Current Line-up

The vegetables are loving this mild summer. I found myself sitting on the soil hand-plucking little weeds. All of a sudden I had the feeling that I was becoming incased in foliage. I swear I could hear the leaves bursting from the stems as I sat there. When I got up it felt as though everything grew a foot while I was sitting there…except for the sunflowers. Those little guys are having a hard time for one reason or another.

I failed to post a diagram of my summer garden earlier this year but here is a picture. Better late than never I say!

Current line-up:

Tomatoes – I’m not even going to attempt to guess which varieties I have. It will be a surprise to all of us!

Potatoes – French fingerling, red, white, Yukon, russet

Artichoke

Eggplant

Zucchini

Yellow straight neck squash

Buttercup squash

Cucumbers – Armenian, Lemon, Pickling

Carrots – Red and typical orange

Pinto Beans

Cow peas

Peppers/Chiles – Thai, Habaneros, Jalapenos, Big Jims, Poblanos, Hot Banana, Sweet red stuffing (I like spicy!)

Okra

Tomatillos

Sunflowers

Leeks

Watermelon

Butternut squash

Beets – Golden and traditional

Chard – Rainbow and Swiss

Pumpkins - ???

Scallions and Chinese onions

Lettuce – I’m letting this batch all go to seed so that I can harvest them for next year

Herbs and flowers  

I harvested all of my garlic and shallots this weekend. That was a blast! I loved yanking those suckers out of the ground.  Some were rather small so I saved a few of the largest heads to plant next year in hopes that the natural selection process is prosperous for me.

Some pictures from this weekend:

Eggplant

Volunteer pumpkin. You can see the tip of my toes
near the bottom of the pumpkin for scale purposes.

Apparently a second round of artichokes!

Little corn coming up. It's hard to see with the weeds behind them.

The cutest little Armenian cucumber you could imagine. 

Potatoes. Beans are on the front edge.

In the upper left corner there is a plant that looks like it has round scalloped leaves. I think it
might be a hollyhock that I planted last year and never came up. I'll have to be patient to find out.

Chinese onions

Buttercup squash

An example of the ridiculous amount of squash I'm getting.

Herb and flower garden

Not much diversity here but a good crop for me to enjoy this week.

I hope everyone is finding success with their gardens this year! Mine is off to a slow start but based on what I experienced this weekend I think everything will be here in no time.

Daphne

Chickpea Update

Chickpeas, garbanzo beans, yummy beans for hummus – whatever you like to call them – I have harvested them. I don’t know if they are ready. In fact I don’t know anything about them except that I planted them as a cover crop and now they have hanging pods. I’m guessing the peas are inside.


To be honest this post was written a while ago so it would be fair to tell you that these pictures and harvesting were from April.

I planted the beans back in November and inoculated them with the appropriate bacteria and they’ve been plugging away, fixing nitrogen in the soil and apparently making new beans.

When I buy the beans at the store they are usually hard as a rock and need to be soaked or sadly canned.

I read in my Farmers’ Market newsletter:

“Have you ever eaten a fresh green garbanzo bean? They can soon be found at our markets in their fuzzy pillowlike pods, and some farmers pull the entire bushy plant from the roots. This means fresh garbanzos are here for a limited time. Not only are they rich in minerals and folate, but just one ounce provides 5 grams of both protein and fiber.”

I had some at home! I yanked them out of the ground and placed them in a paper bag.

After plucking away at them and finding that the pods are very similar to bubble wrap - snap, snap, pop - I found a delicious bean inside. I ate them raw but I'm all you'd need to do is dry them to preserve them for future use.


This is what these gems look like:

Freshly husked chickpeas.

I recommend you try these out next year!

Daphne

Keeping Basil Fresh

Have you ever gone out to the garden and saw that your basil has grown what seems a foot over night? I try to pick and pinch back my sweet basil to keep it bushy.

The cinnamon basil is another story because I love to see it flower and watch the bees dance on the pale purple blossoms. Plus, how much cinnamon basil can one eat anyhow?

Now, back to the sweet basil. Once you pinch everything back, how can you keep this bushel of basil fresh for a few days so you can use it for pesto one night and a Margarita pizza the next, etc.?

I've tried everything but then I found the answer! Keeping basil in the refrigerator is a move in the wrong direction. I know that this goes against all common sense and rules of other herbs. Basil turns dark brow in the refrigerator. Setting it in a glass of water isn't that much better. I know it starts growing roots and it will stick around for weeks but I don't like how it gets leggy and to me it just isn't worth it since I have access to fresh basil out in my garden at least once a week. My goal is to keep what I pick fresh and perfect for a week.

Basil needs to be kept on the counter at room temperature but it needs a bubble of protection...a zip top bag. Pick your basil or buy a bunch at the farmers' market and don't wash it. The moisture will make it go bad quickly - wash your basil and pat it dry right before you consume it or cook with it.

1. Put your basil in a zip top bag and make sure you have plenty of air space in the bag. You may need to use a few bags so you don't crowd the leaves.
2. Zip the bag almost all the way closed.
3. Put a straw in the opening and blow air into the bag until it is completely full.
4. Quickly remove the straw and zip it shut so that the air is trapped inside.



Basil put into the bag and then air blown into the bag with a straw.

 The basil will be floating around loosely in the bag. Just leave it on the counter. Again, do not put it in the refrigerator.



Bag of 10 day old basil.

 I've had this bag of basil sitting on the counter for 10 days and it looks great. Some condensation has started accumulating so a few of the leaves that are on the bottom have gotten a little brown from the moisture but the leaves on the top look beautiful and are actually blooming. They've somehow grown so to speak.

This method has worked perfect for me and I think it will for you too!

Daphne

Count Your Riches



Onion Blossom with three bees.



June has come and gone. A lot has happened since my last post. A lot of personal things and a lot of gardening things…

Since I use this blog primarily as a way to remember important (usually gardening) things, I thought I would include an important event as a way of understanding the progress of my garden. I’ve written about the dramas of the beekeeping club and kitten rearing in the past and you’ve all stuck with me on that. Thank you. : ) I hope you’ll bear with an extra paragraph of personal blabberings just so I can save this moment in time for me to look back on.

My grandma passed away a few weeks ago. She was always present in my life and a wonderful example and role model of what a human being should be. Losing her is a really huge deal and a definite end of an era. She was the matriarch of the family and her family was what she counted as her riches. She will be missed and thought of every day.

She and my mother were the ones that taught me the basics of gardening. My grandma was the one that said never to react to gardening woes because the plants will fix themselves if they are fixable at all. She was a lady of great commonsense wisdom.

Mysterious pumpkin

We put her on home hospice the day before Memorial Day. I had just planted my garden when her health severely declined. I spent a lot of time with her during this time so my garden was neglected for a few weeks. Luckily all of the volunteers that popped up really gave me the jump that I needed during a time like this. Because of them I currently have zucchinis which I’m calling “Bicchinis” (pronounced Bikinis) because I’m certain they are a cross between a zucchini and a butternut squash. They are medium green in color and no matter how small they are, they have the distinct butternut squash shape – narrow on the stem end and bulbous on the blossom end. I also have what I’m calling “Paushi” – which looks like a mix between yellow squash, zucchini and a pumpkin. These ones are really weird so I think I’m just going to harvest the blossoms and call it a day. I have so many random tomato plants!! Last time I spoke of my 20 volunteers that I transplanted – well, since then I’ve found many many more all over the place. I’m going to leave them be unless I they turn out to be those putrid yellow pear cherry tomatoes. Those were not a favorite of mine. They were mealy and lacking acid.

Just before my grandma went ill I wrote a post about my garbanzo beans which I never published. I’m going to publish that in a few days although I realize they aren’t something that you’ll be able to find at the farmer’s market any longer. I think it’s still interesting if you have never seen a fresh garbanzo bean. And hey, maybe you’ll decide you want to plant some next year because of it!

Long-winded story short – the garden is doing absolutely fabulously. Because I had some things already planted there are so many wonderful textures. Fresh little guys standing next to the old-timers. I think it’s rather cute. The potatoes are doing great despite the fact I couldn’t get my act together and try the “Garbage Can Potatoes” like my friend Anna at Back to Our Roots. I’ll try harder next time!  



Out of control Hairy Vetch with tomatoes being
smothered (there are really tomatoes in there!).

 One of my cover crops has really created a problem. It’s the Hairy Vetch and it’s not dying like it’s supposed to. My poor little tomatoes are trying to break from its clutches but it just climbs the tomatoes. Every week I have to go in and cut it back but I have to wait until sundown because during the day it’s riddled with various types of bees and wasps because of the gorgeous purple flowers. Before I know it, I’m accidentally ripping out tomato plants because I’m working in the dark. However, one great thing is the soil beneath…oh the soil is divine!! It is very rich with organic material and I think in the long run I’ve made the right choice. It’s just a bit more high maintenance than I imagined.

For now here are some pictures. I have some before (meaning a month ago) and after (meaning about a week ago).

Cabbage

Garlic and Shallots



Potatoes (French Fingerling, Red, Yukon, Russet)




Cucumbers (Lemon and Pickling)



Herbs and flowers

Zucchini, Buttercup and Yellow Squash

Tomatillos (I transplanted these from all over the garden)

Beets, Chard and Onions

Peppers being protected from the ducks and the upside down
crate is protecting the soil from the peacocks that like to dig. 

 

Give your loved ones a hug,

Daphne