Cue the Angelic Choir! The Tomatoes have arrived!

GLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOORRRRRRRIIIIIIIOOOOOOOOUUUUUS! Well that is the only angelic line I know...from Angels in America...but I heralded the arrival of the first tomatoes of the season last night. Four tomatoes came from my heirloom plants. One, an Amish Paste tomato, a plum style variety that makes excellent sauce. and the others I picked were Orange Russian, an orange, lower acid tomato. The other two plants (German Pink and Brandywine) have not ripened yet, but will any day now. I am very pleased with the production of these varieties and will definitely try them again in next year's garden if their yeild is sufficient!

To celebrate, I am having a traditional french baguette for lunch with Camembert Cheese and one of the tomatoes sliced up!!!

Happy Gardening!

Whomp Whomp Whomp

I came out to the garden last night to find both of my summer squash plants almost dead...I think the eradic weather (hail last month, record heat and horrific thunderstorms this month) may have had something to do with weakening them as well as the opportunistic sunflower that grew right between them. I had to pull them both out as well as the sunflower. The sunflower will supply some black oil seeds for the birds for the next day or so...it isn't a total loss.

I went to the nursery today and bought (on a good sale) some Italian Cocozelle zucchini seeds which are fast maturing (45-50 days). With a warm fall, I should be able to eek out a few to freeze for the winter. I am unhappy about the plants not lasting until the end of the season, but I did manage to get quite a few squash off the plant over the last few weeks so I can't be too displeased.

Happy Gardening!

Using Herbs: Herbed Jelly

I am waiting patiently for the glut of summer harvest to start. The cucumbers are coming along although I am not sure about this variety...they don't seem to be doing as well as I had hoped. The squash plants have essentially taken over the garden and are producing, but the tomatoes, eggplants and peppers are still a week or so away. What is coming in strong are the herbs....the herb garden I planted in the spring is going like gang busters and I couldn't be more pleased.

One of the ways that I use herbs and also preserve them for later use is to make herbed jelly. Many people have experienced the nasty green mint jelly that was paired with lamb...not that mint jelly is bad, it just needs additional flavors to make it less harsh. One of my favorite jelly recipes is for rosemary jelly...this versative condiment works well with roasted meats and vegetables. This year I added another flavor to the jelly with garlic. I thought the two flavors together would bring out the best in my roasted food.

3-4 lbs of tart apples (granny smith)

4 cups water

5 cups sugar

1 large handful of rosemary leaves (removed from the stems)

6 large cloves of garlic.

Cut the apples in halve (do not peel) and place in a large non reactive pot. add the water and cook until the apples are very very soft (35-40 minutes). Mash the apples into a pulp. Strain the mixture through a jelly bag or fine cheesecloth for 6-8 hours to remove as much liquid as possible.

Rinse out the pot and return the juice to the pot. Add the sugar, rosemary and garlic and stir over a medium high flame until the mixture reaches jelly stage (I use my grandmother's candy thermometer for this...I think it might be the oldest one in existence).

Remove the pot from the heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Check for jelly setting by placing a spoonful of the mixture on a chilled plate (the jelly should set up quickly). Ladle into sterilized warm jars and cover with a lid until the jelly cools and sets.

Remove the lids and add either a disk of waxe paper or melted beeswax over the top of the jars and replace the lid. This jelly will keep 6-8 months. Refrigerate after opening.

Happy Gardening!

Using Herbs: Healing Salves

There are so many uses for herbs; culinary, medicinal and cosmetic. Another product I like to make for myself and to give as gifts are healing salves. Herbal salves have a cosmetic effect on the skin by softening it and perfuming it with the essence of the herbs used and essential oil. Salve also heals minor bumps, bruises and scrapes. For those of us who work in the garden, kitchen and around the house, these salves save our hands so we don't look like we have been mining with our bare hands!

Salves are not difficult to make, they simply take a little patience and the herbal knowledge to know what herbs to use in your potion.

This morning, I wanted to make salve for myself, a friend and to put in a basket being auctioned off for charity, so I gathered self heal, lemon verbena and lavender plants. I cleaned the herbs and placed them in a double boiler over simmering water. To that I added two cups of an oil combination (grapeseed and extra virgin olive oil) and allowed the herbs to infuse the oil for 45 minutes to an hour. You can use a slower method to infuse by packing the herbs in a jar, adding the oil, sealing and leaving in the sun for a week.

While the oil was infusing, I grated a small block of beeswax into shavings and collected 8 tablespoons. Once the oil was finished infusing, I strained the herbs from the oil (and put the herbs in the kitchen composter) and put the oil back in the pan, added the wax and 20 drops of lavender essential oil for fragrance and to add a little more healing power to the salve.

Once the mixture was complete, I poured the potion into prepared tins that I purchased on sale from a container supply store. These tins will be allowed to cool for at least two hours before covering and being allowed to cure.

This is a very economical way to provide yourself with skin soothing products and great gifts for your friends. Per tin, between the oil, wax, essential oil, herbs and tin the investment is around $1.50. I checked online and for organic gardener's salve (in smaller tins mind you) the price ranged anywhere from $10-$17. I will make more of these as the harvest continues to provide myself with a supply and for gifts for the winter holidays, birthdays, host gifts, etc.

There are so many reasons to have a garden, particularly an herb garden, this is just one more fantastic one for the list!

Happy Gardening!

The Summer Harvest: Cucumbers

The cucumbers have started to mature and ripen and I collecting one or more every day now. I think (and hope) that that yield will increase as the next few weeks pass. I grew a new variety this year and I am uncertain I will grow them again.

These are an English Chelsea pride cucumber. English cucumbers are the longer, sometimes thinner cucumbers you see in the grocery store wrapped in plastic and they are usually quite a bit more expensive than standard cucumbers.

Perhaps it is my lack of familiarity with this variety and their preferred growing habits, but the plants are not vining up the trellises like I had hoped, instead they are bunching in vines…this leads to cucumbers that bend and twist as they grow, not what I was hoping for…the flavor on the other hand is marvelous so perhaps I can adjust they way I grow them next year…that I will decide on later.

Last night I determined I had enough cucumbers to eat for a few days so I decided to use the extra and make freezer pickles. I could have canned some, but these are equally good on burgers and as relish (sweet) if they are frozen and keep for more than 6 months which will get me to February of next year with cucumbers from this year’s harvest. I may can a few jars up for friends and to extend until next summer, but for the most part, the cucumbers will be eaten fresh or made into these crisp, delicious chips!

Freezer Pickles

2-3 cucumbers sliced medium to thick on a mandolin (I like my Japanese Benriner for this job)
2 shallots or 1 small onion (also sliced on the mandolin)
2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
½ cup cider vinegar
1/8 cup granulated sugar
Pinch of ground turmeric
Pinch of celery, dill or mustard seed (or a combination)

Slice the onion/shallot and cucumbers into a large bowl and sprinkle with salt and mix. Cover the bowl and allow to sit at room temperature for 2 hours to draw out water. Drain and rinse the cucumber onion mix and rinse in a colander or sieve. Rinse and dry the bowl.

Return the mix to the bowl. Add the vinegar, sugar and spices and mix to ensure that the sugar has dissolved. Cover the bowl and allow to sit in the refrigerator overnight.

Transfer the pickles to smaller containers (serving size or slightly larger) and freeze. Allow to thaw to room temperature before serving and use within a week of thawing.

Happy Gardening!

Using Herbs: Soapmaking

Part of growing herbs is using them, earlier I posted some of the medicinal uses of herbs; but today I am going to talk about using them in cosmetics, specifically soaps. Everyone uses soap (or at least they should…you know who you are), but most people buy these chemically scented harsh soaps that do more damage to skin that care for it. I prefer a more gentle and natural approach.

Yesterday I made two small batches of soap from herbs from the garden. I started with an all-natural goat’s milk soap base…I hope one day to learn how to make it, but for now, I purchase it from Soap Molds and More http://www.soapmoldsnmore.com/store/WsDefault.asp?One=673

Goat’s milk is nourishing and soothing to the skin and makes a wonderful base for soap. Once I have my base, I add magic from the garden.

As I said, I made two varieties of soap yesterday. The first with Irish Steel Cut oats combined with dried spearmint from the garden ground to a medium fine consistency. This combined with the soap base to make a soothing green refreshing and nourishing blend!

The second variety is what I call “Three C” soap. It contains Calendula, Chamomile and Comfrey. Calendula is known for its skill healing and soothing properties. Chamomile is relaxing and comforting and comfrey is a skin healing herb. Both soaps are marvelous for every day use but for those who have dry, sensitive or irritated skin, these soaps can provide much needed relief!

I made about two pounds of each variety, poured them into my molds and let them cool. Once cooled and released from the molds, I “wash” the soaps in heavily salted water which allows the outside of the soap to cure and makes the bars last longer.

These beauties will be stored for my own use as well as be made into gifts for friends and family!

Making your own soap is just one way to use the bounty of nature that we cultivate in our gardens.

Happy Gardening!

Patty Cake, Patty Cake...um..ooops Pattypan!

Patty Pan squash is a summer squash, notable for its small size, round and shallow shape and scalloped edges, somewhat resembling a flying saucer. While some might be tempted to toss them around like a frisbee, they are best for eating!. The name Pattypan derives from" a pan for baking a patty", in French, it is Patisson which is a Provencal regional name for cake.

I am growing a seed variety that is supposed to produce yellow, green and white although all I have seen thusfar is the white.

I decided to make squash soup with these beauties that I picked this morning along with some summer squash I picked the other day. I am going to can it for use later as well as give as gifts. I left the squash on the vine a little too long so it is too big to cook whole as the squash is most tender when it is relatively immature.

The pattypan squash is a powerhouse of nutrition in a little package; rich in magnesium, niacin and vitamins A and C. And it is light on the diet with a cup of squash containing only 20-30 calories with NO fat!!!

Happy Gardening!