What's Growin' On: 5/2/06

Waltham 29, Green Sprouting Calabrese, & Early Purple Sprouting Broccoli

Realization Of The Day:
I have to start worrying about the broccoli again. The damn things came back to life. Entirely my fault. Instead of feeding the pathetic looking, half-dead seedlings to the chickens as planned, I watered them. What was I thinking? Now it's May (which is practically the beginning of summer here), and there is absolutely no chance I will be able to get broccoli to mature this late--even if I could untangle the rootbound mess each container has become and find some spare garden space. Hmmmm. Maybe I should just grab the scissors, snip myself the healthiest little salad on earth, and swallow the worry right along with it. Yes, that's it. I will eat the evidence.

Realization #2:
I still haven't transplanted the parsley, leeks, and cutting celery! (This flat of seedlings has been hiding on my potting bench.)

Minding The Moonsigns:
--Planted Masai and Straight'N'Narrow bush beans yesterday--which was the wrong day according to the moon. Today, tommorow, and Thursday (as I believe I noted at least twice in earlier posts) are the fertile, first quarter days for planting. Oops. Bright side #1: If the beans don't come up, I have something to blame. And #2: fortunately I didn't get around to planting everything else I wanted to yesterday. I think I mentioned that once you learn about this minding the moonsigns business, you will most likely wish you never had.

Miscellaneous:
--We had 4-1/2 inches of rain in two days. That does wonders in the garden. The garlic I planted in various spots around the garden last week as part of my Late Spring Green Garlic Plan is already poking up.

Note: I'm probably going to be taking a little break from blogging. Click here to learn why.

What's Growin' On: 5/1/06

Sage Blossoms, Arugula Background

Realization Of The Day:
It's the first of May. Happy May Day!

What's Growin' On: 4/30/06

The Chives Are Blooming Already

Realization Of The Day:
Early morning is deifnitely my favorite time of day in the garden. Morning dew, the cheerful chirping of birds, sleepy sunshine waking up, poking about to see what went on in the darkness, daydreams and endless possibilities. . .

From Garden To Table:
--Another small but sublime serving of asparagus smothered in butter.
--The first 'fake' scallions sprinkled over my salad. Delightful. (Click here to read more about growing onions and how to harvest your own 'fake' scallions. You probably still have time to start some onion sets. Plant them on May 2nd, 3rd, or 4th for best results.)
--I did end up creating a unique arugula pesto the other day and have been experimenting with it (and eating gobs of the stuff--all in the name of research of course). Will write more about that hopefully soon.

Coming Up:
The Desperate Gardener & Her Potato Planting Experiment.

What's Growin' On: 4/29/06

Ugh



Ahhhhh

Realization Of The Day:
This is why I love having a digital camera. Sometimes you just need to be able to capture moments like these and then rush into the house to look at them. And besides, being able to see all that work you've done makes it easier to rationalize buying all that Biofreeze.

Realization #2:
It rained all night long and is still pouring as I type this. I should have just gone and planted the bush beans in this bed yesterday. I mean, all the hard work was done. What would it have taken me--15 minutes tops? I have no idea what I was thinking. Probably too busy clicking back and forth between these photos.

Minding The Moonsigns:
Good news! I just flipped the calendar over to May and discovered that the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th are all (like today and yesterday) fertile days in the first quarter--perfect for starting lettuce, herbs, greens, cruciferous veggies, cucumbers, beans, and flowers--pretty much anything but members of the potato/tomato/pepper/eggplant/squash families. These you want to start in the second quarter; fertile days in May are the 10th, 11th, and 12th (but you've already started your tomatoes and potatoes and peppers and eggplant, right?) Wondering what all this moonsign stuff is all about? Read more here.

So if your planting plans have been postponed like mine (it's been pouring rain for 17 hours straight and shows no signs of stopping), you can relax. There will be plenty of time next week to get everything done. Which is good because last night I found all sorts of seeds I forgot about, like the Nero Di Toscana Cabbage (beautiful plants that tolerate heat & humidity; the young leaves are fabulous in salads), Oriole Orange Swiss Chard (another gorgeous veggie), Red Russian Kale (yet another stunning beauty--hell, who needs to plant fussy flowers?), and some Canton Bok Pak Choy--super stir-fried. All of these seeds are from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.

This is in addition to the bush beans: Straight 'N' Narrow Haricots Verts and Masai (both of which I have planted every year for about 10 years because I can never remember which ones I like better), Emerite Haricot Vert (a new variety for me that I never got around to planting last year because I didn't realize it was a pole bean and that would have required extra plotting and planning), and of course my absolute favorite--the incredible (and talk about some gorgeous veggies) Dragon Langerie Yellow Bush Beans. This is actually a misnomer because these huge, prolific, incredibly tasty beans are not yellow, but are more of a creamy white with hard-to-describe pinkish stripes. Trust me, just grow some. They're so good raw I have never once bothered to cook them. They will make any crudite platter look like it was just dropped off by a four-star caterer. I recommend dipping them--and the rest of the crudite platter--in some herbed yogurt cheese. All of these seeds are from Pinetree Garden Seeds.

So what is my new plan for today? Stay as dry as possible, try to figure out where I'm going to plant all this stuff, stop rooting around my seed packet stash, and revel in the fact that my garden is receiving a much needed soaking without my having to lift a finger (okay, I did actually start this rainstorm by watering everything yesterday afternoon). I suppose I could launch an attack on some of the clutter that has obviously been breeding around the house while I've been outdoors (how does that happen?), but I'd much rather bake a few loaves of bread. A girl's gotta have priorities, and mine usually involve food.

So what do you do when you're rained out of the garden?

© Copyright 2006 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where Farmgirl Susan shares stories & photos of her crazy country life on 240 remote Missouri acres.

Lettuce and Arugula in the Garden, with Step-by-Step Photos Showing How To Grow Arugula from Seed in Less than a Month

Sublime Homegrown Salad Greens for Those Short on Time, Space, and Sunlight

Love lettuce? You might find my post How To Grow Your Own Gourmet Lettuce from Seed: It's Easier than You Think! helpful. And there are links to lots more favorite things to grow at the bottom of this post.

Got a bumper arugula crop? Make some Arugula Pesto or try this easy, all-purpose Arugula Cottage Cheese Dip/Spread/Sauce.

Arugula is so easy to grow I didn't even plant this.

Really. This is what you get when you grow some arugula in the greenhouse, let it flower and go to seed, and then, months later, finally pull up the dried out stalks and plunk them down on an unused patch of bed on the other side of the greenhouse.

Ignore them all winter, then toss the stalks into the compost bin because all of the seeds have dropped out of them. Realize where the seeds have landed, and wonder if a little water might just sprout something. Lo and behold—an arugula jungle! A little more about arugula below. But first, here are some photos to show you just how quickly you can grow yourself some salad. The photo above was taken on April 27th.

What's Growin' On: 4/28/06

Isn't It Love-ly? Isn't It Won-der-ful? (Yes, I'm singing.)

Realization Of The Day:
I have no idea what this is. I bought it last fall at a garden center clearance sale for 50 cents and transplanted it into a bigger pot full of rich, composty soil--which it apparently loves. Somehow between then and now, its little ID tag has gone missing. All I know is that it's a perennial--and it's very pretty. And I have to figure out somewhere to put it.

Am working on salad growing post.

What's Growin' On: 4/27/06

Realization Of The Day:
Arugula has taken over the greenhouse.

Miscellaneous:
--It was 36 degrees at 4am this morning. I had covered most of the tomato plants with reemay and sheets, but even the uncovered peppers and tomatoes look fine. Put all unplanted seedlings (which have been spending days and nights hardening off in the great outdoors) in the greenhouse for the night.

--Planted some Orange Banana tomato seedlings in one of the raised beds on Tuesday. This is what Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds (from whom I bought my original seeds) has to say about them: "Unique, orange, banana-shaped paste tomatoes, bursting with fruity sweetness. Perfect for drying, canning, and paste. Also delicious fresh and great for specialty markets. Orange color is rare in paste tomatoes." Click here (and scroll down to the bottom of the article) to see one of my favorite ways to enjoy these sweet beauties.

From Garden To Table:
Well, the second asparagus harvest made it closer to the table than the first one--I ate it last night standing up in the kitchen. And I even cooked it. Steamed the spears and smothered them with organic butter. Oh my. (Because I have such a small asparagus bed, not much is ready at once, and the ones that are often vary quite a bit in thickness. I fill a pot with a small amount of water, snap the spears in half or thirds (to fit in the pot), then place the thicker ones on the bottom and layer the thinner ones on top of them, out of the water. This way they all end up cooked just right.) There wasn't nearly enough, but of course I had a giant lettuce salad to go with it.

Second Realization Of The Day:
I need a bigger asparagus bed. Much bigger. Like a quarter acre bigger.

Minding The Moonsigns:
Tomorrow and Saturday are fertile days in the first quarter. These are the best days to plant nearly all seeds except the potato/tomato/pepper families. I'll be planting a couple varieties of bush beans and starting some basil seeds (cannot believe--pesto freak that I am--that I completely forgot to start them last month) and any other interesting herb seeds I find languishing in my giant seed storage container. Might as well use them up!

These are also great days to start lettuce and other greens from seed. Hopefully later today or tonight I will finally get around to offering some tips on growing yourself a little (and practically instant) gourmet salad garden. Unless you live in the South or other warm climate, it still shouldn't be too late to start one. Hint: it includes arugula (rocket). Also on today's agenda: clearing out some beds for the beans!

What's Growin' On 4/26/06: Companion Planting Beets and Lettuce with Onions

Bull's blood beet seedlings between onion rows


Realization Of The Day:
My experimental companion planting in the onion plot is, so far, a semi-success.


Back on April 1st, I planted five rows of onion sets in one of my 4' x 8' raised beds. Between the onion rows, I sowed three kinds of beet seeds and two kinds of lettuce seeds. Usually I simply mulch the entire plot with grass clippings once the onions have poked up.

The idea behind this experiment was that the companion plantings would create shade that would keep weeds from growing between the rows. They would also provide crops in otherwise unused space. (Click here to read the original onion planting post.)


Great in theory, but not so great in reality. I think part of this was my fault, though. Okay, the Bull's Blood beet seedlings have come up nicely, and, as you can see in the above photo, they are doing a good job at blocking out the weeds. I think if I mulch around them and the onions with grass clippings right now, we should be able to stay weed free until harvest.



Detroit beet seedlings in the same row as the bull's blood seedlings


However, further down the row we come to the Detroit beets. The leaves on these seedlings are smaller and the planting is slightly thinner. Thick, nasty grass has sprouted up all over. These are tough little weeds that are not easy to pull up without disturbing the adjacent beets and delicate, shallow onions. And they are so close to the ground it is hard to snip them at the base (which can work very well with some types of weeds). I'll do what I can and then mulch with grass clippings.



Dark Lolla Rossa lettuce strangled by weeds


Next we come to the row of Dark Lolla Rossa lettuce, and it is definitely a troubling sight. As you can see, the tiny lettuce seedlings are being obliterated by the same nasty grass. This is what I was afraid of. I'm not sure there is hope for this lettuce.

If I simply leave the weeds in place, I think they will end up completely covering the lettuce and blocking it from the sun. Although, now that I think about it, that might be good since it warming up, and the lettuce needs to stay cool. I have a feeling, though, that it would just turn into a big mess--plus the weeds have surrounded the onions as well, and that is not good.


I may end up having to hoe up this entire row and feed it to the chickens (nothing goes to waste around here!), but I am still not thoroughly convinced that this was a lousy plan. I have two ideas. The first is to sow lettuce seeds over the entire space between the onions rather than in a row, leaving empty soil on either side. Then it would look more like this practically weedless lettuce bed. I'm actually surprised I didn't do this in the first place. The second is to try a different variety of lettuce--something taller and less compact.


Overall, this has been an interesting experiment so far. One of the rows between the onions is now planted with garlic (in the hopes that I will be harvesting some late spring green garlic) because the lettuce seeds I sowed there did a no-show. I simply hoed the whole space up and started over. (What kind of hoe did I use to do this delicate work? My beloved scuffle hoe!)

I'll also be mulching that entire row (before the garlic even sprouts) with grass clippings. So already there are some new turns in the plan. And we certainly aren't finished yet. It will be interesting to see what transpires in this plot as the weeks go by.


Note: I'm embarrassed to admit this, but after looking at these photos, I think I may have the beet varieties backwards. My notes say otherwise, but it seems like the Bull's Blood would be the ones with the more reddish leaves, since they turn quite purple eventually. I also remember getting a bit turned around when reading my original planting notes (I have a little trouble with north, south, etc.). And here I thought this garden blog would solve all my record keeping problems!

© FarmgirlFare.com

What's Growin' On: 4/25/06

I Couldn't Resist Them (and a couple of little African violets)

Realization Of The Day:
It is incredibly easy to rationalize the purchase of perennials when you are supposed to be out buying groceries. Simply remind yourself that this $6 campanula will most likely last for years in the garden--but that $6 worth of cheese will definitely be history in a week.

Miscellaneous:
--We've had 1-1/4 inches of rain, and everything in the garden is taking off like crazy.
--I sure grow some extremely healthy weeds.
--Put some of my favorite Kellogg's Breakfast tomato plants into the ground yesterday (From the Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds catalog: "A giant, beautiful, orange beefsteak preserved by our friend Darrell Kellogg, a railroad supervisor from Redford, Michigan. The fruit are very flavorful and superbly sweet! This delicious heirloom is from West Virginia.") There is something about orange tomatoes--they are always so sweet. And the color! The Orange Banana tomatoes will hopefully get planted today. They were certainly a pleasant discovery a few years ago. Amazing flavor.
--Stuck a few dozen more garlic cloves into the ground as part of my Late Spring Green Garlic Plan--around the edges of one tomato bed and between the onion rows where the lettuce didn't come up. Realized that unless the garlic grows at a much faster rate than the tomato plants, it will soon be obliterated from the sun, so I nixed the idea of a ring of garlic around each tomato plant.
--Bull's Blood beets in greenhouse already going to seed. Always seems to happen so quickly--one minute something is ready to eat, and the next day it's heading toward the sky. (Reminder to self: there is no holding pattern in the kitchen garden--use it or lose it.) Will let them go and hopefully have some great seeds for next planting.

What's Growin' On: 4/24/06

Realization Of The Day:
I may be a tiny bit obsessed about salads. But there are certain times when absolutely nothing else (not even chocolate) will satisfy except some freshly picked baby butter lettuce from the garden. Even if it is 1:30 in the morning. And we're in the middle of a thunder/lightning/wind/hail/rainstorm. And my terrified, thunder-phobic dog is trying desperately to climb into my arms as I crouch down harvesting lettuce in the dark and rain with a 98% dead flashlight. But oh, how that salad hit the spot.

Recipe For A Perfect Spring Salad:
Harvest lettuce as close to mealtime as possible. Wash gently, spin dry. Find the biggest bowl you can, and fill it with your beautiful bounty. Toss in a handful of organic garbanzo beans (chickpeas) and a few cracked green olives. Toss lightly with a vinaigrette made with extra-virgin olive oil, white balsamic vinegar (proportions are entirely up to you), plenty of real dijon mustard, good garlic and onion powder, and salt and pepper (or freshly chopped garlic and shallots if you have the time and energy and really feel like swooning). Top with plenty of coarsely grated pecorino romano cheese. Find a fork and dive in. May be enjoyed anytime, day or night.

Coming Up:
Sublime Salads For Those Who Are Short (On Time, Space, & Sunshine)

What's Growin' On: 4/23/06

Realization Of The Day:
This is what you get if you can convince someone who views the entire farm as a mowing challenge not to mow over the large patch of stuff in the yard that definitely isn't grass.

From Garden To Table:
Ate the first two stalks of asparagus last night, but they didn't even make it into the kitchen, let alone to the table. Nope, I munched them down right there in the garden. Ahhhhhh.

Miscellaneous:
--Even a light rain can really make a difference in the garden. Still needing to water every day, though, especially newly transplanted tomatoes and peppers.
--Aconcagua pepper plants are thrilled to be in the ground and are taking off already.
--Have been so in love with the first spring lettuce salads that have been neglecting to eat the gorgeous Swiss chard in the greenhouse. Larger plants have already started to bolt, but there are dozens of tiny volunteer seedlings still coming up. I don't know what I'd do without my year round chard harvest.
--Just saw the first hummingbird of the season--in the greenhouse.
--Yesterday saw the second snake of the season (cannot remember what kind off the top of my head but about two feet long and not poisonous)--fortunately not in the greenhouse. (Smaller snakes more than welcome to take up residence in there.) Haven't started seeing the copperheads yet which is nice.
--Last night saw the second large garden toad of the season (or frog--must really learn more about these wonderful, insect devouring creatures)--unfortunately not anywhere near the greenhouse, but several hundred feet away in a lamb bonding suite in the barn. First one was in the barn, too. Think baby lambs must be catching and playing with them like all little kids do. Click here to see a photo.

What's Growin' On: 4/22/06

Realization Of The Day:
Asparagus!

Culinary Newsbite:
My bread baking buddy, Kevin, at Seriously Good in Tennessee, is on an asparagus rampage (and really, who can blame him?). Click here for his mother's mouthwatering recipe for Asparagus Parmesan and to read the interesting history of what I believe is one of the most sublime foods on earth. Then click here for information about Kevin's "Asparagus Aspirations"--a weekly roundup going on now through May of asparagus recipes submitted by asparagus loving food bloggers everywhere. Yum.

What's Growin' On: 4/21/06

Realization Of The Day:
I am amazed, astonished, fascinated, and in absolute awe--by the incredible beauty of this plant, and by the fact that it was created from one tiny beet seed.

What's Growin' On: 4/20/06

Realization Of The Day:
Rocks do not compost well.

Into The Ground:
--2 Arkansas Traveler tomatoes.
--11 VFN tomatoes.
--1 replacement San Marzano tomato
--13 of my favorite sweet red peppers, Aconcagua. Seeds saved from my best peppers last year, originally purchased from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, who says that they are "very large, long frying peppers up to 11" x 2-1/2". Tall plants give good yields over a long season, and the fruit is very sweet and delicious. Named after Mt. Aconcagua in Argentina." Click here to see some of last year's beauties.

Miscellaneous:
--Since raised beds topped with thick layer of manure/barn hay (yes!), dropped a large scoop of compost into each planting hole just to make sure tender roots didn't get burned. Can't believe I never thought to do this before (probably because root burn has never been a problem), as it should be very good for the plants in general.
--Glad I covered new plantings last night as temp was 48F this morning.
--Spotted first grasshopper of the year hopping through my newly planted tomato bed.
--Spotted definite mole damage in the onion bed.

What Is Spring Green Garlic? Growing It, Cooking with It, Loving It, and a Recipe for Easy Green Garlic Fettuccine

Young volunteer garlic: surprise gourmet food right under my hoes.

2013 Update: Love garlic? It's easy to grow, even in containers. Learn How To Grow Your Own Garlic here.

Last week I received an email from Catherine at Albion Cooks saying that she had just made another batch of my Savory Cheese & Scallion Scones, but this time she substituted cheddar and green garlic for the feta cheese and scallions.

Green garlic? A quick pop over to her site revealed a lovely photo of the item in question, a delicious looking batch of scones, and the nagging feeling that I'd just read about green garlic somewhere else. But where? Oh, wait. Everywhere.

There were green garlic growing instructions from Veggie Gardening Tips. Then the little bit of green garlic history and a great photo, along with a recipe for Catalan-Style White Bean and Green Garlic Tortilla at In Praise Of Sardines.

Mariquita Farm had another beautiful photo of green garlic, along with numerous tips on ways to use green garlic, plus several green garlic recipes, including green garlic mayonnaise, green garlic soup, and step-by-step photos of how to make green garlic pesto.

This stuff really is everywhere. And those are just the ones I remembered.

So what is green garlic, and how had I lived this long without knowing about it? Green garlic, also known as spring garlic, young garlic, baby garlic, and garlic shoots, is, claims Catherine, "a culinary secret." It is "immature garlic that hasn't yet developed its garlic bulb and has a much milder flavor than the mature bulbs, yet still has that distinct garlic flavor."

What do you do with green garlic? "It can be used in any recipe in place of regular garlic or leeks, and can be used raw or cooked." And, obviously, it can take the place of scallions, too.

Green garlic is also a market gardener and small farmer's (and backyard gardener's!) dream crop, as you can grow it in what would otherwise be unused space.

More below. . .

What's Growin' On: 4/19/06

Sad Little Seedlings (And An Even Sadder Gardener)

Realization Of The Day:
I can stop worrying about getting the broccoli planted. I do this every year. I start seeds too late (well, I didn't think February 28th was all that late), they sprout but take forever to set true leaves, and then by the time they do, they've been all but forgotten in the hustle and bustle of other garden activity. So here it is April 19th, temps are in the 90s, and not only have my crowded broccoli seedlings not yet been transplanted into individual plugs (I did have them moved onto the potting bench--slight progress), but I obviously forgot to water them yesterday afternoon.

So why do I torture myself year after year? Because I absolutely adore broccoli. And because once, many years ago, I grew two dozen heads of the most incredible broccoli I have ever tasted--and the memory refuses to fade. I've harvested a few heads here and there since then, and once I let the plants simply grow all summer, providing me with a few flowerets and lots of tender (and extremely nutritious) little leaves to toss into salads. I figure that someday everything will perfectly align itself just as it did that one glorious year, and my persistence will pay off. In the meantime, perhaps this will be the summer I remember to start broccoli seeds in August and transplant the seedlings into the greenhouse for a successful late fall/early winter crop.

One must never give up hope in the garden--for that is really all that keeps us gardening. (Which is why I'm going to go ahead and transplant those itty bitty leeks you see in the photo. You never know.)

And to console myself, today I will enjoy a bowl of the delicious, oh-so-easy broccoli soup I created yesterday (with storebought broccoli, of course) which will be even more flavorful today. And as I am slurping it up, I will imagine how amazing it will taste when I am able to make it with my very own harvest.

Farmgirl's Simplest Broccoli Soup
I like my soups pureed and very thick. Amounts are totally up to you, so you can easily make a thinner (or less oniony) soup if you like. Heat several Tablespoons of good olive oil in a large pot, then add lots and lots of coarsely chopped onions (I used four good-sized ones). Cook until onions are soft, stirring frequently, about 10 mintues or so. Stir in 1/4 cup of uncooked rice (this helps thicken the soup), then add about 4 cups (32 ounces) homemade chicken stock (or top quality storebought) and one large head of coarsely chopped broccoli. The soup will look too thick--it is not. Bring it all to a boil, then simmer with the lid barely cracked until broccoli is tender, about 20 minutes.

Use a blender or hand immersion blender (I am deeply in love with my KitchenAid Hand Blender) to carefully puree the soup, then cook a few more minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve, topped with whatever you like (chopped fresh chives, a drizzle of olive oil, some coarsely grated pecorino romano, dollops of sour cream, a slice of cheddar cheese) or absolutely nothing at all. While devouring, feel grateful for the existence of something as wonderful as broccoli--no matter where it comes from.

From Garden To Table:
Lettuce, Lettuce, Lettuce!

Harvest For The Henhouse:
Three varieties of half dead heirloom broccoli seedlings.

Minding The Moonsigns:
Today, tomorrow, and Friday are third quarter fertile days: perfect for planting things that grow underground (like potatoes and garlic) and doing any kind of transplanting.