Fall Garden Preparation and Sweet Potatoes - What's Not To Love!

Dear Folks,

Got back from our vacation and shaking the cobwebs out of my brain.  Got back to find my sweet potatoes doing great - more on that below.

First up:  Fall Planting and Preparation.

The desert gardener has learned the great secret non-desert dwellers do not know - we can grow almost any edible, despite our summer heat, and fall is the gateway season to begin, enhance, add to and learn about gardening successfully in the desert.

We have 330+ frost free days in the valley and that means we can grow almost year round.

We tend to think of Fall as our "spring" because so many of the perennials are planted October through February for maximum success and longevity.

GARDEN TIP:

If you plant at the right time of year for the variety you do not usually have to do things like chose shady spots or arrange for covers on the plants for either sun or frost protection.

Many beloved edibles like tomatoes and basil are really tender perennials here in the desert which means they can last several years.  As tender perennials they produce most and thrive in the hot sunny days of Spring through Fall and then decline somewhat in the winter.  If we do not get hard freezes (like we had this past winter) the plants will begin to generate new growth in the spring when the soil and air warm up.

Below is a list of plants / seeds I recommend for planting in September.  You will note that tomatoes and basil are NOT on the list.  You can get some production from them before first frost (typically about November 17th) but then they will stop production in the case of tomatoes and they will not smell or taste good in the case of basil.

Seasonal means BEST production and taste, so keep seasonal in mind when you are shopping for additions to your edible garden.

September Planting

Anise;  Beans;  Beets;  Bok Choy;  Broccoli;  Brussels Sprouts;  Cabbage;  Calendula (Calendula Officinalis);  Caraway;  Carrots;  Cauliflower;  Celery;  Chard ;  Chervil;  Cilantro;  Cornflower/bachelor Buttons (Centaurea Cyanus);  Cucumbers;  Dill;  Endive;  Fennel, Leaf;  Green Onions;  Greens;  Kale;  Kohlrabi;  Leeks;  Lettuce;  Marigold;  Mustard;  Nasturtium;  Ornamental Cabbage/Kale (Brassica Oleracea);  Parsley;  Peas;  Radishes;  Scented Geranium;  Snapdragon (Antirrhinum Majus);  Spinach;  Sweet William Aka Pinks (Dianthus Barbatus);  Turnips

All of the above plants are edible including the flowers.

If you have not done so, prepare you beds by fluffing with amendments to a depth of 12-18 inches.  Do not use fresh manure as you will not have success if you plant immediately - the fresh is too "hot" and will burn the plants.

Sweet Potatoes

I have been experimenting with growing sweet potatoes for several years now and recently got some heirloom varieties:  a purple and a deep orange (Barberman) - I planted them in large pots on July 10th and they will take up to 120 days to harvest (mostly determined by size and my patience to try them :-)

Harvest is one of the great advantages we have here growing sweet potatoes, because cold is the enemy of them.  The picture taken this morning shows 37 days worth of vine growth from nothing.  That is a sweet potato for you - they love to grow in the right conditions.

So why sweet potatoes?  I like sweet potatoes and have grown more fond of them over the last several years as I both experimented with different ways to cook them and learned more about how nutritious they are and that the entire plant is edible !!!

When I started experimenting with growing them I talked to Deane about cooking ideas and he did not think he would like them frequently as his memory of them was the overly sweet marshmallow sweet potato casserole.  So I began with roasting them, whipping them like regular potatoes and adding them to stir fries and making baked 'fries.'  He decided they were really good after all :-)

I have been talking to and reading about the edible leaves and we had our first taste test of the fresh leaves yesterday.  Just a taste so I could decide how I want to prepare them.  Evidence of domestication of sweet potatoes has been dated 1000 AD.  Many Asian cultures make ready use of the leaves and tender stems steaming them like spinach.

Our taste test yesterday was really good.  A hardy first taste finishing up with nutty.  I can't wait to try several ways including in a salad.

Nutritious, Delicious and Easy To Grow:

Growing:  The nice thing about both regular potatoes and sweet potatoes is they grow seasonally opposite of each other, so you can have a single large bed for growing them:  Regular potatoes planted November - January 1st and harvested in April/May and sweet potatoes planted May/July and harvested no later than November.  Both require fluffy and amended soil.  Here is the limitation and why I chose to put the sweets in pots.  They are almost invasive if they are happy and so far we usually have REALLY happy plants in the garden.  Since I am experimenting with 2 heirloom varieties I also want to keep them separated so I can track growth habits and needs.

The plants grow from 'slips' a kind of eye where you get miniature plants growing from the older tubers.  This is different from the regular potatoes which put out roots from the eyes.

Nursery growers who specialize in sweet potatoes harvest the slips and ship them anywhere from May through mid-summer depending on when their sweets grow their slips.  Some like the purple are more difficult to get to grow - one of the reasons I wanted to try them, they are rarer.

Cooking:

The sweet potato foliage is edible because it is NOT from the solano family (tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and potatoes).

As I try recipes for the leaves I will post them later on.  I mentioned several way to cook the tubers above.  Basically any thing you use a regular russet or new potato for, you can use a sweet potato as a substitute or addition.  As they are naturally sweet, they caramelize well in high heat like on the grill or in the oven.  A little cinnamon and chili powder are great spice options for roasted chunks or fries.

A link to check out:

Be sure to check out Lola's Kamote Salad Recipe :-)

http://nesfp.nutrition.tufts.edu/ethnic_crops/vegetable_details.php?veggieid=70

Nutrient Dense:

So about the nutrition.  Sweet potatoes could be called a super food.  The dark the flesh the more nutrient dense in terms of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.  The purple have more than the orange variety.

Some Info:

1 cup of baked with skin on (values do not include skin - but I eat mine)
No Salt

Calories 180
Protein 4.2 grams
Fiber 6.6 grams

Some mineral references

Potassium 950 mg.
Calcium 76 mg

Some vitamin references

Vitamin C  39.2 mg
Beta Carotene  23 mg
Vitamin A IU   38436


Edible Sweet potato leaves: 1 cup steamed without salt has a mere 22 calories and 305 mg potassium and 586 IU of Vitamin A along with lesser amounts of protein, fiber and other vitamins and minerals.

Nutrition information is from:

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/

One more informative site about sweet potatoes is the Extension Service in Hawaii where they grow a lot of sweet potatoes.

http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/CFS-SP-1A.pdf

That's all for now, folks.  Have a great day,

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Taking A Break - But Real Short :-)

Dear Folks,

I taking a brief vacation, but wanted to share a couple of meeting/lectures coming up on August 3rd and the 16th.

Check out the info on my google group newsletter site

http://groups.google.com/group/edible-landscaping-in-the-desert-gl-gs-ge/browse_thread/thread/8bcc2b4b66a79d55

Next post will be on fall gardening preparation.

Have a great day,

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Bits and Pieces - Gardening, Cooking, Greening, GMO, Organic

Dear Folks,

I have been collecting bits of pieces of information I wanted to share with you.  The problem is I have also been trying to get ready for a vacation and the result is I have not posted as I collected.  While I wanted to give you some additional thoughts on each of the "bits" I have to do something with them now before I create a monster of a rambling post :-)

Let me start out with a quote from Ghandi, which is so appropriate to our time and the focus of many of you and myself.

"To forget how to dig the earth and tend the soil is to forget ourselves." -- Mohandas K. Gandhi


My reader Neyeema shared that with me.


When I look at the stated focus or purpose of "sustainable" I find all sorts of references to it that seem to be one of those ???? moments.

Sustainable - Definition from Websters

 

 a : of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damage.

 

So I think that is pretty clear.

Then I look at Monsanto's "mission" statment

"Monsanto Company is a leading global provider of technology-based solutions and agricultural products that improve farm productivity and food quality."

 

Food quality, yes, hmmmm?

 

 

Can we afford not to go organic?

A very interesting article on the subject.

 

From the studies mentioned above and from an increasing body of case studies, it is becoming evident that organic farming does not result in neither catastrophic crop losses due to pests nor in dramatically reduced yields as many critics from agribusiness and in academia would have us believe. A report from UC Davis predicted a 36% reduction in tomato yields in California if conventional insecticides and fungicides were eliminated (Agricultural Issues Center 1988).

On the contrary, organic farming systems have proven that they can prevent crop loss to pests without any synthetic pesticides. They are able to maintain high yields, comparable to conventional agriculture without any of the associated external costs to society. 

http://www.cnr.berkeley.edu/~christos/articles/cv_organic_farming.html

 

Research Confirms Organic Farming Produces Higher Yields

 

But a spate of new research has shown that organic farming actually yields better results than modern techniques when evaluated more holistically. A series of peer-reviewed papers published by the international journal, Nature, showed that organic methods for growing rice, corn and wheat all produced significantly higher yields—and at less the cost—than monoculture farms.

 

http://environment.about.com/od/healthenvironment/a/organicfarming.htm

 

So there are many folks out there who 1) don't believe the organic foods make a difference health wise, 2) feel that most organic foods are priced too high to be a good enough alternative to factory-farmed foods, and 3) don't believe there are health or other consequences to factory farming or in the alternative believe that the consequences are out-weighed by the benefits.

Health

A new study out of the University of Sherbrooke, Canada, recently found Bt toxin, a component of certain genetically-modified (GM) crops, in human blood samples for the first time.
Set to be published in the peer-reviewed journal Reproductive Toxicology the new study shreds the false notion that Bt is broken down by the digestive system, and instead shows that the toxin definitively persists in the bloodstream.

 

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/08906238

 

http://www.fondazionedirittigenetici.org/fondazione/files/allegatonews27aprile11numero2.pdf

 

Environmental

Scientists predict this year's "dead zone" of low-oxygen water in the northern Gulf of Mexico will be the largest in history – about the size of Lake Erie – because of more runoff from the flooded Mississippi River valley.

 

If you have never heard of the "Dead Zone" you should be doing some reading.  When the Mississippi River waters fill with the run off from factory farmed land (fertilizers and pesticides) each year in the spring, the resulting algae bloom in the gulf chokes out the oxygen and the fish kill is enormous.  This year's (2011) dead zone is expected to be the largest in history - the size of Lake Erie between 8,500 square miles and about 9,400 square miles - The impact is not just about a 'temporary' die off of fish, but of the economic and environmental consequences to the fishing industry in the already-damaged Gulf.  40% of seafood harvested in the 48 states comes from the Gulf.  Louisiana's economic lively-hood is directly affected by these kinds of man-made challenges.

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/14/gulf-dead-zone-predicted-largest-in-history_n_877188.html

 

SO where will our food come from?

The United Nations says world food production must increase by up to 100 percent by 2050 and focus on greener methods to sustain an expected 9 billion population.

Put politics aside for a moment and consider the total picture.

If factory-farming methods produce environmental issues like dead zones, reducing other food sources like fish, if chemicals wind up in our bodies as a result of eating franken-foods, or we consume too much poor quality 'generic' food (the GMO and hybrid produce and grains are simply not as healthy for us), so we take more supplements to balance what we do not get from our food, if the ever decreasing nutrient density of the soil continues as its current pace, no amount of available farmable-land will produce enough food to feed the 7 billion people now on earth, let alone the future population.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/05/un-food-production-sustainable-green_n_890138.html

 

 

Joel Salatin is a sustainable guru to many.  His Polyface farm in Virginia is a permaculture shrine of sorts.  He has the resolve and energy to continue getting the message out.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KBqfKh-myZk

 

Heirloom seeds

 

Heirloom seeds are historic.  They may only be 50 years old or may be centuries old.  Passed down from generation to generation.  Reliable, filled with flavor and nutrient dense, these seeds are being carefully and loving preserved by more and more individuals and companies.

Baker Creek Seed

The People Who Feed Us is a group dedicated to focusing - in this case with videos - on the farmers and ranchers and other food producers who bring us the food we eat.  Take come time and check out some of their videos.  The Joel Salatin and Baker Creek videos above were posted by them.

http://thepeoplewhofeedus.com/

 

Elegant Edible Landscaping services --Free classes at Harper's Nursery

 

Check out these folks and their classes at locally owned Nursey Harper's

 

http://iagriscape.com/

 

I know the above information is diverse and I hope I have not glazed your eyes over so much that you lose the points I am trying to make.

Have a wonderful day!

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Tea Parties - A History and Gardening Suggestions

Dear Folks,

Tea as a political statement has been around for a while - but the beverage itself is a wonderful blend of 'what's local' because what is called tea has many meanings depending on your location and needs.

Infusions, tisane, liqueur, even extracts like "vanilla" are a form of tea.  And these flavored liquids date back not only to the time of Monks' herb gardens but further back to the stone age time when the first 'beer' was made.

Have you considered a beverage or tea garden theme in your garden?

Check out my newsletter post for some fun links and history.

Catherine's Newsletter

I also give you some news on a meeting tomorrow morning (Wednesday July 6th) for like-minded folks in the east valley.

I mention Tom Standage's wonderful book "History of The World in Six Glasses"  I highly recommend this readable and informative history of water to water and everything social and political in between.

Have a great week!

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Greening - Monsanto - What Did They Know and When Did They Know It?

Dear Folks,

A report recently released on more of the potential dangers of Monsant's Roundup, brings up more questions about what Monsanto knew, who else knew and when did they know it.

Here is a Huffington Post link to read.

I want to draw your attention to a couple of, what I consider, important points.

Let's take for example a new drug out that has had years of R&D and the FDA approves the drug.  The companies are required to (and hopefully be really honest about) detail any potential contraindications, allergic reactions and anything that could cause a potentially life-threatening event.

In other words they are required to give doctors and patients all the information they need to make an informed decision on whether this drug is safe enough to use, or in the alternative has limited enough risks to out weigh the potential health issues over using it to treat "the" health problem.

So why is a chemical substance, applied to soil and food not treated the same way.

Do you remember all the 'exposes' on what the cigarette companies knew when they were telling people the butts were perfectly safe?  People were outraged and lawsuits followed - the companies are still in business, albeit with stronger and stronger health warnings required.  At least most smokers can't now say they don't know the risks.

I moved to the Valley in 1976 and experienced the massive floods of 1978 when the salt river destroyed the main bridge connecting the two sides of the east valley (for safety's sake I got stuck on the opposite side of the river from my home).  The planners had to make a decision about rebuilding the bridge based, in part, on costs and whether the bridge could survive a 50, 100 or 500 years flood.  Experts reported that given the nature of the flooding in '78 we had all three events!  So I remember reading with opened mouth alarm when the powers-that-be released reports on why they were rebuilding for a 50 year flood, because of the considerable cost to build one for a 100 or 500 year flood.  By the way the much Older Mill Avenue bridge withstood all of them!

Anyway, here is what I remember one of the reports indicated:  Because of the cost of the 100/500 year options, part of the factor was the number of acceptable deaths going with the 50 year version.  Did you get that?  It may be that they never intended that little piece of information to be released to the public, but it was - wish I could find the reference - it may be out there on the internet in archives.

The point of that little story is:  What health issues, deaths and environmental impact did Monsanto's own chemical engineers and others know and what did they decide to keep from the public?

Evey choice we make as consumers is or should be an informed decision.

You may not choose to decide if the jacket you are buying will last 1 year or 10 years - it would not be a bad idea.  But the point is when it comes to foods, chemicals and environmental impact on our lives and families we have a right to access all information on which we would reliably make an informed decision.  By withholding any part of "material" facts which alters what decision we would make if we knew them, a company or regulator is making the decision for you - without your knowledge.

Whether you believe an acceptable risk is 'acceptable' to you, each of us should support the right to know by the public at large.

It offers no comfort to me that people can sue a company which misleads the public, after the fact, after someone is dying or dead, because of that 'material' information which was not allowed to be accessible.

And, no, I do not support peoples right to sue when they are behaving so foolishly they bring the danger on themselves.  You can only give people information or make it available - you can't make them pay attention.

I want to know if my food contains GMO products.  I want to know what Monsanto knew and knows.  I want the USDA and FDA to require as much 'material' information as they require on drugs.  And I want all of it.

Monsanto defends its roundup and related products on the basis of preventing mass-starvation.  That is a really good motive.  However, if you knew that farming and eating those products would shorten your life, cause birth defects in your children, deplete the world's pollinators, and eventually 'cut' production of food crops - what decisions might be made instead?

Food for thought!


-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Homegrown Sustainability - Some Ideas That Make Cents!

Dear Folks,

I am always on the lookout for ways to get more out of my efforts, garden, cooking, and life in general.  I like to recycle, not just in the current meaning, like turning in cans to metal recyclers (I do that), but in real - use-as-much-of-it-as-you-can ways, or maybe a better way to say it would be to waste as little as possible. I compost kitchen scrapes, feed stale bread to the birds (along with the birdseed we dole out), share extra food with neighbors, calculate my driving route to make as many stops with as few miles as possible, recycle using community bins, give things I can't use anymore to Goodwill, and share my ideas, experience, and knowledge with you.

And I worry, about everything - drives Deane nuts - but it is also what gets me looking into "how" to do things better or easier.

What if, I say to myself, everyone who could garden, did so, and then shared some with the folks next door?  What if you made a decision to waste as little as possible?  What if you got as involved in concepts like sustainability, local-focused purchasing, or really making every cent you spent worth more than the value you purchased - you know the old expression - "got my money's worth" - I look for "more than my money's worth" in many of my purchases.  But I'm not cheap - I don't try to get a good value for a poor price and put a neighbor out of business.  The built-in obsolence so prevalent today really makes me sad.  What if you got creative to achieve those goals?

Don't have a 'yard' to garden in?  A florescent light fixture, windows, plastic 2 liter soda or water bottles, some organic fertilizer and you have a "window garden" producing edibles -- some people have even made them with wine bottles.

Hydroponics and Aquaponics and really neat ways to grow food with as little waste as possible. 

Check our "WindowFarms" for a really creative way to garden in your home.  A couple of points about these ideas - the 'elaborate' farms are truly inspirational, but also require more investment in pumps and tubing, etc.  I am going to try to get around to setting up a simple version by just positioning bottles in a vertical pattern, where one drains into the next lower one and the bottom bottle catches the nutrient dense liquid and then I can take and pour it back through the top once a day.

SIDE TIP:  If you have an aquarium, you quick start your seed sprouting for sowing in the garden, by tying up the seeds (best with larger seeds) in a bit of cheese cloth and placing them in the tank or filter compartment.  The constantly circulating water speeds up germination time and rate (the amount of seeds which actually sprout).

Some very impressive systems have been set up to circulate water through fish tanks raising fish like tilapia for food and growing edible plants hydroponically.

Check out this Mesa family's big project to turn their pool into producing most of their food.  Besides their website they have also written a book about it called "Year of Plenty."

On a smaller but highly motivated scale - one cook who shares tips and recipes on Allrecipes.com started a blog on their decision to home-grow at least some of their food weekly.  Begged, Borrowed and Homegrown    "When I became unemployed last winter, I had to rethink how I cook, and what I eat, so that I could fit it in my budget. "

Ideas, these kinds of experiences give me lots of ideas.

One I looked into several years ago, but have not yet implemented is growing rice and crayfish in a kiddie pool.  Before you send me a note that it is illegal in Az to raise crayfish (they are an invasive species), I checked in with some officials at the UofA about it and "contained' and not accessible to rivers and streams etc. is permissible.  The idea is based on the Louisiana practice of farming rice and crayfish together, which began in the 18th century. "The concurrent culture of rice and crayfish makes use of land, resources, equipment, and infrastructure already being used for rice production."  I have not tried the concept yet because I am still trying to get my mind around actually eating the crayfish, that I raised (had a "pet" crayfish when I was a child).  But I like the idea of raising them on vegetation as opposed to the wild alternative.

Chickens - there is just something about raising a few hens for eggs and having them help you - in a supervised way - with the garden:  they fertilize it, eat the bugs, turn the soil and generally rotate any plants you want them working.  And if you need something spread around in the garden (like mulch), put it in a pile in the garden and let the chickens have at it - they can spread it faster and wider than you can!

And of course, there is the just plain simple idea of gardening in the soil or large containers here in the desert which is easy, economical, rewarding, peaceful, and you get to eat the results!

Hope these impressive ideas give you ideas!


-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Garden Like Your Quality Of Life Depended On It - Blast From The Past.

Dear Folks,

You have seen the references before - during World War II 40% of fresh foods were grown in backyards.

Here is a cool poster from 1917, with Uncle Sam urging home gardeners to save money.  Not mentioned is how wonderful home grown food tastes.  Our tomatoes are supplying us with yellow, striped and deep flavored options.  The last of our peaches are ripening and I'm still enjoying our summer apples, plus all the herbs for flavoring things.  My horseradish is getting close to harvesting time and I am awaiting a special order of sweet potato slips to plant for fall production.

Back to the poster - it is part of an exhibit at the National Archives on "What's Cooking, Uncle Sam?"

The exhibit explores some of the history of the government in the American dinner table, from farm to gardening, to shopping and menu planning, even the school lunch program.

What's For Lunch?

One of the posters is for something called "Ham Shortcake" one of the very first menu items in the school lunch program in 1946. The poster for the recipe feeds 100.  For a similar recipe to try at home, check out the one on cooks.com  These kind of recipes arose out of farm life to make the most of what you had available.  In expensive and nutritious, this would make a hearty lunch for children or adults.  Fresh fruit or a salad on the side would make this a pretty complete meal.  By the way, when I say salad, I do not mean just lettuce and tomatoes.  To qualify as a good-for-you salad I personally like to have about 5 different ingredients - not including the croutons!  Greens (add fresh herbs to the mix of greens), tomatoes, celery, carrots, peppers, Jicama, maybe a small amount of shredded cabbage or kale, olives, apple if you want something sweet, dressing on the side so each person can add their own.  That also makes storing left over salad easier, it is not swimming in excess dressing and stays fresher, longer.  If you make up a large batch and store in the frig, it is easy to grab some for meals because all you need is the dressing.

If you are having trouble getting started gardening or don't think you have enough space for what you want to grow, check out community gardens in your area.

In the East Valley, Mesa Community College has opened up a community garden to the public with folks able to rent a 10 x 20 plot for $80 / year.  Considering they provide the water and access to help that is a smoking deal.  http://www.mesacc.edu/community/garden/

Because I am such a cookbook and food research nut, I am constantly reminded of how different foods we eat and meals are today (on average) from 40+ years ago.

In those years we were far more like our European neighbors.  Foods served were more seasonal and fresher.  Leftover fresh were canned.  "Leftovers" were "made over" into nutritious meals with little waste.

Digressing here a bit...
Did you happen to see the info-mercial on the vacuum food-storage ad? (I was at the gym - don't laugh - and working on the treadmill and watching the cooking channel - I said I was a nut.)  Anyway back to the ad, they wanted to show how a family wastes food by simply storing in the freezer, store packaged meats.  They tossed and tallied everything "freezer-burned" after 2 weeks!!!!!  I don't get it.  I think the vacuum storage option is great for some folks, but tossing the freezer-burned foods without assessing whether you can make a stew or soup is mind-boggling.  Once you understand the safe food handling options wasting food is just not right.  I grew up in one of those families where we told repeatedly that people were starving in (fill in the blanks -- now a days it could be your neighbor who is out of work) and I was supposed to appreciate the food I had on my plate.  Well it did make me eat the food, no matter how much I did not want to (flash forward to Bill Crosby's famous ad of children eating without swallowing LOL), and we did not have a lot of food choices - my mom bought what she could afford).

The point is careful consideration to what is seasonal and fresh, making it easier on yourself to prepare meals (for example: making a large batch of grains and freezing in portions for one meal (times how many are in your household), in addition to the easy salad reference above, and maybe sharing an abundance with neighbors is a better 'modern' way to approach food - by going backwards to what worked before.

If I get into one of my cooking modes and prepare more than we can feasibly eat in a couple of meals I share with my elderly neighbor, or my working mom neighbor.

Food can be about community and maybe should be.  What is growing locally, what are you growing and cooking and who can you share it with.  Food binds us whether we are family, extended family or a community - we have choices.

Have a wonderful day,



-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Hot Times In The Garden: I Want You To Do What?

Dear Folks,

It is that time of the year when even us desert lizards change habits and concentrate our outdoor activities to early morning, twilight or later.  And I want you to think about gardening!

But first, my ginger is popping up and I'm pleased to find additional locations where it wants to grow more happily.  For all you folks who ask about things to grow in the shade, or some shade, ginger could be one of them.  I have some ginger growing in a south exposure - in front of the asparagus bed, and the asparagus is now in full 'feather and about 4 feet + tall.

When I harvested the ginger last time (last October 1st) - I re-planted some of the root in a shady spot - north of one of our peaches (deciduous - keep that in mind) and beside the variegated society garlic. I just noticed the new growth yesterday, 3 times the size of the sunny spot location ginger, so I think my usual experimenting process of trying different locations is providing once again information to pass on to you.  Ginger is one of those foods which is so good tasting and so good for you, it is a shame to NOT grow it.

Harvest ginger when the top dies back or flowers - it can take anywhere from 7-10 months.  The sunny spot ginger has been in the ground now about 2 and half years and dutifully comes up, but I'm hoping for more production out of the shady spot ginger.

Read my post of 2 years ago on ginger and my early attempts to grow it.  The picture above is from that post.


Onto gardening in July.

When we are looking at temperatures of 108 - 114 I sure I'm getting the 'eye roll' when I discuss doing soil preparation and seed planting in the middle of all of that, but if you want a fall garden, you have to consider the fundamentals.  If you want pumpkins you have to count backwards 120 days from the holidays.  If you want root vegetables, lettuces, and cool weather herbs like dill and cilantro as soon as the weather is really more comfortable you have to keep in mind when and how those plants germinate -- in the cooling soil.

For easier seeding in, you need either an existing garden bed or one that you can prepare by fluffing up with compost or well-rotted manure.  Did you miss the planting time for tomatoes this spring?  You can sow seeds in an established bed NOW, or you can also start them inside and transplant, in an established bed in mid to late July -- the key to success with that is to sow or plant in amongst summer flowering plants, so they have some canopy from the growing plants and that allows them to get going, while reaching for the sun.  You will get tomatoes producing as soon as the night time temperatures go below the 80s in September and harvest into November.

Most of the heavy fall sowing time begins August 1st - but pumpkins should be sown in starting July 15th.

The list of seeds to be sown then is impressive.  And while not normally listed, you can start basil seeds along with the tomato seeds so you have more basil growing when the tomatoes start producing later on.

Anise;  Beans, Snap (bush and pole);  Bok Choy;  Broccoli;  Brussels Sprouts;  Cabbage;  Caraway;  Carrots;  Cauliflower;  Chervil;  Cilantro;  Corn;  Cucumbers;  Dill;  Fennel;  Greens, all;  Kale;  Kohlrabi;  Lettuce;  Marigolds;  Mustard;  Nasturtium;  Onions, Green;  Parsley;  Portulaca (Moss Rose);  Pumpkin;  Purslane;  Squash, Winter;  Stock;  Sweet Alyssum.

With those types of herbs and lettuces that you may use the most, you can plant successively every 2-4 weeks through November/December.

Choose leaf varieties over "head" type on lettuces and kales - you will have faster and more production.

If you have portulaca (moss rose) growing - you can break off stems and just stick them right back in the ground next to new plants or seeds - they root very easily because they love our sun.  As invasive as that sounds (and their wild cousin can be really invasive) they do you the supreme favor of dying back as soon as the temps cool in the fall.  (The purslane family is edible.)

Give some serious thought to handling the aphids in early to late fall as they really want your dill and cabbage family.  Aside from the safe soil/soap spray referenced here on the blog site, consider the easy method of making up a quart of water with a finger tip of dawn.  Pour a 1/4 cup of this solution right down the center of growing cabbage and dill plants at the first site of aphids and you can do this once a week without harm to plants or soil -- this works because the aphids start out in the leaf axis and are not always easy to spot to until they mass.  You can even do it preventatively when the temperatures are hovering in the high 80s/low 90s in September after the plants are 6 inches tall or so.

As the heat gets more intense and you ramp up the watering (make sure you use your meter to measure soil moisture) you may see yellowing of leaves particularly on trees and shrubs.  This is usually due to the amount of water (necessary) applied which in turns causes the iron in the soil to bind with the calcium and make it unavailable to the plants (Chlorosis - yellowing of the leaves with the green veins standing out).  Easily treated with green sand (natural) or if you can't find it ironite (issues with source of this treatment).  Apply before next watering and the trees should green up in about 2-3 weeks.

. . .

Recipes, I love recipes and cookbooks and of course I'm always experimenting - right now I'm reading Mark Grant's "Roman Cookery: Ancient Recipes for Modern Kitchens" - one of the real original "Mediterranean Diets" :-)

But I am fascinated by a book I have not bought but will purchase shortly.  My kind of cook and writer.

"Cooking in the Moment: A Year of Seasonal Recipes" by Andrea Reusing.  This Southern gal treats your garden as one of the sources of seasonal produce.  I think this is going to be one of the great cookbooks "of the moment."

 

And if you need help with when to plant here in the desert don't forget my beginners guide "Edible Landscaping in The Desert Southwest: Wheelbarrow to Plate"  Also available as an ebook or a special pdf for ereaders like Kindle.

 

Have a great week!

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Greening -- Weighing In On "Choose My Plate" - Don't "Negotiate" The System

Dear Folks,

Try to put politics aside while you consider my thoughts on the new food recommendations from the USDA.

First, anytime, anyone tries to help you make better food decisions, that is a good thing, as long as they do not require you to join, commit, or be penalized if you don't do "x" etc.  That means you do not have agree with everything the USDA and First Lady suggest for better health -- to take advantage of the free information on the new visual help-tool called "Choose My Plate". (CMP) And I personally have a lot of problems with some decisions by the USDA and FDA, but this post is about a good tool.

I decided to weigh in on the subject because the CMP reflects my regular mantra of putting a rainbow on your dinner plate (growing your own veggies and fruits when you can, of course), and also because Jillian Michaels of "Biggest Loser" fame weighed in on her thoughts that the new visual presumed the American people were stupid.  I disagree because of our human need to 'tweak' 'game' or 'negotiate' something we think is a good idea, but we want to do it our way -- and miraculously achieve the same results!

Let me be the first to admit that I am overweight and out of shape.  I blame some of it on my back injury last summer, but the truth is I do not get enough exercise*, and my comfort food of choice is cheese and bread.  It does not matter that I can make my own cheese and bread sometimes and control the ingredients.  It matters that I do not follow the rainbow principle "most of the time" in its intended form.

So, I tweak the system, by saying to myself - I will have more salad with dinner than normal or I will make sure that I have cut up fruit and vegetables for easy access, so I have the instant ability to do the rainbow thing.  But I do not personally adhere, right now, to the rainbow principle at each meal.

So when the Choose My Plate visual came out - I said now that is something I can see people being able to use, easily, and not game it -- and, also give me personally a visual aid - I'm going to put it on my place-mate!

You know the first thing that had to be clarified on what the plate symbol was?  The size of the plate - oh my - the whole portion distortion topic of the last decade took on new meaning because the CMP plate is 9 inches - not 10, 11, 12 or the super-sized oval "platters" used as plates at many restaurants.

What is it with us that if we dine out we have to get our monies worth by getting a serving of food that is at least 50% more than a 'normal' meal or greater!

A salad / dessert plate is 6 to 7.5 inches.  Many nutritionists recommend a person trying to lose weight move down to a salad/dessert plate to help adjust portions.  Visually you do not feel like you are depriving yourself.  Conversely putting a normal portion on a huge plate makes it look like you are depriving yourself.  It is all in the mind.

Many paper plates come in 9 inch sizes, including some of the divided type.  If you want to try experimenting get some of the divided plates and instead of putting the protein in the big compartment, put it in one the small ones and you will have an idea of what the real protein portion is.  These kind of divided plates rarely have more than 3 compartments.  Put vegetables in most of the largest compartment with some fruit to fill in, and your grains in the other small compartment.  There you can visually see what a serving looks like in the CMP plate suggestion.

The Bigger Picture

I cannot express enough about the inclusion of lots of vegetables and fruits in your meal planning.  Choose seasonal when you can - not out of season - if you want something that is not in season, then choose frozen (1st choice) or canned (2nd choice).  Why?  Because the frozen and canned veggies etc. are picked when ripe and processed immediately.  Fresh out of season produce is simply not as nutrient dense.

If you and your family take a lot of supplements to get your vitamins and minerals, instead of eating the vegetables, fruits and grains which contain them in a more useable form - are you not making a poor health choice?  Think about it.

Here is the real issue - IF YOU want to make better choices you have to stop 'gaming yourself' and try to focus on what you want to achieve.

"I don't like vegetables..I don't eat grains I only like potatoes...I need more protein than it looks like I will get."  Try to get over something that has not tasted good by preparing it a different way.  Roasted or grilled vegetables have wonderful taste because the high heat brings out the sugars.  If mushy rice has turned you off of grains, try barley or quinoa which are nutty and have lots of texture (also learn how to cook rice properly!)

Grains in combination with other protein provide more protein total than the individual components.  Non-meat exceptions are favorite bean and rice combinations - or similar.  A peanut butter and jelly sandwich on good wheat bread is a complete protein.  It may be high caloried but it is a good source of protein and fiber.

As a child I did not like most vegetables because they were canned and tasted like baby food, nor did I like onions, mushrooms, avocado or sea food other than tuna.  Most of that had to do with our limited economics and some of it had to do with a child's food experiences. A single avocado came into our house about every two years for my dad as a treat and he once gave me a taste - since it was not sweet I instantly disliked it.  I could eat a half a head of lettuce or cabbage because it was raw, but all other vegetables were not of interest to me at all -- the exception was seasonal corn on the cob - oh boy.  Fast forward to my willingness as a young adult and then on through the years to give something I did not like before another try, or two (sometimes it took a different cooked version of something to get me to like something).  Once I decided I liked something I tried different was of preparing it.  I still prefer most of my vegetables raw, but I have discovered wonderful ways to prepare many so they do not taste like baby food.  (Deane's preference for cooked-too-death -- my term -- vegetables presents some challenges and always surprises me since he grew up in farming country -- but it was what he grew up loving.  We have a running joke about "well done" when it comes to cookies too -- he makes a great chocolate chip oatmeal cookie - he has to take mine out 15-20 minutes before his because his preferred done level are hockey-pucks!)

And there are still things I don't like but I have increased my food options thousands of a percent because I was willing to try something I did not like before.  And, I completely understand the 'ick' factor for some people with some foods -- I have them too either because of associated stories or where the food might come from.

Give good-for-you vegetables, grains and fruits another try if you have not liked them in the past - your body will reward you with more energy and over-all health.

And, finally, yes I know, some meals are served in bowls.  But, you know what, a typical soup/cereal bowl holds exactly 2 cups and 2 cups fills a 9 inch plate.  A bowl of chili, beans and rice, thick stew or soup would be 2 cups and equivalent to a plate of food.  Half a bowl of salad with a protein topper would be equivalent to a plate of food.

By the way, the serving size of most cereals is 1 cup or there abouts, but check the protein and fiber content.  Using my nutrient density formula (protein and fiber grams added and divided into serving calorie) corn flakes come in at a very low nutrient density (higher the number the lower the nutrient density) before milk is added.

Corn Flakes factor Protein 2 Fiber 1 = 3 Calories 100 = Factor 34
Kashi Golean Crunch Cereal Protein 9 Fiber 8 = Calories 190 = Factor 11

Look at the amount of protein and fiber for each of those - before milk is added.

Some ads will point you to the calorie content, or the total number of vitamins and minerals in the cereal - do not let yourself be mis-directed from the point of having cereal and milk for breakfast:  1) it is supposed to give your a good nutrient basis for the day, and 2) cereals have become "THE" breakfast food as opposed to PART of breakfast, so it is even more important that you choose nutrient dense options.

Total Cereal likes to point out all the vitamins and minerals they added back in to the cereal after starting with less than whole grains to begin with, so it winds up being a vitamin / mineral pill only with little or no protein or fiber.  It is not only not economical but like eating a donut for breakfast without the taste satisfaction!  (Meaning with a donut however NOT good for you as a breakfast food you get a mouth-feel satisfaction.)

If you missed my post on using the nutrient density formula go to my November 2008 post:

Hope this is helpful to you in meal planning that makes healthy sense.



-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

*This week, I just joined a gym nearby and have high hopes of both strengthening my back and loosing the weight.

Horseradish! And, A New Survey

Dear Folks,

First - a new survey, folks. Help me help you by letting me know what you want more of.   See the upper sidebar here on the blog.

. . .

The horseradish is looking good.  While having breakfast in the garden the other day, Deane spotted a great photo op.

Framed by a peach tree on the left and a grapefruit tree on the right, the plant in the background is Lemon Verbena, one of the most fragrant of the herbs.

We grow horseradish here the opposite of the four-season areas.  Planted in the fall and harvested in early summer.  The older the plant the bigger the root.  I have not gotten the massive 3 inch size roots yet (the main plants are about 3 years old), but I get enough to make my condiment up.  I save some of the roots when harvesting and replant in the fall (I store them in the crisper). The ones I leave in the ground die back in the summer only to regenerate in the fall/winter.

One of those wonderful spices that add so much to taste, it adds, not surprisingly, a good deal of beneficial nutrients too.  Potassium, magnesium., calcium and phosphorus along with a good amount of vitamin C, and because it is a member of the mustard family, antibacterial activity too.

Good to grow, good to eat and good for you too :-)

Have a great weekend!


-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

More on Drying Herbs, Some "Neighbors", & Seasonal Tips

Dear Folks,

I have been drying more herbs in the sun and have more information for you, but first some Seasonal Tips and "neighbors" for and in the garden.

Seasonal Tips in The Garden

Established fruit trees should be fed 3 times a year. Memorial, Labor, and Valentine's days are traditionally used as markers here in the desert.  Young fruit trees should not be fertilized the first year.

Harvest seed for sowing later.  Plants like arugula, cilantro, and the radishes and carrots are going or will be going to flower and seed if they have not already.  Catch the seeds for sowing later on in the fall -- recycling at its best!  Store in paper envelopes in a cool dry place and they will be viable for a couple of years.  Mark the date you harvest on the envelopes.

Speaking of seeds -- did you know the nasturtium seed is edible?  The fresh green seed after the flowers die off are a great bite of horseradish.  Just don't eat too many at once.  3-5 crushed and added to a dressing is good.  They can be pickled like capers.  They contain oxalic acid, which binds with minerals like calcium and make it unavailable to your body when eaten in large quantities.  Many of the foods good for you, like spinach and other dark green leafy veggies have the same caution.  Too much of a good thing, can be a problem.

I let many of the nasturtium seeds drop where they may, harvesting some seeds so I can fill in later next fall/winter where I need more color.  This year's freezes killed the first 2 crops of "nastys" but there were many more seeds in the ground that just needed the opportunity to pop up, so our fruit tree wells had lovely hems of brilliant colors and the textures of the exotic leaf shapes.

There is still time to plant sunflowers, soybeans and summer squash, cantaloupe and Armenian cucumber.  One of my recommended variations on the "three sisters" companion planting.  For more color, plant moss rose flowers (portulaca) - they love the heat.

Neighbors

We encourage the birds by putting out seed for them, but not all of them need the seed.  The Lesser Goldfinch is one of the acrobats of our feathered neighbors and a hoot to watch on our sunflowers.

Look closely at the photo on your visual right and you will see the male hanging upside down.  I always thought they were only after the seed, but a reading several years ago said they are after the tiny bugs which frequent sunflowers, as well as nibbling on other parts of the sunflowers.

I found out about the bugs one year when something I could not see bit me, and I tried to find out about what the heck it was.  One of the types of bugs found on sunflowers are thrips an annoying insect which has a nasty bit for such a small thing.  Healthy plants do not need our help to maintain vigor with these pests and having finches helps keep the bug population under some control.

One of our shy neighbors is the Cardinal.  I caught this handsome guy just before he flew away - I am usually not good with the camera, but this did not turn out too bad.  Deane is the photography expert who's pictures I use for this blog, but he was snoozing early the other morning and I only had about a minute to try and snap a picture.

It is also rare for us to see them on the ground.  They usually prefer to be "up."

We have been blessed this year to have the Gamble Quail come regularly to the feeders. For the last few years, they have not been around as much -- too much development going on we think.  Some years ago, Deane moved a large piece of lumber stored in the back drive and discovered a quail nest. He gently eased the wood back in place.  Later, we were treated to mom and dad taking the "eggs - with - legs" hatchlings back and forth through the yard for a week or two.

Drying Herbs

I have posted a couple of notes about sun drying some herbs while I was drying our apricots and apples.  As a general rule I prefer drying my herbs in the refrigerator, on a tray, paper towel or plate.  Why?  Because the modern refrigerator mimics the commercial freeze-drying process by constantly removing the moisture from the air (outside of the crisper).  This results in a greater color and essential oil retention.

But it is easier and faster to take advantage of our hot weather to dry them quickly, and in larger amounts.  I'm drying my garlic chives right now as I write this post and they will be done today, it has been so hot and dry.

You will notice from prior posts and also from the picture here that I dry them whole.  Using the picture I want to point out some tips about drying herbs for you.  The picture shows fresh then dried - it took about 3 days.

First, what you are looking at is one combination of Herbes de Provence.  From your visual left to right I have:  French Tarragon, Conehead Thyme, English Lavender, and Greek Oregano.  Next batch I'm going to add Rosemary to more closely align with the dried HDP blend recipe I developed some years ago*.

If you have dried herbs before, have you tried making your own blends?  You should try it.

Second, I leave them whole after giving them a good rinse.  Here is why:  have you noticed your ground spices and herbs don't keep their aroma and flavor as long as those that are whole?  Crushing or grinding the herbs and spices releases and "dissipates" all the essential oils.  That is a good thing when you are adding them to your food, but a bad thing if they are only going to sit in a jar or can after crushing.  All the wonderful essence goes away.  So I leave them whole -- and on the stem.

COVER -- you must provide some kind of screen to keep insects and birds off of your drying herbs.  I like the picnic mesh food covers, but netting from a fabric store will work too.

Once dried, store in a dry, cool. dark place. You can freeze them if you prefer, but they will store well in glass, if you can, or a ziplock bag in your dark pantry.  They can be stored in the refrigerator if you like.  The enemy of herbs, spices, coffee, tea, nuts, seeds and flours are:  air, light and humidity.   Cool - dry - dark.  Remember that.

Once you are ready to use these dried blends, or even single herb bunches, you merely have to tap or press to release a shower of dried leaves.  Our Italian heritage families grew up keeping a big bunch of oregano handy and just showering some oregano from the bunch over the sauce pot when they wanted to flavor.

The stems - use them for flavoring stews, soups and sauces.  Tied with cotton string or just placed in the pot while cooking imparts all that wonderful flavor and then you remove them before serving in the same way you remove a bay leaf.  (One of Deane's funnier observations of my string-tied herb bunches in sauces several years ago was my "herbs on a leash" -- kind of makes sense, took them for a 'walk' in the stew then pulled them back.)

About making blends of herbs.  Start with thyme.  If you have ever looked at the ingredients of many of the most loved herb/spice blends, many of them have thyme in them.  It is considered an "anchor" herb for blends.

Back to my Herbes de Provence blend above.  Traditionally HDP is made with Marjoram and not Oregano.  The flavor of Marjoram is more subtle because it lacks the carvacol essential oil which gives some of the hardiness flavor to Oregano and to a lessor degree in thyme and savory.  Marjoram has a citrus back-note prized by the chefs of Provence and Tuscany.

I just do not have any Marjoram growing right now, and I should remedy that!

I am trying one more drying experiment -- a variety of vegetables:  onion, sweet pepper and zucchini.  I read recently about drying zucchini as one method to 'use up the bounty' and decided to try for a vegetable blend which I will grind up and use as a thickening/flavoring agent in sauces - I will let you know how that turns out.


*Many of you have asked if I am going to bring back my signature dried herb blends.  I had to let them go out of stock as I could not maintain the level of freshness I desired for my customers due to time constraints of care-giving and related issues.  I can only state that if things can stay calm - I would like to begin return to offering some of the blends for sale again, probably in late fall.  I will let you know when that happens.

In the meantime, as usual I offer fresh cut herbs from the gardens at the Mesa Farmers Market on Friday mornings (Center south of University).  You can pick some up and use or dry for later use with my drying tips.


Remember - my books give more seasonal gardening information (Edible Landscaping in the Desert Southwest...) and lots of recipes in the cookbook (101+ Recipes from The Herb Lady).  The books are available in print and e-book for iPad and Kindle type readers.

Catherine's Publisher Site

Have a great Sunday!

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

What did I plant there? - June Garden Tips

Dear Folks,

If all the people who get help from my work and writings could see me in the garden, they might wonder how I manage to actually get the information out :-)   After a friend gave me an ornament with "Trowel & Error" as the name on the representative potting stand, I adopted it as my motif.

Case in point is that while I constantly experiment in the garden on where and how best to grow something -- I am not real good at marking what I planted.

While thinning out the epozote, I finally remembered the leeks I planted - in February!  I had actually started them as seed a month or so before and then transplanted the little darlings into the epozote bed.  As soon as the warm spring air warmed the soil the leeks took off but so did the epozote (which can top 4 feet if I let it), obscuring the growing leeks.  Don't they look great!

If you look closely at the one at the top you will see the baby bulbs - which I removed and transplanted back in the garden.  With the warming weather, they may not make it, but I know where they like it when I plant next fall -- the actual proper time to put the seeds in.

Think of leeks as a scallion on hormones --  they make a great addition to soups, stews and the grill.  As tender as scallions, if you are going to use them within a week or two, harvest them, otherwise leave them in the ground for another couple of weeks, they store better there (or in a bucket of sand stored at refrigerator temperatures).

We grilled Memorial day and I tossed a halved and cleaned leek (they really do get a lot of debris and grit between the growing leaves) on the grill with squash and onion (from the Mesa Friday Farmers Market - my squash is just getting started - I planted late - come to think of it I didn't mark that either) for our side dish.  I like Queen Creek Olive Mill's blood orange EV olive oil for grilling or roasting vegetables.

Speaking of Farmers Markets (of course you are supporting your local farmers, right!), for you East Valley-ites, there is a new farmers market - at a farm - in the far east valley.

Superstition Farms is a working dairy - family owned for generations.  They have gradually increased their family-farm-friendly experiences and have now added a weekly Thursday afternoon/evening indoor farmers market.

This brand new, cool, indoor farmers market takes place on an actual farm every Thursday from 4:30 to 7:30 with the Grand Opening Thursday, June 2nd. Superstition Farm is conveniently located off the 202 and Elliot at 3440 South Hawes Road, Mesa AZ 85212.

Superstition Farm is a fun and educational working dairy farm run by the Stechnij Family, now raising its third generation on the farm. The farm offers tours to school groups, scout groups, and the general public. The farm also provides a dairy CSA, horse riding lessons, a petting zoo, Wednesday night Chicken Dinners, Moosters Mootique, a milk bar, as well as a tie-in to a great local ice cream shop, Udder Delights. The family believes in helping to create a strong sense of community.

Did you see the Summer 2011 issue of Edible Phoenix?  Too many great articles to list here, go check them out, find them at your local farmers market information tables or subscribe and support them and the local farmers and ranchers they support.


. . . 


About the farm in YOUR backyard -- as we head into the warm summer months, check your watering cycles, use that water meter to make sure you are giving the plants enough but not too much.  If you are seeding in anything the stop soil does need to be misted each night until you see growth, then you can back off the misting to encourage deep root growth.

GARDEN TIPS for June
June through August in the Desert Southwest is the equivalent of winter in North Dakota — you maintain what you have planted, taking special care of young or sensitive plants. With the exception of August when the heavy pre-fall seed planting begins, it is a good idea to hold off on any major transplanting until the fall when the temperatures (below 90 daytime) drop back to prime planting weather.

Our Flower Mulching technique can be used to protect young plants by canopying the soil around them, placing the flowering plants very close to the base of the young plants.

Heavy watering requirements may result in yellowing of leaves due to iron deficiency, especially of fruit trees (Chlorosis).  Apply Ironite before next watering to correct - or a more natural option is "Green Sand."

JUNE PLANTING:  Cantaloupe, Corn (for fall harvest), Cucumber, Armenian ; Eggplant, Gourds, Luffa Gourd, Melons, Musk; Okra, Peas, Black Eyed; Peppers, Chiles, Portulaca (Moss Rose), Potato, Sweet; Purslane (Portulaca X Hybrida), Sunflower.

Luffa gourds are great to grow - BUT be aware of the size of a happy plant - 30 feet of vine - they make a good arbor cover, the young squash (yes all gourds are squash family members) can be eaten like zucchini and the vine produces lovely, large yellow flowers.  Deane was photographing them when I grew them a couple of years ago and the bees love them - so much so that a carpenter bee arrived at the same flower as a honey bee drinking and the carpenter kicked the honey bee off the flower!

Sweet potatoes are fun to grow - they grow the opposite season of regular potatoes and the young leaves are edible - you get a 'two-fer!  (Sweet potatoes are NOT from the solano family.)  Make sure you give them room - another large vine plant.


. . .


Finally, Thanks to all of you who took the time to answer my survey question (upper side bar here on the blog)  The survey is now closed but I will leave the results up for a few days.  In looking at the results, I am going to put together a "program" of some sort and get the information out to you - my probable time frame is early fall, when the weather is more conducive to being outside.  I am leaning towards a tour/sampling/Q&A combination based on how many folks wanted both "dinner/class" and a tour.  Numbers of invitees will be kept very small for each event to allow concentrated attention and enough time for all to enjoy.  I will keep you posted.


If you need help with gardening and cooking - I'm always happy to answer questions.  For quick resources, consider my books available in both print and e-book/download form.  Publisher site.


Have a wonderful day!



-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Memorial Day - "Emergency Steak" and Memories

Dear Folks,

In honor of our Veterans and current troops, I wanted to share a recipe from 1945, and a link for more memories -- old time radio programs focused on the Memorial Day holiday.

First the link for the radio programs.  Jon Hall over otrcat.com has compiled an incredible library of old time radio programs.  Everything from comedy to drama and "shudder" horror. Many, many of the programs in the library celebrate holidays through out the year.  Here is the link for the page showcasing Memorial Day.  Jon, always provides a free program for each theme to listen to or download.  And his compilations are very inexpensive, literally pennies per hour of enjoyment, and perfect for your iPod, mp3 player, computer or tablet.  Memorial Day on otrcat.com

DONATE:

In the sidebar here on the blog I list some of my favorite charities.  I always check out a charity with Charity Navigator for the best organizations -- those that put the most money into the program and not administrative  or fund raising expenses.  What that means is sometimes the really good programs do not get as much attention as they should.  One of them is Packages from Home.  Consider a donation, to honor your veteran, or someone else's or just to help out. Packages From Home

Remember every little bit helps, don't not donate because all you can muster is $10 -- every little bit helps!

RECIPE.

Back in November I blogged about "Emergency Steak" a war-time recipe using ground beef to make a 'steak' and that I was going to try it soon.  Well with one thing and another it was a recipe I just never got around to until this week.  Just in time for Memorial Day!

Read that blog post for the original recipe -- It was all about cooking shows are not new.  Old time radio programs included cooking shows.  As mentioned in the blog and before - the Victory Gardens of WWII were the source of about 40% of produce consumed in the US during the war.  And the frugal necessity of limited supplies stateside meant cooks had to be creative.

We should keep all of that home growing and cooking creativity always in focus.  Many people are still struggling.  Growing some of your own and being creative in the kitchen can be a money saver.  I personally believe the emotional and mental support gardening and cooking give a family is worth a lot more than the money it saves!  Also note in that blog post that the recipe serves 6 - they filled their plates with vegetables for a healthy AND frugal meal.

Here is the link for the post 

I adapted my recipe for Emergency Steak to create a more steak-like result.  I used locally produced grass-fed ground beef --  Red Mountain Cattle Company in Mesa They sell as several farmers markets around the valley.  Support your local producers!


Emergency Steak

Using ground beef is not a new 'steak' - chopped steak is an old time favorite of many people.  The trick is to limit how much you 'work' the meat so you do not wind up with meatloaf.  The other benefit is it takes about 2 minutes to prepare and only about 15-20 minutes to broil it - how's that for easy!

1 pound of ground beef
Herb blend of choice - I used a mixture of rosemary, garlic and black pepper - in this case dried
2 tablespoons of red wine
4 or 5 very thin slivers of butter

Preheat your broiler.  I used my toaster oven (hot day) in which I have baked bread, pies and cooked whole chickens.

I placed a piece of aluminum foil on the pan, sprayed with a bit of olive oil spray and patted the meat into a one inch thick long 'steak shape' -- I purchased a roll of meat so it was easy to simply pat it down into the size I wanted.  I also pressed my thumb down on top in several places to create the depressions needed to keep the meat from swelling up and cooking unevenly (technique usually used with burgers).  Sprinkled with a generous amount of the dried herbs.  Dribbled the wine over it and popped it under the broiler set at 500 for 15 minutes.  As soon as I pulled it out I laid the butter slivers on top.

This produced a great caramelized top and a rare interior - you may prefer cooking longer to 20 or 25 minutes at 425, to cook well done.

Deane and I agreed that it turned out great (and he is the real meat and potatoes person who wants substance in his food).  Not a meatloaf at all but somewhere between steak and a burger in texture and what the food people call 'mouth satiety', and the flavor was awesome.

Grass fed beef needs to be handled a little differently than grain fed, and it is worth learning that since the grass-fed are healthier animals and better for you and your family.

And finally today, check out my newsletter site for my answers to a reader's question on using chives.  Tips you can put to use this weekend too!

Chives - What are they good for?

Have a wonderful holiday weekend, and be safe, hug your veteran, salute our troops and get out into the garden!


-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Preserving The Bounty - Sun Drying

Dear Folks,

In the past we have canned our fruit. See also a note near the bottom on "pie kits."

And when I dry my herbs, I use the refrigerator (the modern refrigerators mimic the commercial freeze-dry process by constantly removing moisture from the air, thus drying the herbs in a process which keeps both more color and essential oils).

Our fruit production was way down this year due to the demise of trees and a more aggressive pruning of the remaining fruit trees.  So I decided to sundry some of the fruit and while I was at it - I dried some herbs in the sun also.

See my post from 2009 on sun drying tomatoes and letting the plants sprawl for maximum production in the desert garden.  http://edibleherbsandflowers.blogspot.com/2009/02/tomatoes-let-em-sprawl.html

We should take advantage of the free energy our Desert sun affords us (one of these days I'm going to get around to making a solar cooker).


Keep some things in mind when sun drying foods:

Bugs
Animals
Any weather other than hot and sunny

With fruits like apricots you need to dunk them in acidulated water (light lemon water) to keep them from browning too much.  Commercial dried fruit is usually sulfured and the lemon water works in the same way to keep them from browning too much.

You can see the fresh fruit just put in the trays, and the finished fruit along side of some dried conehead thyme and Syrian Oregano.  You will note that the fruit shrinks about half, and that I left the herbs whole (keeps more essential oils intact until ready to use).

The Process.  After rinsing off, and removing any damaged parts of the fruit, I cut the apricots in half, pitted them and dunked them in the lemon water (1 squeezed lemon to 1 quart of water).  You don't have to leave the fruit in very long.  I let them air dry cut side down so there was no moisture on the bottoms (skin side) of the fruit, then nested them into trays, cut side up.  It took 3 whole sun days to dry them to almost leather consistency - there was still a bit of give in the center of them.  I am storing them in the refrigerator as a precaution, but I'm very pleased with the way they turned out.

You will note that I used a pryex (Glass) tray and a metal tray lined with plastic wrap.  I would recommend that you try to use only glass.  I did not want the fruit coming in contact with the metal but the plastic draped over the edges of some of the outer fruit and spoiled them, before I noticed what was happening.

I used picnic bug tents to keep the bugs off the fruit while drying.  Since we did not have any humid or rainy days while this drying was going on, I left the trays out over night.  If you have overcast, rainy, or humid days, you should plan on bringing the trays in overnight and put them out again in the sun.  The process will take anywhere from 2-5 days depending on temperatures and humidity in the air.

Herbs will dry in 1-2 days depending on temperatures.  You will note I used paper towels to keep the bugs and debris off them while drying.  I simply rinsed them well and set them out between a layer of paper towels.

Once you get into sun drying your bounty, you may want to devise a hanging screen compartmentalized set up.  If you have ever seen shoe and sweater hanger storage arrangements for closets that is what some folks like to use.  Use weed cloth or screen material to build them.  Be aware that if fruits leak while drying cleaning the screening material may take a bit of elbow grease.  That is why I chose glass baking dishes.  Perforated grilling or broiling pans will work also, if you don't mind the metal to fruit contact.

The first batch of apricots I put out to dry several weeks ago made me think of the old adage "if you want to be a better house keeper get a cat" - if you forget anything about securing the food, the critters will find them!

I placed the dishes on the table and forgot to move the bench away from it and the squirrel promptly helped herself to the drying fruit!

Hope this gives you some idea of taking advantage of the sun for drying the bounty of your garden.

This morning I put out some of our summer apple slices. Since these are the crisp green kind and Deane likes his apples sweet I sprinkled them with cinnamon sugar after dunking them in the acidulated water.  Should taste wonderful!

One other 'preserving' technique I started using last year was making 'pie kits' mixing the cut up fruit with the suggested (from your favorite recipe) proportions of sugar, spices and a some flour, toss gently put in a zip lock bag, label and freeze.  If you have more freezer space than we do (why I use the ziplock, even though I prefer glass), use quart size canning jars to freeze.

When I made the pie kits and used them the first time, I discovered the thawed fruit produced too much juice to make a decent pie -- it tasted great just wound up looking like pie-soup!  So the next time I thawed the pie kit I drained the juice and boiled it down about a third and glazed the fruit with it before popping it into the oven - worked great.

Make the most of your bounty, share, use, and preserve!

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

My books including recipes using fresh and dried ingredients for real flavor and gardening help for the new-to-the desert gardener.  Check out the publisher site http://stores.lulu.com/herbs2u

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Spring!

Dear Folks,

I harvested my garlic yesterday (May 23, 2011).

The typical planting season for growing head garlic is October 1 - October 31.  This past planting season, I was so far behind and did not get a new order of fresh garlic to plant, I used my last season garlic - stored as I typically do in the crisper of the refrigerator.  Because I really did not think I would have enough for a full crop (the prior year I harvested over 90 heads, but sold or used most of them) I planted 12 cloves near the end of the planting time, and reserved the rest of what I had left, still storing in the crisper, for successive planting of 'green garlic'.  (The green garlic is harvested when the cloves swell slightly and are more like a scallion and do not form a head.)

To grow head garlic you need the full winter cool cycle - about 6 months.

So to grow my green garlic I planted successive sets about every 2-4 weeks apart beginning in early December.

Theoretically all the ones planted for green garlic should not produce flowers or go to 'head' stage because they are not in the ground long enough, or get cold enough.

Well..... remember our freezes this year?

We got cold enough over a long enough period of time (Deep freezing in early February and near freezing temperatures off and on through early April) that all the unharvested green garlic began to show flower buds (called scapes) the beginning of May!  When growing the head garlic you cut the scape off then pull the plants several weeks later.  I cut the intended head crop scapes on schedule and looked back down the green garlic plants and low and behold - scapes!

So I harvested everything yesterday, I have a whole bunch more head garlic to hang and dry then I originally planned. Not a problem certainly but one of Mother Nature's whimsical jokes.

When you look at the picture here of what I harvested yesterday, you will see a great size difference in the heads.  The ones on the right are the intended 'head' crop.  The ones on the left are the intended "green garlic" crop and the one in the middle was a hold over from last year and set connected, good sized heads in one clump.  Sometimes I will miss a plant when harvesting and it will stay un-noticed until the next spring because the top growth dies back completely in the heat of the summer.

I love to garden, don't you!

Don't let anyone tell you what you can not grow here in the desert.

Have a great day in the garden.



-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Get the beginners guide to successful edible landscaping in the desert  http://stores.lulu.com/herbs2u

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