books in between

In between weeding, watering, and planting, check out these books - they're waiting by the tea-cup and garden bench or hammock, for when you need to rest your tired back from all that digging! *ZERO MILE DIET by Carolyn Herriot *THE WAY OF THE GARDENER by Des Kennedy Both of these authors will be at a book release, signing at Bolen Books June 1st, 7 pm *FOODMATTERS- which is not a book, but a DVDhttp://www.foodmatters.tv/_webapp/Buy_The_Food_Matters_DVD?gclid=CIr3pP_e96ECFR49gwod6kxIEQ *TRAUMA FARM- by Brian Brett *NORTH WEST VEGETARIAN COOKBOOK, by Debra Daniel *FARM TO FORK, by Emeril Lagasse *EAT YOUR YARD, by Nan K. Chase *SMALL PLOT HIGH YIELD GARDENING, by Sal Gilbertie *THE VEGETARIAN OPTION, by Simon Hopkinson *RIPE FROM AROUND HERE, by jae steele and here is her blog: http://domesticaffair.blogspot.com/

garden in May

my tomato experiment - saved seeds from Early Girl just one zucchini is enough Welsh poppies Bacopa my feline assistant Tiger Black Crim - a heritage variety mandevilla growing up the porch lettuces waiting their turn King Tut peas doing their thing mini romaines growing alonside the garlic natalino- already showing its fantastic spiral shape a perky quinoa baby endives grow happily beneath the brassicas a broccoli baby a kholrabi forming row of dill mild mescluns cukes and peppers basil Thai dragon peppers Marketmore cucumbers Lemon cucumber

lunch this week featuring fresh dill and fresh thyme

Fresh dill is one of my favourite flavourings for veggie pies. This recipe is from Moosewood Cooks For Health, and has a crust made with brown rice, walnuts, and olives - to make the crust: put 2 cups brown rice, 1/2 cup walnuts, 1/4 cup olives in a blender or kitchen aid and grind them up - press into a glass 9" pie plate. Saute some leeks and asparagus, add red bell peppers, place neufchatelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neufch%C3%A2tel_%28cheese%29 on top of the vegetables, cover, turn off the heat, and let sit for several minutes to soften. Add 3/4 cup feta and 2 eggs, freshly chopped dill, and black pepper. Place into the piecrust and bake @ 350 for 35 minutes. The other lunch item is pasta with French lentils and Kale: cook 1 cup lentils in 3 cups water - simmer for 20 minutes. Cook up some wholegrain pasta, meanwhile, saute onions, garlic, diced carrots, until the onion is translucent. Add red pepper flakes, fresh thyme, and 1/2 cup of reserved pasta cooking water. Toss all together, add freshly grated parmesan.

pickled nettles

http://sallygardens.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/03/31/nettles.jpg Found this nettle recipe from Mountain Rose Herbs newsletter! if you are lucky enough to have a neetle patch nearby: http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/newsletter/10/may/nettles.phpPickled Nettles Pack into glass mason jars with the fresh tender tops of nettle plants, and completely cover with vinegar. Add Peppercorns, peeled Garlic cloves, hot peppers, fresh herbs, or any other flavors that you desire. Cap tightly, and refrigerate for 8-12 weeks. Enjoy pickled nettles sprinkled over salads, with crackers and cheese, or as a fun garnish for hors d'oeuvres. The remaining vinegar will be calcium and mineral rich, so be sure to incorporate it into salad dressings, marinades, stir fries, and sauteed vegetables. You can even apply it as a hair rinse to cleanse and nourish the hair and scalp

yum's the word

freshly gathered curly endive, not too big, so just a little bitter, with blue cheese and walnuts,radishes from the garden - a mother's day treat! Happy Mother's Day to all my gardening friends

yum

a great blog

check out this great blog! http://subsistencepatternfoodgarden.blogspot.com/

pot stickers aka Jiaozi 饺子

this recipe uses finely chopped bok choy with other vegs. and tofu in a gyoza dumpling wrapper. I put a little cornstarch in the water for sealing the wrappers, too, and added extra ginger, and used some garlic leaves instead of chives.You can also store them in the freezer for 2 to 3 months before cooking. http://chinesefood.about.com/od/vegetarianrecipes/r/vegpotstickers.htm Serve with a couple of dipping sauces: * 4 tablespoons soy sauce * 1 teaspoon sesame oil * 1 tablespoon Chinese red rice vinegar (note: not red wine vinegar) * 2 teaspoons ginger, minced * 2 teaspoons fresh cilantro leaves, chopped, or chopped green onion You can add some hot pepper flakes too, if you like. Plum Sauce: 4 Tbs. plum jelly; 4 large red fresno chilies, chopped; 2 Tbs. soy sauce; 4 Tbs veg. stock; 2 Tbs. rice vinegar; 2 tsp cornstarch: Combine all ingredients, whisk over medium heat until the sauce boils, reduce heat and cook for 1 minute. As the Chinese saying goes, "There is nothing more delicious than Jiaozi!"Plump half-moon shaped dumplings evoke "yuanbao," a 50 ounce silver ingot. Eating them is supposed to bring good luck and wealth. http://www.beijingtrip.com/feature/dumpling.htm And here is a guide to wrapping the dumplings - which is a fine art - mine were merely pinched shut, with no fancy frilly edges.http://appetiteforchina.com/recipes/guide-wrapping-and-pan-frying-dumplings

May Day radishes

First radishes are such a great treat - to celebrate May Day, I'm slicing them thinly and eating them on good bread with a little sweet butter - oh my, they're good! Around in the garden today: planted purple dragon carrots, (covered them with vermiculite to keep moist and prevent crusting over), weeded the garlic, cut seed heads off the Kale, planted purple orach, re-seeded some snap peas (slugs got quite a few of them), and thinned spinaches. Waiting a couple more weeks to plant the mulit-coloured beans, soy beans,and blue-eyed beans as they don't like soil that's too wet and cold.The King Tut peas are up! from Annapolis seeds. Can't wait to watch them take off up the trellis! here are some great recipes for radishes from dancinggecko.wordpress.com: http://dancinggecko.wordpress.com/2009/03/21/10-tasty-radish-recipes/