Lively Soil - Better Food - Improved Health?

It's a bit frosty in the garden this morning … a good time to sit down with a cup of coffee and check out what's happening on the web. Enjoyed this article written by Daphne Miller, a family physician, writer, and associate professor at U.C. San Francisco. She sees a connection between healthy soil and healthy bodies. Her latest book is Farmacology: What Innovative Family Farming Can Teach Us About Health and Healing (William Morrow, 2013)

"Thinking of a healthy body as an extension of a healthy farm, and vice versa, is a paradigm shift for many of us. But when we consider that all of our cells get their building blocks from plants and soil then, suddenly, it all makes sense. In fact, it is not too much of a stretch to say: We are soil."

Here's the link to the entire article from Yes! magazine, Winter 2014 edition: The Surprising Healing Qualities … of Dirt

Eat Your Greens

I uncovered the raised beds in the garden yesterday. We are having unseasonably warm weather this week. The expected high today is 73 degrees! Rain is in the forecast. A little warmth, a little moisture, a little boost from Mother Nature for the crops in the winter garden. Of course, winter weather will return this weekend. Better enjoy the balmy weather while it lasts.

We ate a fresh pot of collards for supper last night. They were so tender and delicious! Here's a link to lots of information about fresh leafy greens. Recipes, tips, and nutritional information. I love greens season!

Work Day in the Garden

I wore myself out today continuing the job begun on September 27 ... mulching the space between the raised beds. I filled the wheelbarrow with freshly shredded tree mulch 7 times,  dumping it onto carefully laid out cardboard and spreading it evenly over the space. Good bye weeds! I have one more section to complete once I collect enough cardboard.

The winter garden is taking shape. The mixed greens bed, planted early in the fall and devoured by insects, has bounced back. The other night we enjoyed a pot of soup featuring ribbons of tatsoi from that planting. The collards are big and ready to harvest. Lettuces, arugula, spinach, asian greens, kale, beets, turnips, radishes ... all planted in October ... are growing well.

I removed row covers and watered everything today, weeding and inspecting the young seedlings as I went along. With row covers back in place, the garden looks neat and tidy, all tucked in for a cool autumn night.

Chrysanthemums

Why Gardeners Live Longer

http://wellnessmama.com/5437/why-do-gardeners-live-longer/

Sue has not been in the garden, Nov 1 - 10

She's been traveling, enjoying a fabulous family vacation in the wilds of Utah with an impromptu wedding tacked on at the end. Viva Las Vegas! Congratulations to Andrew and Brittany. Life is good!!

Chile Verde

Roasted Anaheim Peppers

Remove seeds, membranes, and skin.

They don't look that appetizing, but they sure smell delicious!

Chopped and ready for the freezer.

Want to know how to roast chiles? See previous post:
http://sueisinthegarden.blogspot.com/2013/09/home-grown-pepper-festival.html

Another Pepper Party this Weekend!

Frost was expected last night, so I picked all the peppers this week. Today I cleaned and chopped the "sweet" ones ... mostly green ... and put them into the freezer. It was a LOT of chopping. I discovered that a grapefruit spoon works great for scraping out the seeds and membranes. I'll put my gloves on later and tackle the hot peppers!

Garden Terrorist

I love my kitty, but she is a terror in the garden! She's fascinated by my gloves and wants to be right where my hands are as I'm attempting to sow seeds or set out young plants. She loves to roll and dig and dash about in the freshly turned and fluffed soil. She wrecks perfectly formed rows and hills, scattering seeds and uprooting tender seedlings. I had to lock her in the house in order to get the garden work done this weekend. Bad kitty!

More prep and planting + row covers

I planted one more bed of lettuces, alternating rows of:

• buttercrunch bibb
• dubuisson endive
• new red fire leaf
• baby oak leaf, green
• coastal star green romaine

Many hands make quick work. Andrew and Brittany were a big help in the garden today. We were able to get several of the row covers in place. First frost is expected in the coming week. These lightweight fabric "tents" will serve to exclude bugs, squirrels ... and cats ... while magnifying the effects of the winter sun. The fabric is designed to let the rain in.

Time for Change

Autumn is rapidly progressing. Change is in the air. Temperatures are dropping, and while the leaves have been less than showy this year they are dropping, too. Past time to clean out and prepare the beds for the winter garden, but I'm hopeful seeds planted now will germinate and flourish under lightweight row covers.

Andrew was a big help, adding muscle to the task and helping with little decisions along the way. We removed the spent okra, long beans, cherry tomato plants, volunteer melons, etc. We decided to leave the peppers until frost.

Andrew prepared the soil, turning it and fluffing it, defining the rows by creating little hills. He makes it look so easy!


Today we sowed a variety of seeds ...

One bed full of:

• Spinach - Raccoon smooth leaf, Tyee savoy leaf
• Asian greens - Yukina savoy, Tatsoi

One full bed each of:

• Beets - 2 rows Cylindra and 1 row Red Ace
• Kale - Red Russian, Toscano, Dwarf Blue Curled Scotch, & Smooth

Two small mixed beds of:

• arugula
• baby oak leaf lettuce
• new red fire leaf lettuce
• buttercrunch bib lettuce
• dubuisson endive

• hakurei salad turnips
• radishes
• red cardinal spinach
• lettuce

I'm Dreaming of a Green Winter ...

I just ordered a pile of seeds from Johnny's Selected Seeds for the winter garden. Winter greens under row covers can not be beat in central NC!

The War on Weeds

Rouse the Spouse and I put down a layer of cardboard between the raised beds, covering the undesirable grass and weeds. We had saved up boxes discarded from the office. Feels good to recycle them straight into the earth.

Look at the nice pile of mulch! We recently had some trees cut down to open up the sky and allow more sunshine into the garden. The mulch is totally fresh ... just starting to "work" and actually hot to handle. Just the thing to kill and keep out weeds between the beds.

We spread the mulch thickly over the cardboard. It's pleasantly cushy underfoot. I do love a neat and tidy garden path!

Home Grown Pepper Festival

I didn't know this is what I would be doing this weekend, but when I went out to the garden Friday morning it became apparent that it was time to harvest the peppers. First thing, let's roast some chiles!

I've been leaving the Anaheim peppers (Highlander variety) on the plants, allowing them to mature to ripe red. This weekend I picked all that had any size at all - ending up with the entire color range from green to orange to bright red - and roasted them on the grill.

I was surprised at how quickly this was accomplished! Here's how to do it: Preheat the grill to 450 degrees. Wash the peppers, leaving them whole. Of course, use only perfect, blemish-free fruits. Load the grill with the whole peppers - placing them directly onto the grill grates. Close the lid, turn every few minutes, and that's it. Only 10 - 15 minutes on the hot grill is enough time to char the outer skins. You better believe those roasting peppers smell delicious!

Once the flesh is soft and the skins  are charred, put the peppers into a large bowl, cover with a towel, and allow the peppers to steam for 30 minutes to an hour. This helps the skins come off easily. Now, put on gloves and get to work! Remove the skin, stem, and seeds. It's not a difficult job, but it does get a bit tedious when there's a pile of peppers to get through!

I separated the chile verde (green chiles) from the chile colorado (red chiles), coarsely chopped them, and froze them in separate 1/4 cup blops. Then I tossed them into freezer bags for long term storage.

Did you know that the six-ounce cans of chopped green chiles you buy in the Mexi-section of  the grocery store are processed green anaheim peppers? I'm excited to have my own home-grown supply!

While I was at it, I roasted a half dozen sweet Italian red peppers.

Next on the agenda: Stuffed Banana Peppers

The Hungarian Wax Peppers range in color from spring green to yellow to orange, depending on the degree of ripeness. I picked the largest ones, then added the green and red anaheim peppers that did not make it to the grill ...  the small ones and a few that had little imperfections ... ending up with four dozen. These will make a beautiful pan of stuffed peppers!

First step: wash and clean the peppers, removing stems, seeds, and membranes. Notice that I am wearing gloves! I have learned to deposit the hot waste directly into the compost bucket rather than collecting it in the sink for later clean up. If you happen to run some water into a sink full of hot stuff, look out! I did it once. I felt as if I were in a cartoon. This big hand formed out of the atomized particles of hotness, rose out of the sink, went right down my throat and grabbed my lungs. Talk about a coughing and sneezing attack! I could not breathe.

After cleaning the peppers, blanche them in salted water. Then mix up your favorite filling. We like this ground beef and cheese combo, a recipe that came from my step-father, Don West. It's easy! For every two dozen peppers, mix together:

1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef
8-ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup cracker crumbs (I use oatmeal)
1 egg
2 Tablespoons worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Stuff to overflow and bake at 350 degrees for ~ 45 minutes.

This time, I chose to stuff 'em and freeze 'em unbaked - separately on cookies sheets, then transferred to freezer bags. Later, I'll be able to take out just what I need, pop them into the oven and bake for a quick and delicious meal.

Moving on to the Jalapeño Jelly! I use the recipe in the Ball Blue Book of Preserving, EXCEPT I use only the most ripe, bright red jalapeños the garden has to offer, with no added food coloring. AND I don't remove the seeds and membranes. My version delivers quite a kick, and isn't it a beautiful color? Rouse the Spouse did the quality control. He declared this the hottest batch yet, but still very tasty on a cracker with some cream cheese. Here's a link to the recipe: Jalapeño Jelly

The pile of peppers was dwindling, but I still had enough to fix a big jar of pickled peppers, plus a small jar of pickled jalapeño slices. These were not processed in the boiling hot water canner. They went directly into the refrigerator to be enjoyed right away! Here's how I prepared them:

I washed the peppers, leaving the small ones whole and cutting the others into 1-inch pieces. I mixed the peppers together. What a colorful medley! Two-thirds of the mix was made up of jalapeños, anaheims, and banana peppers. The other third was made up of sweet red lunchbox snack peppers. I'm sure they'll be hot before this whole process is over!

In a medium saucepan I combined:
3 cups vinegar
1-1/2 cups water
2 cloves garlic
1 Tablespoon canning salt
Brought vinegar mixture to a boil; reduced heat and simmered 5 minutes. At the 2 minute mark, added prepared peppers to the pot. When the timer went off, poured the mixture (peppers and vinegar) into hot glass jars; screwed on lids; let cool 30 minutes; stored in the 'fridge.

The last thing I did was string together a few red cayenne peppers for Andrew and Brittany ... a little something to bring to their open-house pot-luck party. Wishing them warmth in their new home!

Okra hanging in there ...

The okra production is slowing down. Some of the plants are looking rather puny, while others remain robust. I don't know the reason for the difference. I do want to be sure to get a few more okra pickles in the pantry, though, before the season's over. I had to save up for a few days, but I was able to get a couple more jars put on the shelf this afternoon.

How Hot is Hot?

Here's what I need! Links to a couple postings of the Scoville Heat Index. It ranks peppers in order from mildest to hottest, starting at zero and going up to a million!?! BTW ... I disagree with the rating of the hot wax peppers and jalapeños. In my experience, the jalapeños are MUCH hotter than the hot wax peppers. What do you think?

http://www.scovillescaleforpeppers.com

http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/805359/types-of-hot-peppers

Broody Hen

We seem to have a hen who's gone broody. That's never happened before! And believe me, we've tried to encourage it at different times. It takes 21 days for fertilized eggs to hatch. The trick is, we've been out of town for several days so don't know exactly when she started sitting. Chicks in early October? We'll see. Go, Mama!

Picking Cayenne Peppers

Everything you need to know to decide when to pick the cayenne peppers ...
http://voices.yahoo.com/tips-picking-cayenne-peppers-gardener-and-6700870.html

Here's what I'm doing with them after I pick them ... stringing them up and hanging them in the window to dry.

Sue has not been in the Garden .... Sept 3-8

I've been driving across the country with our son, Noah. Destination: Boulder, CO

Loved the sunflowers along the way. Did you know that Kansas is the Sunflower State?

Boulder has a beautiful Farmers Market! We ate breakfast there and filled our backpacks with good food. Here's Rouse the Spouse selecting carrots for the day's planned trek into the mountains.

Last of the Tomatoes

You know what's on the menu tonight ... Fried Green Tomatoes!

Not Quite a Peck of Pickled Peppers ...

... but plenty of peppers to pickle! As well as okra and green beans. And don't forget the jalapeño jelly!

One morning's work ... mixed hot pepper pickles, okra pickles,
dilled green bean pickles,  jalapeño jelly.

Putting up Herbs for the Winter

Margaret Roach, A Way to Garden ... I've signed up for her gardening newsletter.

I enjoyed reading her article about freezing herbs:  http://awaytogarden.com/how-to-freeze-parsley-chives-and-other-herbs I always make a basic pesto to preserve the basil, zinging up the aromatic leaves with plenty of fresh garlic, ground black pepper and salt, with enough olive oil to make a thick paste. I freeze it in individual "blops", then transfer them to one big storage bag. I use it to flavor everything that tastes good with basil in it ... such as sauces and soups, stews and veggies, salad dressings, marinades, and herb butters.

When it came to preserving the fresh parsley I decided to follow Margaret Roach's suggestion: Freeze it  in a "log".

I washed the freshly cut greens. Cut the leaves from the stems. Dried them in the salad spinner. Packed the leaves into a tight roll at the bottom of a freezer bag. Squeezed out all air. Rolled the excess bag material around the herb pack and secured with rubber bands. Into the freezer it went, ready to be sliced as needed. Easy!

Organic Gardening Web Site

Here's a web site chockfull of good information, including a monthly zone-to-zone checklist of things to do in the garden:

http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow

A beautiful weekend to start thinking about the fall garden

I sorted through my seed supply this morning. All is grouped appropriately again ... beans, peas, squash, root veggies, greens, etc. I wanted to see what I had available to plant right now, today.

The root vegetables and the greens are where it's at this time of year. I decided to sow some greens ... mixed beds using up the seeds I've got. If they don't germinate there's still time to try again!

One full bed:

• Joi Choi Pac Choi
• Black Summer Pac Choi
• Yukina Savoy Asian Greens
• Russian Kale
• Braising Mix

One half bed of Kale varieties:

• Toscano
• Redbor
• Smooth
• Dwarf Blue Curled Scotch

Chives in the herb garden ...

... attract pollinators (for better or worse), look pretty, and provide long-lasting cut flowers.

Butterflies and Bugs visit the chive blooms

So pretty!

In context ... purple blooming oregano and lemon balm in foreground. 

One sad little sunflower at the chicken coop door

Peppers

The Hungarian wax peppers are prolific ...

The long cayenne peppers are starting to turn red ...

As are the jalapeños ...

Fall arrives sooner than you think!

The cukes and the melons are done for. I cleared their beds and threw out some lettuce seed.

• Black-Seeded Simpson
• Waldmann's Dark Green Lettuce
• Mesclun Mix

The pink-eyed purple-hulled peas have been delicious! They're finished now. I pulled up the spent plants and replaced them with a bed full of Jade bush beans. Hoping to get another batch of green beans this year ...

Tomatoes

Booming thunderstorms in the middle of the night. 1/2" rainfall.

Marigolds and Sunflowers

Floral sunshine in the garden!

Marigolds

Sunflowers

Hope for Eggplant?

The eggplant has been looking bad. The flea beetles have been relentless in their attack. Rouse the Spouse has been attacking back by manually putting the pinch on them. It's paying off. We have one baby eggplant forming, and the promise of another in that lovely bloom!

Cukes and Melons are Now Past Tense

A week away on vacation allowed bad bugs to get a foothold in the cucumbers and melons. The bug invasion proved to be the beginning of the end. Luckily, I had a good yield of cucumbers early on, but the melons were affected before they fully ripened. The green, lush pre-vacation vines were turning brown at the time of my homecoming. There was no recovering from that point. Here's what the beds looked like this morning. What you can't see is the continued presence of those stinky bugs in the plant detritus!

The beds are now cleaned out and ready for fall crops.

Finally ... the tomatoes are red!!