OG's Test Gardeners

Fall Garden Update

Cool temperatures have arrived...of course 62 degrees may not be cool to some of you out there, but here in Dallas we get the shivers at 62! At least I do...It's a welcome reprieve for the plant and the heavy rain we've been getting lately has been greening everything up. Unfortunately it will also quickly rot a few things here and there as the excess moisture builds up in our clay soil. I've already got one ornamental peach tree that looks like it won't make it. But, let's talk about what is thriving! The fall veggie garden has taken off. Swiss chard, mustard greens, sorrel and lettuce are up and coming. I've started harvesting some of the greens already. The fall round of bush beans are ripening and I'll eating the first batch any day. I have tons of peppers, basil and oregano. The mini 'Eight Ball' zucchinis planted for fall are blooming now and I should start seeing fruit any day. Fall tomatoes are growing gangbusters with all this rain and plants are fruiting heavy but still green. Hope to have some ripening in the next week or two. Oh, I'd better harvest some of that horseradish too! Four out of my five chickens are laying right now and I'm getting a lovely mix of blue, green and white eggs. Of course we still have tons of blooms in the garden. Just snapped this lovely passion vine. Still lots of good planting weather in North Texas. Keep planting cole crops, greens, fava beans and more through October and into early November. Iceland poppies, pansies and violas are hitting the garden centers right now so it's a great time to get them planted for the best spring show. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

Squash in Bloom

For most of the morning, it felt like we were gardening in the bottom of a terrarium. We pruned fungus spotted leaves off the tomatoes (no sign of blight yet!), planted peas, snapped the lower branches off our Brussels sprouts and weeded our way through the swampy northeast morning. We harvested beans and summer squash, which got us all talking about squash blossoms. Abby’s told us about some squash blossom recipes, and Kim wondered about the difference between male and female blossoms. Soon we were all swarming the squash plants and talking about the differences.

You can see both the female center of the blossom and the fruit behind the blossom in this shot. Therese pointed out the different shape and orange-r color in the blossom center.

She showed Kim how different the center of the male blossom looked, and then we flipped the blossom over to look at the stem.

Male squash blossoms have a long green stem with stiff bristle-like hairs instead of a soft flowery fruit.

We found some squash bug eggs, and Abby took care of them.

The garden looked fuller this week, and we have many green tomatoes. If only they would ripen. I’ve been waiting to make a corn, basil and cherry tomato salad!

It’s a cruel, cruel summer.

After a morning of snapdragon worship, I wandered up to help Lisa and the others in the garden. It was sad to discover these sad little pepper plants. Sometimes you make careful plans...and then the northeast will be hit with rain, and your test garden will be hit with deer. It’s amazing that the orange pepper is hanging on in spite of its dead dry stem. We’re not sure why the deer left a ceremonial pepper on each plant.

Here are the snapdragons that preoccupied me at sun-up:

After all the rain, it’s good to see some color at the farm. Down by the stone garden, the nicotiana is in full, lovely scented bloom. Wish you all had scratch and sniff monitors—I could’ve happily camped out under the nicotiana taking photos all morning.

Plum Lucky

Hi All, Leslie in Las Vegas here.

This Weeping Santa Rosa plum tree has long cascading branches with plums clustered along the branches like huge grapes.  Notice the branch draped over the ladder?  It is almost picked clean.  This is a picture of me wearing my Harvest Apron - it gets very heavy with plums after only a few minutes and I have to empty it into bins often.

 

Much of this tree was picked from the ground, (because of the long draping branches), and given away to "the hungry" at a local event last weekend.

Because it is too hot for me to can fruit from our summer harvest I will freeze my plums for later use for making; stewed plums, plum fruit roll-ups, plum upside down cake, plum cookies; plum pudding, plum jam, plum syrup for ice cream and pancakes, etc., etc., etc.  One can never have enough plums.

To Freeze Plums:  I let them ripen more inside the house - I like them softer than when they come off the tree.  I wash them and remove the little stem, sometimes.  Then I put the whole plums in a zip-lock baggie, fill the bag with apple juice and squeeze out every bit of air.  Covering the plums with apple juice helps to keep them moist and keep them from freezer burn.  I prefer this to making a simple syrup. 12 gallons of plums will give us a gallon of plums a month to eat and to share.  When I finish freezing the plums I will get started freezing our peaches - they are a little more work as I remove the skin and the pits and slice them. The peaches ripen the week after the plums - convenient timing for me.

 

 

High Anxiety Tomatoes

Hi All, Leslie in Las Vegas here.

Bill has waited all winter and the moment has almost arrived.  For Bill, anticipation is not part of the enjoyment of eating tomatoes.  He suffers greatly while the plants grow a little everyday.  Just like the kids asking, "Are we almost there?" Bill asks, "When do you think they will be ready to pick?"

I think we can start to eat them the second week in July. I transplanted these Hawaiian Tropic tomatoes on May 7th this year, a little later than usual. But no worries - this is a very heat tolerant variety that stands up to our sizzling desert

Herbs

I asked the Test Gardeners to share their tips, techniques and recipes for growing herbs. Here's what they have to say:

Don: I have all kinds of herbs integrated into my yard's landscape, and we have herbs at Urban Ministry, too. Most are toughies that manage to look very charming.

One key to growing herbs in the Southeast is good drainage. Pay careful attention to that when preparing an herb bed or area. Also, don't over apply compost or manure, or overly enrich the soil, either (although basil and garlic do fine as a 'regular' crop in rotation the veggie beds - I intercrop tomatoes with basils, as many gardeners do).

Most I grow as perennials. Thymes are favorite of mine (there are dozens), and make fine edible ground covers. Oreganos and lemon balm are almost weedy in their persistence and ability to spread, but they do keep things green, and are good for recipes. Rosemary, given good drainage, can thrive here, too. Every garden needs some, just so you can brush against it and smell that scent.

Annual herbs include all the 60 million basils out there. I find the best tasting are the broad leaf, old fashioned, plain green, Italian types. I also have a real liking for anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum). It works best for me grown as an annual, though it self- seeds readily enough.

Here, parsley is a two-fer plant. I grow it to have the leaves, but also to attract black swallowtail butterflies and their beautiful larva. They eat all the leaves on a plant or two, but it is worth it.

I grow peppermint, spearmint, etc in big pots, when I can - that way, they don't invade everything, and I can keep them moist.

My favorite recipes with herbs are based on growing them just outside the front door, where I can literally walk out and cut them as needed right when I need them. Tossing a handful of chopped leaves of thyme, summer savory and basil right into a simple French vinegrette can turn a simple salad into a masterpiece.

A simple vinegrette is a 1/2 c high quality olive oil; 2 T high quality vinegar, 1 or 2 Ts water, salt and pepper to taste, T Dijon mustard (prepared). Whisk it all together. Then add about 2 T to 4T well chopped diverse herbs fresh from your garden. Enjoy! (I also like to squeeze 1/2 clove of garlic and mist that in).

Interesting factoid - cellantro turns into coriander if you let it flower, set seed, and dry out.

Leslie: Herbs grow easily in Las Vegas - in fact, I can't think of one that that requires any special care.  I encourage herb growing as they attract the pollinators to the garden - butterflies, bees, etc.

Rosemary and common sage are my 2 most useful herbs, not only for flavoring a recipe, but also for lovely and maintenance free landscape plants. Hardly a week goes by without using sage to flavor a poultry recipe, or rosemary to flavor lamb.  We are also huge consumers of garlic and parsley for almost every meal, and peppermint for mint sauce and jelly.

Rosemary Encrusted Leg of Lamb

I coarsely crush dried rosemary needles with a mortar and pestle and use them to encrust a leg of lamb for roasting.  Rinse the leg with water and get it good and wet.  Then pierce the flesh to the bone and stuff in a clove of garlic in every square inch. Rub the leg with salt, pepper and olive oil - be careful, it will be slippery and want to scoot across the floor.  Then press copious amounts of crushed rosemary to the entire surface until it is unrecognizable as meat.  In the desert we roast in a slow oven, or bbq grill (lid closed), with a large pan of water on the rack, this helps to retain the moisture in the oven and in the meat.  I always use a meat thermometer.  Make a simple gravy from the juices and serve with red potatoes and parsely butter, chunks of fresh fruits and a green veggie like grilled string beans.

Basil is my most useful summer herb, we always serve it with tomatoes as a basil pesto or just a few leaves - sometimes both.  Lunch anyone?

 
Bill: I don't grow many herbs, but last year tried zaatar. Don't know if it's a variety of marjoram or actually a different plant. Hardy stuff. I transplanted it mid-bed between two areas of cucumbers where it did well last summer. Dug it out and transplanted it again this spring when I worked up the bed. Haven't really cooked with it much.

My regular in summer is Genovese basil. I have erratic results sowing it directly in the garden so started some in the greenhouse this year. It transplanted very well. I've also had good luck this spring with plantings that were direct sown.

Supposedly a friend of tomatoes, I plant it between varieties and/or at the ends of beds when I don't have enough tomato plants to fill the row.

My customers tell me it's the best for pesto. I don't do pesto often myself. Mostly I use it for bruschetta and crostini with tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. Sometimes just the tomatoes and basil laid out nicely on a dish, topped with basil and dressed with good local olive oil and balsamic vinegar (or sushi vinegar, depending on my mood).  Lettuce and spinach can't cut it in our desert heat so our summer salads tend to be simple, mostly centered around fresh tomatoes, basil, & cucumbers.

The Earthbox Challenge

We like the Earthbox here at OG. Why? Because it works.
However … I like my gardens to be lovely as well as functional. Despite its admirable practicality, the Earthbox is not, by any measure, beautiful. So I issued a challenge to my handyman friend Dan. “Dan,” I said, “do something to make this green box attractive and it’s yours to keep.” Dan’s wife took one look at it and said, “It’s not going in MY garden.” Nevertheless, he took my Rodale Backyard Builder book for inspiration and got to work.
Two months later, Dan unloaded his masterpiece. “How long will you need it?” he asked. “My wife wants it back!” “I’ll return it as soon as we photograph it filled with pretty lettuces,” I replied. He scowled (but just a little … Dan’s a prince among men.)

In another week those lettuce plants will be gorgeous. Good thing, because they will have to make a plain green box look garden-worthy. Tomorrow, sadly, the beautiful Earthbox cap will be lifted from our Earthbox and transferred to Dan’s. So now I’m pondering my own version. Funky, weathered, and definitely blue. Mine will probably not meet Dan’s standards. Will yours?

Test Gardener Salad Recipes

Debbie's Fruit Jam Vinaigrette

Here’s a really easy dressing that a friend first came up with and that I now make quite regularly. I call it the 1-2-3 Fruit Jam Vinaigrette. In a jar, mix together 1 part homemade (or high quality commercial) organic fruit jam or preserves of most any type, 2 parts balsamic vinegar, and 3 parts olive oil. Shake vigorously and use with your favorite salads!

Don's Pomegranate Vinaigrette

When some of my early attempts at pomegranate jelly weren't quite right, I started using the syrup for Pomegranate Vinaigrette. Family members now expect it on special occasions, so I now put up about 24 pints each year of pomegranate syrup - just pom juice & sugar, no pectin needed.

 

Instead of Debbie's 1-2-3 using jam, I'd say I use 2-2-3 because I'm using syrup instead.  I don't really measure. (I have done it using jelly instead and it works just fine.)

 

I use rice vinegar for a little less acid. Also add salt, pepper, oregano and either granulated garlic or fresh crushed garlic.

 

In season, I'll toss in pomegranate pips as well.

Leslie's Easily Addictive Summer Salad

This is a good salad to serve with BBQ Pork.

Fresh Greens tossed with chopped celery, a couple of ripe chunks of cantaloupe and honeydew melons and topped with a few candied walnut halves and just two Marichino cherry halves for color. For a dressing; I blend to taste sour cream and sweetened whipping cream (not whipped), or add a little sugar into heavy cream, then drizzle it lightly over all - lightly, lightly, lightly.

Tufbell is back!

We fell in love with tufbell, a durable see-through rowcover that looks like plastic, acts like remay, and perseveres like polyester, a couple of years ago. We clipped it onto out irrigation-pipe hoops using clips like these from Territorial:

hooped, safe and sound

Then we just stood in the garden and admired our handiwork. The deer were flummoxed, the plants were free of little holes, and we were content.

 
and see-through too!

Then the unthinkable happened … tufbell disappeared from the market. For the next two years we guarded our tufbell edges from the mad mower guys by putting big rocks in strategic places (mower blades are the only known tufbell destroyers). Nevertheless, edges were frayed and our contentment waned. I located the manufacturer and the importer, and made a pest of myself. When is tufbell coming back? I asked. And asked.
At long last, it has reappeared, renamed DIO-betalon! The original company sold the machinery and technology to another company, which is making the material in three degrees of porosity. And it’s available from Peaceful Valley www.groworganic.com.
Mind you, we’re still using our original length … three years and counting.

If you have deer, or frost, or little caterpillars that make little holes, you will love this stuff!

Asparagus for all of us!

We asked the OG Test Gardeners what they do with asparagus and it turns out this bunch of talented gardens are pretty clever in the kitchen as well! Here are their recipes and tips:

Don Boekelheide
I like to make 'real' mayo and dip asparagus. I guess I shouldn't use raw egg, but I still do - from local chickens. I usually steam the asparagus lightly before the dipping - it's easier than braising or roasting.

• an egg yolk
• lemon juice (only about a teaspoon, I like lemon for dipping better than vinegar)
• dash salt
• about 1/2 - 3/4 cup oil at room temp - I like safflower or canola with a mild taste ("invisible"), walnut is good, if you use olive use a light one
• a scant Tspoon boiling water(a little in the microwave)
• (optional) 1/2 t or less prepared Dijon mustard

Small glass bowl (I like glass)
Wire wisk

Beat the yolk for a minute
Wisk in the lemon juice, salt and mustard, for a half minute
Keep whisking away while you dribble the oil into the mix until it thickens. Stop dribbling every few seconds, but keep beating
After it thickens, add more oil slowly, a T at a time
If it gets too think, squeeze in a little more lemon juice, then keep adding oil
Julia Child says add a tiny bit of boiling water at the end (<T) to help ensure that it doesn't separate. I sometimes bother, sometimes don't

Dip the asparagus (or anything else) in the mayo...mmmmmm

Leslie Doyle

Grilled Asparagus.
Mix up a salad dressing of Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil to taste - I usually blend 1 part of Balsamic Vinegar to about 4 parts of Olive Oil.

Brush the mixture on asparagus spears and place on the bar-b-que that is medium low heat.  Baste asparagus again, being careful of flare-ups from the fire and close the lid quickly to contain the smoke.  Fresh garden asparagus will be ready to turn in a couple of minutes, then baste again. Serve hot or cold as a side dish at your bar-b-que.

AND - as long as you have the grill going, add more veggies for a . . .

Cool Grilled Salad for a Hot Summer Night Feast:

Combine asparagus spears with shrimp and other basted and grilled veggies and serve on a bed of leafy greens such as; cherry tomatoes, hunks of sweet peppers, 1/4" thick slices of eggplant, bean or pea pods, pineapple chunks, small cipollini onions. Top off this healthy salad with a 1" square of feta cheese and drizzle the Balsamic and Olive Oil dressing over all.  Serve cold with a fresh baguette of French bread and ice cold sweet cream butter.

This is an entire meal at my house.  It can be prepared the day before and kept cold until guests are ready to eat.

Leslie Halleck
Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Drizzle

Ingredients:

2 lbs thin asparagus spears, trimmed

cooking spray

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons butter (must use real butter)

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

 

Directions:

 Preheat oven to 400.

 Arrange asparagus in single layer on baking sheet and coat with cooking spray.

 Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

 Bake for 12 minutes.

 Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat.

 Cook for 3 minutes or until lightly browned.

 Remove from heat, stir in soy sauce and vinegar.

 Drizzle over asparagus, toss well to coat.

 

Caleb Melchoir
Beurre Blanc
Pour a tablespoon of white vine vinegar into a small saucepan and reduce until it's only about a teaspoon.  In the meantime, chop one stick (4 oz.) of butter into small cubes. When the vinegar's reduced, remove the pan from the heat and toss in the butter cubes, one at a time, while whisking vigorously.  This should make a nice creamy emulsion. Sprinkle in some salt and pepper plus a handful of any chopped herbs you might have handy.  Pour over hot asparagus and serve immediately.