Thai dragons

Last summer we grew Thai dragons-little potent red hot chillies that add pizazz to any savory dish. I put them in everything from pasta sauce to lentil curry. They make me happy! Recently, I felt the urge to make noodle salad for lunch- so I baked up some tofu marinated in tamari, mirin, ginger, garlic, and of course, pepper flakes. Boiled some buckwheat noodles, and added the saucy tofu with cilantro and lime. Here is the recipe, from the book: Vegetarian Times Fast and Easy: http://www.amazon.ca/Vegetarian-Times-Fast-Easy-Minutes/dp/0470085525 Thai-Style Tofu and Noodles : 3 Tbl lime juice 3Tbl granulated sugar, or to taste 2 Tbl soy sauce 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper, or to taste (use more!) 4 oz. soba noodles 1 Tbs. vegetable oil 1 red bell pepper , thinly sliced Thai-seasoned baked tofu, cubed 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves 1 green onion, thinly sliced 1/2 cup roasted cashews Combine lime juice, sugar, soy sauce, garlic and crushed red pepper. Boil noodles, drain and rinse well. Heat oil in a frying pan an stir fry red pepper slices, add tofu cubes until tofu begins to brown. Combine with rest of ingredients and lime juice mixture. Sprinkle with cashews. The peppers grew in our makeshift greenhouse ( fashioned out of an old awning - get one! they work great!) then they dried with no fuss on the windowsill. I then chopped them up to make pepper flakes.

Sister Nettle

Springtime is Stinging Nettles time - after the dark moon in April will be the best time to harvest them. I love nettle tea, and also fresh nettles used like spinach ( just be sure to use gloves until they're cooked!). I am hoping to head over to Saturna Island, where the nettles grow in green, glorious abundance under the trees. Susun Weed recommends nettles to increase energy : http://www.matrifocus.com/IMB06/wise-woman.htm with one of the side effects being "increased delight in life."Nettle leaf is high in organic iron, chlorophyll, potassium, calcium, magnesium, silicic, folic and pantothenic acids and vitamins A, B₁, B₂, C and K. This highly nutritive content is helpful in correcting anemia as well as leg and uterine cramps. The vitamin K prevents postpartum hemorrhage and bleeding. The red blood cells and liver are nourished by long-term use of this herb. Nettle tea makes a useful natural fertilizer. Try growing a patch of nettle in the wild corner of your garden. Feed it to your compost to enrich it. Soaked in water for a few days and then diluted and sprayed on plants in need of a boost, it will strengthen the plant by adding its minerals to the soil. A little watered around tomato plants will do the trick. High in vitamin C, chlorophyll, iron and calcium, nettle will give a boost to anemic plants .Biodynamic gardening uses companion planting of nettles to increase the volatile oils in such plants as valerian, mint, sage and rosemary. You will find the potency of many plants increases measurably when planted near nettles.You can grow plants gathered from seeds gathered from wild stands in late summer. It has been used by First Nations people to treat arthritic pain - the first time I had seen this was during a trip to Olympic National Park when we came across someone lightly brushing his wrists with the nettles. He explained this was a way to alleviate his pain.http://www.southsoundchapterwnps.org/fun/ourstingingnettles.htm I am drinking a beautiful, Moldavite-green glass of nettle tea as I write this, (I prefer it chilled) and wish you all the healing energy of Sister Nettle.

Sláinte

rhubarbalicious

this is my little rhubarb < href="http://www.canadianliving.com/food/rustic_rhubarb_tart.php">http://www.canadianliving.com/food/rustic_rhubarb_tart.php

More info than you'd ever want about rhubarb is listed here: http://www.rhubarbinfo.com/ and this tidbit of info is interesting: The term rhubarb has also come to mean a "quarrel" or "heated discussion." This comes from theatrical direction, believe it or not. Stage and movie directors would have actors repeat "rhubarb" and various other phrases over and over to simulate background conversations or mutterings of a surly crowd. I hope you don't have a rhubarb while eating your rhubarb tarte.! You can even make a rhubarb leaf birdbath: http://www.savor-the-rhubarb.com/rhubarb-leaf-birdbath.html I didn't make this one, but would love to do this!

bug sanctuary

In the back corner of the garden, under the apple tree, is a bug sanctuary - this is a wild, weedy place that encourages the good bugs ( hopefully!) that are the pollinators and" bad" bug eaters. This grassy, weedy place provides a refuge for beneficial insect predators - beneficial insects prey on other insects that eat garden plants, or are parasitic and lay their eggs on other insects, or act as pollinators. Lacewings are a good example of beneficial insects - their grubs attack and eat a variety of caterpillars, scale insects and aphids. And of course, any plants that encourage bees are especially helpful. I love comfrey for this - every summer a swarm of big, fat bumblebees comes to feast on the sweet nectar of the purple comfrey flowers. There are many plants that can act as decoys for your garden plants - nasturtiums and calendula attract black aphids like nothing else. Many herbs that are allowed to flower are super for attracting pollinators: the Valerian, Fennel, oregano, St. John's Wort and Spearmint flowers are great examples of this. Borage is known as "bee balm" as honey bees love it so much. This is a link to check which plants repel insects: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf29648744.tip.html Looks like I'd better grow some tansy this year! We tend to get a lot of cutworms, slugs, aphids, and cabbage moths. And check out "Carrots love Tomatoes" a little book about companion planting by Louise Riotte. And you can read about basic concepts of companion planting here: http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/complant.html

Amaranth- Food of the Gods (and Goddesses)

These are the Amaranth babies - starting to harden them off from the green house - I'm amazed at how robust and vigorous their growth has been already. They really like heat, so let's hope for some sunshine!! Here's a traditional drink that you can make with ground Amaranth:

How to make Amarantole: Needed: coffee grinder or grain grinder (or amaranth flour and ground toasted sesame) amaranth grain toasted sesame seed butter honey cinnamon

Lightly toast the amaranth seed and (if needed) the sesame seed. Fill the coffee grinder up to the blades with amaranth seed and grind to flour. Do this a second time, but with a tablespoon of toasted sesame seed added. Add a dash of cinnamon. Whisk the amaranth-sesame flour mix into 2-3 cups of cold water and bring it to a boil. Add a slice of butter. Let it cool a little. Add a dollop of honey, and enjoy a delicious and nutritious hot beverage!

and if you'd like read a bit more about the history and cultural uses of Amaranth, such as how Peruvian women dancers use the red amaranth flowers as rouge, painting their cheeks, then dancing while carrying bundles of amaranth on their backs as they would a baby see this link:

http://www.chetday.com/amaranth.html

Garden Events

Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary is having a Native Plant Sale: April 18th and 19th: http://www.swanlake.bc.ca/plantsale.htm The annual Swan Lake Native Plant Sale "Gardening for Wildlife" is held at the Nature Sanctuary and features over 110 species of native plants. Presentations on gardening with drought tolerant native plants and developing wildlife habitat in an urban area are included with the price of admission. The plants are arranged in three zones, based on sun requirements. At Uvic, May 6th, there will be a plant sale with plants from Finnerty Gardens. Organized by the Finnerty Garden Friends, the UVic Plant Sale—now in its 32nd year—will include almost everything for the spring garden: alpines, annuals, hanging baskets, shrubs, trees, vegetables and a lot more. There will also be a kids' section and a silent auction. http://communications.uvic.ca/releases/release.php?display=release&id=819 And here is a list of classes offered at the Compost Education Centre: http://www.compost.bc.ca/learn/communityeducation.htm

the garden that you are

If you have a garden, what does it say about you? if you don't have one, what kind of garden would you like, or dream about? I think my garden says: eclectic, semi-wild, organic, purposeful, healing, inviting, slightly unkempt. My dream garden is a cross between 2 farms, now gone, that used to be in Metchosin. Fernie Farms was run by two sweet, little old ladies who made their own loganberry jam and Devon cream from their own Jersey cows. They served tea out on rickety old tables under the trees in the orchard, with the cow watching over the fence. Heavenly! the other farm was Murray Cook's herb farm where you could wander through the display garden and marvel at the various herbs for sale, then stroll out back to the 'working' part of the farm to choose your plants. I also loved Ravenhill herb farm located out in Saanich, where you could buy things in the barn that were made on the farm. One of my favourite garden books is "The Garden That You Are" by Katherine Gordon. It's about 9 gardens and their gardeners in the Slocan Valley who all live within a mile of each other. Each garden is a reflection of its owner, and how the character of the gardener is imprinted onto the land. Whatever kind of garden you are, whether it's a pot of sweet strawberries growing on your deck, or a stand of sunflowers along the fence, or spring bulbs naturalizing out in the backyard, I wish you much joy and happiness with your efforts.

May The Force Be With You

Since the moon is full today, we should all be sowing seeds of plants that grow above ground: lettuces, peas, broccoli, cabbage, etc. April's full moon is known as the "Seed Moon." If you would like to read more about moon planting, this is a good start: http://www.moonplanting.com/ This is a basic guide for moon gardening, from Keith's Moon Planting page: http://home.hiwaay.net/~krcool/Astro/moon/moongrow.htm

Moon Planting Rule
New Moon To Full Moon:	Sow, Transplant, bud and graft.
Full Moon To New Moon:	Plow, Cultivate, weed and reap.
New Moon To First Quarter:	Good for Planting above-ground crops with outside seeds, flowering annuals.
First Quarter To Full Moon:	Good for planting above ground crops with inside seeds.
Full Moon To Last Quarter:	Good for planting root crops, bulbs, biennials, and perennials.
Last Quarter To New Moon:	Do Not Plant

and may the Force be with you!!

The Joy of Dandelions

Sauteed dandelion greens and dandelion blossom tea is on the menu for tonight. I love any kind of bitter veggie - radicchio, arugula, and especially dandelions. Here's a recipe for dandelion blossom tea: Dandelion Flower Tea Recipe

Steep them in a cup of water for about 15-20 minutes.

Add a little sweetener of your choice and your cup of dandelion tea is ready.

One of the key benefits of dandelion tea is that it has a great detoxification effect on the liver

I know my liver could use some detoxification, so I'm going to sautee greens, too - with garlic and sesame seeds. Here's a recipe:

Dandelion Greens Saute 1 lb. dandelion greens 3 tablespoons olive oil 5 cloves garlic 1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

Wash and slice greens. Blanch in enough water to cover about 1 minute. Drain and saute in the olive oil for 3-4 minutes, then add the sesame and garlic and saute for couple minutes more. Add the sesame oil and serve.

Dandelion is also known as Taraxacum officinale, lion's tooth, blowball, cankerwort, priest's crown, swine snout, and wild endive.

Dandelion has been used for its nutritional value as well as for water retention, regulation of blood glucose, upset stomach, urinary tract infections, kidney and bladder stones, liver and gallbladder complaints, and loss of appetite.

I leave you with this from Walt Whitman, and may your liver quiver with the joy of dandelions!

The First Dandelion Simple and fresh and fair from winter's close emerging, As if no artifice of fashion, business, politics, had ever been, Forth from its sunny nook of shelter'd grass--innocent, golden, calm as the dawn, The spring's first dandelion shows its trustful face. Source: "Leaves of Grass," by Walt Whitman

going Native

Last summer we ripped out our mini front lawn and put in Native plants: Camas, shooting stars, chocolate lilies, ostrich ferns, Nootka roses, Salal, uva ursi, columbines, Oregon Grape, and Snowberry bushes. it's like a mini Garry Oak meadow, with the Garry Oaks just down the road. I was very fortunate to have grown up beside a Garry Oak forest just behind Cedar Hill School. The forest is sadly gone now - like many small, urban Native patches. The smell of Dodecatheon or shooting stars, is the scent of my childhood. I loved climbing the long, gnarled branches of the dramatic Garry Oaks, and running through the Snowberry bushes, chucking a handful of the white berries at my friend.I remember sitting on the moss in the silent forest, perfectly peaceful and happy there with my friends the trees. Native gardening is water-wise gardening at its best - these plants are best suited to our environment, and can tolerate drier conditions, needing no artificial maintenance. Plus, you don't have to mow your lawn! Not to sound overly preachy, but a lawnmower pollutes the air as much as a car driving 350 miles. A great book resource is Native Plants in the Coastal Garden by April Pettinger. http://www.amazon.com/Native-Plants-Coastal-Garden-Gardeners/dp/0881925829 This book has everything - including how to design your native plant garden, enhancing soil, propagation, meadow combinations, different habitats for a variety of species, and an excellent regional source guide at the back of the book. I'm a member of GORP (Garry Oak Restoration Project) http://www.gorpsaanich.com/- we get together to eradicate invasive species such as English Ivy, giant knotweed, holly, purple loosestrife, spurge laurel, Western dwarf mistletoe, Himalayan blackberry, the dreaded morning glory! and Scotch Broom. They provide you with all the tools you need, you just need to bring some strong arms (and back) and maybe a thermos of hot tea. There's also the Native Plant Study Group with the Victoria Horticultural Society,http://www.npsg.ca/ and the Victoria natural History Society which hosts botany nights. http://vicnhs.bc.ca/ . I hope you have as much fun ripping out your lawn as I did!

Last of the Leeks

There are exactly 6 lovely leeks left growing out in the garden. They are destined for a leek and potato pizza! But first,I read a little about the history and lore of the leek: in 640 A.D. the Welsh wore leeks in their hats to distinguish themselves from their enemies in the battle between King Cadwallader of Wales and the Saxons. Welshmen wear leeks on March 1st, St. David's day to commemorate their victory. Leeks have been cultivated for more than 3,000 years, and are native to the Mediterranean area.In France, the leek is known as Poireau, which is also a derogatory term meaning 'simpleton.'Maybe because leeks are so simple to cook?

Welsh soldiers uphold the tradition of eating a raw leek each year in memory of St. David. In England there is a giant leek-growing contest! This is the world's largest so far: Says the grower John Soulsby: "It’s an absolutely huge leek – it measures 23½ inches around. It didn’t even get fed – it grew on its own steam.” It weighed 181b. 5oz. This is a recipe I'm using for the leek and potato pizza - I use the foccacia dough recipe from Rebar Cookbook for the pizza dough (it makes 2 pizzas):

Potato and Leek Pizza

Sounds unusual? It is but your family and guests will be amazed at how terrific it tastes. It freezes well after cooking so double the recipe.

Preparation Time: 15 Minutes Cooking Time: 30 Minutes Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp (50 mL) olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 cups (500 mL) sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup (250 mL) sliced leeks (white and pale green part only)
• 2 tsp (10 mL) dried rosemaryor 1 Tbs fresh
• 3/4 tsp (4 mL) salt
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) pepper
• 4 medium potatoes, scrubbed and thinly sliced (about 3 cups/750 mL)
• 1 lb (500 g) prepared pizza dough or unbaked pizza shell
• 2 tbsp (25 mL) grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) each shredded Cheddar and Mozzarella cheese

Preparation:

In large pan, heat oil over medium-low heat; cook garlic, mushrooms, leeks, rosemary, salt and pepper, stirring, for 6 to 8 minutes or until mushrooms have released their liquid and leeks are tender. Toss potatoes in leek mixture to coat.

Press dough onto 12-inch (30 cm) pizza pan; sprinkle with Parmesan.

Top with potato slices with mushrooms and leeks in overlapping concentric circles. Sprinkle with Cheddar and Mozzarella. Bake in 450° F (230° C) oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until crust is crisp and potatoes are tender.

Leftovers for lunch tomorrow, too :-)

LEEKS: BEFORE AND AFTER

Seeds!

Buying more seeds today! This link is a great resource: http://www.bcseeds.org/retailers.php - supporting BC's organic seed growers. I wish all seeds were like my neighbour's scarlet runner beans - they brought them over from England with them over 50 years ago, ( along with pips from Cox's Orange apples for their trees - a story for another blog) and each year they save some of the beautiful purple, pink, and black beans for seed. Robust, virile, self-perpetuating bean seeds that produce the most prolific vines full of cascading, crimson blossoms all summer long. And an abundance of beans to boot! With our heritage seeds that are able to perpetually reproduce, we're creating a stand against the huge seed companies that patent suicide seeds such as Monsanto : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swVjzIVqRUA You can borrow the DVD "The World According to Monsanto" from the GVPL or Uvic Library. Check out some heirloom seeds here: http://www.seedsavers.org/. I really like Salt Spring Seeds, Full Cirlce Seeds in Sooke, and seeds from Two Wings Farm (available at the compost education centre http://compost.bc.ca/ I also buy from Territorial and West Coast seeds. On to the list! (one of my favourite passtimes is going over the seed catalogues and seeing how much room I have to squeeze in as much variety as possible) Have: mesclun, lettuces, broccoli, pak choi, stirfry blend, leeks, green peppers, kohlrabi, beets, carrots, radicchio, endive, arugula, cilantro, basil Need: tricolour bush beans, natalino, cauliflower colour blend (includes orange cauli!), cucumbers, eggplants, snowpeas, hot peppers, radish, spinach, rainbow chard. Each year we plant something novel/unusual for the kids ( and us) such as indigo blue potatoes (that turned gray when cooked), pink popcorn (we only got a few kernels to pop, but the plants were stunning), papery tomatillos (bumper crop!) white and burgundy striped dragon's tongue beans, mini pink and white eggplants, (called Fairytale), edamame( excellent, but took up a lot of room for the yield results). This year it's going to be Amaranth grain - very exciting! Even if we only get a handful of grain, it's worth growing for the gorgeous long, crimson tassels it produces.

new blog feels like a freshly dug garden

Starting a new blog feels like a blank canvas, or a freshly dug plot- just begin, first word, first stroke with the brush, first seedling... Garden news: compost has been spread over the de-weeded plot, but I should have removed the twiglets and larger bits first with a screen. A raking should work, too. The soil is still too wet to be digging anything under yet, as the soil would just compact, and I'd have to dig it all over again. Best to wait. It's also still so cold! only 2.2 this morning. The white sage seedlets aren't germinating as well as they usually do - I've written to Richter's, and they let me know they only get a 30% rate on the seed anyways - but are still sending replacement packets. They also provided a contact name should I have any questions - good service! Since the garden is waiting for drier, warmer times, let's start with a book review: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, by Barbara Kingsolver: http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/ is like a more-organized, well thought- out 100 Mile Diet - they even allow themselves one luxury item for the year-(instead of diving right in with only a cupboard full of sprouting potatoes and no salt). Interesting anecdotes of how many ways to eat/preserve gangbuster produce, raising heritage turkeys, and the economic, social, and health benefits of growing your own. Highly recommended! soon, we'll have THIS to gladden our hearts