crop report

• Here's a report of how well our garden did this season - rating 1-5, 1 being lowest (poor) to 5, highest (best) • lettuces - 5: still growing strong • 2.Swiss chard - 5: very vigorous, robust plants • 3.tomatoes - 5: all 4 plants prolific • 4.endives - 5: will keep growing till frost • 5.basil - 3: very slow, but picked up last week of August • 6.zucchini - 5: of course! • 7.cucumbers - 4: grew well until mold got to the leaves • 8.eggplants - 2: disappointing this year, too small • 9.bell peppers - 5: red ones were awesome • 10. Thai peppers - 4: hoping they get a chance to ripen • 11.raspberries - 5: a bumper crop this year • 12.carrots - 4: had to resow, but they caught up • 13. scarlet runner beans - 5: grew like Jack and the beanstalk • 14.mesclun - 4: bolted too soon • 15.broccoli 5: good yield, but a lot all at once • 16.beets -5: these always do well in our soil • 17.spinach - 5: first sowing did better than current sowing - which is bolting • 18.snow peas - 5: very abundant and easy to grow • 19.kohlrabi - 5: excellent • 20.arugula - 5: good, but best while small plants • 21. amaranth - 2: produced nice flower stalks, but no grain - and were covered in black aphids~! • 22.radishes - 5: must plant more next year all in all, a great growing year. I am going to try quinoa and chick peas next year, and a friend has given my Red Orach seeds, which look interesting.

Salt Spring Centre Borscht

This is a very basic Borscht - and 0 mile diet, using onions, potatoes, beets, and cabbage that all grow very easily here on the coast. I love the sound of the name 'borscht' - such an earthy, peasant ring to it. This recipe is from Salt Spring Island Cooking: Vegetarian Recipes from the Salt Spring Centre , by Rodney Polden & Pamela Thornley- which is currently out of print, published in 1993, but is available used: http://www.librarything.com/work/1566737 ( a highly recommended book!) There are two recipes: one can serve a horde of people, and the other is family sized. Here's the family sized recipe which serves 4 - 6 people: 3 Tb. oil 1 cup chopped leeks, or onions 2 1/2 cups chopped beets 2 1/2 cups chopped potatoes 2 1/2 cups chopped cabbage 2 tsp. honey juice of 1 lemon (optional) 1/2 tsp sea salt 1/4 tsp black pepper 1 tsp dillweed 5 cups water or soup stock if you have them, you can add chopped beet greens at the end of the cooking Saute the leeks, beets, cabbage, and potatoes, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer, covered, for at least 30 minutes. Garnish each serving with a dollop of sour cream and a sprig of fennel if you wish. It's particularly nice to sprinkle a little fresh fennel leaf over top. I was surprised to read about all the different kinds of Borscht there are -some with meat, some with tomatoes, some made without any beets at all - originally, Borscht was a fermented grain soup, usually wheat bran, from Romania. There is the pretty pink Borscht from Lithuania, eaten cold and served with a boiled potato, or the Polish Christmas Eve soup served with little mushroom raviolis (uszka). The Borscht I make is of the typical Russian variety - if you like it thicker, you can add some toasted flour - mix with a bit of the hot soup, then whisk it back in. I like this story about Bubbe's Borscht: http://www.jewishmag.com/128mag/bubbe_borsht/bubbe_borsht.htm

end of Summer picnic on the beach

My friend and I decided to meet up at a local beach at lunch time for an end of Summer picnic. We rode our bikes through the busy town traffic down to a secluded spot along Dallas Rd. It was a gloriously sunny afternoon. I brought sandwiches: olive bread, home made pesto, brie, garden tomatoes,onions and lettuce; cookies; fresh veggies and hummus. My friend brought my favourite Merridale cider and apples from her tree. What a lovely way to enjoy the last of the Summer sunshine~!

green tomato recipes

I have lots of tomatoes still on the vine - they will most likely not ripen, and so now I'm searching about for some good green tomato recipes. So far, I have found the following recipes to inspire me: green tomato relish meatless mincemeat chutney, jam with vanilla and ginger and a savoury deep dish pie! http://rosajackson.blogspot.com/2007/11/green-tomato-jam-with-ginger-and.html http://margeland.co.uk/blog/2008/09/17/green-tomato-chutney/ http://tipnut.com/green-tomato-recipes/ I hope I get enough tomatoes to make all of them, they look amazing. Of course, the great old southern standard of fried green tomatoes will definitely be on the menu.

Fall Equinox Treasures

On my walk this morning, I passed my favourite Garry Oak tree, and on one end of its branches was a beautiful, perfect acorn. I tucked it in my pocket and brought it home with the intention of growing it in a pot for a few years to mature, and then to replant it in a meadow. Reading about Garry Oak propagation, I soaked the acorn in some water to make sure it didn't float. The ones that float won't germinate. Luckily, my fat, green acorn sunk. The other treasure of the day was an enormous red bell pepper I found growing in the little green house. The pepper plant only produced this one pepper - and it is a juicy, slightly peppery, sweet pepper indeed! great treasures to celebrate the start of Autumn.

ruby chard bouquet

The smell of freshly chopped chard reminds me of sweet summer Earth - I just pop out to the garden while the pasta is cooking, shake off the dirt, check the curled backs of the leaves for spiders and other bugs and it's ready to saute. I love to throw chopped chard last minute into soups.Sauteed in olive oil with garlic and red pepper flakes is wonderful. It grows well into early Winter here on the coast, and tolerates summer heat without bolting. I am letting a couple of the larger chards go to seed, as an experiment in seed saving. I would grow the plants even if they weren't so good to eat, as they're so gorgeous~ especially the ruby chard with its luminous, magenta stems. Here's a recipe for barley and lentil soup I am making for a cooler weather meal: * 1 tablespoon olive oil * 1 1/2 cups chopped onions * 1 1/2 cups chopped peeled carrots * 3 large garlic cloves, minced * 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin * 10 cups vegetable broth * 2/3 cup pearl barley * 1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice * 2/3 cup dried lentils * 4 cups (packed) coarsely chopped Swiss chard (about 1/2 large bunch) * 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill Heat oil in heavy large nonreactive pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and carrots; sauté until onions are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and stir 1 minute. Mix in cumin; stir 30 seconds. Add 10 cups broth and barley; bring to boil. Reduce heat; partially cover and simmer 25 minutes. Stir in tomatoes with juice and lentils; cover and simmer until barley and lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. Add chard to soup; cover and simmer until chard is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in dill. Season soup with salt and pepper. Thin with more broth, if desired.

End of Summer Pesto

It really feels like Fall is on the way when I pick the last of the basil from the garden to make pesto. The basil doesn't like the cooler nights, and was starting to turn a bit dark around the edges of the leaves. I picked all the leaves that weren't damaged, gave them a wash, and threw them into the blender with some garlic, olive oil, parmesan cheese, almonds and pinenuts and a bit of salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon to preserve the colour.The pesto ingredients are never measured - I add just enough oil to blend, but not thin it out too much, and add extra garlic, salt etc. to taste. I put the pesto into icecube trays, which I will pop out and put into freezer bags for later in the winter when it will be greatly appreciated on pizza, pasta, stirred into soup, in grilled sandwiches or on top of potatoes. A pungent and delicious reminder of the summer sunshine in the dreary, cold, rainy days of Winter. Sunshine in the shape of a green cube!

can't beet this juice

A great way to use extra large beets and carrots from your garden ( or bought from your local farmer's market) is to make juice ~ In my neighbourhood, people leave things on the boulevard, and it was my luck to find a perfectly good juicer one day! It will only make one or two cups at a time, but that is all I need. I just wash and chop the fruits/veg and maybe some ginger or parsley, and pop the pieces into the tube on top of the machine. I made beet, carrot, apple, ginger juice today. The ginger gives a nice, warming taste. Another favourite is apple, carrot, parsley. The colour of the fresh beet juice is quite stunning - a gorgeous, fuschia red. The juice is nutrious and mildly sweet and is rich in natural sugar, sodium, sulphur, chlorine, iodine, copper and vitamin B1, B2, C and bioflavonoids. Some holistic practitioners believe that beet juice combined with other juices like carrot and cucumber are excellent for cleansing the kidneys, liver and gallbladder and for restoring health to these organs. It improves cardiovascular health overall- I have also heard that fresh beet juice increases stamina and endurance for athletes. see here for beet juice nutrition: http://www.juicing-for-health.com/beets.html And the pulp makes excellent compost! happy juicing!

bountiful beans

We planted Scarlet Runner beans up the back porch posts this year - they are in a big pot at the bottom of the stairs. These prolific beans are very wonderful and special, as they were brought over from England by our elderly neighbour (who has now passed away) and they were grown for many years by her father. I like to think of her when I see the lovely scarlet blooms - which attract hummingbirds, too! And it is good to know we can preserve seeds for the following years to come.

Salsa Time!

I ran out to the garden in the rain this morning to pick all of the ripe tomatoes before the rain got to them - ripe tomatoes will split in the rain, and rot sets in very quickly. I dug out my old salsa recipe, canning stuff, and set to work! I don't use a food processor, so I don't make a huge amount at one time. 6 large jars today, and probably 6 more tomorrow. I will chop and freeze the remaining tomatoes for later use in soups, chili, etc. here is the recipe I like, as it doesn't produce vast amounts at once: 8 cups tomatoes, finely chopped-unpeeled 1 1/2 cups onions, coarsely chopped 1/2 green pepper, coarsely chopped 1/2 cup red pepper, coarsely chopped 2 - 3 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped, seeds removed 7-8 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped 2/3 cup red wine vinegar 1 small can tomato paste (optional) I use this as I like a thicker texture 1 Tablespoon salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper optional: a couple tablespoons chipotle puree (which I use,too for spiciness) *this recipe makes 6, 500 ml. jars I sterilize the washed jars in the oven @175 for 25 minutes, and boil the lids and rims for 15 minutes. The filled jars are placed in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. here's a good guideline that lists equipment needed, and step by step method for hot water bath: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art2816.asp Now I'm listening to the very satisfying 'ping' of the lids!

tomatoes for tomorrow: seed saving

Tomato seeds are surrounded by a gelatinous coating that prevents the seeds from germinating inside the tomato, and must be removed before the seeds can be dried. Step 1: harvest your best and biggest tomatoes from your garden. Choose only the strongest plants that produce the greatest yield. Plants that withstood drought and disease are best. Slightly overripe tomatoes work best. Step 2: remove the seeds by gently squeezing out the seeds, including the gelatinous sac, into a jar. Step 3: ferment the seeds for approximately one week. This separates the seeds from the gel, and will destroy many seed-borne bacterial diseases. Place a paper towel, or other breathable cover over the jar and keep in an out-of-the-way place. Step 4: remove the mold with a spoon~add a little more water and stir vigourously to remove any traces of mold that might remain. Ladle out any stray pulp or debris. Step 5: the viable seeds will settle to the bottom of the jar. Spoon off any seeds that rise to the top. Sieve the mixture through a fine strainer or cheesecloth to collect the seeds.. If debris remains on the seeds, put them back in the jar, add a little more water to rinse and strain until only clean seeds remain. Step 6: dry the seeds by sprinkling the viable seeds into a bowl and allow them to air-dry. Over the next few days, stir them with your finger on occasion to ensure they dry completely. Store in an envelope and keep them in a cook, dry place until ready to plant next year. The tomatoes I am using are Early Girl from West Coast Seed Co. which are a hybrid tomato. It will be an interesting experiment to see if the plants produce normally i.e. "come true." (a good reason to use Heirloom varieties next time!) A farmer friend told me his tomatoes improve year to year by planting them in the same spot. The tomatoes come to "know" the soil they grow in, and improve in flavour and robustness over time.

Slow Food Great Tomato Brunch at Halliburton Farm

Today my foodie friend and I rode our bikes out to Halliburton organic farm to a Slow Food Event: the Great Tomato Brunch, hosted by Dayle Cosway from Terralicious: http://www.terralicious.ca/ What a beautiful farm, and the weather was perfect. We brought tomatoes from our gardens, I brought my Early Girls - and had a taste test. Some very interesting varieties such as Pink Thai, Green Zebra, Lemony, and lots of heritage varieties with gorgeous colours ranging from almost black to orange. Then we had a fabulous pot luck lunch~ I brought a quinoa tabouli, but there was an orzo heirloom tomato salad from Sooke Harbour House that was fanatastic! Then we had a tour/history of the farm - it is a community farm, situated around a natural water source that is protected by the CRD. It is a wonderfully lush and well-heated area. We visited the greenhouses, chickens, ducks, compost pile, wheat field, seed plant garden. My favourite was the flower garden full of sweet peas, amaranth, sunflowers, and gorgeous colour. My friend won the draw prize of a basket of preserves! Find more Info about Slow Food Vancouver Island here: http://www.slowfood.ca/convivia_view.php?id=29 The next event is a screening of Food Inc. at Uvic's Cinecenta on Sept. 22 7 pm. Here are some photos from our day: