The high temperature was in the 80's today. We had a day like that about a week ago, too. with rain and cooler weather (in the 50s during the day) in between. More spring rain than normal this year.
We had a motley crew out planting today: me, a pregnant Mom, three kids, their Dad and two young men. David had a flat tire today, and went to buy new ones. We'll see how we did in placing the plants where they can get water from the drip lines.
Peppers: Ancho, Anaheim and Jalapeno. I gave Francisco some Chile de Arbol plants to put in his garden space.
Cucumbers - on the fence by Sparky's old house. The ones we planted today are bigger than the ones I planted out by the field fencing earlier. Maybe the warmer soil environment made a difference.
Grafted tomatoes on the field fencing (Black Krim and Gary O Sena) along with a purchased Giant Belgium.
Cherry and grape tomatoes: Napa Grape and SunSugar Red.
Beans: Fortex and Champagne. The Champagne plants are in a little better shape.
We also harvested Golden Sweet pea pods (from India) and used them in chicken curry (James made it). We'll have regular peas in a couple of days.
The early bush beans I planted have some curly beans on them: they are persnickety about the weather. I don't think I'll try planting them so early again.
Bro. Martin came by on Saturday for tomato plants and seeds for his family - cucumbers, melons, watermelons and edible gourds, plus winter squash and Zephyr. I gave Paula a Cherokee Purple plant in honor of her Cherokee heritage. Alma got a Sun Sugar and a Napa Grape. I don't have too many extra tomato plants anymore. That's a good thing, I think. Maybe I can keep myself from buying more plants, too.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
More Planting - Melons
This is good melon country, and we probably won't have as much room as we have now forever, so I'm planting several varieties of melons.
On Saturday, the 17th, I paired 4 heirloom tomatoes with a Big Beef in pots, so I could try grafting in a disease-resistant rootstock again. The "Gary O Sena" I did not do a wonderful job on. The plant is already getting woody. I Improved a little with "Black Krim". The smaller plants were a little easier: Cherokee Purple and Brandywine (just purchased). I've decided that rubber bands to hold the grafts together, plus tape (just as for tree grafts) are the way to go. We'll have to see if any of the grafts "take". At least the plants are still alive.
On Saturday, the 17th, I paired 4 heirloom tomatoes with a Big Beef in pots, so I could try grafting in a disease-resistant rootstock again. The "Gary O Sena" I did not do a wonderful job on. The plant is already getting woody. I Improved a little with "Black Krim". The smaller plants were a little easier: Cherokee Purple and Brandywine (just purchased). I've decided that rubber bands to hold the grafts together, plus tape (just as for tree grafts) are the way to go. We'll have to see if any of the grafts "take". At least the plants are still alive.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Lentil Soup
It rained this weekend. I made a pretty conventional lentil soup for Munch and Mingle. People seemed to like it. I forgot the scallion tops, which I think add a lot to lentil or split pea soup, not to mention chicken soup. I used turkey ham in my soup this time.
Home-style Lentil Soup
Ingredients - amounts can be varied
1 pound dried lentils
2 medium to large chopped yellow onions (depending on whether you include scallions)
2 Tablespoons vegetable or olive oil (more if needed to caramelize onions)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried (optional)
2 large or 4 medium-sized ribs celery and some leaves, medium-diced
4 large or 6 medium-sized carrots, medium-diced
1 quarts water
1 pound diced ham, turkey ham or smoked turkey (optional)
Additional water or broth (about a quart)
Salt and additional pepper to taste
Rinsed, trimmed and diced green tops from 1 bunch scallions
Directions
Pick over and rinse lentils.
In a 6 quart or larger Dutch oven or stockpot on medium heat, saute the onions, pepper and thyme until the onions are translucent and start to caramelize, stirring frequently. For richer flavor, you can caramelize the onions to a light brown color. Watch that they don't burn. Lower heat if necessary. Add the celery and carrots and saute for a few more minutes if you have time. Add a quart of water and the lentils. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and start to simmer, covered. Dice meat (if used) and mix into hot soup.
If you need to transport the soup, this is a good time to do it, to prevent spilling. Place your kettle in a slightly larger cardboard box. When you reach your destination, add additional water or broth to the desired consistency (about a quart of water), bring to a boil again and simmer until the lentils are tender, about an hour. Or finish cooking in a 6-quart slow cooker. Lentils may continue to swell as they finish cooking, so you may need to adjust water or broth further. Shortly before the soup is done, add diced scallion tops, if you are using them. Add salt and additional pepper to taste.
Quantity Cooking: If you double the recipe, you will have enough for an 8-quart stockpot to take to a potluck, with about 2 quarts to leave home for later. Mix all ingredients after adding 2 quarts water and the diced meat, then transfer some to a 3-quart saucepan. Transport the 8-quart stockpot before adding additional water or broth. Take diced scallions with you in a little baggie if you plan to use them. If you have a big enough pot with a heavy bottom, you can multiply this recipe further. You could also transport cold soup in big plastic pitchers.
Other recipes
From our friend Jana, a healthy recipe with lemon and greens. We might use escarole, Tyfon Holland Greens, mild Asian greens such as Tatsoi, or even kale in place of spinach.
Lemon and Lentil Soup
This soup is a great dish to prepare when you don’t have a lot of time; we use a food processor for all of the chopping which cuts the preparation time in half. Serve this soup over cooked brown jasmine or basmati rice. This soup also freezes well for later use.
Serves 4 to 6
1 small onion
5 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups red (or green) lentils, rinsed and drained
8 cups vegetable stock or water
4 to 5 cups baby spinach
1 small handful fresh parsley
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 to 2 teaspoons sea salt or Herbamare
1. Peel and cut ends off of the onion and place into a food processor fitted with the “s” blade. Peel the garlic and place it into the food processor along with the onion. Pulse the onions and garlic until finely chopped.
2. Heat olive oil in a 6-quart pot. Add onions and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes or until soft.
3. Add the lentils and the vegetable both or water. Cover pot and simmer for about 25 minutes or until lentils are very soft and cooked through.
4. While the lentils are cooking, place the spinach and parsley into the food processor and pulse until minced.
5. Add minced parsley and spinach to the cooked lentils along with the lemon juice and sea salt. Simmer on low for another 3 to 5 minutes. Taste and add more salt or lemon juice if desired. Serve over cooked brown jasmine or brown basmati rice.
Recipe from pg 150 of The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook: The Recipes, by Alissa Setersten & Tom Malterre, MS, CN
Here's a recipe with lots of veggies, tomato paste and cumin. It's vegetarian if you substitute water or vegetable broth for chicken broth. I would substitute lemon juice for the red wine or red wine vinegar, as I am allergic to the sulfites in wine. I might even add a little lemon zest. I like lemon zest in spaghetti sauce. Might also try it with basil in place of cumin.
Another recipe with a little fresh tomato, cumin, coriander and grains of paradise. Bet I would like it without the cumin, maybe with black pepper if I didn't have grains of paradise. Though maybe coriander and grains of paradise would go well together.
Here's one with chicken, kale and tomato. Have fun trying something a little different.
Home-style Lentil Soup
Ingredients - amounts can be varied
1 pound dried lentils
2 medium to large chopped yellow onions (depending on whether you include scallions)
2 Tablespoons vegetable or olive oil (more if needed to caramelize onions)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried (optional)
2 large or 4 medium-sized ribs celery and some leaves, medium-diced
4 large or 6 medium-sized carrots, medium-diced
1 quarts water
1 pound diced ham, turkey ham or smoked turkey (optional)
Additional water or broth (about a quart)
Salt and additional pepper to taste
Rinsed, trimmed and diced green tops from 1 bunch scallions
Directions
Pick over and rinse lentils.
In a 6 quart or larger Dutch oven or stockpot on medium heat, saute the onions, pepper and thyme until the onions are translucent and start to caramelize, stirring frequently. For richer flavor, you can caramelize the onions to a light brown color. Watch that they don't burn. Lower heat if necessary. Add the celery and carrots and saute for a few more minutes if you have time. Add a quart of water and the lentils. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and start to simmer, covered. Dice meat (if used) and mix into hot soup.
If you need to transport the soup, this is a good time to do it, to prevent spilling. Place your kettle in a slightly larger cardboard box. When you reach your destination, add additional water or broth to the desired consistency (about a quart of water), bring to a boil again and simmer until the lentils are tender, about an hour. Or finish cooking in a 6-quart slow cooker. Lentils may continue to swell as they finish cooking, so you may need to adjust water or broth further. Shortly before the soup is done, add diced scallion tops, if you are using them. Add salt and additional pepper to taste.
Quantity Cooking: If you double the recipe, you will have enough for an 8-quart stockpot to take to a potluck, with about 2 quarts to leave home for later. Mix all ingredients after adding 2 quarts water and the diced meat, then transfer some to a 3-quart saucepan. Transport the 8-quart stockpot before adding additional water or broth. Take diced scallions with you in a little baggie if you plan to use them. If you have a big enough pot with a heavy bottom, you can multiply this recipe further. You could also transport cold soup in big plastic pitchers.
Other recipes
From our friend Jana, a healthy recipe with lemon and greens. We might use escarole, Tyfon Holland Greens, mild Asian greens such as Tatsoi, or even kale in place of spinach.
Lemon and Lentil Soup
This soup is a great dish to prepare when you don’t have a lot of time; we use a food processor for all of the chopping which cuts the preparation time in half. Serve this soup over cooked brown jasmine or basmati rice. This soup also freezes well for later use.
Serves 4 to 6
1 small onion
5 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups red (or green) lentils, rinsed and drained
8 cups vegetable stock or water
4 to 5 cups baby spinach
1 small handful fresh parsley
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 to 2 teaspoons sea salt or Herbamare
1. Peel and cut ends off of the onion and place into a food processor fitted with the “s” blade. Peel the garlic and place it into the food processor along with the onion. Pulse the onions and garlic until finely chopped.
2. Heat olive oil in a 6-quart pot. Add onions and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes or until soft.
3. Add the lentils and the vegetable both or water. Cover pot and simmer for about 25 minutes or until lentils are very soft and cooked through.
4. While the lentils are cooking, place the spinach and parsley into the food processor and pulse until minced.
5. Add minced parsley and spinach to the cooked lentils along with the lemon juice and sea salt. Simmer on low for another 3 to 5 minutes. Taste and add more salt or lemon juice if desired. Serve over cooked brown jasmine or brown basmati rice.
Recipe from pg 150 of The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook: The Recipes, by Alissa Setersten & Tom Malterre, MS, CN
Here's a recipe with lots of veggies, tomato paste and cumin. It's vegetarian if you substitute water or vegetable broth for chicken broth. I would substitute lemon juice for the red wine or red wine vinegar, as I am allergic to the sulfites in wine. I might even add a little lemon zest. I like lemon zest in spaghetti sauce. Might also try it with basil in place of cumin.
Another recipe with a little fresh tomato, cumin, coriander and grains of paradise. Bet I would like it without the cumin, maybe with black pepper if I didn't have grains of paradise. Though maybe coriander and grains of paradise would go well together.
Here's one with chicken, kale and tomato. Have fun trying something a little different.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Tomato Wisdom
Intelligence is knowing a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is knowing not to put one in a fruit salad.
Wisdom is knowing not to put one in a fruit salad.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Uh-Oh. Tooth Lice becoming more prevalent
Read about it here. As with most recent dietary/health news, more fruits and vegetables could help. Or oral louse traps.
Hope the first day of April is good to you.
Hope the first day of April is good to you.
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