Monthly Archives: January 2010

I’m Back! And Ordering Seeds. And So Should You.

Posted on January 31, 2010 by Annette Cottrell| 18 Comments

I’m on the new server now and seem to be displaying in all browsers! Just a few more kinks to work out and *hopefully* any security issues are solved so please let me know if you get any more warnings. My virus software stopped me from visiting Oprah’s site the other day when she was extolling real food and it doesn’t warn me when I visit my own site so any guidance around certain posts would be helpful if you do get warnings. Thanks for your patience!

Garden Plan Small

Click to open a larger garden plan.

This week while my site was non-functional I’ve been planning the spring, summer and fall/winter garden boxes. It’s always a well-choreographed dance getting things started and transplanted for fall right around mid-summer when the summer veggies are just getting to full size.

I used the free trial of this garden planning tool at www.growveg.com last year and loved it so much I paid for it this year. Sure, you can do this in excel but it takes a lot of time to map things out. The real value here is that you can quickly drag and drop images and it will automatically fill in for you just how many you can grow in that space. Plants are color coded to let you know they are in the same family so you can group them together, making easier future crop rotations.

And when it comes time to plant, having a diagram like this will save you a lot of hair pulling. Mine looks too full because I’m planting very densely and planning for successive crops. Just as the spring raab and kohlrabi are done the brussel sprouts will be getting large and bushy but by carefully planning I’ll be able to get all three crops in that one bed, and hopefully before it’s time to plant my fall stuff. I also plant on both sides of the T tape (don’t take the wrong way) so that I can get 6 rows instead of 3. It makes my planting style much more like square foot gardening but allows for automatic watering (on a timer even!) This is lazy girl gardening at it’s best. But planning is crucial.

My goal for this year is to grow 90% of our vegetables for 2010. In 2009 it was also my goal, once the garden matured for harvest but I got the fall/winter crops in too late and they only fed us until nearly Christmas. Rather than eat everything out there I’ve left some things overwintering and this recent warm weather has woken them back up. If this continues I’ll be done shopping at the farmer’s market but I’m not counting my chickens. It’s nice to have that to fall back on.

The reason I’ve selected 90% instead of 100% is because I’m not positive I can grow onions large enough to last us all next winter and the perennials should be much larger this year, giving me less room for the bags of potatoes I had scattered around last year. I’ve dedicated one garden bed to them and my dream is to take out the parking strip this spring and put something raised (and fenced from dogs) there. Potatoes would be a great use of that very sunny space. I’d also like to get a few hazelnut trees for that strip as well.

The final reason is that I had late blight last year in the tomatoes. I’m rotating crops and moving the tomatoes as far away as possible from that spot but my front yard is 30 feet deep so there is only so much you can do. I’ve planned for some heirloom slicers and saucers but I’m hoping to buy the bulk of my canning tomatoes directly from a farmer. Since they are for processing I’ll look for #2 (slightly irregular or blemished) fruits which will help soften the financial blow.

It’s funny how tomatoes turned out to be the largest common denominator in every jar that went into my pantry last fall. I grew 30 tomato plants, which I sauced, dried and canned whole and still ended up buying 25 pounds for ketsup. We are down to 3 pint jars of spaghetti sauce, 5 jars of romas recipe-ready, and 2 frozen quart jars of dried tomatoes. Not enough to take us to August, that is for sure.

Ordering Seeds

I’ve ordered my seeds from Uprising Organics and will fill that out with seeds from the non-Seminis (owned by Montsanto) list from Territorial Seeds.

Uprising Organics is a newer seed farm in Acme, WA working hard to restore as many heirloom and ARK varieties as possible, growing most of them in our same crummy gardening climate. Think Seed Savers on a local, much smaller scale although they are adding new seeds at a good clip.

Here is my list of seeds ordered from Uprising:
Beans, Empress Bush Snap
Beans, Provider Bush Snap
Beans, Tiger’s Eye Bush Dry
Carrots, Scarlet Nantaise
Carrots, Red Dragon (we LOVED these this winter)
Greens, Magentaspreen
Radicchio, Variagata di Castelfranco
Radicchio, Early Treviso
Rapini, Spring Raab
Salad Mix
Kale, Lacinato
Kale, Dwarf Blue Scotch
Kale, Red Russian
Lettuce, Romaine, Flashy Trout’s Back
Lettuce, Romaine, Parris Island Cos
Lettuce, Oakleaf, Mascara
Peas, Cascadia Snap
Peas, Sugar Ann Snap
Peas, Maestro Shelly
Peas, Schweizer Riesen Snow
Squash, Costata Romanesca Zuchini
Squash, Sweet Meat, Winter
Tomatoes, Jaune Flammee Slicer
Tomatoes, Super Lakota Slicer
Watermelon, Blacktail Mountain
Cilantro, Pokey Joe
Echinacea Purpurea
Marshmallow
Marigold, French Brocade
Sunflower, Tarahumara

And from Territorial, 2009 or 2010
Arrugula, Rocket from 2009
Basil, Mammoth Sweet from 2009
Beans, Sunset Runner Snap
Beets, Early Wonder
Brussel Sprouts, Roodnerf from 2009 – these were amazing in flavor!
Brussel Sprouts Rubine
Buckwheat cover crop
Cabbage, Red Express from 2009
Cabbage, China Express
Celery, Utah from 2009 – died off in the December freeze
Celeriac, Brilliant
Clover, Crimson Cover Crop
Collards, Champion – currently overwintering some that is doing great
Corn, Bantam Sweet from 2009
Cucumber, Marketmore 97 Eating from 2009
Cucumber, Alibi Pickling
Cumin
Dill, Dukat
Dill, Fern Leaf
Greens, Claytonia from 2009
Greens, Purslane from 2009
Greens, French Sorrel from 2009
Greens, Belle Aisle Cress from 2009
Greens, Vit from 2009
Johnny Jump Up
Kale, Fizz
Kale, White Russian from 2009 – growing great right now
Kohlrabi, Kolibiri
Leeks, Giant Musselburgh from 2009
Lemon Balm
Lettuce, Continuity Butterhead from 2009
Lettuce, Italienischer from 2009 – did great this winter with some protection
Lettuce, Provencal Mix from 2009
Fennel, Perfection
Onions, Guardsman from 2009
Onions, Talon from 2009
Orach
Parsley, Italian Flatleaf
Potatoes, German Butterball
Pumpkins, Magic Lantern from 2009
Sage
Spinach, Bloomsdale Savoy from 2009 – overwintering just fine
Spinach, Malibar
Swiss Chard, Bright Lights from 2009 – mildewed in early fall
Tarragon, French
Tomatoes, Black Plum
Plus tons of varieties of fall/winter broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower that I probably won’t grow again.

And my shorter list from the upcoming (March) Tilth Sale at Magnussen Park:
2 Hazelnut Trees
3 Seaberry Bushes
1 Elderberry Bush
1 Black Currant Bush (to join my existing one)
1 Red Currant Bush (to replace my native non-edible one)
1 Concord Grape Vine

And even shorter list From Rockridge Orchards late Feburary or March when available:
Horseradish
Hardy Ginger
Black Peppercorn

I did manage to save some tomato seeds from the Cherokee Purple and Stupice but neglected to get the black plum.  My goal this year:  save seeds from every tomato, the 4 beans I’m trialing, the 4 peas I’m trialing, the pumpkins (since they will actually be outside the yard this year and away from the others), and the basil.  Someday I’m going to figure out how to save carrot and beet seeds.  I’ve never seen a flower off them so I’m completely befuddled how that works. 

How about you? Have you started your seed lists and garden plans? Starting seeds is just a few short weeks away.

Next week I’ll be hosting a seed giveaway, digging out my seed start up gear and  showing you a few ways that you can very inexpensively get some seeds going by Valentine’s day.

Trowels to the ready!

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Posted in Growing Groceries - Plants, Seeds and Growing Tips, Starting Seeds

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Beef Tacos

Posted on January 25, 2010 by Annette Cottrell| 9 Comments

beef-tacos1

We eat these quite a bit – in tortillas or on nachos. If you had the forethought to thaw your hamburger this recipe is done in less than twenty minutes, making it a great choice for a busy weeknight dinner. You could also use leftover roast chicken and have it on the table even sooner. Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped finely
3 medium cloves chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 pound organic, grass fed ground beef
1 8 ounce can of organic tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1 Tablespoon Rockridge Orchards apple cider vinegar

Technique:
In a skillet, brown onion in oil about 4 minutes until just beginning to soften. Add garlic, spices, salt and ground beef. Cook, breaking up meat until just beginning to brown. Add tomato sauce, sugar and vinegar. Simmer five to ten minutes until meat is done and flavors are melded.

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Posted in Grass Fed Beef

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Tapatio Style Hot Sauce

Posted on January 25, 2010 by Annette Cottrell| 5 Comments

Ingredients:
6 jalapeno peppers from Tonnamaker Farms
1 gallon peeled, seeded tomatoes
3 onions
4 bell peppers from Billy’s
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup canning salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 cup Rockridge Orchard apple cider vinegar

Technique:
To peel tomatoes follow these directions then slice them in half and clean out the seeds, or if you use a Roma Mill like the one in this post you just need to run the tomatoes through the hopper and they magically come out without peels and seeds. How cool is that?

Chop all the ingredients, combine them with the peeled and seeded tomatoes and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Use an Immersion Blender, food processor or blender to create a nice sauce-like texture. Fill half pint canning jars and process in a water bath for 15 minutes.

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Posted in Recipes for Seasonal and Local Foods, Sauces, Snacks, Tomatoes

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Dark Days Week 10

Posted on January 25, 2010 by Annette Cottrell| 8 Comments

Things are getting sparse at the farmer’s market as everyone is now feeling the effects of that deep freeze in December and the subsequent near constant rain we’ve had. It’s ironic that food is disappearing in the face of some pretty mild-spring like temperatures. If you have been planning to make kraut and kimchee you might want to get your food stores next weekend just to be safe.

I remember from last year February and early March were pretty bleak as we faced row after row of kale and the carrots, cabbage and onions disappeared. One week Tonnamaker’s with their steady supply of cold storage apples just stopped coming.

Now is when it gets really tough to eat locally and fairweather fans drop out. It’s more important than ever for you now to support the core vendors and this is a great time to get to know them. The friendships you strike up now just might pay off big time this summer when certain items are hard to come by and you need to call on favors.

If you are interested at all in growing things yourself I recommend you talk to Wade or Judy Bennet of Rockridge Orchards. They have tested just about every edible you can imagine on their farm near Puyallup. In the spring they will have plants by special request. Last spring is when I bought my Yuzu and this fall I bought a tea plant from them. This spring I plan to buy some hardy ginger, black pepper plants and horseradish starts.

It was only after I had finished pickling most of the things I had plans to pickle and we started eating that I realized I would never again buy store bought vinegar. Their apple cider vinegar makes the most amazing pickled beans and beets and I have no idea now how I ever managed to get by without it. Forget any notions you have of vinegar and think “apple cider with a really long shelf life and useful acid content.” I use it to brighten soups and gravies and even my pumpkin pie.

Plus their apple cider helped my husband kick his OJ habit and I’ll always love them for that. I heart Rockridge Orchards.

But on to this week’s menu:

bratwurst-and-kraut

Uli’s bratwurst with Charlotte’s kraut made from Nash’s cabbage, applesauce from Tonnamaker’s apples, honey glazed carrots from the garden and I swear to you the last of the store bought mustard. I ordered some mustard seeds from Mountain Rose Herbs in Oregon and have been planning to make mustard using local beer but haven’t gotten to it yet. Since the mustard jar is getting dangerously low it should be soon.

cheese-crackers1

Cheese crackers with Beecher’s cheese and Lentz spelt.

meat-pies

Mrs. Lovett’s meat pies. Just kidding. No children were harmed in the making of these, I promise. Lentz spelt and Golden Glen butter pie pastry stuffed with Cascade Range beef, Nash’s rutabagas, turnips, Skeeter’s potatoes, our carrots, thyme and a beef broth sauce. No children or barber shop customers.

pesto-pizza1

Pizza made from Azure Standard hard white wheat crust, freezer pesto, and soft mozzarella which Met Market makes on site Fridays and Saturdays. It was spendy ($13.99/#) so the same price as the Golden Glen mozzarella but much nicer. The only thing is I’m not so sure where the milk came from. I’m really hoping to get back to making mozzarella again soon so I can control both the quality and the source.

The tomatoes came from the freezer. Last summer I dried quite a few jars worth with the black plum tomatoes from the garden. I left several jars of them still soft and they are working perfectly on burgers and pizzas – providing very concentrated color and flavor where right now there is none to be had in the garden…the few black olives that you see are the last jar from 2008 that we are hoarding away. I’m thinking another month until my own home-cured olives are ready. I just hope the ones in the fridge last us that long!

I’m working on reverse engineering my pizza crust right now. This week’s experiment, my standard whole wheat pizza dough but triple milling the flour to get it talcum powder fine. Back in the day we would buy xx flour imported from Italy for our pizza dough to get that ethereal Neopolitan crust that I love. I got some nice bubbles on the kid’s pizza made with the last of that pepperoni we bought as our January grocery store choice. See that bubble? That’s whole wheat baby. Now I’m getting somewhere.

pizza-bubble

Homemade pudding for dessert night. Chocolate made with Guittard chocolate chips, although you could omit them and just use cocoa powder if you wanted. I added a pinch of cinnamon to this. If it was for me I would have steeped the milk in coffee first. But caffeine is the last thing I want to put in my rambunctious children. The butterscotch was for me and I used Macallan’s for that. You could certainly use Canadian whiskey or bourbon. But I used what I had. A little for the cook, a little for the pudding.

puddings1

hamburger

Skagit River burgers on store bought buns with Nash’s cabbage, Mt. Pleasant jalapeno gouda, home grown and partially dehydrated then frozen tomatoes, home grown bread and butter pickles and Nash’s lacto-fermented carrots.

Tacos made with our Cascade Range Beef, freezer corn and a small can of 2009 tomato sauce from the pantry. I just have a few jars of home made tomato sauce left so I’m saving them for spaghetti where the flavor is really important. Sadly, I have a great many jars of homemade ketsup that would have been perfect for this (and I made them for this) but I simmered it too long with the spices so now it’s all cinnamon and cloves and not at all something that I can use in many recipes. Next year I’ll know better. No spices until it’s done.

tacos1

Nash’s cabbage, grated Beecher’s cheddar and homemade hot sauce from last summer rounded them out. I made 3 kinds of hot sauce last summer and my husband asked which army was going to eat all those gallons of sauce. Let me just say that we are halfway through them already. This army, apparently. See how smart I was?

So keep a journal now of all the things you are buying at the store or wish you were buying so that this summer you can make them.

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Posted in Dark Days Challenge

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Black Bean Burgers

Posted on January 24, 2010 by Annette Cottrell| 9 Comments

black-bean-burger

In the days before Garden Burgers, bean burgers were increasingly popular and a nice change of pace from eating a meat burger. Since MorningStar came out with their soy-based burgers, however, bean burgers have all but disappeared.

With some inspiration from Heidi at 101 Cookbooks I was able to come up with a recipe that reminds me of the black bean burgers I used to eat before Morningstar displaced them.

These are a fast, frugal weeknight dinner that can even be made up and par-fried then frozen, although they come together so quickly from frozen, pre-cooked beans I don’t know why you would bother unless you were planning to take them camping.

You can add up to one cup of seasonal vegetables to these. The only caveat is if you have a veggie that is hard (like carrots) or contains a large amount of water (like mushrooms or zucchini) you would want to chop and saute them before adding to this recipe.

Black Bean Burgers

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups of cooked black beans
1 cup bread crumbs
4 backyard eggs
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried cilantro or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 small chopped onion or 1 teaspoon of onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Technique:
In a food processor combine all ingredients and puree until the mixture is well combined.

Form into burgers whatever size you prefer and pan fry in a covered, oiled heavy skillet for 5-10 minutes per side depending on your burger size.

These can be served on buns but my favorite way to eat them (since there is already bread in the burger) is plated with peach salsa and a sprout or garden salad.

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Posted in Beans, Chickens, Meatless Entrees, Recipes for Seasonal and Local Foods, Snacks, Thanksgiving

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