Jessica P. The bees, the trees and my knees.: September 2011

September 19, 2011

Although as I type this the season is still technically summer I have to explain why the newsletter is so late to appear. I write my newsletters to showcase the produce of that season. Summer was slightly tardy this year. I was generally unconcerned, I love cool weather for working outside and always the optimist I felt summer would be here sooner or later, however the garden suffered slightly as a result. We were eating lots of cool weather tolerant beets, beet greens, swiss chard, lettuces, green onions, carrots, potatoes, kale, radishes and peas early in the summer, similar fare to what we were enjoying in the Spring months. The beans were a little poky but started to produce shortly after, the celery took off despite it's intense love and need of heat and the leeks are of a usable size for a couple of weeks now. Some early rutabagas are ready now and the remaining will be left to develop further before being left in for frost to convert the starches to sugars. Just now it seems the real summer produce is starting to mature. I finally had enough tomatoes for salsa yesterday with very few ripe, red cherry tomatoes for snacking on. They may need to be picked prematurely and wrapped in newspaper to hopefully ripen if they don't ripen sooner than later on the vine which I would prefer. I may have enough ground cherries for a pie soon which I have been desperate to try since I started growing them about three years ago. The garlic was late finishing around the middle of August. We have tried a few onions and shallots so far however the majority are still maturing, although this is our first year growing onions from seed, late maturation could be the norm. I have artichokes and broccoli that are still thriving and developing and peppers are still forming. The weather was extremely favourable for the second succession of heat loving bush beans we had planted that are still showing their prolific nature. Our everbearing strawberries are still producing their beautiful berries with no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Everything did fine although slightly delayed. Yields were typical, just later than expected from previous years. No matter, naturally dynamic we will adjust to our situation. At this rate we will still be enjoying tomatoes into October with pumpkins and watermelon.

We are still planting the odd thing here and there. Several weeks ago we planted a fall crop of peas, kale, radishes, broccoli, brussel sprouts, beets, swiss chard, green onions and lettuces. These days you may often hear fall being referred to as 'Second Spring' in gardening literature. Fall is a fantastic time to grow cool weather tolerant crops from seed or transplants. The soil has already warmed helping plants get started, where in spring it takes the soil what seems like an eternity to warm up, most pests are decreasing in numbers, weeds are slowing down and droughts may be done for. Build your garden bed up to raised proportions in case of copious rainfall autumn can be notorious for. Row covers,cold frames and cloches are handy tools to extend growth and harvest as well as protection. In some cases they are not even needed, I've successfully overwintered green onions here and stored carrots, parsnips and other root vegetables under mulch in soil. You will want to leave carrots, parsnips and rutabagas in the ground to be touched by the frost which converts the starches of root vegetables into sugars. Kale is extremely cold tolerant and is often picked after a quick swipe to remove the snow covering. It is a bit too late now to be planting anything but bulbs although some kale transplants, green onions and maybe swiss chard or spinach could probably be coaxed to grow. I use kale as a cover crop that serves two purposes you can eat the leaves until they are covered with snow. A few weeks ago we started sowing cover crops, it is getting little late now however you may still have luck with some rye as a cover crop. Rye will tolerate and sprout in cooler soils.

You can learn about the many functions and benefits of cover crops here.

Mother Earth News. Cover Crops: Options, tips and advantages for the home garden.

Tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini are usually available in abundance this time of year. If you do not grow a garden ask a neighbour, friend or co-worker if anyone is overwhelmed with their yields. Zucchini are notorious for needing to be used up in lasagnas, soups, preserves, loaves and plenty of other concoctions. In rural areas it would not be a surprise to discover a bag of zucchini left on a door knob by a neighbour or friend. It is truly amazing how prolific one zucchini vine can be. Cucumbers are a similar story although it seems they have more intended purposes. Relishes, mustard pickles, dills and bread and butter pickles are common ways cucumbers are used. Here we love a simple side dish of sliced cukes with dinner or as a snack. I eat them straight from the garden, after brushing them off on my t-shirt, of course. Nothing beats tomatoes straight from the garden sliced or eaten like an apple. I especially enjoy making a marinara sauce out of fresh tomatoes where you will really notice the difference between their canned counterpart. Try baked zucchini slices topped with fresh garlic and marinara sauce for a real seasonal treat.

Pick or forage for wild blueberries, chanterelle mushrooms, cranberries, raspberries and apples from mid-late summer to mid-late fall. Different varieties and location seem to affect the timing of the berries and apples. Juices and ciders can be made from the apples and berries. A lovely friend just informed me that the leaves of blueberries can be consumed in tea form and are thought to have many health benefits including high levels of antioxidants. They should be picked after the leaves turn red. I am yet to try the tea but will be picking some leaves very shortly to try! I have picked red raspberry leaves for tea so I am anxious to try the blueberry tea. Chanterelles can be enjoyed almost any way you'd enjoy other mushrooms and fungi and can even be dried for storage. This highlights an important point, eating locally does not cost a lot of money and often can be free. Many things can be free while simply requiring only a walk through nature. The added bonus of foraging for food is the exercise you get while doing so not to mention how stress relieving and peaceful people find walking in nature to be.

Recipes

Chanterelle Saute

Approximately a pound of chanterelle mushrooms, cleaned.

1 clove garlic or 1 shallot diced

3 tablespoons good quality butter or ghee

1/4 cup chicken stock, white wine or water

parsley and lemon juice (optional)

Slice chanterelles in half or quarters for larger mushrooms. Melt butter over medium heat, ghee may be heated to medium/high heat, and add garlic or shallot and saute about one minute prior to adding mushrooms. Add mushrooms and saute about two-three minutes before adding liquid, until mushrooms are softened. Add liquid and saute until desired texture. Remove from heat and toss with lemon juice and fresh parsley. Serve immediately. Other mushrooms and vegetables such as diced celery could be added if desired.

Maple Blueberry Smoothie

1 cup plain organic yogurt

1-2 tsp good quality, local maple syrup OR honey if preferred.

1/2 cup fresh local apple juice or cider

1/2 cup local blueberries fresh or frozen. Use frozen berries to obtain an thicker smoothie with ice pieces, fresh blueberries for a thinner smoothie.

Combine ingredients in blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Makes one very large serving or two smaller servings to share.

Into the fall months, as pumpkins become available, try this smoothie with 1-2 tbsp of fresh, lightly toasted pumpkin seeds.

Fresh Tomato Salsa

3-5 tomatoes chopped to desired size

1/2-1 medium onion, red or white diced

1/2 green pepper chopped into small pieces

optional jalapenos or other hot peppers 1/2-desired amount, diced with either seeds and membrane included or discarded according to preference. Use care when dicing hot peppers, do not touch eyes or other body parts as the oils can actually burn you. The hot peppers are not necessary for flavour in this salsa, made with fresh ingredients this salsa is delicious with or without the heat.

Chopped cilantro, up to 1 cup.

Vinegar, lemon or lime juice to taste

Salt, pepper and optional cumin to taste

Combine vegetables in bowl add cilantro, acid component of choice (vinegar, lemon or lime) and other seasonings. Adjust to taste, serve wherever you would normally use salsas.

'Creamy' Zucchini Soup

A great way to use up extra zukes!

2-3 zucchinis chopped, about 6 cups of chopped zucchini

1 large red or white potato chopped small

3 cloves diced garlic or equivalent shallots, onions or leeks.

3-4 stalks celery depending on size, chopped small

3 tbsp. Butter or ghee

6-8 cups chicken or vegetable stock or water.

Several handfuls of chopped parsley

Melt butter or ghee in a large soup pot. Add potato and saute until just slightly tender. Add garlic or onion and celery and saute until just transparent. Add zucchini and stir well. Add liquid and cook until zucchini is tender but not falling apart. Add parsley while saving a few sprigs for garnish and allow to cool before processing until smooth and 'creamy'.

Tomato and Basil Easy Antipasto Platter

4-5 sliced tomatoes

Enough smaller basil leaves to cover tomato slices

Salt and pepper to taste

Parsley for garnish

Apple cider, balsamic or white vinegar

Olive, walnut, hemp or other oil.

Simply layer tomatoes and basil leaves in a decorative pattern on a plate or platter. Garnish with parsley, sprinkle with salt and pepper and right before serving drizzle with alternating vinegar and oil. Enjoy!

Fresh or Frozen Berry Salad.

1 cup Raspberries divided in half.

1 Cup Strawberries

3/4 cup Blueberries

1-2 tbsp local honey

Ground cherries for garnish

Take 1/2 cup raspberries and mash really well until partially liquid. Mix mashed raspberries with desired amount of honey to taste. Pour over mixed berries and fold together very lightly as not to damage berries. Serve in wine glasses or parfait cups with 1-2 ground cherries partly opened and placed on top. Ground cherries are often used as a garnish due to their lovely appearance.

Depending on when the first frost of fall hits, I imagine we will be enjoying our summer fare for a bit yet. Our pumpkins, squashes and melons are displaying a late nature and may need to be covered by sheets depending on frost dates, as well as our zucchini. I am hoping our brussel sprouts, broccoli and other fall fare will be ready for consumption sooner than later. I am not wishing to hurry anything along though, I will take the beautiful, warm fall weather as long as I can have it. To learn more about fall gardening you can check out this article from Mother Earth News magazine right here.

Top Tips For Great Fall Gardens.

I find it truly amazing to see how late and well things will grow into the fall.

While trying to sort my thoughts today I decided to jot down a quick to-do list. I thought it was a neat glimpse into my day so I decided to share it. I would normally walk my dog Dio every morning for an hour but he is currently displaying a slight limp and gets the day off to rest and recover.

Chickens-Done! Gathered eggs or rather stole them from our currently broody hen, Mama, cleaned and changed waterer, freshened feed and fed our food scraps from yesterday.

Make sourdough to rise.

Hang onions/shallots that are ready to dry. Trim the dried garlic for storage.

Clean out chicken house and add contents to manure pile.

Pick at weeding the garden. (This is done everyday to some extent)

Start sowing rye as a cover crop in the cleared areas of the garden where kale isn't being transplanted.

Transplant kale into garden.

Pick through the strawberries for any ripe or rotten ones that need to be removed.

Harvest tomatoes that are ready, maybe make salsa depending on yield, pick ground cherries and green peppers that are ready and train peas toward fence.

Pick green and yellow beans to be pickled this evening.

Work on my summer newsletter for blog.

This should take me until 2:00pm when I have to get ready to head to town, provided I go start my sourdough right now!