Gearing Up

Most of the garden is still feeling a little hesitant about throwing caution to the wind and letting loose with producing, but the signs that they're gearing up for all out production mode abound!

My Isabella Charantais' first female! This was taken Sunday, and I spotted two more today. They've been hand pollinated to up their chances of survival.

Looks like this lil one is making a comeback.

I decided to plant the Thai Hot pepper plant behind the melon plant above, along with some basil where the garlic used to be. It took the Thai Hot no time to settle in.

One of two White Habanero's is beginning to flower. These finicky little plants just didn't like the cool start to summer... Bring on the heat (pun intended)!

All three Tumbling Tom cherry tomato plants are beginning to flower, and look like this one...

The Meyer lemons are plumping up as well as putting out new leaves and flowers. My last lemon count was 25, and now it's down to 12 that are looking more and more like green lemons each day.

Although the plants are still relatively small (maybe 8" - 12" tall), both Bush Slicer cucumbers are hard at work...

As are the Bush King acorn squash...

It won't be long before my Purple Queens are added to the Harvest Monday tally.

I replaced all of the bolted lettuces in my salad table with basil I needed to plant. This brings my basil plant total to 4 varieties, and 23 plants. LOL I see lots of pesto in my future...

Two things not shown are my determinate tomatoes and the plums. The Pearson tomatoes are taking their sweet stinkin' time with producing anything, although they're flowering like crazy at the top of the plants. The Viva Italia is doing really well and is almost overtaking the two Pearson's behind it, but this too, is taking it's sweet time in giving me a red tomato. Some of the plums should be ready to pick this weekend. I picked four of the low hanging fruits, and they're still a little yellow around the stem and quite firm.

I fertilized all of the plants in my SWP's with a half-strength water soluble fertilizer (with my history of fertilizing thus far, I'm playing it safe!). With the exception of this and watering, things are pretty self sufficient right now. This leaves me with time for planning the fall garden, yessss!

Harvest Monday

I'm running a little short on time today, and want to get these up while I can, so please forgive my lack of intro, and all that proper blogging stuff... ;-)

All but one of my potato plants have died, so I decided to clean the buckets out. These were found on Wednesday in the first round of buckets I planted back in February. Close to half a pound there...

This morning I was going to get rid of the last two buckets...

...but decided to keep the one plant still half way thriving after discovering little potatoes growing up the stem!

I didn't find any potatoes in the bucket above, but the other bucket held around a half a pound of potatoes, mostly russet mini's, bringing this week's potato harvest to 1 pound. 

I spent some time snooping around the bush beans on Wednesday, and found these.

Here are a few pictures of the beans. It seems like each time I lift the bean leaves, there's new growth to be found...

I picked these yesterday, bringing this week's bean weight in at 12 ounces.

I'm thinking I'll pan fry the beans and potatoes with a little olive oil, thyme garlic and onion for a side tonight.

I also harvested some basil. The leaves on the left are standard Italian, and on the right are Italian Cameo. I'll talk about how I used these in this week's "CSA Wednesday" post.

I don't know if this is considered a "harvest" or not, but my Whirlybird nasturtiums are going to seed, so I've been saving the pods when they readily fall off the stem...

Each week Daphne over at Daphne's Dandelions hosts Harvest Monday. Check out her page to see what other's have been munchin' and crunchin' on this week.

CSA Wednesday, Week 3

Week three of our CSA has me feeling a little less excited than I was last week... I'm finding that a "bunch of this," and a "pound of that" is a bit much for us to finish in a week. On the flip side of that statement, I'm still trying to get into the new habit of incorporating more of the veggies into our meals. I'm also trying to get better at meal planning, which I haven't been able to stick to in my 3 years of off-again, on-again trying... Factor in not knowing what I'll be picking up until half way through the week, and it makes things a little more complicated...

By the bye, I found another article on Edible Communities about our farm if you'd like to learn more about it where my CSA shares are coming from.

Without  further ado, this week's share:

This week's share includes...
1.25 pounds apriums
1.25 pounds white flesh nectarines
1 basket red or yellow sweet and sour plums
1 bag loose leaf lettuce
1 bunch collards or choi (I chose choi)
1 pound summer squash (equaled one zucchini that was 1.5 pounds--variety is "Raven"*)
2 pounds Torpedo onions* (I found a large white one in the crate, so I took that with the Torpedo variety)
1 bunch (6 small to medium heads) of white garlic
1 bunch parsley or thyme (I chose thyme)
French batard loaf
Bonus Box: pickling cucumbers
*Links to varieties are not where the farm gets their seeds. I don't know where they get their seeds.

Where to start... Let's start with the fruits. I wasn't very excited about having apriums again. We still have a few left from last week because they've been hit or miss for us. Some have been too tart, and others have gone bad (even though they're stored in the fridge). They're also, well, "BM inducing" like the plouts/plums, and the LO is sensitive to "inducing" foods, so I'm supplementing his fruit intake with store-bought grapes and some watermelon (left over from Boy Wonder's school party). I was really hoping I'd be able to pick the stone fruit types again this week... Oh well... The white nectarines rock, so I'm happy to have more. I've never heard of "sweet and sour" plums before. They're the fruits that look like cherries in the picture. They sort of taste like a mix between plums and under ripe cherries.

There were "extras" in the bonus box today. Most were bruised fruit, but then there was an overflowing bag of the pickling cucumbers. I grabbed a handful to try making refrigerator pickles. Oh, my mouth is watering...

The big challenge for me this week will be using up the fruit. I think I'll make a dessert with the apriums. I'm happy to report that the choi will not be a problem to consume. I chose the choi over the collards (ok DH came with us today and he chose it) because it was a success last week.


Speaking of last week...
What's left:
Choi - about half the amount I brought home, but plan on using tomorrow.
1 large onion scape
1 plout
2 apriums
garlic (I added to the garlic I grew, and what I received this week)
a little chives

What I made:
The strawberries and bread were gone the first day, and the white nectarines disappeared shortly thereafter.
I've been pleasantly surprised with my chive usage. I thought the herb would go bad from not being used, but I only have a little left. I've been using scissors to snip, adding it to as many dishes as I can think of. It's been more of a color adder than flavor enhancer.

"Mrs. Farm Owner" recommended the following recipe for using the onion scapes.

Scape Pesto with Artichokes
I added some chopped asparagus that almost got lost in the fridge's veggie bin, and used jarred marinated artichoke hearts. I didn't use all of the onion scape pesto out of fear of the onion overpowering everything, but I should've added more. The pesto didn't have as much flavor as I thought it would... I froze the remaining pesto, and still have one huge scape sitting in a cup of water that I need to use.

A huge "THANK YOU" goes out to Clare from Curbstone Valley Farm for the following Choi recipe.
DH and I are obviously going to eat the food I make, our 2yo still doesn't "know better" and has more of a... refined pallet than our 8yo, so our picky 8yo is the one we use to gauge whether a recipe is a hit or not. Let me just say the following recipe was devoured by him, and was one of the quickest meals we've had since I made fried chicken in February (fried chicken is a big deal here)!

Can you tell I'm left-handed?

I'll call this "Clare's Tofu Stir Fry"
1 package extra firm tofu, drained and cubed into 1/2" pieces
2 Tbs oil (I used part canola, part sesame)
2-4 cloves, finely chopped
1-2 Tbs freshly grated ginger
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
1 bunch chopped pak choi
1 chopped bell pepper**
Prepared rice

Fry the tofu in the oil until edges are nice and crispy. Remove the tofu, and add garlic and ginger, and cook until aromatic and lightly golden. Toss the tofu back in the pan, add teriyaki sauce and cook for 1-2 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken. Add the chopped greens and cover just long enough to wilt the greens, about 2-3 minutes. Remove the lid and stir together. Serve over rice.

**I added the pepper to help appeal to the 8yo, and because I normally use them in a lot of dishes, and I've been missing them.

For dessert I used the Meyer lemons from week 1 in sandwich cookies I adapted from the original recipe here. I'm the lemon fan in the house, so guess who ate most of the cookies? LOL

Not Really a Harvest Monday

Maybe next week there will be something, but this week I only harvested 1 cup's worth of Purple and Italian basil which I made into a pesto. I didn't take a picture of it because it's been a pretty busy weekend, and I didn't get around to charging my camera battery. I used most of the pesto on focaccia, asiago, pesto and grilled chicken sandwiches last night for dinner. This has to be my new favorite sandwich...

I did, however, take a picture of my first batch of cherries I made from last week's harvest! I made Martha Stewart's Cherry Slab Pie.

This pie will have you feeling absolutely giddy...

BTW, if you don't have a cherry pitter, needle-nosed pliers work splendidly.

I pitted and froze the rest of the unused cherries to use when my mom-in-law visits next month since they're her favorite. I have a feeling I'll be making another slab pie for the 4th of July...

Since I don't have any harvesting going on, here are a few updates.
I killed my potato plants after digging the potatoes out. They're the two in the green pots, and the two in front. I was either too rough, or maybe it's from the 90 degree heat we're having (it's about time it warmed up).

Most of my lettuces bolted. Even though they were shaded, and my thermometer read a high of 80 degrees. I guess when the package says it can handle 80 degrees, it meant ever once in a while. At least it won't be long before I can start this mix over again, and then I'll have a nice head start on my fall lettuces.

We had more high winds at the end of last week. Time to get Boy Wonder out there to pick up the fruit before the ants and mice move in. click for carnage

On to the happy plants! Both sets of melons are flowering, although all male flowers at the point.

Even the almost-dead melon plant is making a come back.

I've been mistakenly calling these tomatoes "Pearson," but they're Viva Italia.

This is the Pearson tomato, and my first and only so far. It's a heavy lil guy too!

I haven't really talked about the few succulent plants from last year's acquisition that survived an outbreak of scale, were moved outside after the outbreak without hardening off, and endured a few nights of freezing temps, but here are two that are now blooming. A Hen & Chicks, and one I don't know about...

Summer vacation officially started today, so I'm off to hang out with the 8yo before the 2yo wakes up from his nap...

Ooohh, Fuu-ngus!

The weather has finally warmed up here, and my peppers growing in SWPs are finally starting to perk up. Ok, I admit they're not looking the healthiest, but three of five are starting to bear fruit (one is too young).

At first I thought they looked sickly because of the unusually cool temps and rain, and more recently because of over watering--not that I can control that in these containers at this point, but then I lifted up one of the lids...

So, let's see.. All five pepper plants, and one of two cucumbers have moldy soil, leaving my 18 gallon SWP with melons and a Tumbling Tom, and one cucumber fuzzless. *Enter pitiful winy cries* I took the lids off of all the affected plants, scraped off what mold I could then sprayed with Neem Oil. Did you know that all molds are fungi, but not all fungi are molds? Sounds like a square, rectangle thing... I'm going to keep the lids off for the rest of the season, and let the soil dry out for as long as I can to see if this helps. I don't know what else to do... Chime in if you have ideas!

My Compost Bin

I thought I'd jump on the compost bin bandwagon that Erin from Garden Now - Think Later started. What a fun posting topic!

My compost bin is more like a "heap," and this is what it currently looks like. It's made from recycled pallets that I obtained through craigslist, and I added chicken wire to the inside to keep the pile's contents inside (not that they are right now LOL--go wind).

Oh! I just added the picture and realized I'm doing double duty with showing you my fork. Better late than never! I always keep it there even though I rarely ever turn the pile. I only use it for turning the pile, and never think about putting it away.

Here's another view of the heap. It's located in the back right corner of the yard behind the orange tree, and out of view from the house (behind me is more dirt and the cherry tree). That was the only way I could convince DH to let me have a pile.

All the green on top of the pile are clippings from the bushes between the lawn and dirt (on the right side of the above pic). They were thrown on a few days ago. I guess I should mix them in... sigh...

If I had more space, I would love to add more bins like DaBeardedOne has, but I'd have to convince DH to let me expand, and I don't see that happening. It's not too bad since there's only dirt around the heap, and things aren't added to it frequently.

Aren't my weeds lovely? That dirt plot is what attracted us to this home, only to find out after we moved in that it's shaded majority of the day (except first thing when I took the pic) by huge redwoods in our neighbor's yard.  I've considered tilling the dirt, and making it a shade garden, but there's no way to easily water that area. Besides, I'm still holding on to the thought of it becoming a play area for chickens this fall or next spring.

Now it's your turn. Get out there and take some pics of your rotting piles!

CSA Wednesday, Week 2

This morning I woke up all giddy inside, excited to stop by the farm for this week's CSA share. While I packed up our fruits and veggies, and chatted with the owner, Shawn, the LO played with his dog, Bella. She's a very docile girl who put up with the few toddlers who were petting her (I swear she rolled her eyes a few times as they squealed with joy). I walked back to the car, toddler and organic booty in tow, feeling quite nostalgic.

This week's share includes...
4 (!) pounds mixed fruit; plouts, apriums, white nectarines (I was able to pick how many of each I wanted)
1 basket of strawberries (already half gone)
1 bunch of joy and meiking choi or kale (I chose the choi mix)
1 bag of loose leaf lettuce
1 bunch onion scapes
1 head pink blush garlic
1 bunch rosemary or chives (I chose chives)
rosemary focaccia bread sprinkled with salt & pepper

The only oddities for me this week are the choi and onion scapes.  Ok, the chives too... I'm just not a huge onion fan (I am learning though), but I didn't want the rosemary because I already have a big bush that I never cut from. If you have a good choi recipe, please share it!

This was waiting for me when I got home from the farm...

I don't plan on becoming a vegetarian (ever), but I've heard a lot of good things about this book, and decided to add it to my library. My goal is to up our vegetarian meals from 1 every 1-2 weeks to 2 a week. I also want to add more whole grains to the diet, and from what I've seen, vegetarian meals are loaded with them.

So, are you wondering how things went with last week's shares (say yes!)? I did pretty well getting things used up, and there wasn't too much grumbling going on at the table...

What's left:
red onion
lemons (When I needed to use a lemon I realized these are actually Meyers, so I haven't used 'em yet).
A teeny bit of kale

What I made:
All of the fruit were eaten raw with lunches, and as dinner sides, so they were easy to get rid of. The butter lettuce was a new variety for us, but again, easy to eat up since salads are the norm here...

The kale and fava beans were the biggies for me. After lots of searching, I ended up making these:

Pork Chops Stuffed with Kale and Mushrooms
I replaced the sage with 3Tbs thyme, and added extra garlic. Boy Wonder's response was, "This, actually isn't that bad, Mom." Success!

Fava Beans
2 pound favas, taken out of the pods
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/2 cup onions, chopped
olive oil

Put the favas into boiling water for 1-2 minutes to blanch. Remove immediately, rinse in cold water. Take the outer shell off each fava bean. Return to the pan and cook just the inner brighter green beans in the heated oil with the garlic and onion for 2-3 minutes.

Oh! Because last week's caramelized onion and cheese baguette was so friggin' awesome, I made a few of my own. They were delicious but needed more cheese and onions--a lot more.

Harvest Monday

There are two yummy harvests I'd like to share with you--one unexpected, but first I need to update you on last week's harvest...

After reading Granny's comment on someone's blog about being able to dig up potatoes and leave the plant to grow more, I thought I'd give it a try with mine. I was able to find potatoes in three buckets. The forth bucket that didn't have anything in it is also the one that had a plant die in a few weeks back.

Most of the potatoes were crammed in the bottom portion of the buckets, so maybe it's a good thing I pulled these out. I don't know why no potatoes have grown up along the stem of the plants as I covered them.

Just under two pounds. Not bad...

I ended up making microwaved potato chips with these, which were delicious!

My other harvest from last week was coriander... This is about 1/5 of what I have out there. They smell so good! Coriander is my second favorite spice (nutmeg is Numero Uno). I put it in almost every meat dish I use. I don't know if it makes a difference in flavor, but it sure helps my cooking mood when I smell it. I can't wait for these to finish drying so I can try them.

Today's harvests...
The rest of my CA White garlics were pulled this morning. Including the stems, they came in at 2 pounds, for a grand total of 3 pounds for 2 square feet. These were nice, full sized heads of garlic. Glad I kept them in the ground a few extra weeks. I'll probably replace them with basil (yea, more "random" basil, har).

I didn't think that all of the "bird food" cherries I mentioned yesterday bothered me at all, but at about three in the morning I shot straight up in bed and realized I had to get those cherries off the tree!

The first chance I had this morning, I was out there picking cherries. I didn't use a conventional method, like using a fruit picker, or climbing and picking by hand (although I did climb the tree a little). No, I hacked away at the already gnarly looking, hacked-at cherry tree with DH's twelve foot limb cutter. I can't think of what it's called, but it's the kind that has a pulley system with a rope connected to the blade.

A lot of the fruits fell victim to birds and squirrels...

Right as I was climbing into the tree using a step stool, I noticed these things, Right. Where. My. Hand. Was about to go. EEEWWWW! YUCK! BLEGH! OMGosh! Anyone know what these nasties are?!?! Over weight earwigs??? Bugs really don't bother me--except when I'm not expecting them. These totally freaked me out.

After an hour of work and a little child labor, I yielded 5.5 pounds of cherries!!!

Here are the lovely cherries in all their glory (hmm, maybe "all their glory" will be when they're prepared in pies, tarts, and maybe even cherry lemonade?)

Now if I could only think of a way to get the rest down... The 3 or so feet from being in the tree, plus my 5 foot 2 inches of height (those two inches are important), plus 12 feet of limb cutter were about 4 feet short of reaching the largest and best looking clusters... Maybe I'll wake up again tonight with a plan....

Each week Daphne over at Daphne's Dandelions hosts Harvest Monday. Check out her page to see what other's have been munchin' and crunchin' on this week.