I decided to change the microenvironment last evening. Who remembers the Shack in Cincinnati? Turns out learning how to manage the environment within the Shack– formally, The Synaptic Junction— was good training. The low temperature last evening was in the high 30s. The make-shift fire pit made a difference. Happy gardening!
An Inquiry into the Viability of Out-of-Date Seeds is coming along. The overnight low last night was 56° and temperatures stayed fine. However, a quick peek at RadarScope this morning indicated that I needed to get moving. Fortunately, I had a brand new tarp and paracord. So I fashioned a new, rain- and wind-resistant outer-outer
Irises are starting to pop. We have irises everywhere. Boy! Do they have a history! They all trace back to Aunt Margaret’s mother’s garden in upstate New York. Aunt Margaret was born in 1907. Both Mom and I had some in our gardens before she died. Mom dug up more when they dealt with Aunt
Cannot figure out Little Joe’s current status. I hit the “order” button and it returned “not taking online order now.” Don’t know what that means, as it’s not even 7am in LA. Recipe freezes well, so make the whole batch. LITTLE JOE’S MEATBALLS AND SPAGHETTI SAUCE Serves 6-8 MEATBALLS 1 lb ground beef½ lb ground pork½
One day last winter, when the dogs and I were walking around the edge of the water shed in the Piney Woods, I looked up and saw the trail cam! Right where Daughter C and the J-Man had left it. Took it down and brought it inside. Earlier this spring, when I set up the
I kid you not, I had never had Hoppin’ John before. Liked it. Seriously easy, too. Just go get you some blackeyes and tomatoes from your deep freezer, bacon from the fridge… Recipe calls for canned peas. We used 1lb. frozen.
‘Tis the season for Oven Meals– whole meals baked together in the oven freeing the cook and his able bodied assistant to clean the kitchen, watch television, or just sit and chat. Me. Big Food made 1/3 of the recipe, and made the tomato dish as a casserole rather than in cups. And he did
The photos I emailed from my phone to my computer last evening showed up this morning. The internet isn’t what it used to be– nor are electronic devices. Used to be I could just bluetooth a batch of photos from my phone to my laptop. That was back in the crappy olden days. New phones,
Four beans from inside a calypso bean pod brought to the Farm thanks to Kat [Christmas present]. I don’t know these beans– the “yin & yang” bean. I don’t know when they’re ready to pick and eat, much less know if they will lend themselves to freezing (and I think they will). So I picked
Read the story of this most delicious soup here. And enjoy the “blurb” to this recipe from Saveur magazine: As a nation, we didn’t know we loved tomato soup until someone condensed it and put it in a can. That’s when it became a steady presence on our tables, a fixture in our pantries and
As you’ll see, I changed the recipe just a bit. We still have a lot of cherry tomatoes so I halved those, and added some cucumber. And I adjusted the quantities. It is absolutely delicious. The recipe says, “This goes great with curried dishes.” And indeed it does! TOMATO SAMBAL serves 12 6 ripe tomatoes,
In case you missed them yesterday. These were Miss M’s creation– “breaded” with potato chip crumbs, I do believe– and served over a bed of greens and onions et cetera. I’m sorry to say that the squash garden is not doing well. But the tomatoes and peppers are coming into their own. And you should
There hasn’t been a garden status post lately because the garden is wet. Things are going on. I am making slow progress. The lettuce has been great– I like that deer ear and that new red one. But it is wet out there. And there’s more rain coming. You may recall, we were snowed in
A re-post from 2 1/2 years ago! (Dang I’ve been at this a long time.) To do the stromboli just wrap whatever you like inside the thawed dough and bake according to bread directions.
That’s Mr. Big Food’s shop light that he uses to see the grill when he’s grilling after dark. I put it up under the covers on the walkup greenhouse. “They” “say” it will get below freezing tonight– maybe even as low as 28 °F. That’s cold for tomatoes and peppers and eggplant and tobacco
By column back to front: tomatillo, Napoli & ? tomato; black cherry & honor bright tomato, gooseberry; hyssop, marjoram long purple eggplant A closer look at the hyssop which is cute as a button Columns (or rows depending on your perspective) back to front (left to right): society chives, thyme (because you need enough thyme
Veganizable in the obvious ways Mr. Big Food made this as a sauce for baked macaroni. A nice vegan variation on mac & cheese. Also, he used broccoli stock rather than water. No need to let those vitamins go down the drain when you boil veggies! “Instead of tomatoes, you can use canned tomato juice
Hard to beat with fresh basil and oregano This recipe make quite a bit of sauce– enough for three calzones with six cups left over. We froze four cups. They”ll come in handy some busy day down the line. I wish I could get paid for this. PIZZA SAUCE FOR CALZONES From The Garlic Lovers’
“We owe the all-American tomato sauce to Italian immigrants of the late 19th and early 20th century. Try it as a base for spaghetti sauce, or serve with eggs or meat loaf. For convenience, spoon the sauce into small containers or lock-top plastic bags, and store in your freezer.”—Diane Rossen Worthington, Diner: The Best of
Roma tomatoes This recipe is easily doubled or halved. Use a food processor to do the chopping. STEWED TOMATOES WITH PEPPERS, ONIONS, AND CELERY For every four cups of skinned, cored tomatoes add 1 pepper chopped fine 2 stalks celery chopped fine 1/2 onion chopped fine 1 clove garlic 1/2 tsp. sugar sprinkle dried parsley
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