Marinated Salad Recipes for Super Saturday

In-the-Pink Salad (with beans and beets) is a variation on Black-eyed Pea Confetti Salad.   It is a good choice if your power is out and you can't cook or refrigerate your food.   Also great for picnics.  

The coleslaw at Super Saturday was Christmas Party Coleslaw, substituting carrot and parsley for chiles.  There's a family-sized recipe at the link. 

You might also like to try Italian-style Marinated Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad for winter or Marinated Italian Tomato and Cucumber Salad for summer.    

June 9 Tomatoes (and apricots)

The forcast today is for 108 degrees, so I had to finish in the garden early.

My second non-cherry heirloom tomato of the season is Aunt Ginny's Purple, at the top.  The first of the season was Stump of the World.  Very tasty.  You can see from the photo that not all "purple" tomatoes are really purple.  Some just lack yellow coloration in their skin. 

Aunt Ginny's Purple is a famous tomato.  The name reminds me of Aunt Virginia.  She grew tomatoes, and served some of them sliced on French Toast (unsweetened) for breakfast.  Wonderful.  

Clockwise from Aunt Ginny is Barbara, a sweet plum tomato - a disease-resistant hybrid which is no longer available from seed.  Too bad. 

Golden Amber apricot - a late one.  Sweet, a little soft.

Miracle Sweet tomato - Early, sweet.  Hybrid seed no longer available.

Sun Glow, Teardrop and Tomatoberry Garden (the little ones).  Sun Gold is famous for a reason.  Tomatoberry Garden is also very good.  Shaped like little strawberries.  Teardrop is another discontinued hybrid.  Sweet, firm.

Moreton Hybrid - One of the first hybrid tomatoes, the favorite of Betty's parents.  Parent lines were once thought lost, but the hybrid was revived because of its popularity.  Full of flavor.

Juliet - A small, sweet hybrid plum.  Firm.  Has a reputation for disease resistance and reliability.  Recommended for roasting as halves. 

BIG zucchinis, First Medium-Sized Tomatoes, Recipes

We have one variety of zucchini (Sweet Zuke) on which the fruits seem to to successfully hide among the stems and leaves of the plants until they get VERY BIG.  You can see a younger one at the top of the photo.  The big ones have lost their gloss, but the skin still seems tender.  You also need a knife to pick this one, as it often breaks at the neck if you're not careful. 

Anybody have a good stuffed zucchini recipe?  Microwave recipes welcome for hot weather.  Otherwise, the big ones are good for zucchini bread and zucchini pancakes, either fancy gluten- and dairy-free ones or make them more like traditional (grated) potato pancakes.    David's Mom uses a little Bisquick with the zucchini.  There are also recipes which add cheese, corn and other ingredients.  A slice of tomato on top might be nice.  Aunt Virginia used to serve sliced tomatoes with (unsweetened) French Toast. Wonderful. 

We've been picking cherry tomatoes, Yellow Perfection and Garden Peach (from purchased plants) for a while now.  Garden Peach is a small, non-shiny pale yellow tomato with a faint "fuzz" that wipes off.  Nice sweet flavor with a little acid, but not too much "tomato" flavor.   Slightly fruity in flavor.

Our first medium-sized tomato, slightly bigger than Yellow Perfection, ripened about May 28.   Fourth of July is the variety.  Makes sense, as it is a very early one.  Tough skin, but easy to peel and nice tomato flavor and red color.  Others followed right away - Big Beef, Aunt Ginny's Purple (actually rosy pink - the name makes me think of Aunt Virginia)  and not-so-giant Belgium Giant.  David says the last one tastes like the tomatoes his grandpa used to grow.  Picked a couple of dark Nyagous with green shoulders, too.  Both had a crack at the shoulder.  Uncharacteristic of this variety.  I was surprised to get them right after Fourth of July, as this is supposed to be a later tomato.  Had some smokey flavor, but Fourth of July had more "tomato" flavor.  

We also got a Little Lucky (yellow and blush bicolor).  Sweet, not too flavorful, but the first tomatoes are often not representative.   I picked an Indian Striped tomato yesterday.  It still had green shoulders, though it can reportedly be picked when it looks ripe, unlike many other dark tomatoes.  It has a crack in the shoulder.  I'll let it sit for a couple of days before we eat it. 

We've had several days at or above 100 degrees already.  There have been some spider mite-related foliage problems already.  Next year, I'll try to start seeds in mid-January and plant them out soon after March 15. 

What happens when we skip a day picking squash?

They just keep growing.  A few of zucchinis are stuffing size now.

The squash we should have picked yesterday, plus today's harvest, is below with some windfall Flavor Delight Apriums and Harcot Apricots (the ones with the red blush).  These two varieties are well-adapted here, along with the apricots Golden Sweet (commercial variety, just coming off patent and becoming available for home growers), Robada (commercial, sweet pit variety, needs a pollenizer, developed by USDA) and Tomcot (best with a pollenizer)

Today was the best gardening day we've had in a while.  I also transplanted some extra seedlings from a row of melons.  They HATE that when they have true leaves, but I think some of them will make it.  Tied up the cucumbers, too.

I'm not much on gardening in containers in summer in our hot climate, but I planted Red Russian kale in a pot with some chrysanthemums last fall.  I used it often in salads with angel hair-cut cabbage.  It is more tender than most kale varieties.

It's bolting now.  You can see its skinny seedheads and yellow blossoms behind the chrysanthemums, which seem to have picked an odd time to bloom again.  The color of Red Russian kale is great with chrysanthemums with blue-green leaves and purplish or pink flowers.

I also threw caution to the wind this year and planted some peppers (Mariachi and Monster Jalapeno) in a pot with some marigolds.  They're next to a pot o' ground cherries (first time I'm trying these), in the afternoon shade of a couple of big English roses.  Most places, I would not recommend shade for hot peppers.  Here, in a pot, yes.  I'll let you know how they do.

Early Harvest, 2013

Above, an all-yellow early harvest: Two Yellow Perfection tomatoes (a variety from England - smaller than a ping pong ball), three Sungold tomatoes (even smaller) and one baby Meteor yellow zucchini. They're nestled among the prettiest weed of the season, Mexican Evening Primrose.   Yellow Perfection is a pleasant tomato with some sweetness, on the mild side but not bland.  The great Sungold has not come into its own yet this season.  Both varieties had tough skin on these first tomatoes (on the plant before transplant).  

We've only had a few Sungold tomatoes and one other Yellow Perfection (given away) so far this season. Should have started a couple of weeks earlier. Next year. . . .

Update: the day after I harvested the first squash of the year above, I got a Magda, a Zephyr and a Sweet Zuke (examples pictured in a previous post here. )  Princess Kitty Darla has  more kitty friends now than she did in the picture at the link and may now qualify as Queen.   I also got a Butter Scallop the second day (looks like its name) and a Supersett (yellow crookneck).  Same old seeds I had in 2011, pretty much.   By May 11, two days after the first zucchini was harvested, we had a total of 19 squashes.  Once these plants start . . . I also planted Peter Pan, a scallop, from quite old seed.  It is behind the others in development.  

 The lettuce above is now too bitter to eat, but it was nice while it lasted.  Doesn't take much potting mix to grow cut-and-come-again leaf lettuce in winter here.  These are growing in trays from supermarket barbecued chicken.  My favorite cool-season crops this year were Tatsoi and its later blossoms, broccoli and Red Russian kale.  UPDATE for Gilly:   Tatsoi is one of the cutest edible plants ever, and would look nice with pansies or other low-growing plants.  I planted Red Russian Kale in a pot with some mauve and pink chrysanthemums.

2013 tomato wish list

Varieties in bold type below are on my "wish list". If you want information or seeds for another variety, let me know. SEED CATALOGS ARE COMING IN. If you live in the Valley and want to start your own plants or supply your favorite nursery with seeds to start a favored variety for you, you need to act fairly soon. These are the varieties we planted this year:
German Johnson regular leaf vs. Big Pink Hybrid (Burpee)

Brandy Boy Hybrid vs. Pink Brandy Master Hybrid 

Black Krim vs. Black Prince (already know Nyagous does well here)
Cherokee Purple

Jetsetter vs. Early Girl 

Better Boy vs. Champion

 Big Beef vs. Park Whopper vs. Goliath vs Beefmaster

 Yellow Brandywine vs. Golden Jubilee vs. Lemon Boy
Solar Power (Burpee) vs. Orange Wellington 

Husky Cherry Red vs. Cherry Punch (new variety, compact plants)

Black Cherry vs. Chocolate Cherry

Sun Gold vs. SunSugar
2013 CHERRY AND GRAPE TOMATOES
Yesterday, December 14, we had a light frost, which did not affect our surviving cherry tomatoes. The best-flavored ones still in the garden are Chocolate Cherry, a dark-colored tomato which is picked while it still has green shoulders (like most dark tomatoes. It was not outstanding in hot weather. It is available from Bonnie Plants, in their children's garden series. Black Cherry, the favorite of tomato nuts, does not seem to be particularly well-suited to our climate. For those with cooler summers, be aware that it is sort of late for a cherry.
We also compared Sun Gold and SunSugar. Both were lovely at certain times during the summer, but are not so great now. Sun Gold is the favorite of tomato nuts for its unique, fruity flavor. Sun Sugar is even sweeter, but less fruity. It is resistant to a couple of tomato diseases. Our red varieties of cherry types were nothing to brag about. Many people who like "tomato flavor" recommend Husky Cherry Red, a Short Internode Indeterminate variety. I like sweet cherries better. Cherry Punch was not good. Plants looked nice, though. Neither of our compact red cherry plants look so good this time of year.
Reds to try in 2013: Sweet Million (sweet, disease-resistant) and/or Sweet Baby Girl (Compact indeterminate, some disease resistance).
Napa Grape is a red Burpee grape we grew one year. It is very sweet and maintains its quality in cool weather. Burpee generally doesn't release information on disease resistance. Also recommended for the Valley: Golden Honey Bunch. Might also try Rosalita (pink grape) Sweet Quartz (pink cherry) Jenny Hybrid, Orange Paruche, Ladybug and/or Cherry Roma. Already have seeds.
2013 COCKTAIL/SALAD-SIZED WISH LIST
Moravski Div (Wonder of Moravia) The only extra-early tomato recommended by tomato expert Carolyn Male. May be the only tomato I try to plant in a container (to protect during frost). Semi-determinate. Container tomato growers in cooler-summer climates may want to try some of the new internationally developed (by amateurs) Dwarf Indeterminate varieties.
Mountain Magic F1. Cocktail tomato (large cherry) recommended for flavor. Good choice for humid climates also, as it is blight-resistant and resistant to several other tomato diseases.
Flamme (Jaune Flammee) Old French cocktail-sized tomato, intense flavor, holds color when dried or roasted. Productive.
Bulgarian Triumph (the round ones). Love the name. Not real early. Or Brandysweet Plum.
Moskvich Does well here. Starts early, keeps going in heat.
Cosmonaut Volkov from Ukraine. Does well here. Nice flavor.
Nyagous - a "black" tomato, picked with green shoulders. Beautiful little tomatoes, my healthiest plants the year I grew it.
AAA Sweet Solano - Yellow/orange striped tomato - sweet, firm, beautiful, on the late side.
DARK TOMATOES, STANDARD TO LARGE
Indian Stripe, the slightly smaller, slightly earlier, slightly more heat-tolerant cousin of Cherokee Purple. May be picked fully ripe, unlike most dark tomatoes. Cherokee Purple is wonderful, but is not productive here.
JD's Special C Tex or Gary O Sena - have grown before. Similar to Cherokee Purple. Large.
Burgundy Traveler - Better than Arkansas traveler, medium-sized.
No larger "blacks" this year, I think. Nyagous may be my only "black". No luck with other blacks last year.

Moldy Mounds of Dirt (Treat for Kids Only)

These are prepared on the Rice Krispies Treats model with cocoa-flavored cereal, for Trunk or Treat parties. Ugly -- gummy worm emerging from each mound of dirt optional.

Regular Batch
Spray a very large bowl and a 9 x 13 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper if you intent to make shaped mounds rather than rectangles.  If desired, crush chocolate cookie wafers to decorate the finished treats (I took some Oreos apart and used the halves with no filling to crush, putting the remaining halves together for "double stuff" Oreos). Reserve crushed cookies in a bowl.

Measure about 8 1/2 cups Cocoa Pebbles or Cocoa Dyno-Bites (13 oz. box) into the very large bowl you have sprayed with non-stick spray. Have a sturdy spatula or large spoon ready for stirring.

Melt 1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick) in a microwave, in a large microwave-proof bowl. Pour in a 10 oz. bag of marshmallows and stir to coat marshmallows with butter. Melt marshmallows completely in the microwave on high power for about 1 1/2 minutes, stirring once at 45 seconds. Pour and scrape melted marshmallow mixture into cereal and quickly stir to coat the cereal. Scrape into the prepared 9 x 13 inch pan and press evenly into the pan with buttered hands (or spray hands with non-stick cooking spray). If you intend to serve as bars, sprinkle some cookie crumbs over the cereal mixture and press into the top if desired, to make the top look "dirty". Also makes the bars less sticky (you could also coat the bottom of the pan with cookie crumbs before adding cereal if desired).  Cut when cooled. Cover tightly to store.

If you want to make "moldy mounds of dirt", score the warm cereal mixture quickly into serving-sized pieces. With buttered hands, shape each piece into a flat-bottomed mound, shaping it around half of a gummy worm if desired, so that the other  half of the worm emerges from the "mound of dirt". Firm cereal mixture around the worm. Roll the mound in crushed cookies to give the appearance of an uneven, dirty surface. Press cookie crumbs into cereal mixture and set on waxed paper-lined cookie sheet to cool.

Big Batch

Prepare as above, using a 16 oz. bag of marshmallows, 13 cups of cereal and 6 Tablespoons of butter. Marshmallows will take a little longer to melt and you will need BIG bowls both for the microwave and the cereal. I put the mixture in a  10 x 15 inch baking dish(sprayed with non-stick cooking spray as above) to score it into serving sections, then quickly shaped the pieces around gummy worms and coated with cookie crumbs. I set the mounds on a 1/2 hotel sheet lined with waxed paper, but you could use 2 smaller cookie sheets. I got 31 mounds of dirt, most of them quite large for a kid (slightly smaller than a cupcake).

NOTE: If you get a 42 oz. bag of Cocoa Dyno-Bites cereal, you can make 2 big batches if you substitute a cup or two of another ingredient for cereal in each batch -- nuts, coconut, another kind of cereal, etc. I would not try to make a double batch at one time - just too big. Separate batches are much more feasible.