Friday, July 29, 2011

Lessons

This week I have learned that........

Vine borers will get my pupmkins AGAIN!

Planting extra LARGE pumpkin varities mean that the pumpkins are larger and more pumpkin like by the time those pests destroy the vines.

Sweet potatoes are crazy. Crazy ground cover. Crazy plants.

The Goldfinches will gleefully dine on our sunflowers.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Lavender Harvest

I have been fond of lavender for only a few years of my long gardening life. It may have to do with all those years of shade to deep shade gardens that prevented me from noticing the beauty and simplicity of this fantastic plant. I never grew it I never had my hands on it, only its final forms of oils, waters, perfumes, herbs. Once I moved to a home that had ample sunshine lavender was just to me another plant to serve a purpose: Grow in a dry hot spot. That it did as well as made me love it for its hardiness. Growing aromatics have become my favorite in the garden. It all started with Rosemary and now well lavender has become my love.

Those first lavender plants I introduced to myself and this home grew with such energy that it was difficult to ignore. They welcomed our guests with their scent and gentle tickles from stray stems as people came to the front door. Then the bees. Oh the bees. 100s of bees became our newest friends. Dawn to dusk those bees went to work outside our front door. Constantly working on those blossoms the bees I know came from far away to harvest that pollen. I have always loved bees. The lavender only increased my appreciation of those integral insects. In the mornings I would sit on our steps between the rows of lavender watching the bees work. They would fly all around me frantic to get more pollen. There for a while I could almost identify each bee by their behavior it was so fascinating to be that connected with them. They became my pollinator pals. I loved my bees but many other people do not have my same affection. Spring through early summer the front walk became a scary place for kids and sensitive (to bees) adults.

That first year my lavender came and went. I picked some stems for the house but was not particular about reserving those precious buds. The following year the plants grew even larger. The bees returned in greater number. I remember sitting outside in early spring once it had gotten warm enough for bees to wake seeing them. They were investigating my lavender. Each bee, honey and bumble came periodically to keep an eye on those flowers. They were scouting out my garden. I felt flattered. I know that's what they do but I've never experienced that sort of relationship with bees. They came back because I had flowers they wanted to visit. The second year I let the lavender grow and the bees enjoy. I cut some stems here and there but waited for them to be of little interest to the bees before trimming them down. I bound up bouquets which I hung in my dining room to dry. Some I gave as gifts but most just remained in the dining room.

The third year the lavender came back but with less eagerness. By Spring they had just not produced. They were dying. One managed to hang on but I lost 4 plants that year. Heartbreaking. I missed my bees. To cheer me up Keith came up with a way to give me my lavender and bees. He constructed a small circle flower bed in the back yard. There we planted a crape myrtle with a ring of lavender and a ring of box wood. From that point on my lavender has been taking over that part of the yard. Growing eagerly without worry they have been doing so much better in the new spot. Although I miss sitting on the front steps with the bees it is far better for the bees and kids that there is space for each to go about their activities without interference. The lavender I grow is a hybrid and is commonly available at most garden centers. The Grosso variety is used by many for making oils and cosmetics. This lavender grows large and has a strong camphor. It is the perfect choice for using around the house in dried arrangements or potpourri.

Knowing your lavender is important only if you have plans for harvesting the buds. Growing lavender for harvest requires knowing the use you have in mind prior to choosing your plants. If you prefer to cook (eat) with your lavender then you will want to choose a culinary friendly lavender. The difference between a culinary lavender and a cosmetic lavender is very clear by the strength of the lavender's aroma. A culinary lavender will have a less intense aroma; the scent won't be overwhelming. A good culinary choice would be French lavenders which bloom earlier in the season. They make a great start to the lavender season. The camphor concentration in culinary lavender is less strong making them pleasant to use in your teas and dishes. Mistakenly using a hybrid lavender in place of a culinary version will result in an overpowering flavor borderline bitter in taste.

For the past few years I have exclusively grown the Grosso variety. It does well in our Southern environment taking the heat and humidity in stride. My Grosso lavender has been really easy to care for requiring little effort on my part. I make a point to keep them watered during dry spells and am sure to prune them back after the growing season. In return they have grown fast and large. Each year I collect the stems and dry them for small bouquets. This year I am collecting the buds only. In our first harvest of half the plants we collected a quart and a half of dried buds. We still have the other half of our harvest drying in a basket in the dining room. I have plans for using those buds to make sachets, essential oils, and linen water. Because I have a steady supply of my cosmetic lavender I want to move in the direction of culinary lavender. I admit my recent visit to a lavender farm (who charges 10 cents a stem) made me realize what a cost savings I could reap if I focus on growing more than one type of lavender.

We have become very fond of lavender lemonade. It just is such a wonderful drink that once you try it you will prefer that lemonade to all others. This beverage is a good motivator for finding space in the garden for new plants. Last summer I grew a few French lavenders. I had just enough to gather a few buds. Nothing on the level of my Grosso plants. The plan in my head is to set aside another location around our yard for the French lavenders. I like to put my lavender by type all together so that I can harvest them easier. With an already full garden finding a new location will be tricky to determine. Once I have a spot set I'll move those other plants so that I can have a little culinary lavender garden. See, it's just one step closer to having my own urban lavender farm. Can't you just imagine a whole yard filled with lavender. Oh wouldn't that be wonderful.

While I dream about fields of lavender I'll get to thinking about how to carve out a spot for my new lavender additions.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Saturday goings

Another day of solid hot steamy temperatures outside has been limiting our energy. You can only stand so much of that heat before it makes even the most pleasant person feel the grumpies coming. While this heat decides to take hold and linger we have decided to take advantage of the early and later parts of our day.

There have been the pre-breakfast garden duties paired with some good long swings on the swing set. Olivia has even found a way to work on her foot skills moving the soccer ball around the sprinklers on the lawn. Although she misses her typical hard drives up the lawn those moves have been replaced by slower more precise ball handling. I think that she is benefiting from the slower pace.

My typical weeding has been cut down. Boy howdy once that sun gets going that humidity sure makes the task less desirable. Little by little is my goal. We have some garden clearing to do so as to make room for our late season crop of veg. Sweet potatoes. Hrrmmph. Those guys are really making themselves welcome in that portion of the garden. And limiting my spare space. Nevertheless I'll press on. Cleverness is going to win out in the end.

Due to the heat our meals have been simple. Like corn on the cob for dinner. With a side of cool cantaloupe. Although we can go on for days eating that, well we girls, that is not going to help us charge through our CSA box. That's why tonight we're thinking like the French and having ratatouille. I'm getting everything ready to make my Easy Spiral Ratatouille tonight. I'll add a little egg noodle pasta and we're done. The plan is to eat a quick supper and then hit the pool. We'll follow that up with some ice cream for dessert.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Lessons

This week I have learned that.......

Baby food is not of interest to my baby. She wants YOUR food.

The cat still thinks he lives here.

The van does not fit in the garage.

A new haircut is just what a 9 year old needs to clean up that messy hair.

Tomatoes. T-OM-A-T-O-E-S are here in the garden. Joy!

Monday, July 18, 2011

Garden days

After a week away the garden took a turn for the crazy. Most of our veg did fine without my daily touch. The grape tomato is the worst of the bunch. It's holding on barely, it could be touch or go with that powerhouse. I hate to see that 'lil guy fold up for the season since the girls prefer to nibble on the tiny tomatoes. I'll see what I can do to help motivate 'em to hang on for us. The other two tomatoes are doing well. I had several ripe tomatoes ready for picking. Unfortunately I had to toss 4 into the woods. FOUR! What a sad thing to see is a tomato being devoured by eager bugs. They won't get a chance to take any more now that I'm back to keep those pests away.




This is the bounty I collected this morning. Quite a feast of tomatoes! There are 3 large white cucumbers and several Reisen onions. I have some bell pepper and jalapenos tucked under all those onions. It looks like we're having a batch of pico de gallo this week.




 I'm learning much about the gardening. For example sweet potatoes are viney. I never knew that about them. They have taken over a good portion of the garden. It's good and bad. Good for the green beans because they need the protection but bad because it makes getting around difficult. Also tomatillos are crazy. They grow very wacky. Tomatillos take up as much room as they can get really bushing out, almost horizontally. I caged up a few but they seem to prefer creeping along the ground. So long as they produce fruit it's all good. The bonus with them is not many bugs find them interesting. I am liking them a whole lot.





The heirloom sunflowers are looking good. I just love this dark red color. The bees have been so excited to visit. These flowers are a big deal in the garden attracting all sorts of bugs. In the morning it is quite the happening place. 


 When we left our pumpkins were just little balls but now boy have they grown. These are the Big Max variety. They are supposed to get super large. I just want ONE to make it to fall so that we can make a jack-o-lantern from it. So far so good. This year has turned out to be the best year ever for our pumpkins. Every year we lose them to vine borers and stink bugs. Although those stink bugs are going to be here soon so I could be telling a different story next month.


   This year I tried a new cucumber, a white one. It has been fun to see them so pale poking out from under the vines but for some reason they only get really FAT. I've been watching a couple now for a few days. They are starting out normal but there just seems to be a point at which they go from a standard cucumber shape to FAT. So strange. I think they will not make a return next year. I'm thinking next year some Israeli cucumbers. I find the smaller size makes a better portion for my needs


I had the girls wash our veg in the washtub before giving them a good scrub down. They cut off the onion tops and picked off the skins. For them it was fun to splash in the tub. I'll be doing this most certainly once those crazy sweet potatoes are ready.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Making Fregula

Making my own pasta has always been something I wanted to try. Fresh pasta. Sounds wonderful eh? I made fregula with my girls. Fregula is a pasta from Sardinia Italy. Fregula is little pasta pearls. It's an easy type of pasta to make. You do not need any special equipment. All you will need are: a bowl of water, some semolina flour, a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, well actually three of those, and 2 different mesh-sized strainers. Your strainers should have different mesh-sized holes in them to allow for a finer level of pasta sifting. Select a baking sheet from the three you prepared to be the fregula making station. Pour 2-3 cups of semolina on to the pan. Shake the pan to evenly distribute the flour.


Once you have your area ready to go all you need are some hands. I have several pairs in this house to help me. You dip your fingers in the bowl of water and flick the water off your fingers forming droplets in the semolina. 


After a good amount of water droplets have been distributed on the flour you begun to gently move the palm of your hand over the baking sheet in a circular motion. This movement creates little balls of dough. I like to rotate between running my hand over the flour and shaking the pan. I discovered that yielded the best result. When it looks like you have a good amount of fregula formed in your flour it's time to sift. Grab your second prepared baking sheet and place your finest mesh strainer on the sheet. On top of that set your larger mesh strainer. This is where having an extra set of hands helps, or if alone set those strainers over a large bowl. Take your flour pan and gently pour the fregula and flour into your large mesh strainer. Sift the flour over the finer mesh strainer making sure to catch any smaller fregula in the strainer below. In your large mesh strainer you should have the large fregula. Ours did not look all like little pearls, some were oddly shaped. Not a problem. Set those large fregula aside on your third baking sheet. Continue sifting the fine mesh strainer to separate out the flour. Put your flour back into your first baking sheet. The remaining fregula in the fine mesh strainer will be a mix of small and medium. To get those divided pour the fregula in your fine mesh strainer into the large mesh strainer. This should help remove the small pieces. Pour your fregula on the third baking sheet keeping them divided according to size. Repeat this process until all of your flour is gone or when you think you have made enough.



Leah really had fun working the pasta magic. She was the big droplet factory for our batch of fregula.



Here you can see the water droplets in the flour. We had all sorts of sizes of fregula. Some were so big from those oops moments of too much drippy fingers. Don't worry about that lumpy clumpy bits. We just set those bigger portions aside and pinched off smaller sized bits once we were done.



Olivia had the important job of keeping Adelynn busy as Leah and I finished the pasta.



By using the different mesh strainers you are sifting out the varied sizes of pasta. You will end up with larger fregula toward the left corner and finest fregula middle right of the picture. The fregula on the back of the sheet is the size that you want for the supper recipe. Really, using it all, save the finer fregula for soups, is not a problem. Once you have completed the fregula making it is time to toast the pasta. This is where separating the sizes is important. Heat your oven to 325 and place your large, medium and small fregula on three different baking sheets. Bake the small to medium sizes about 10 minutes. You will want to check on them after 5 minutes and give the pan a shake to help evenly toast them. The larger fregula will take about 20 minutes. Allow them to cool and you can store them in a glass jar or in a sealed bag in the freezer. I put my smallest fregula in the freezer for later. I went ahead and made supper with the remaining fregula. You boil fregula as you would dried pasta in water for about 8 minutes.

I made a pretty typical summer pasta sauce to go with this fregula.I chopped an onion and sauteed it with about 3 ounces of chopped bacon. Once the onion was soft and the bacon cooked I added half a cup of water. I added some salt, pepper and a dried bay leaf. I gave the mixture a good stir and added a pint of cherry tomatoes. I turned the heat down covered my pan and let the sauce cook until the tomatoes popped. At this point I began to cook the fregula. By the time the fregula was done my sauce was ready. About 10 minutes. I drained my fregula, turned off the heat for the sauce and combined the two together. I sprinkled a mixture of grated Parmesan cheese and fine bread crumbs seasoned with Italian seasoning over the top of the pasta. I placed the entire pan in the 400 degree oven (uncovered) to bake 20 minutes. Allow the pasta to cool before serving.

If you would like to make this dish but do not have the time to make fregula substitute Israeli couscous. For as much as I'd love to make this EVERY week there is no way I can do that with a busy house like ours. One day I'd like to get a pasta press for my mixer so that I can really go pasta crazy.  Until then we'll stick to the every once in a while fregula making.The girls were so excited to try supper that they could hardly wait to eat. They were also so proud of their hard work which contributed to such a delicious meal.

Saturday, July 09, 2011

Drive to Maine









Some of the sites we got to see along the way.