put the dry into the wet and mix well. When your oil is hot (shimmering)  (or you can test with a little batter to make sure it sizzles when it hits the oil) Drop big spoons full of the batter in the pan and brown them on both sides. Drain on paper towels.

This should make enough for 4 easily.

These are great plain but they are great with a flavored mayo. You can use all mayo but I prefer to cut it with some yogurt or sour cream.

Try a half cup of Hellman's mayo and 1/2 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream and 1 tsp of Sriracha.
or  instead of the hot sauce try 1 tbsp lime or lemon juice and 1/2 tsp chili powder or 1/2 tsp adobo powder.
or use your imagination.

Hanging Out

I did manage to get to the garden this morning and pick some stuff but that's about all before it began raining. As soon as I got in it stopped so I went back out to begin the daily blueberry ritual and then the bottom fell out. I am now at loose ends. Everything that needs to be frozen is frozen and there is nothing to can right now. It's stopped raining for now but the blueberry bushes are so wet you would drown trying to pick. I'll just have to wait.

Everything is coming along nicely in the garden and now it is just wait for the rush of tomatoe and stuff. Looks like we'll have a nice crop this year. I did make one error in my planting this spring. In one bed I put cucumbers down each edge and a new variety of cherry tomato down the center. The tomato has gotten huge and is shading the cukes so production is going to be zilch. I got other cucumbers planted but the ones in that bed are lost. It just seemed like such a waste of bed space with just cucumbers. I learn.

Got the garlic ordered today for planting in September and I am going to order some beans for drying from Seed Savers in a few minutes. I know beans are cheap but you can't get much variety in the stores. Pinto, red, black,. Great Northern, lima, Navy, kidney. I'm going to have quite a few beds needing inhabitants soon and I can only eat so much broccoli, cabbage and spinach. I'll plant all that as well as kale, beets and carrots and I'll still have plenty of room.  Besides I like the names of the heirloom beans.

Rainy Day...It's A Good Day to Pickle

Heavy rains last evening and rain off and on today. Managed to get out into the garden and pick but that's as far as it went. Green beans, wax beans, jalapenos, zucchini, yellow squash, small eggplant and a handful of cherry tomatoes along with some herbs.

It is nice to have a day when you don't feel the need to be in the garden. Took this day inside to make a batch of "Dilled Green Beans" or "Dilly Beans" as my mother called them. I wound up with enough beans to make six pints but the recipe below is for 4 pints. I also used to the extra brine to make 2 pints of pickled sliced jalapenos.

Dilly Beans

2 pounds of green or wax beans trimmed and stringed if nececessary
4 cloves of garlic
1 tsp cayenne pepper (though I used a sliced jalapeno instead of the 1/4 tsp per jar)
4 heads of dill
1/2 cup pickling or Kosher salt
2 1/2 cups water
2 1/2 cups cider vinegar

Prepare 4 pint jars and lids and rings and get them in the hot bath to sterilize.
Mix the salt, vinegar and water in a non reactive pot and bring it to a boil.

Put a clove of garlic, a head of dill and 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper(or a sliced jalapeno) into each jar. put the beans on end in the jars packing them as tight as you can. Make sure you leave 1/4 head space. You may have to trim a bean or three to get the lids to go on. Fill each jar with hot brine(don't forget the 1/4 inch head-space), seal and process the jars in the boiling water batch for 10 minutes.

Let the jars cool at room temperature and you are good to go. It's a good idea to let these stand for a couple of weeks before you eat them. They are best chilled.

Stuffed zucchini tonight for dinner...Italian sausage, Vidalia onion,tomato, mozzarella fresh oregano, basil and parsley and Parmesan. Gotta stay ahead of the squash!

First Full Day of Summer in the Garden

Today is the first full day of summer and from now on until the Winter Solstice the days get shorter. I am celebrating the solstice with a bum left knee which is very tender and feverish. I'm resting it and taking aspirin. We did forage and weed a bit in the garden in the cool of the morning. Green beans, zucchini, yellow squash, green peppers, jalapenos. We even managed 3 cherry tomatoes which were consumed on the spot. The sweet basil (Italian) was getting leggy so we cut it back pretty severely so that means I need to make a big batch of pesto today and freeze it in ice trays for later use. Not a perfect method of preserving the taste of summer but OK.

On my walk down through the natural area to the garden I have been noticing a rather rotten smell for a few weeks. I thought something must have died but I couldn't locate it. The other day I noticed an odd looking fungus growing where I had left some wood chips last year. It is very odd looking and reminds me of crab claws. On a whim I Googled "crab claw fungus" and lo and behold there is such a thing but its more common name is "stinkhorn". That's the source of the rotten smell.

The photo comes from Mary Holland the author of “Naturally Curious: A Photographic Field Guide and Month-by-Month Journey Through the Fields, Woods, and Marshes of New England” and “Milkweed Visitors.”

Summer Solstice

Well, we are an hour and change into summer 2014 so Happy Solstice or Glorious Litha if that is your choice. We are fully engaged in summer here and actually did the first canning yesterday so we beat the mark. 12 pints of fresh blueberry jam all put away.

Enjoy your solstice and have a great weekend to boot.

Garden Tours This Week

Tomorrow morning and Thursday morning the garden will be open for tours by the garden club. I think I am ready. Everything looks pretty good with only one eggplant looking poorly and one tomato plant that I am removing because of fungus. Most of the weeds are missing and the corn is standing nice and tall. I'll be doing the final touches this morning and early afternoon but since it is supposed to top 90F today I'll probably not spend all day in the garden. I understand I am the only vegetable garden on the tour so that is something.

I'll post a picture later so can see what the the tour will see.

Under The Gun

We are getting at least one thunderstorm a day and the forecast shows the trend continuing for another week. That's making it hard to keep up in the garden. To add to the pressure Madam arranged for the garden club to the tour my little space two days next week. I may be working in rain.

I did manage to get one fairly big thing off the to-do list and that was to add a picnic table. I was going to do a regular 5 foot table but since lumber comes 8 foot minimum I went with a full 8 foot table. The extra length required some changes in design like the extra legs on the benches but it turned out nice. It is a bit heavy though. So I have a table. I wonder if a stone BBQ pit is next?

The next big garden event is removal of some large pines just to East. Some parts of the Eastern garden don't actually get full sun until nearly noon. This will be resolved in the next 2 weeks.

On Being Wretched

Don't miss Mark Morford.

You can cling to musty dogma, to strict, outdated codes of conduct and belief, all dictated by very scared, very dead old men who lived many hundreds of years ago and in such a state of abject misunderstanding of the world, and God, and sex, and women, and love, and spirit, and life itself, they might as well have written a big, terrible book about it.

Oh wait, they did. Here is the Bible, a numbingly tedious tome written (and re-re-rewritten) by multiple paranoid power-mongers obsessed with genealogy, real estate, women, weird curses, genitalia, shellfish, the blood of sacrificial animals and how to appease a schizophrenic deity who loves you like sunshine one day and covers your body in painful, oozing boils the next.

First Of June Garden

This is the current state. Things are growing and no major crisis yet. Heavy rains last night caused a little damage to the corn but it is all righted and still there. I pulled all the sugar snap peas today to make room for something new but still don't know what that will be. We are now into full weed control mode. I must not let the morning glories bloom and set seed again.

It' funny that I spend so much time battling weeds and the one thing I am having trouble getting to grow is a weed. I planted some milkweed to encourage the Monarch Butterflies but it is refusing to grow. It is just barely bigger that when I transplanted it...very strange.

Mange Tout

Just a quick pic to make you hungry and jealous. These are just a few of the Sugar Snap peas that have been part of dinner for 4 out of 5 nights. Delicious.

Power Composting

It took me two days but I now have a brand new 3 compartment composting bin. My compost tumbler just wasn't big enough to handle all the stuff so I went Cadillac. It's a design from way back when Jim Crockett had "The Victory Garden" on PBS. You can see from the pile of compost next to it that I am cooking up the 'brown gold" but the ton. The new bins will each hold 27 cubic feet which should do the job.

Bad Cottage Cheese Recalled - A Boatload Of It

Kraft Foods Group is recalling some of its cottage cheese products, company officials announced Saturday.
Some ingredients used in Knudsen Cottage Cheese, Breakstone's Cottage Cheese, Simply Kraft Cottage Cheese and Daily Chef Cottage Cheese were not stored in accordance with proper temperature standards at a Tulare, California, manufacturing facility, they said.
While unlikely, the failure to properly store ingredients might have created conditions that could lead to premature spoilage and food-borne illness, Kraft said. The Northfield, Illinois, company voluntarily recalled 1.2 million cases of the cottage cheese as a precaution.

The products, with a coded date between May 9 and July 23 stamped on them, were only shipped to stores in the United States. The codes can be found on the cup bottoms or on top of the packages.

Both the containers of Breakstone's Cottage Cheese in my fridge are part of the recall so they go back to Kroger. If you have any of the affected brands in your fridge check the dates. We've actually eaten part of one container with no obvious ill effects but it goes back anyway. Evidently this factory must be pretty much the sole source for All the various Kraft brands if my product bought in Georgia is affected and the factory is in California.

The Project or When Do We Eat?

It did quit raining for a bit but it didn't get sunny. I took a picture anyway and I'll try another when it does get sunny. So here it is and all the details. This pic is looking South. There are 17 cinder block beds each roughly 4'x12' and one 12x4 bed of 6x6 timbers (behind the carts) that is the new asparagus bed. In the front right are two beds of peas(you can see the sugar snaps but not the regular green peas). Moving to the left is a  bed of two varieties of eggplant and cayenne peppers along with a couple of peach habanero and yellow plum tomatoes. Then comes the first bed of tomatoes, Amish Paste and a black Japanese variety Nyagous. Next to the left is the first full bed of peppers Jalapeno and heirloom Italian. Moving left is a bed of squash(Zucchini and yellow) with a few okra plants down the middle. Finally is a bed of pepperoncini, more okra, and yellow wax beans. The second row on the far right is half leeks and half shallots and to its left is a bed of spinach, carrots, more pepperoncini and French Breakfast radishes. Moving left is another bed of tomatoes, this time Supremo, and Better Boy. Moving left is the last full bed of peppers Sweet Red Carmen and Karma and the old standby California Wonder. The next to the last bed on the second row has the European Hybrid tomato(Stupice) and the new hybrid sauce tomato from Burpee(Super Sauce). The last bed on the second row far left is more spinach and chard and to its left in the mounds are cantaloupe and Amish Pie pumpkins. The back row has less beds. Starting off on the right is a bed of Celebrity tomatoes. Then comes a bed of cucumbers both table and pickling with some cherry tomato plants down the middle. Lastly we have the bed I finished yesterday and it now has arugula and beets in it. In the back in the regular garden we have sweet potatoes(Georgia Jet and Vardamon), yellow heirloom corn(Golden Bantam Improved), Miniature popcorn(Tom Thumb), Dixie Butter Peas, Green Beans(Maxibel), more okra from seed(Emerald) and overflow pepper and tomato plants. I always have extra plants started from seed, just in case, and so the plants won't go to waste I stick them in unused space. It was good that I had extra this year as I wound up replacing pepper and tomato plants killed by the late frost. It also has some heirloom plants that I am growing just for seed. That's it for now. Some more mulching to do and the like, but it is done for now. I'll have to replace the peas in a few weeks and some of the  spinach will be eaten by then as well as the radishes. Whew! I'll probably build a few more beds this fall back on the right but at most 5 since I have to leave a little room for regular garden though I may decide that my tilling days are over and just have everything in beds. My Troy-Built tiller is nearing its 40th birthday and if it finally goes to the Great Garden I won't replace it(since you can't) and that will solve the question and It will be all beds for this old man.

Unless I weaken. I promise this is the last gardening post for a while. It has, however, consumed all of my time for weeks and weeks.

As Good As It Gets

The garden that is. I finished the last (at least for this season) raised bed yesterday, filled it and planted it. That means that except for maintenance I am finished. The last bed got beets and arugula yesterday and that finishes the spring planting. Everything but the second okra planting from seed is up and the stuff I planted yesterday, of course, but the rest is going along. Most peppers have blooms as do the tomatoes and egg plant. We have even had radishes, spinach and spring onions to munch on so far. The green peas and the mange tout are within a day or two of harvest as well.

The bad thing is I no longer have the excuse of having to get the garden in for not going to the gym. I guess I will start back on that routine on Monday. Even though I have been working hard and for long hours in the garden virtually every day I have still managed to put on a few pounds. Mostly because I am having regular meals (no early or late shifts at Home Depot) and since I am no loner working many days when the sun is "over the yardarm" I am drinking a bit more "2 buck". Couple the extra food and booze with no pumping iron or aerobic stuff and you get fat. In my own defense I did have to lay off for the three months due to the hernia but I have only driven by the gym since December. I'll do better.

Just futzing around today. Did get some mulching and weeding done before it started to sprinkle. It is really not raining hard enough to stop me from working if I really wanted to but since I have declared it finished I don't feel guilty about coming in at noon. I even celebrated with a big lunch of buttermilk cornbread and pinto beans. Madam is out with friends today so I ate my beans poured over the cornbread which she hates. She'll never know.

So to continue futzing I will now get some rainy day things done. All the kitchen knives need to be sharpened. The basement needs some attention as does my desk. I need to get some chicken thighs marinating for dinner and some other stuff. Oh! The Vidalia onions are in the markets so it will be an onion something to go along with the chicken just haven't figured out whether it will be roasted or stuffed. It was Italian sausage with red pepper and onions last night. They seem to be pretty good this year. Me and a lot of other folks complained about the quality for the last couple of years. They have not been as sweet and tasty as in the past but the one I did last night was nice. I'll probably wind up roasting tonight and that's a definitive test.

BTW, If you are one of the 3 or 4 people who still stop by this blog, I apologize for being so scarce and basically only talking about gardening. Now that I am not under such pressure I should be able to pay attention here a bit more. I haven't been ignoring the tragedy unfolding in what used to be the "American Dream" just too tired to talk about it.

If it quits raining and gets sunny I'll take a picture of my masterpiece to share. It sure is making me happy so far. It's been a tremendous amount of work but I think it shows. The good thing is I get to spend all day in the fresh air getting dirty and watching to majick of growing stuff. Nobody to please but myself and nothing to worry about that I can change (i.e. weather, temperature).

Weather Break

Much needed rain today so I get to take a break from the garden. Did get out and survey the place though and things happened overnight. Corn popped up. Dixie Butter Peas out of the ground as are the green beans. Cucumbers, both the picklers and the regular are peeping through and summer(yellow) squash are making an appearance. It was a very big night I guess even though the Farmer's Almanac says not to plant until tomorrow.
Got the greenhouse pretty much cleaned out. My friend Kelly came and took a nice selection of tomatoes, herbs and peppers and I planted a couple dozen more of each as well. I have an otherwise unused section of the garden in the Southeast that took in the extra plants. It's a shame to waste the plants and since they are extra I don't need to spend a lot of time on them. I put them in the ground and mulched them really well with wheat straw to help with the weeds. I stake the tomatoes in a few weeks but otherwise those guys are on their own.
Madam is off on a garden tour with the garden club and I am just chilling today. It is not raining at the moment but the radar shows plenty on the way in an hour or so.

I don't think I mentioned that I lost my fig and my bay laurel over the winter. I replaced them last week. I actually planted a bigger bay laurel than I had and it seems to be settling in ok. I replaced my "brown Turkey" fig with another and for fun I also bought an Italian fig "Ichis" which is supposed to be very sweet and stays green when ripe so it is harder for the birds to find. Won't get figs this year but maybe next.

Killing Weeds Safely or No More Glyphosate (RoundUp)

As every gardener knows only too well, weeds are a bitch. Unless you have hours a day to devote to keeping them under control you are likely to lose the battle. Since the 70's Monsanto has made billions of dollars selling the herbicide RoundUp (glyphosate) and all the RoundUp ready GMO seed. Who actually knows how many gallons of the stuff has been sprayed around in the last 40 years.

Now that Monsanto's patent on glyphosate has expired the stuff is coming out under house brands such as HDX from Home Depot and what's worse these new ones are actually more concentrated that the old RoundUp so they are that much more troubling. If you want to read the horror stories just Google "roundup herbicide" and you'll get an idea of why this stuff needs to go away forever.

Yes is does kill weeds but the collateral damage to the environment and you and your family and neighbors is way, way too high.

The thing is a lot of stuff will kill weeds and a lot of them are completely harmless to anything but plants. Some like orange oil are very effective but a little expensive. I prefer to make my own out of cheap ingredients and it is effective on most weeds.

Here is the formula:
One gallon of white distilled vinegar
2 cups of Epsom salt dissolved in the above
1/4 cup of Dawn dish detergent to make it stick to the plant leaves.

Just put this in your sprayer and go to town. Just soak the leaves well and hope it doesn't rain for 24 hours.

This stuff really works and you can see the results in 24 hours. It won't take out everything but neither will glyphosate. Give it a try.

Happy Beltane

Happy Beltane to one and all. Happy May Day to you as well. It is time to turn the cows out of the barns to search for green pasture and have the children gather wildflowers. The 'official' beginning of spring in much of Europe but not so much here in the U.S.

We really dodged the bullet here in Atlanta with respect to the recent horrific weather. I actually only measured .4 inches of rain here at the farm. Coupled with the rain from a few days ago it is plenty wet in the garden so there is not much I can do except pick a few weeds. I will haul a few more loads of wood chips to fill the aisles but that is about it.

I did re-purpose some 6x6 timbers a friend gave me. They had a porch redone and enclosed and had these 6 big posts left over. They are now a 9 foot by 4 foot asparagus bed (or will be as soon as the asparagus crowns arrive). The old asparagus bed was way too small and in a very poor location. I'll try and rescue the crowns from there in the fall but for now we are going with all new. That, of course, means a 3 year wait for asparagus. Oh well.

Everyone enjoy the first of May.

Testing Me

The weather forecast is not too good. Anywhere from 3 - 5 inches of rain over the next two days and other severe weather stuff. Going to test all of the work in the garden over the last few months. The raised beds will definitely help but it will interesting to see what happens between them where I have so carefully piled wood chips. I'll spend some time this morning trying to beef up the defenses. Just going to wait and see. I did notice this morning that the rain we had last night overwhelmed my effort to control the runoff from the driveway. All the pine bark mulch on one side of the blueberry bed is up against the fence. I put in a drain and a large flexible pipe to try and move the water around but it is evidently not up to the task. Looks like a re-engineering job for that as well. So we are off to the garden to see if everything survived and do what we can to prevent heavy storm damage. If you are in the path of this big weather system headed this way...be careful and make sure you are ready. Flashlights, extra batteries and all that stuff.

Almost a Garden

Now you know why I haven't been blogging that much lately. Fifteen beds built and filled and planted and maybe only 5 more tops. I am at the point that I can't plant anything else until I get another bed ready. I did till the rest of the garden and far in the back there you can see where I put the sweet potatoes and sunflowers. I'll also put the corn in the back and not use a bed. That part of the garden still gets too much shade this time of year from the trees to the South and it won't be for another couple of weeks that it will get full sun most of the day. So anyway...peppers, tomatoes, squash, okra and other stuff all in and ready to grow. Warming everyday and the night temperatures are beginning to stay warm as well which is what the tomatoes require. Supposed to rain now for a couple of days. I need the rest.

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day! Go hug a tree, kiss a flower or just go stand in the grass barefoot. Pray to the God or Goddess of your choice that we wise up before it is ALL gone.  Right now it is not looking too good.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter if you celebrate it. This, BTW, is the first time in a while that the Orthodox Easter and Western Easter fall on the same Sunday. Two of my most memorable Easter's were when I was in Cyprus and the Greeks really do a big deal. Lots of lamb cooked on open fires and the air filled with the scents of lemon, oregano, and roasting lamb. There are so many cookling fires going on Easter that there is a haze across the countryside. I thought about lamb for dinner today but a whole leg of lamb is just too much for Madam and I to handle. Lamb is way under utilized in the U.S. where I think the per capita consumption is only a pound or two and I didn't really have an opportunity to develop a taste for it until I was in the Middle East.

Since we don't actually celebrate I've spent the day out in the garden. It's too wet to dig or construct another bed but I did go ahead and replace all the plants that got burned in our little surprise frost. Very odd that only a couple of tomatoes succumbed but I am not complaining. Probably a dozen peppers of the various types needed to be replaced. Again it was odd that only 1, 2, or 3 plants on a row with 7 plants were damaged. Must be some very small micro climates. I also went ahead and replaced all the eggplant since none of it looked too happy. Don't tell Madam but I also reduced the number of plants by 8 and put in some habanero peppers and heirloom yellow plum tomatoes. It's no secret that aubergine is not one of my favorite things and I had way too much planted.

Just A Flesh Wound

Only a few plants taken by the frost. Actually the worst looking are the potatoes which are supposed to be hardy. That surely will be the last frost. Rained out today but I did get a couple more beds built though they still need dirt. Actually the rain forces me to get caught up in the green house where there is some transplanting to be done.

Not Nice, No Ice

Lucky me! The weather forecast for tonight has been updated to include the possibility of a freeze which would set a new record. To put the icing on the cake we are having high winds today and this evening which makes it virtually impossible to do anything to protect my plants. If it really does freeze I am out 60 tomato plants and 50 peppers. Not to mention all the herbs and flowers. Not a disaster but darn near. Keep your fingers crossed.

I do have some back-up in the greenhouse for the peppers and tomatoes but not for anything else like the Italian, Thai and French basil or all the marigolds and zinnias.

Just so you won't think I'm crazy for starting the garden this early here is the record for last frost since 1948. I had peppers and tomatoes in 3 days ago (4/12). We have only had a frost this late in 1950, 1962, 1978, 1983, 1986. Notice that the last frost for the last 10 years has been before April 9th and in 2011 was in February. Just eager for that first garden tomato.

Information provided by the Southeast Regional Climate Center. 

                      Growing Season Data (base=32 F)
                   Station: ( 90451) ATLANTA_WSO_AIRPORT      
                Years:  1948 To Present    Missing Data:   0.0%

            Last    First            Last    First            Last    First
           Spring    Fall           Spring    Fall           Spring    Fall
     Year  Freeze  Freeze     Year  Freeze  Freeze     Year  Freeze  Freeze
     1948   3/29    10/18     1949   3/19    11/18     1950   4/15    11/21
     1951   3/22    11/ 3     1952   3/16    10/29     1953   3/ 5    11/26
     1954   3/16    10/31     1955   3/29    11/20     1956   3/25    11/ 9
     1957   3/10    10/28     1958   3/22    11/29     1959   3/18    11/ 7
     1960   3/23    11/ 8     1961   2/26    11/ 9     1962   4/16    10/25
     1963   3/23    11/ 3     1964   3/31    11/21     1965   3/22    10/25
     1966   4/ 6    11/ 2     1967   3/19    11/ 5     1968   3/24    10/26
     1969   3/27    11/ 5     1970   4/ 3    11/16     1971   4/ 3    11/ 8
     1972   4/ 2    11/18     1973   4/11    11/10     1974   3/22    11/13
     1975   3/31    11/14     1976   3/18    10/29     1977   4/ 6    11/12
     1978   4/22    12/ 6     1979   3/26    11/15     1980   3/ 4    11/19
     1981   3/20    11/21     1982   4/ 7    11/ 5     1983   4/20    11/12
     1984   3/11    11/13     1985   2/16    12/ 2     1986   4/23    11/13
     1987   4/ 4    11/12     1988   3/17    11/29     1989   2/25    11/17
     1990   3/21    11/30     1991   3/ 5    11/ 4     1992   4/ 3    11/ 8
     1993   3/15    11/ 1     1994   3/11    12/11     1995   3/10    11/ 4
     1996   3/22    11/ 3     1997   3/16    11/16     1998   3/13    12/18
     1999   3/12    11/ 3     2000   4/ 9    11/15     2001   3/27    10/28
     2002   3/23    11/18     2003   3/31    11/14     2004   3/23    12/14
     2005   3/ 9    11/17     2006   3/26    11/21     2007   4/ 8    11/ 7
     2008   3/25    11/17     2009   3/ 4    12/ 5     2010   3/ 7    11/ 7
     2011   2/12    11/11     2012   2/13    11/25     2013   3/27

New Dog, Old Tricks

Just came in from a full day in the garden. Going to set back, drink a few beers and watch the Master's. Got 20 tomatoes in the ground and the last of the peppers. All of the tomatoes and peppers now have their cages and, if needed, a little extra support in the form of a bamboo stick. The rest of the tomatoes will go in tomorrow.

Miss Zoey has learned a new trick  from Minimonk's new dog Mr. Peterson who loves to play with and demolish pine cones. Miss Zoey, being very prim and neat, makes sure she brings the pine cone indoors and demolishes it on the white  living room carpet. Doesn't do any real damage but there is enough of a mess and quantity of small bits that it requires getting out the suck broom to clean it up.

Zoey was a big help in the garden today. I use Popsicle sticks to label the individual plants I put out since peppers and tomatoes pretty much all look alike until they start to fruit. Miss Zoey likes Popsicle sticks and likes to pull them from the ground by the plants and play with them for a while. She has not learned to put them back where she found them.

Oh! The Met Life balloon flew directly overhead today and at a pretty low altitude. I would guess about 1500 feet. Cool!

Back to The Garden

It's dried out enough to get back in the garden this afternoon. Our friends are heading off to Augusta in a bit for the Master's. Been a good visit and it was good that it was too wet to garden as I could spend time entertaining and not be anxious about missing good time in the garden during this critical time. This afternoon will be about moving herbs and flowers into the garden and that's where the cinder block holes come into play. They make perfect little containers for a a basil or dill plant or a marigold or zinnia. Flowers are important in the garden to attract pollinators plus they look nice. The tomatoes will start going in tomorrow I think and then I'll have to decide what goes into the last two finished beds and get started on more beds. I'm leaning towards squash.
Anyhow, off to one last lunch with our friends and then back to work. I must admit that it has been a nice rest.

Lots of Spring Rain

Looks like we pretty much got all of April's allotted rainfall last night and this morning. Flash flood warnings are in affect in the area. It is still raining so I haven't been to the garden yet to assess the damage, if any, and I am hopeful my flood control strategies are working. A good stretch of gardening accomplished in the last week with 12 10' x4' beds completed and filled and prepared for planting. Yesterday saw the first of the greenhouse plants(other than onions, leeks and shallots) go into the garden proper. One bed of 14 egg plants(7 pickling and 7 Amadeus) with 6 long cayenne plants. Another two beds with strictly peppers (7 ea. Carmen, 7 ea. Karma, 7 ea. Big Guy jalapeno and  7 ea. Early jalapeno and finally 6 ea. Jimmy Nardello. with room for six more of another pepper as I ran out of energy and light. I was trying to beat the rain and I just hope all of the little plants survived the deluge. All were supported with a bamboo stake and tied so they should be ok. Fingers crossed.

As soon as it dries a bit it will be time for the tomatoes. I've reserved 3 beds for tomatoes and haven't quite decided how best to plant them. In the eggplant and pepper beds I panted 7 plants along each long edge and 6 down the middle for 20 plants per bed. That should be enough space for the peppers plush some small things like lettuce and other greens in between. Tomatoes should have a bit more room to allow for air circulation and sunlight to reach the fruit. Maybe 5 down each edge and there may be enough room for 2 or 3 down the middle. If I can only get 36 plants in 3 beds I'm probably going to have to dedicate at least 2 more for tomatoes. I'd better get building.

Got friends coming to stay for a few days on their way to Augusta for the Master's which will put a cramp in the gardening for a few days but if the weather cooperates I should actually have it all ready to go.

I just checked the radar and the rain should be ending in a few minutes, at least for a while, and we'll go check things out.

Weather Lies

The forecast  was for thunderstorms and rain all day. Not a drop. I had planned to take advantage of the rain to get some "not outside" things done. I did get the mower prepped with new blades and drive wheels and a clean air filter and oil change. I was reluctant to start anything big outside since it was 90% chance of rain but I finally decided that the weather people were smoking funny stuff and went out and got some stuff done in the garden.
Got friends coming for a few days next week on their way to the Master"s They live in Arkansas now and it's nice that we can stage them for the tournament and get to see them. When they lived here we were constant companions and really miss them. Of course Madam gets insane when they are due for a visit. Nothing is ready for the visit. So far the carpets are cleaned but it looks like I have a major effort in the front with fresh pine straw and whatever. So tomorrow is forecast to be nice and I am going to trust them and start putting out plants. Eggplant, tomato and pepper plants  should see freedom tomorrow.

Trader Joe's Frozen Pizza

Yes, I bought a frozen pizza. Two actually. I bought a 4 cheese and a Margherita from Trader Joe's. I can't speak about all their frozen pizzas but we had the 4 cheese for lunch today and it wasn't half bad. It is made in Italy and the ingredient list is honest pizza dough (flour, water, yeast, salt, oil) and the toppings are tomato, tomato juice, oregano, pepper, Edam, Asiago, Gran Padano, and Pecorino. Nothing else. Making your own pie is always going to produce a superior product but for a quick meal this is not a bad deal....about a 12" pie and it was 4 bucks. I'd say it was a win.

Rouladen Time

Updated: After I made this last night I decided that a beurre manie is a better option for thickening this. The butter adds a nice gloss to the sauce and brings in some flavor as well. I've updated this below to reflect using flour and butter for the thickening. I also corrected the spelling of spaetzle.

I mentioned my brain fart at the grocery this morning confusing the ingredients for rouladen and braciole, Whatever, I got home without the Parma ham for the braciole so I am making rouladen instead. Indecision is the key to flexibility and besides Madam much prefers rouladen to braciole anyway.

Anyhow, here is my version of rouladen.
This recipe uses potato but it is also done with sour or dill pickle...just use a piece of
pickle instead of the spud. And yes, a slice of parsnip, rutabaga or turnip will do as well. We're talking peasant food here folks...you make do.

8 slices top round steak, (1/8 or so inch thick and about a pound or so) a good butcher
will know what to give you if you tell him/her what you are making. If they don't know
from rouladen then maybe they know from braciole which is a similar Italian dish.
4 strips thick bacon cut in half
1 onion, cut into thin wedges
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1  medium baking potato (russet or Yukon Gold)  cut into "dinner fry" pieces
salt and pepper
2 dry bay leaves
5 or 6 whole allspice
3 tablespoons canola oil
3 cups beef broth preferably low sodium

to thicken the sauce

2 TBSP  all-purpose flour
2 TBSP softened butter

adjust salt and pepper

Chopped fresh Italian parsley, optional

Directions:
Make the meat rolls.
Lightly spread mustard on each slice of steak; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place 1
bacon strip piece, a potato wedge and a few onion wedges on each slice then roll up tightly and secure with toothpicks.

In a large skillet, brown beef in oil until no longer pink; drain.  Add broth,allspice and
bay; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer or braise for 1-1/2  hours or until
meat is tender.  Remove meat and keep warm.Using a slotted spoon, skim out the bay leaves and allspice and discard.
Knead together the butter and flour to form a smooth paste (beurre manie) and whisk into broth. Bring back to a boil, stirring  until thickened. Remove toothpicks from the meat rolls and return to
gravy.  Heat through and and serve. Sprinkle with parsley if desired.

Serve with noodles or spaetzle

6-8 servings.

Odds and Ends

It's a rainy day so gardening is out but there is other stuff to do. Did manage to get to the grocery and Trader Joe's so that's out of the way for week or so.

Discovered that Kroger is now carrying Homestead Creamery products. Milk in old fashioned glass bottles (deposit required). I bought a quart of buttermilk and it is actually real buttermilk (whole milk and live cultures). I had pretty much given up on buttermilk from the grocery as it is now all low fat and actually dead with additional things added...doesn't even taste like buttermilk. The first thing I did when I got home was pour a big glass and gulp it down. Rich, creamy and almost too thick to pour. Brilliant.

I also bought some beef bologna at Kroger. After I finished putting away the groceries I satisfied my craving for a fried bologna sandwich. I just have to indulge in such things every once in a while.

Kroger had some thin sliced top round on sale and it's the perfect thing for braciole but somehow (old timers disease?) I was thinking of rouladen which is made from the same slice of meat so in my confusion I came away without the required ham. I could sill make rouladen which doesn't require the ham but I was leaning Italian not German.

Trader Joes's had a big special on frozen pizzas. Imported from Italy no less. They were pretty cheap, $3.99, so I bought a Margherita and a 4 cheese. It's something I never do as I prefer my homemade pies and sauce  but I thought WTH, worth a shot. Sometimes TJ's really surprises with the quality of their stuff. I'll report.

Oh! I've decided on German so rouladen it will be. I'll post my recipe in a separate post next for those of you feeling like German food.

Slow But Sure

I am slowly making progress in getting the beds built in the garden. I had to quit today because it got too windy and uncomfortable. I did get the support for the peas installed and the beginning of bed # 10 started. When I have finished # 10 I will have moved 220 8x8x16" block and carefully placed and leveled each one. I estimate I have another 10 or so to go. It sure seems like it is taking forever though. It actually only takes a couple of hours once I have gone to Home Despot and hauled the block home and then the 300 feet to garden. It then takes 3-4 hours to fill them and work in the amendments. It is usually a full day per bed.

Maybe the Last Of Winter

Forecasting a low of 26 tonight but I should be able to keep the greenhouse warm enough or at least above freezing. Here is hoping that this is the last freeze of the winter and we can start to get some serious gardening done. As you can see I have a multitude of little plants all ready to get out and get going and bunch of seed waiting or the soil temp to rise above 70F.

It's Still Spring

You wouldn't know it from the night time temperatures for the next few days but we are officially in Spring. Working hard trying to get caught up in the garden. I only have half the beds built that I think I need and I am not sure I can get the other 10 done in time. I might just have to do some traditional gardening for some of the stuff this year. Frost tonight and an actual freeze tomorrow night but I think I will be ok . The little heater in the greenhouse seems to be able to keep the temperature acceptable even when the outside falls to the freezing point.
I should be further ahead in the gardening but I'm afraid age is beginning to tell. I can spend most of the day out there working hard but come three or so in the afternoon I flat run out of steam. One of these days I'm going to have to admit I'm pushing 65.
Jacket potatoes and salad for dinner tonight and they should be ready. Full day in the garden so I'll be ready for bed in pretty short order.

Yeah! It's Spring

It is Spring and it actually feels like it today. Should be a brilliant 70F today with lots of sunshine. The tomato seedlings get their pots today and transition to the greenhouse. I'll finally be able to clean up the basement a little now that all the plant starting indoors is over. Got all the grocery shopping done this morning and am off to get all the gardening work done. Probably won't get a chance to get any more beds built today but the weekend is going to be nice and if I am diligent I could get three more done. Just have to see.
If you are enjoying spring weather that's great but if winter is still hanging round then be patient.

Proper Irish Food

I mentioned in the last post about Corned beef and cabbage not being proper Irish fare  and it isn't. More appropriate for celebrating the day would be the national dish of Ireland Colcannon (cabbage and mashed potatoes) and maybe a little proper Irish soda bread. Here is a repost from way back in 07 or 08 with a recipe for Irish Soda Bread and a link to a recipe for colcannon.

I'm going down now to make a batch of soda bread right now and I should also let you know that it is extra special with Irish butter ie. Kerrygold. Yes, I am having corned beef and cabbage just because I like it and I never fix it and St. Patty's Day is a good excuse and beside it's raining.

In honor of the holiday honoring the patron saint of Ireland I thought it would be nice to share a traditional Irish recipe. It is a very basic bread that every Irish household would always have on hand. It only has four ingredients.

4 cups of unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 and 1/2 teaspoons of salt
2 cups of buttermilk

Grease an 8 inch glass pie plate and set aside. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F and put the rack in the middle of the oven.

Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl and add the buttermilk. Stir until everything comes together and then turn the dough out on a floured surface. Knead the dough for only a minute resisting the urge to do more. The dough should not be overworked. Form the dough into a disk about 6 inches across. Place in your greased pie dish. The dough won't touch the sides. Cut a cross in the dough about a half in deep all the way across and then bake for about 50 minutes until the slash widens and the bread is a nice golden brown.
Cool the bread on a wire rack until it is completely cool before slicing. Wrap the bread in a moist towel until ready to serve. You can keep this bread for a day wrapped and at room temperature but by the end of the day even the little amount of fat in the buttermilk will cause the bread to become pretty hard.

Enjoy with some good Irish stew, corned beef and cabbage or the national dish of Ireland Colcannon.

This recipe for Irish Soda Bread comes from Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan from a recipe by Marion Cunningham.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

It's not really Irish (most probably Eastern European) but corned beef and cabbage has become a tradition here in the U.S. for St. Patrick's Day. And like a bunch of others I almost always fix a batch.

I actually braise my corned beef in a large Dutch oven with aromatic vegetables and cook wedges of cabbage in the same pot after the beef is about 2/3's of the way done. I fix some nice root vegetable separately then marry it all together in one big bowl. It takes a few hours but it isn't very difficult.

For the corned beef:
Ideally you should corn your own brisket but I usually just buy a small (4-5#) chuck in one of the plastic bags. In a Dutch oven layer the bottom with 4 or so roughly chopped carrots, 4 or 5 roughly chopped ribs of celery, one medium onion coarsely chopped a few peeled cloves of garlic, a few bay leaves and a dozwn or so whole black peppercorns. On top of this bed of veges place your rinsed brisket, fat side up, and just barely cover with water. Bring to a simmer, cover and then place in a 300F oven for two hours. Cut a small head of green cabbage into 6 or 8 wedges and place these on top of the brisket and cover and cook in the oven for another hour or so. There is some argument over how long to cook the cabbage and beef together. Some say the cabbage and beef cook together for the whole 3 hours but I like a little texture to the greens so I only cook it for the last hour. Your choice.

Separately I cook some root veges to serve with the corned beef and cabbage as the ones in the Dutch oven are dead after 3 hours.

A pound of new potatoes, a pound of carrots, a pound of turnips and a pound of parsnips is a nice combination. Just prep them (peel and chunk) and put them in a big pot and either steam them for a half hour or so or roast them in a 400F oven for about 40 minutes to an hour. Drizzle a little olive oil and salt and pepper over them before roasting.

A nice addition is to make an herbed butter to serve over the whole enchilada. Fresh parsley and thyme or whatever finely chopped and well blended with some softened butter.

When the brisket and cabbage are done. Carefully remove the cabbage wedges to a bowl and cover with foil. Put them in a warm oven. Remove the brisket to a platter and cover it with foil as well as it is going to need to roast for about a half hour. Don't throw the cooking away as you'll need some of it. When rested slice it thinly against the grain.

Serve the beef and cabbage along with some of the veges in large bowls with some of the cooking liquid from the brisket.

You should be able to serve 6 with this and maybe 8.

Enjoy

Garden Chat and Monarch Butterflies

What's going on in your garden this week. It's only 5 days until spring so things better be hopping. Unfortunately, I've got two days of rain to deal with but I made good progress last week with an additional two raised beds built. Most everything but the tomatoes are in the greenhouse and the tomatoes have just germinated so it won't be long for them. Getting some of my last seeds ordered today for some of the things I forgot. One of the things, believe it or not, are some "weed" seeds. Actually three different varieties of milkweed (asclepias) so I can attract and encourage Monarch butterflies which are hugely endangered. I ordered my seeds through Georgiavines but there are a bunch of places that offer such things.

I also ordered some pomegranate seed. I went to a garden chat yesterday at a local nursery to hear Walter Reeves a local "agri-personality" and one of the people mentioned that he was having success with growing his own pomegranates so I am going to try as well. I love pomegranates so we'll see.

Gotta finish with the seed orders and some other stuff. Have a great Sunday and get that garden in order.

Free/low cost asclepias seeds:

Monarchs need your help NOW! This year AGAIN marks the lowest number of over wintering Monarchs in the Mexican mountains in the last 20 years…and we have only known about their over wintering sites for a little more than 20 years!. There are 97% fewer than at their recorded height and 50% less than there were last year. This is a back to back 50% decline in their overwintering numbers. Researchers are worried we may lose a large part of their migration this year if immediate action is not taken and severly threaten all Monarchs if the pattern continues.
This is a crisis situation! In 1991, over 75% of the wintering Monarchs from North America froze to death in Mexico as a result of three days of rain and sub-freezing conditions. Their numbers showed some recovery but now there is a nationwide shortage of milkweed. Freak weather patterns destroy habitat and kill millions of helpless Monarchs. But these natural events are not the only challenges that face the Monarch. Pesticide application and genetically modified crops cover important parts of the Monarch’s migratory path and serve as killing fields for any Monarch that pass through these millions of acres of toxins and biological agents that kill them and their young. They are unintended casualties in a war to protect crops. Are our Monarchs worth our efforts to protect? Do we even know the total effects on our environment from the use of these agents? The Monarch habitat must be protected now to ensure their survival, before we see the day when this miracle of nature is only a memory. The Monarchs need your help NOW. Please plant seeds and ensure their survival. A Milkweed in every yard!…

More seed & plant sources here.

Brilliant Weekend

Super weather this weekend and as a result a pretty productive weekend for the gardening. Got two beds of potatoes planted (Yukon Gold, Kennebec) and that includes turning the beds and all the prep. I also got two beds of peas planted(Green Arrow-regular green peas and Super Sugar Snap which is a mange tout) and again that meant getting the beds turned and amended as well.

A lot of stuff now sprouted and moved to the greenhouse...all the herbs, zinnas and marigolds, all the peppers and eggplant. It supposed to be nice until the end of the week when the nighttime temps are going to be pushing the freezing point again. I think I will be OK.

Moving all the trays to the greenhouse left me room under the lights in the basement to get all the myriad tomatoes started. Going to go with Celebrity again this year as the main season tomato with Better Boy as the secondary. Trying the new Super Saucer from Burpee for sauce but I am backing myself up with the heirloom Amish Paste. Two new heirlooms this year...Stupice which originated in Eastern Europe and I am hoping it will be like the small tomatoes you get in Europe with breakfast...about two inches across and just right for broiling. The other is Jasper and it is a black tomato. Of course there are going to be Cherokee Purple and Beam's Yellow pear as well.

I've got a lot of beds to build and the weather seems to be working in my favor for a change. I'll see how many I can get built this week. Each bed requires 22 cinder block and the requisite trip to Home Depot for said block. I can haul 22 in the Explorer but I couldn't haul enough for 2 beds in one trip. If I wasn't so cheap I would have the blocks I need delivered but I'll just do it the hard way.

Still Weather Out There

Rain and cold again today so it is inside work. All the peppers have been moved to six packs and into potting soil from the germination trays. As always way too many. Pretty much the same varieties as last year with some dropped and some added. Trying the long cayenne(an heirloom called Joe's) and a large jalapeno called Big Guy. Still have all the heirloom Italian long sweet peppers and the good old California Wonder. Of course there are plenty of Early and Hot Jalapenos as well as a few habanero.

All the varieties of basil are up... Italian, French and Thai as is the Italian parsley. All the leeks, shallots and onions have germinated and are in the greenhouse so I am real close to getting the tomatoes started...as soon as I can make room and move some more stuff from the basement to the greenhouse.

Got a green light from the surgeon to go back to regular activity which is none too soon. Lots to be done if I can get a little cooperation from the weather.

Now that I can dig and carry bags of stuff I need to get my small plot of potatoes started. I just plant a few so that I can have the fun of digging them up. Until I can afford the luxury of plenty of garden space I will just buy my potatoes. I also have to get the peas in the ground when I get a break in the weather. Right now it is still pretty cool and still the occasional freeze so I'll be patient.

Weather Woes

More weather woes but at least not snow and ice...just cold. It was 70 and sunny  yesterday but rainy and 45 today and we are supposed to tickle freezing again tonight and tomorrow night. I've got the hardy stuff in the greenhouse that has already germinated but everything else is just peeked out and is way too tender for the cool greenhouse. I am, however, maxed out on space in the basement. Not room for one more tray and way overloaded when it comes to lights. Just going to have to wait until stuff germinates and can be moved before I start any more.

Reading Julia Child's biography "Dearie" and enjoying it immensely. It actually got me to cook a roast chicken the other night and I am resisting a souffle. Sorry to say I used Thomas Keller's method on the chicken (450F and just salt and pepper/no butter just olive oil) instead of Julia's slower wetter and buttery method. I think the high heat short roast makes a better chicken.

Wednesday I see the surgeon again and try and get off the binnacle list. Fingers crossed.

Cold Snap

Just when I get everything going in the greenhouse the weather up and does a turn around. Spent a good while today moving everything back into the basement on hurriedly set up benches and rigged lighting. It will have to do for a few days while the night temperatures fall below freezing. Actually, I can keep the greenhouse warm enough if the temps don't fall too low but I'm trying to germinate seeds and that takes warmer instead of cooler. Still haven't started the tomatoes yet but all the peppers are up and growing so that's something. I've also got a good little stand of broccoli and cabbage going that should be able to go into the garden in a couple of weeks. Progress.

I did get one great gift from Mother Nature yesterday. I saw a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers in the woods behind the house  which was special.

Two Months Wasted Near 'bout

Been a few days since I posted anything but I have an excuse. Besides all my other issues with recovering from the surgery Madam decided it was necessary to bring home a head cold. She suffered with it last week and through the weekend and I took over the first of the week. I hit the zinc and vitamin C hard, rested and drank gallons of water with lemon and I am actually feeling better today. I also didn't mention the very painful stye that erupted on my lower right eyelid the other week. Still a bit of hematoma there but it is much better. I'm pretty sure the imbalance in my system from the stress of surgery coupled with the lack of exercise had something to do with it. My blood sugar had been about 20 points higher than it should be since the surgery and only in the last week has it been creeping back down to where it should be. My native staph population seems to act up when my blood chemistry goes off and even if I didn't check my blood sugar I would know it was off just from that.

Pretty nice weather this week...even shirtsleeve but the head cold kept me from getting anything done in the garden. I did get all the early seeds in trays and set on their way. Onions(cippoline), shallots, and leeks along with broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts. I'll wait a week and then move on to the herbs and flowers. Another two weeks for tomatoes and a second batch of peppers. The second batch of peppers will be strictly for putting by and will mostly be an heirloom Greek pepper or pepperoncini of the variety Stavros. I'll also put in some chili Arbol which are nice an small and which dry well on the vine. They have good heat and have the added bonus of not being an annual. You can keep them over the winter in the greenhouse or even a Southern window and get fresh peppers year round. I had a beautiful one in the greenhouse that was about 5 years old but the hard freeze we had this year got it since I wasn't paying attention and didn't bring it in. Truth be told, it was in a pot that was too heavy for me to lift while recovering. I saved seeds though so I am ready to go.

Supposed to be a nice weekend and I am hoping one more good night's sleep will bounce me back enough to get going in the garden. I did get the beds cleared and all the debris in the composter but they all have to be turned and readied for the spring planting. We had a good thunderstorm last night which dumped some rain we really didn't need but one of the advantages of the raised beds is that they drain well. It's only going to be a couple of weeks (tax day) when I put in potatoes and green peas.

Madam and Miss Zoey should be back from "That Dirty Dog" and Zoey's bath and toenail clip soon and I actually feel up to cooking dinner tonight so I'll get that underway. Let's all keep our fingers crossed that yours truly can move beyond this lost first two months of 2014.

Spring Commit

OK, all the pepper seed is started as are the egg plant and hardy herbs. In three weeks the tomatoes join in. It's the race until April 15th and the beginning of serious gardening. Of course, between now and then we will be planting peas, potatoes,and all the other "spring"  stuff as well. I am two months behind on building beds and still not cleared for heavy stuff so it will be close.

Winter. Part Two

Looks like we are in for it again this week. Right now it is snowing here in the Northern burbs of Atlanta though according to the weather folks it is supposed to be raining. Snow is better than rain when the temperature is hovering near freezing. The big hit is supposed to be tonight and tomorrow with about 18 hours of precipitation and freezing temperatures. Let's hope it is snow and not an ice storm, which in these parts are really bad. The local pines don't do well with the layers of ice and come down everywhere. If it is an ice storm then we will likely lose power for some time.

I've got a batch of sourdough bread fermenting and a mess of pinto beans soaking. I have a gas range so even if we lose power I can cook. If my bread comes ready to bake and we have no power I will have to do it in a Dutch oven on the charcoal grill. Still another reason for me to get going on building my wood fired oven, right?

So I guess we are down for the next few days. Madam is supposed to have a Valentine's party with her cronies today at noon. The roads are still fine so I guess they will still go ahead with it. Other than that we are ready for whatever comes.

Not The Best News

I went for my post op today and whole the actual healing is going fine it seems I have a hematoma as a result of the surgery and that explains the pain and swelling almost three weeks since the procedure. Evidently it happens on occasion when all the juggling around of body parts during surgery causes some damage. The net result is I am still grounded and will be for another 4 weeks. The good news is I can ride a stationary bike,,just no weights. Going to challenge me to get the garden in.

It's A Forest/Trees Thing

David Atkins over at Hulabaloo has a good take on the frustrations we are having with trying to get the reality of climate change talked about as seriously as it should be. Couple this frustration with the latest idiot decision on the Keystone Pipeline and it becomes insane.

The thing is, we humans have real trouble grasping the true "big" picture especially if it is something we would rather not hear. We like to reduce it into manageable bites, that may individually be pretty bad but not nearly as bad as the "big" picture.

The Keystone XL pipeline and tar sands are a prime example of this. The pipeline is awful. It will leak...we know it and it will leak in the worst possible places. It will virtually destroy the most important aquifer in the world and pollute the breadbasket of the world. The ancillary environmental damage will be awful and who knows how many men, women and children will be affected by the pollution. All tragedies and all multi-generational...maybe a couple of million people will actually die. Expanding the use of tar sands will be insane as well...increasing pollution globally. Horrible.

While millions dying or sickened by the pipeline and the tar sands is bad it is actually not that bad when compared to the "big" picture. The reality is that if we make it possible and actually burn all the oil extracted from the Canadian reserves we will destroy the planet and that means humans and the majority of all other life gone forever.

We can dither and wobble over pipeline leaks and pollution and cancer and all but it is just a distraction so we won't have to think about the end of life on the planet.

The sad thing is that I am not sure the race has the mental fortitude and stability to actually grasp and tackle the problems we are truly facing. If I am correct then we are doomed to a painful death in the near term.

Blessed Imbolc

Here we are at the midpoint between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox known as Imbolc. Imbolc is one of four major pagan sabbats, or holidays, along with Beltane, Lughnasadh and Samhain. For some it is also called Brigid's Day, Imbolc honors the Celtic goddess of fire, fertility, midwifery and the young.

The term 'Imbolc' derives from Old Irish and means "in the belly," or alternately "ewe's milk." The interpretation lends significance to the holiday as a celebration of fertility, reproduction and the young -- all overseen by the goddess Brigid.

Imbolc observes the waning of winter and approach of spring. Pagans often use fire and other forms of light to encourage the lengthening of day.

Imbolc is also called Oimealg by the Druids, and is the festival of the lactating sheep. It is derived from the Gaelic word "oimelc" which means "ewes milk". Herd animals have either given birth to the first offspring of the year or their wombs are swollen and the milk of life is flowing into their teats and udders.

Now is is the time for the Blessing of the seeds and the consecration of agricultural tools.

Today marks the center point of the dark half of the year. It is the festival of the Maiden, for from this day to March 21st, it is her season to prepare for growth and renewal. Brighid's snake emerges from the womb of the Earth Mother to test the weather, (the origin of Ground Hog Day), and in many places the first Crocus flowers began to spring forth from the frozen earth.

For those of us that try and follow the old ways and are focused on our gardens and our own little bit of the earth this is truly a high holy day and a very important time for us. Spring is just around the corner and we will soon be placing the first of our seeds and tubers in the ground.

Have a blessed day and wondrous spring. Don't forget to light a candle today to encourage the increasing light.

Winter Rescue

My first venture out in two weeks was a rescue. Madam's Explorer died/wouldn't start last night while she was out at the Cultural Arts Center and AAA had a 6 hour wait before they could respond. I refused to go out at 11 last night so I had to go give a boost this morning. I then took her to Pep Boys and got her a new battery and she is off and running again. Not too bad but I am glad to be back home and in my sweats. The roads are pretty clear with only some black ice and stuff on the secondary roads. Still quite a bit of snow on the ground though but we should get some good warming today and get rid of it.

Going to finish up all my seed (or most) of seed orders this morning and just wait for spring. I've got a huge amount of work to do before I can seriously garden as this lost January has really put me behind schedule. I'm hoping the Doc will give me the go ahead to return to normal next Wednesday and, weather permitting, I will get to work. Until I get the clearance to lift more than 20 pounds I am not much good when it comes to building garden beds and moving dirt.

It's not much but I did get my taxes done and filed electronically and there is nice refund coming from the Feds. All of the out of pocket medical expenses made a big difference. The big deductible and recent surgery should do the same for me next year I hope.

Finished with winter now.

Frozen In Place

Here we are in Atlanta, frozen in place as it were. School students spent the night at schools, people spent the night in their cars on the freeways and on an on. In spite of the fact that the snow and freezing was forecast well in advance the brilliant folks in Atlanta all waited for it to actually start before they all made the mad dash for home or wherever and this resulted in frozen gridlock just about everywhere. This, BTW, is SOP hereabouts. Minimonk made it home barely, after it taking over 4 hours to go what should have been a 20 minute trip. A friend got home at 10p last night after a 9 hour commute from Gainesville that normally takes an hour.  Minimonk is supposed to be at the fire station today but her boss says that if they need her they will send an emergency vehicle for her.

The city is insisting everyone stay off the streets today as it is not going to rise above freezing and what little snow and ice removal equipment we have is maxed out. I just got a text from the city saying..."If you left your car on or by the roadway last night then look for it in the nearest parking lot as we are towing everything off the highways".

We are snug here and have no need to go out for anything which is just as well. The folks here in Atlanta never learn....it always happens this way. Maybe someday they will figure out that even the 2 - 3 inches of snow we got yesterday will gridlock the city and if you can, you go to ground as soon as you can....preferably before it even starts to snow. Don't hold your breath though.

It Snows

The forecasters were correct and it is, in fact, snowing here in the Northern burbs of Atlanta. Nowhere to go so we are good just to watch it come down....looks like we have about an inch so far and maybe will get another before it stops this evening.

Spent most of yesterday up and about but I might have pushed a little too hard as I am having some muscle spasms in the incision area today. Going to take it easy today and enjoy the snow.

Madam, against specific instructions never to buy meat at Kroger, drug home some pork loin chops. I'm thinking they will wind up in some kind of stew with a Latin spin. Kroger pork is labeled "Moist and Tender" which is code for injected with up to 15% saline solution. The added saline actually makes the pork dry out faster when cooking but it does allow them to sell you water at pork prices. A slow braise is the only thing that has a chance of counteracting the effects of the saline injection.

If you are getting winter weather be safe and warm.

Oh, Miss Zoey is not impressed with her first snow.

Long Slog

Well, it has been a week and two days since the surgery and I am happy to report that I can now sit and stand without groaning...just a little whimper. Still a lot of swelling and some bruising and periods where the pain is pretty intense. On the whole though I am getting over the worst of it. The weather has been cooperating in keeping me uninterested in doing anything much but sit on my ass. It appears we are forecast for a possibility of snow tonight which suits me just fine. It looks like I am going to be a slug for a few more days.

Still Sucking Wind

I'm still here but struggling with the post op pain and swelling. About all I can accomplish is sit up in bed and watch TV and sleep with the occasional few pages on my Nexus. I was surely fooled by previous experience with hernia surgery and while I new this was going to be worse than the arthroscopic version I wasn't prepared for just how bad it would be. No one warned my about the swelling....my you know what swelled to the size of grapefruit and turned dark purple and is still quite swollen and painful. The "litttle buddy" just about disappeared in all the swelling and is still bruised. While a lot of that pain is reduced the area under and around the incision is now the star of the show and only by lying very still is it even bearable and yes I have drugs. SO anyway I am slowly recovering but it is a slog and I don't even want to know how many hours of bad cooking shows I've watched along with American Pickers and Pawn Stars. I'm sure my IQ is down a few points. Here is hoping the weekend brings a revolutionary change and I can get back to life next week. I don't do slug very well.

It Lives

I made it through but very tender and swollen with lots of bruising. Didn't sleep a wink last night and just laid there from 6pm when I got home from the hospital until 7am this morning. Counted every minute. I thought sure the percoset would put me out but no such luck. I'll check in sooner or later but right now I'm going back to bed.

Under The Knife

Off in an hour or so to get this hernia fixed. They moved the surgery to the hospital instead of the outpatient place I went to last time because of some insurance thing. No big deal. I should be home by four or so but I doubt I will feel much like blogging for a day or two. As I mentioned the surgeon will do an actual incision this time instead of the arthroscopic thing since that method didn't do the job. I expect the recovery will be a little more difficult.
So here I am. Thirsty, hungry and no coffee. Later.

Lost Month

January 2014 is turning into a completely lost month. As I mentioned I have had a recurrence of the hernia which was supposed to be fixed by the surgery last July. Somehow it has come back and it is actually more uncomfortable than the event before the last surgery. Basically, I am down and out since the surgeon said "oops!" on the 31st of December. The second surgery is scheduled for Friday so after a few weeks of restrictions and recovery I should be OK for the spring gardening season...fingers crossed.
So anyway, I have been a slug for the past two weeks and it looks like the rest of the month will be pretty slow as well. I am getting some reading done but not much else. Watching a bit of TV but there doesn't seem to much rewarding there other than a few cooking shows that I haven't seen at least twie or three times. Not a lot of original content on the Food Network or Food Channel.
Not much in the news to get excited about either.....
West Virginia is a national disgrace when in comes to the environment and is completely at the mercy of big coal. Surprise!
The New Jersey governor is a bully.
Conservatives are living in a completely different reality than the rest of us.
Congress is a disgrace.
No one is going to do anything to slow or reverse climate change.
People that are carrying weapons on the street legally are crazy and not to be trusted.
Dare I go on?

On a good note I have a bunch of seed catalogs that are wetting my appetite for some gardening fun.
Oh! I don't miss working at Home Depot.

Balmy Outside

It's warmed to a balmy 37F outside and we might even hit 40 plus today. Even warmer for  the next few days. We survived the cold snap with no damage except to the winter garden. I might still get a cabbage or two but everything else is frost burned. If anything good can be said about it it is that at least it killed some insect pests and set the buds on the fruit trees.
Still in winter mode though. Getting ready for a pot of leek and potato soup for dinner and since I have the time I am making a batch of French bread to go with the soup. Not my two day version which requires a sour dough chef but the quick version with just yeast. It's on its ferment stage right now but in a few minutes I will form the batards and it all should be ready for dinner.
I hope everyone else survived the "dreaded polar vortex" which Obama made up just so he could tie this cold snap to global warming.

Since it is Elvis' birthday today I should be having grilled peanut butter and banana sandwiches for dinner but it is going to be potato soup. Happy Birthday Elvis and maybe they will let you off early tonight from that diner your working in so that you can celebrate.

It's Cold and Getting Colder

24F right now in Atlanta and it's going to get a lot colder. The forecast low for Tuesday is 9F with a possibility of snow for Sunday night and Monday morning. I've still got broccoli, cabbage, kale and Arugula in the garden and I guess I am going to have to harvest the broccoli today and blanch and freeze it as it won't survive those temperatures. I will probably lose the cabbage. I'll pick some kale and roquette that will last for a few days in the fridge. This is supposed to be the coldest we have seen here in decades so I can't kick myself too hard. That's the deal with gardening, just like the too much rain earlier last year.
I will take the tender stuff out of the greenhouse this afternoon...citrus and peppers mostly as my little heater can't maintain above freezing if it gets that cold. About the best I can maintain is about 10 degrees above outside temperature so some of the stuff will have to spend a few days in the basement under lights.
Going to make a quick run to the store later just to get a couple of things but we've got plenty of milk, flour and beans if things get rough. I've also got charcoal if I have to get primitive.
If you are in the Midwest or Northeast bundle up and stay indoors. The forecast lows in those areas can cause frostbite after just a few minutes of exposure and for Goddess' sake make sure your pets are indoors and safe. Even if they have to poop and pee indoors just deal with it as those temperatures are just as dangerous for them.
Off to get a batch of sourdough started so I will have extra bread baked and maybe even some Scottish oatcakes for emergency rations. It is not silly to be prepared. It is only silly to panic or not be prepared.
So curl up with your seed catalogs, if you have them, and dream about spring and warmer weather. It might also be a good time to get a pot of beans simmering on the stove. I've got a ham bone and trimmings left over from Christmas that is just calling me.

Good Intentions

So, my good intentions for the New Year are not working out. It's too cold to garden and the surgeon confirmed my fears that the hernia has reappeared so no gym. Surgery is scheduled for the 17th to get it redone. The doctor was quite surprised to see me after only 6 months. The only issue is that he won't do it via arthroscopic as with the first but with an incision. Healing is going to be a little longer.
So my plans to hit the gym hard and get the beds in the garden finished are going to have to wait until at least February since lifting weights and cinder blocks  is not allowed.

The danger here is that when I am bored I cook and eat which is not good.

More Oatmeal Biscuits - This TIme Scottish Oatcakes

After my previous post about ANZAC biscuits it was mentioned that they sounded similar to Scottish Oatcakes....well, yes and no. Oatcakes are not quite as short(less fat) and not normally sweetened or have very little sugar added but they are mostly oats and biscuits and delicious as well. Below we'll talk about Scottish Oatcakes which are a nice treat for breakfast and with the afternoon tea.

Oatcakes are an ancient part of the Scottish diet. For a long time they were the main source of carbohydrates for your average Scotsman. In the old days you could probably find an oatcake or two in pretty much any sporran. Today oatcakes are commonly served with jam for breakfast or at afternoon tea with savory toppings.  You can find them sometimes in the British section of the market but, as always, homemade are best. There are several ways to get a somewhat proper biscuit and we'll cover most.  It's a pretty quick recipe and fast enough to make for breakfast.

Ingredients
    2 cups oatmeal (see options below)
    1/2 cup whole wheat flour
    1/2 tsp baking soda
    1/2 tsp Kosher salt
    1/2 cup boiling water
   6 tbsp unsalted butter

Method

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix the oatmeal, flour, baking powder and salt together in a large
bowl. Bring the water and butter to a light boil in a small saucepan.
Stir the water-butter mixture into the oat mixture until it forms a mass. Add more water
if necessary to bring the ingredients together as a dough. Set aside to rest for at least 15
minutes. This lets the oats hydrate.
Roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thick and cut into 3 to 4-inch rounds with a biscuit cutter.
Place the rounds onto a parchment lined baking sheet(or use a Silpat) and bake for 20 -
30 minutes, or until golden-brown and slightly crisp on the edges.
These are great just out of the oven with some good butter and jam. To serve with tea try
topping with cream cheese or smoked salmon. For a nice treat you might also top the
cream cheese with a bit of Pick-a-Pepper sauce or Major Grey's Mango Chutney.

Oatcakes Options:

The Oats: Scottish or Irish-style steel-cut oats are traditional for oatcakes but you can use
American-style old-fashioned rolled oats instead. Pulse the oats briefly in a food
processor or blender first to break them up a bit. It doesn't hurt to give the steel cut oats
a quick spin either to make them a little more 'meal' like.  Bob's Red Mill used to make a
Scottish Oatmeal that makes a great oatcake though I haven't noticed it on the store
shelves recently.
You can eliminate the wheat flour for a gluten-free version.
If you want you can add a little sweetness to your oatcakes by stirring in 1/4 - 1/2 cup of
brown sugar. A couple of tablespoons of honey or golden syrup
works too.
You don't have to use butter. Shortening, lard or even bacon fat work.
For a crispier biscuit roll the dough out to 1/4-inch.

ANZAC Biscuits Are A New Weakness

The latest issue of Saveur arrived the other day and while I was thumbing through it I stumbled on a recipe for ANZAC Biscuits. It was something I had never tried and I just happened to have all of the ingredients on hand. Besides, I like to have a cookie with my afternoon tea and my Christmas baking efforts were nearly depleted. Minimonk put a dent in my biscotti supply and the Molasses cookies were gobbled up by various visitors. These bicuits/cookies are named supposedly a recipe for a long keeping cookie made by Australian/Kiwi wives and mothers for their soldiers deployed with ANZAC and since they have no eggs keep well not to mention it was wartime and eggs were rationed. They are surprisingly delicious and chewy with the oats and coconut. This is a keeper recipe and they go lovely with a cuppa.

They do use Golden Syrup (cane sugar syrup) which can be hard to find but you can substitute 2 parts light corn syrup and 1 part molasses and get close. Try and find the Golden Syrup if you can. It will be in the British foods section of your market...I think I got mine at Whole Foods.

ANZAC Biscuits

2 1/4 cups of rolled oats(old fashioned oats not instant oats)
2  cups unsweetened shredded coconut
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 cup of sugar
1/3 cup boiling water
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
10 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp Golden syrup

Heat your oven to 350F. Whisk the first four ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix the baking soda in with the water. Melt the butter and syrup in a sauce pan and add the water mixture. Pour the wet into the dry and mix well to make a think dough. Using a 1 oz. scoop or 2 tablespoons drop the cookie mixture onto parchment or Silpat lined baking sheets and bake for 14 to 16 minutes until nicely browned(Mine took 14). Remove from oven and let cool on the pan for 2-3 minutes and then remove to cool on racks.

You should get about 2 dozen cookies.

Note: I had unsweetened shredded coconut(Bob's Red Mill) but it sometimes is hard to find. Though I haven't tried it I would imagined you could cut the sugar back a little and use sweetened coconut. Maybe 2/3 of a cup would do the job but not any less as the texture of the cookie would be affected.

Have A Great 2014

Happy New Year everyone. Even though there is no astronomical or other overriding reason to celebrate on this particular day, everyone seems to have agreed on it so we will too. It would make a lot more sense to celebrate the Winter Solstice but then that would give us Pagans too much cred and we can't have that.

Anyhow, true to form Madam and I and Zoey were sound asleep when the New Year rolled in here on the East Coast. I did have a nice bottle of Proseco chilled just in case these two olds made it to midnight but there is bound to be an excuse for it sometime soon.

2014 brings some changes around here. I mentioned that I had resigned from Home Depot and now I am "officially" retire. Hopeful to get some serious gardening done. I've also resolved to get more diligent with my guitar so we'll see.

I hope everyone has a great year ahead. We've has some hints at progress toward a better world during 2013 but not nearly enough action and I'm afraid with the same old players in place we won't see much this year either. Regardless, I am setting a goal for myself to do better at making at least my part of the world a better place. You do the same.