Progress of the Planter Boxes

My planter boxes are coming along very nicely. I have found that the green beans like to have their soil moist. They don't do well if you let the soil dry out between watering. This is amplified by being in a container on a raised deck. They get more breeze and being in a single row are not getting the humidity they would if more clustered in a garden bed.

I have been watering them exclusively with rainwater since we have gotten a barrel installed on all four corners of the house. It takes about a half gallon of water per planter box. I have saved some plastic gallon jugs and find if I fill them up in the evening it helps to have the water ready to go for early morning watering before I head off to work. It may just be my imagination, but it seems the beans and greens have really taken off and grown much faster since I am using rain water.

The one box of greens that I planted has been pretty productive. We have already has three or four spinach and mixed green salads. I will plant more boxes in greens next year. I have been snipping leaves from the greens rather than harvesting complete plants. I need to do some research to see if it is really better to pluck the entire mature plant or snip off leaves and let the plant grow back. I decided to snip for now since it is late in the season and I am not sure how much longer the plants will continue to grow with shortening days and the temperatures starting to cool down.

One thing I am considering is making a row cover or cloche by taking some wire hangers, cutting them and then bending into arches. I would put these in the containers and drape either plastic or a light white cloth over the beds to extend the growing season. This would allow me to grow greens well into the fall from what I have been reading. Especially the varieties that like cooler weather, such as the lettuces. I will most likely use row covers in the Spring so I can began growing greens as early as possible.

I also think that I may grow greens early on the deck rail then put some herb seedlings in as the next crop. It would be nice to have the herbs close to the kitchen.

My raised bed has become a jungle! It's not too pretty and I can't officially call it a Square Foot garden, since I am not using a permanent grid. If you don't have a permanent grid over the top of the garden, you aren't Square Foot Gardening, According to Mel Bartholomew. I am sure that I over-planted, but this is a "growing" learning process. And one done in installments as the budget allows. I will add at least one more raised bed next year, but ideally I would like to have four beds next year.

I may experiment and set up the raised beds two boards high rather than four boards as I have done this year. It's all up to how the Basset Hounds handle themselves. I either have to have tall raised beds or a fence if they decide they want to dig in the garden. I have considered creating a digging garden just for the dogs.

Recipe of the Day

My husband, Brian found a green tomato that had dropped of the vine. I love friend green tomatoes, but since I am on the Weight Watchers program, wanted to find a way to enjoy the green tomato without the added calories of breading and frying. Here is the recipe that I created using the recipe tool on the Weight Watchers web site. I used the green tomato from our garden and a zucchini and onion that came in our CSA bag. The herbs were from my garden.

Green Tomato and Zucchini Saute

Preparation Time: 15 min Cooking Time: 15 min Level of Difficulty: Easy Course: main meals

Ingredients

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup onion(s), diced
• 1 green chili pepper, seeded and sliced into thin strips
• 1 whole green tomato, sliced rounds
• 1 cup zucchini, sliced rounds
• 1/4 cup low-fat chicken broth
  
• 1 Tbsp basil, chopped
• 1 Tbsp rosemary, whole leaves, pulled from stem
• 1 Tbsp fresh oregano, whole leaves pulled from stem
• 1/2 cup canned tomatoes
• Organic no-salt seasoning, to taste
  

Instructions

Heat a skillet to medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the onions and chili pepper and stir to coat with oil. Cook until onion is just transparent. Add the tomato and zucchini rounds. Then add 1/4 cup chicken broth. Cook until the zucchini is tender. Add the fresh herbs and stir to mix. Add the canned tomato chunks and sprinkle with organic no salt seasoning. Serve as a side dish.

We served in two servings. You could have a smaller side and serve as four. Since the veggies are low calorie, I would simply double the recipe though.

Buzz it up

Vines in my Garden and Grape leaves on my Plate

While I was looking through my Weight Watcher's materials, I found that grape leaves are listed on the core plan food list. I wasn't expecting to see grape leaves on the food list and it sparked a thought about what I might try cooking next for dinner. I wrote a while back about all the vines that had wound themselves through my garden. Some of those vines are wild grapes.

When I got home, I searched the web for stuffed grape leaves recipes. After looking over a few for ideas I created a new version which is measured out for the Weight Watchers Flex food plan. I was excited to find a new "food" growing wild in the garden and had fun crafting the recipe and trying it out for dinner tonight. If you are daring, try it and you may find something new and fun for your dinner.

If you happen to be lucky enough to have some wild grapes in your yard or if you have planted some grapes, then you can grab the flower sheers and head out to the garden. Otherwise you will have to buy canned leaves or maybe you can find some leaves at a middle eastern market.

I selected 12 nice, large-sized grape leaves, then I headed for the herb garden where I have some cinnamon basil and cut about 1 cup of fresh basil and then about 1/2 cup of fresh parsley. Next I headed back in to begin the creative process called "making it up as you go." The following recipe is the result.

Joy's Stuffed Grape Leaves

Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 20 min
Cooking Time: 45 min
Level of Difficulty: easy to moderate
Course: main meals

Ingredients:

1/2 cup uncooked SunWest Harvest Medley rice blend (from Costco) or use long grain, brown and wild rice blend.
1 cup fat-free chicken broth
1 tsp olive oil

12 large grape leaves, fresh
1 cup water

1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 pound 90% lean raw ground beef

1 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp black pepper, fresh ground, or to taste
12 dry-roasted salted almonds, finely chopped
1/2 cup parsley, fresh, chopped
1 cup basil, fresh, chopped

Instructions:

1. In a pot, combine the chicken broth, 1 tsp of the olive oil and the rice (1/2 cup). Cook over medium heat for 30 minutes or until tender. (While rice is cooking is a great time to go cut the grape leaves and fresh herbs).
2. In a large skillet, place a steamer basket and one cup water. Cover and heat until boiling. Layer the fresh grape leaves in the basket and cover. Turn heat down to low and cook until leaves are fully steamed.
3. In a medium skillet, add 1 tsp olive oil and the chopped onions. Cook the onions until they start to become translucent and tender.
4. Crumble the ground beef over the onions and stir until browned. Sprinkle the ground beef with the allspice and cinnamon.
5. Grind black pepper to taste over the beef and stir.
6. Add the chopped parsley, basil and the chopped almonds to the beef. Stir until combined and the herbs are tender.
7. As soon as rice is done, spoon it into the beef mixture and stir to combine.
8. Take a grape leaf and lay it flat, backside up, on a cutting board or plate. Spoon three tablespoons of the beef mixture onto the center of the leaf and roll from the stem side wrapping the leaf points in over the beef into a somewhat tight roll.
9. Place rolled and stuffed leaf seam side down on a plate. Continue rolling until all leaves are rolled.
10. Spray the rolled leaves lightly with olive oil spray and then squeeze juice from half a lemon over the rolls.

Serve warm with rice if desired and fresh cucumbers (Consider trying this: slice a cucumber into 1/8 inch slices and then place the slices in a clean quart glass jar and pour the following mixture over them to cover: 2 tablespoons vinegar, 1 cup water, 1 tsp dried dill and a dash of salt and a double pinch of sugar. Seal the jar with a lid and the keep over night in the refrigerator. The cucumber slices should keep for a couple of weeks, but you will probably eat them before that!).

Enjoy and have fun cooking with your own grape leaves and fresh herbs!

By the way, I weighed in today at Weight Watchers and had lost 3.4 pounds this week for a total of 9.8 pounds lost in just three weeks. (as they say, "results are not typical" but they are greatly appreciated!)

- Joy

Buzz it up

Cooking with Tofu and Fresh Garden Herbs

Our food from the Hen House C.S.A* this week included a pound of tofu. My husband wasn't so sure about tofu, so I looked around for some interesting recipes. I customized one to the ingredients I had on hand. I have recently joined Weight Watchers so I am building a lot of recipes using their online tools. I promise to share the ones that turn our well with you, my readers.

Here you go, another "Recipe of the Day."

This is a very easy and delicious way to prepare a low fat, high protein dish and an unique way to serve tofu. Can be served as an appetizer or as a main dish. It is also a great way to use the fresh herbs you are growing in your garden.

Baked Italian Tofu

Servings: 4 Preparation Time: 15 min Cooking Time: 12 min Level of Difficulty: Easy Course: Main meals, appetizers

Ingredients

• 1 pound firm tofu, well drained
• 1 cup basil, fresh leaves
• 1 cup fresh oregano, fresh leaves
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 2 serving Kirkland Organic No-salt Seasoning, (2 teaspoons)
• 2 clove garlic clove(s), finely minced
• 1/8 cup water
• 1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup marinara sauce

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Season a pizza stone or baking pan with the olive oil and set aside.
2. Slice one pound of firm tofu in slices 1/2" x 1" x 2". (I sliced the block in 1/2" slices and then cut each again long-ways.) Place the slices on a plate over a paper towel. Put another paper towel on top and then set a second heavy plate on top. Let sit for about five to ten minutes to remove moisture. If you are trying to cut down on using paper, then use two clean dish towels.
   
3. Mix water and vinegar in a small bowl. Finely mince the garlic and add it to the water and vinegar. Let sit for five to ten minutes so that flavors combine. (steps 2 and 3 are completed during the same 5 - 10 minute period of time)
   
4. Finely chop the fresh herbs. Add the dried Italian seasoning and the no-salt seasoning to the fresh herbs. Take the top dinner plate off of the tofu and spread the herb mixture evenly on a dinner plate.
   
5. Pour the vinegar, water, garlic mixture onto another dinner plate. Then take four pieces of tofu at a time and place in liquid mixture to coat, pushing gently to pick up garlic. Then gently press the tofu slice into the herbs and turn to coat.
6. Place the tofu pieces as they are coated with herbs onto the baking pan you have coated with olive oil. After all the pieces have been coated and placed on the pan, put the pan in the oven and bake for 12 minutes or until lightly browned.
7. Remove from oven when lightly browned and serve warm with Marinara Sauce.

*C.S.A : consumer supported agriculture; a subscription to fresh food from local farms.

Buzz it up

The joys of herbs!

I purchased more herbs than would fit in my raised bed this season so I decided to plant herbs among my perennials where I generally planted flowering annuals in the bed alongside our driveway. I am enjoying the different textures of the plants in the garden and the butterflies and bees seem to enjoy the variety too.

This morning I snipped some stems from my basil plants that were starting to flower. The plants are still rather small so I don't want them to spend all their energy flowering and producing seeds. Trimming helps promote bushier growth. The lovely thing about trimming herbs is that you can put them to immediate use.

For instance, I snipped some herbs as well as some long stemmed flowers from my garden and created a table bouquet. Then for breakfast I cooked some scrambled eggs and added fresh trimmed basil, rosemary and parsley as well as some chopped garlic and salt-free organic seasoning. Delicious!

Growing herbs sparks creativity, adds beauty to your garden and your table while also providing some important health benefits. Research shows that Basil has benefits of DNA protection, antibacterial properties, anti-inflammatory effects, and essential nutrients for cardiac health. Rosemary contains substances that are useful for stimulating the immune system, increasing circulation, and improving digestion. Rosemary also contains anti-inflammatory compounds that may make it useful for reducing the severity of asthma attacks. In addition, rosemary has been shown to increase the blood flow to the head and brain, improving concentration. Parsley is a rich source of antioxidant nutrients, is a good source of folic acid, promotes cardiovascular health and helps fight rheumatoid arthritis. Garlic, a super herb about which many have been written, is an excellent source of manganese, a very good source of vitamin B6 and vitamin C and a good source of selenium. It promotes cardiovascular health, operates as an anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral agent and protects against many cancers.

Wow, those scrambled eggs with herbs can really pack a health punch!

Buzz it up

New Plants in the Garden

I have had to find homes for some of my herbs outside of the raised bed. Since I first thought I had waited too late to buy vegetable plants, I bought herbs to fill my bed. Then, later finding some good plants at Home Depot, I bought vegetables too so my driveway flower bed has become home to basil, parsley, salad burnet, and rosemary.

The bed had been overrun with weeds and I had a losing battle getting rid of them. Brian and I basically shoveled of the top of the bed weeds and all and then backfilled with MiracleGro Organic Choice Garden Soil. Then I covered the soil with weed barrier cloth followed by an organic mulch.

To plant the herbs, I brushed back the mulch then, using scissors, I cut an "X" in the cloth, scooped back the soil and placed the plant. Next I pushed back the soil and then folded back the weed barrier around the base of the plant. The final step was to tuck the mulch in around the plant.

Most of the herb seedlings will need to be trimmed up to give the roots a chance to develop. The great thing about trimming the herbs back is that you get to eat the trimmings! I added basil, parsley and salad burnet to our dinner salad Friday night. The flavor was incredible. I am looking forward to more herbs as they grow. With all the basil plants that need trimming I will by some pine nuts next time I go to the grocery so that I can make some pesto sauce. Yum!

The raised bed was a pleasure to plant. The growing medium mix was easy to push back by hand. The best part is knowing I will never have to till this bed! Pictured below is the left side of garden. Left to right: Two tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, dill, zucchini, two more peppers.

Zucchini tucked into a 2' x 2' corner of the bed.



Right side of bed. Left to right starting at the top: two tomatoes, dill, rosemary, white eggplant,
three varieties of oregano, basil, purple eggplant.


Tomatoes in circular wire cages. Tomato on the left is an heirloom variety purchased at Home Depot. All the plants I purchased at Home Depot came in organic, biodegradable peat pots. No need to take the plants out of the pots which is healthier for the roots.


Two eggplants in the corner of the bed. The smaller one is a purple eggplant and the larger is a white eggplant. The herb on the left is a small-leaved basil and on the right is a rosemary.


I will add the varieties of each plant later to this post. The plants were rather stressed and root bound. I will research the best way to give them a boost organically and let you know what I find. They have definitely perked up now that they are sitting in rich garden soil. Next on the agenda is to get a soaker hose for the front herb bed and a timer. The timer is working very nicely in the raised bed. It is nice to know the bed is being watered at regular times no matter where I may be.

I also have to get creative again since I purchased seeds to plant and I need to find a place to plant them. I have three varieties of bush beans, okra, and cilantro.

I called Uncle Jim's Worm Farm yesterday since my red wrigglers had yet to arrive. Turns out they only ship on Mondays, so my worms ship tomorrow. I turned my compost bins yesterday and incorporated recent grass clippings and the dirt and weeds we raked off the driveway garden bed. The recent addition of manure last time I turned the compost really made a difference. I will be adding red wrigglers to the compost once they arrive. From what I read on Uncle Jim's site, I am hoping for even better composted results with the help of the worms. I will also be putting worms right into the raised bed where they can start creating nutrient rich castings to help feed my plants.

Another weekend has passed and the work week awaits. We had a great weekend in the garden. We also went to Knuckleheads Saturday night to see Leon Russell in concert. It was so nice to see Leon again! He puts on a fantastic show and his band is excellent. I can't remember a concert that just made me smile like Leon Russell's. Pure fun. Seeing Leon Russell in this small venue was a dream.

The opening band was a local group: Four Fried Chickens and a Coke. First time for us to see FFCC. We will plan to see them again. Good local band show.

If you are in KC and get the chance to go, Knuckleheads is a blast. It's an adventure just getting there. It is tucked back into the "east-bottoms" on the rail road tracks and sometimes the road in is blocked by a parked train. GPS comes in handy. You really wonder what the place will be like as you drive by the industrial area and trains, but once in the place you discover it is a little music paradise of a dive bar. They have received several awards and most recently the "Keepin' the Blues Alive 2008" award. I first experienced it when my daughter invited me to go with her and her girlfriends to see Cowboy Mouth. I was sure I had lost half my hearing the next day, but it was so much fun.

Today we spent more time at Oceans of Fun. It was like a mini-vacation this weekend. Gardening, blogging, concerts, swimming - weekends are my happy time.

Buzz it up