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Robin Timm
Spring Again It’s nice to have some consistency in life. I know the red-winged blackbirds will start serenading in mid-March followed by the screaming plovers and chirping robins. Spring also brings daily garden surprises: last week we had yellow, blue and white crocus pop up. This week the Johnny jump-ups are opening. Under the duff in the herb garden I found monarda and anise hyssop and tarragon. Every day something new appears, both outside and inside. We have seedlings of the cool crops of onions, pansies, native flowers and herbs out in the greenhouse. The warmer kitchen sunroom is quickly filling up with pepper, basil, tomato and eggplant seedlings. This morning I started a batch of broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and turnips. Since they germinate quickly I expect tomorrow to move everything out to the greenhouse. You may think that we have this planting thing down to a science, having been at it for a few years. We do have a planting calendar that tells us when to start the seedlings. In case you were wondering, this is week 7 Pre-last frost date and we started tomatoes and cole crops. What we don’t have set in stone is how many of each variety we plant. First we plan for fresh eating for our CSA members and ourselves: that part is easy as we follow our history. In with the fresh consumption we also consider how much to plant so we have plenty to freeze and can. I like to make ketchup so we always plant plenty of paste tomatoes. Then we consider how many plants to get ready for the farmers market. This is the tricky part as the customer is fickle. One year we sold loads of cherry tomatoes. The following year we hardly sold any cherries. One year it was hot peppers the next all bell. A few years ago we started keeping track of what we sold in pepper, eggplant and tomato plant varieties. Just when we get an idea of what folks like, we mess it up by ordering some new varieties! You never know what is going to make your mouth water more than sungold cherry tomatoes unless you try something new, like the orange blossom! So what’s new at Safe Home Farm for 2007? Tomatoes This year we have the famous Wisconsin 55. Jayne and I have heard rave reviews about this tomato and have a number of people ask for it. I hope it lives up to its reputation. We also have a couple of new early varieties: Beaverlodge is only 55 days Even though it is a small tomato, we couldn’t resist going for that early mouthful of happiness. Wayahead is a sample packet from Jung’s. Can’t resist samples either. Peppers Many salsa lovers have asked for Habaneras so this time we are going to give them a try. We are also trying Holy Mole- a Pasilla-type pepper traditionally used to make mole sauce. We are sticking with the eggplant varieties from last year. Machiaw has been a big seller. This is a long purple eggplant that is great for stir fries and pastas. It’s easy to slice and sauté, no peeling, no fuss. As we plan the garden my mind wanders to recipes. Last week I pulled out some eggplant dip that was in the freezer. It was fabulous. It had a slightly chunky texture that held up in the freezer. The Thai basil and hot pepper seasoning became richer with freezing. I want to be sure to make a huge batch of this to freeze for next winter. I am excited to try making mole sauce with the new peppers and to see if I can stand some Habanera hot sauce. Since these recipes will have to wait a few months until the peppers and eggplant have matured, I will start cleaning out the freezer to make room for fresh stuff. This month’s recipes are all made with frozen or canned or dried produce from Safe Home Farm. Be sure to check out our plant lists (CLICK HERE). The Platteville Farmers Market starts May 5th at 7 am in City Park. If you would like to order plants and either pick them up at the farm or at the market, send me an email. You can also check out what’s happening on the farm at our website www.safehomefarm.com I am still editing the flower list so check back later this month to see what we have. Have fun in the mud!
BIG SOUP IIWe usually make Big Soup in the peak of garden season. Big Soup II helps us clean out the freezer, before the fresh veggies are in. Use all or a few of the veggies and spice it up to your desires. INGREDIENTS 2-3 cloves garlic, minced 2 Tbsp olive oil 1-2 large onions, chopped 1-cup mushrooms, sliced 1 frozen roasted bell pepper, chopped 1/2 cup frozen parsley, chopped 1 - 2 hot peppers (optional) 1 tbsp dried oregano, chopped 1 small head of cabbage, chopped 1 - 2 tsp dried savory or thyme, chopped 2 medium carrots, sliced or grated Freshly ground pepper 2 cups cooked kidney beans 1/2 - 1 lb frozen string beans 4 cups water with 1 Tbsp vegetarian Worsteshire sauce and 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce 1 cup grated frozen zucchini, chopped 2 to 4 cups canned tomatoes, chopped 1 to 2 cups frozen broccoli or cauliflower florets 1 cup frozen corn 1/2 - 1 lb frozen Swiss chard, leaves and stems, chopped 1/2 - 1 cup frozen basil or pesto, chopped METHODS Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until fragrant, add mushrooms and sauté another 3 minutes. Add pepper(s), cabbage, carrots, kidney beans, string beans, parsley, oregano, savory or thyme ground pepper and broth. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and cook about 15 minutes, just until veggies are heated through. Add broccoli, Swiss chard, tomatoes, mushrooms and basil and cook 5 more minutes, until everything is heated through. Serves Many Pesto and Sun Dried Tomato Dip
This is quick and easy if you use frozen
pesto that you put up last summer. Fresh pesto is fine, it just takes a
little longer to prepare. 1/2 cup pesto (see recipe below) 1 cup sun dried tomatoes Cover tomatoes with boiling water and let sit until soft; about 15 minutes. Drain, saving liquid for soup. Combine pesto and sun dried tomatoes in a food processor and chop. Serve as a dip with breadsticks or as a topping for crostini or pasta. |
