BloominThyme

18 May 2012 2 Comments

Spring Sweet Onion Harvest

Oh how I love this time of year! After six long months of tending, weeding and waiting (the latter of which this gardener doesn’t do particularly well), my onion tops went brown and fell over so I duly dug these puppies up–gently. Woohoo! Someone ring the cow bell and dance the farmer’s jig–the sweet onions are ready! And we have some doozies. Big ones, round ones, small ones and–

What the heck? Red ones? I never planted any red ones. How did these little pumpkins end up amidst my splendor of sweet white onions?

Hmph. Told you those bags of seeds and plants you buy come stocked with all sorts of surprises. Remember Tami’s blueberry/weed? Well here’s the proof it can happen to anyone. Red onions were mixed in my batch of onion sets. Oh, well. We humans are fallible, aren’t we?

I forgive them. Besides, these look awfully tasty. A bit of “Siamese Twins” growth going on, what with them joined at the bulb, but who cares? I bet that won’t make one iota of difference once I chop them into salsa. Or maybe I’ll cook them up with some of my black beans. Mmm…

Yes, maybe it’s time for some black bean soup. Those onions I don’t use right away I’ll store in my special covered onion basket or chop them up for the freezer. I could always braid them to hang and store. Looks kinda cool. For best storage prep, lay your onions out for a sun bath (in Florida, you might want to do this under the shade of a tree). Give them about a week to crisp their delicate papery skins. Helps in lengthening storage time.

One year, a few of my onions began to flower. Had I waited (remember, patience is not my strong suit), I could have learned the art of onion seed saving. Though come to think of it, I didn’t have a lot of luck with the onion seeds I purchased and planted. Should I really go to all the trouble of doing it myself?

Perhaps. They are extra sweet when enjoyed fresh from the garden. And barely a tear in the kitchen when it comes to slicing and dicing. *sigh* We’ll see. Don’t count me out of the onion seed saving business yet. There may be hope for me still…

I’ll keep you posted. But until then, consider some sweet onions for your garden. One fall day of planting makes for a lovely spring harvest.

by gardenfrisk in Garden skinny - my personal scoop on gardening Tags: grow, home garden, how long, how to, how to harvest, mature, organic, red onions, sweet onions

14 May 2012 2 Comments

Ten Cool Things To Know About Potatoes

As my potatoes grow and flourish and my mouth waters over these buttery delicacies, it occurred to me that many folks don’t know much about these gems, other than the fact they LOVE to eat them. But potatoes don’t have to be an enigma. How much do you know about potatoes?

1 — Most everyone has heard that the skins are where the nutrients hide. For example, the flesh contains less than 20% of the potassium, a third of the vitamin C and about 10% of the niacin. Where’s the rest? In the skin! So for your healthiest meal, be sure to keep it include it during consumption.

2 — While there are tons of different varieties, potatoes come in five basic types: russets, yellow-skinned, white, red, blue/purple.

3 — What makes a “new” potato new? Think of them as the baby crop, the first potatoes harvested in spring when you simply cannot wait to get them into the kitchen. The potato vines are still alive at harvest and the skins are near papery thin. It’s the main way we eat ours! But if you allow the vine to die back and the potatoes to cure underground, this gives their skins a chance to toughen up. Older potatoes store better. Another difference is in the starch. “New” potatoes are sweeter and less starchy than their more “mature” counterparts.

4 – When it comes to food prep, all potatoes are not treated equally. Russet potatoes are fluffier when cooked due mostly to the fact that their densely packed starch molecules expand and separate during cooking. Wonderful when serving mashed potatoes. Idaho potatoes work well for this purpose, too. But if you’re in the market for a sturdy gratin-style potato, opt for “waxy” potatoes like Red Pontiac and Reddale. Some middle-grounders are Yukon Gold and Kennebec. These are tend to be more moist than “starchy” varieties yet fluff relatively well and hold together, too.

5 – For best storage, these guys like it dark and preferably around 45° – 55°. If you don’t have a root cellar (ideal conditions) then try a dark corner of your pantry or garage, depending on your climate. Warmth and light can cause potatoes to sprout. I found a basket to place inside my pantry that allows them air flow, but keeps them in the dark when the door opens and closes. Don’t refrigerate: this converts some of the potato’s starch to sugar.

6 – Sweet potatoes are not true potatoes. They ‘re root vegetables; an enlarged part of the root used by the plant to store energy. Potatoes are tubers that form from the stem of the plant, only underground. Who knew!

7 – Green potatoes are not green because they’re young or old, they’re green because they’ve been exposed to sunlight. This is one of the primary reasons we “hill” potatoes. Due to their upward growth habit, potatoes can break the soil surface and will then turn green. And green potatoes = green face (as in sick ) The culprit? Solanine; a mildly toxic compound that occurs naturally in the night shade family (Solanaceae) of plants. The exposure to sunlight increases toxicity. Don’t eat potatoes raw, either. (Your belly will thank you!)

8 – Move over rye and wheat, potatoes can make some pretty tasty Vodka. Did you know that you can mash the potatoes, heat them in a pressure cooker until the starches turn to sugar and then using a distillery kit, run the potato juice through (to remove any impurities) and voila – potato vodka! Blind taste tests tend to rate it distinctively delicious!

9 – Potatoes are excellent producers IF you know how to coax them into continual production. Ever heard of the Lutovsky box? Designed by Greg Lutovsky a system whereby you can grow 100 potatoes with one plant in the space of 4 square feet. How? Basically you build a raised planter bed, 2 X 2 and plant your potato seed as normal. As the potato plant grows, you build up the sides of your box, adding dirt as you do so (mimics hilling effect) and the plant will continue to grow, upward, upward, upward, increasing production.

**You’ll need to choose late-season potatoes, those that mature 90 days or more as they will continually produce tubers. Short-season varieties won’t work because they produce a limited number of potatoes and then the plant dies.

10 – Some varieties of potatoes produce fruit after they flower that look like green cherry tomatoes and can confuse a garden gal like me. How did a tomato plant make its way into my potato bed? That’s bad—very bad! While these two are part of the same plant family, they are NOT good companions. But my fears were for not. This little fella was normal (simply a first for me!).

So there you have it. And if you needed one more reason to try your hand at growing these wonderful plants, homemade potato chips may be just the thing to change your mind. Forget deep fryers, we eat healthy around these parts. How about slicing them paper-thin, coating them with a fine layer of extra-virgin olive oil (or safflower), bake them at 375°F for about 45 minutes, or until desire crispness has been reached and then dig in. Kids adore them and you’ll feel better knowing they are good for them. I do love win-win.

My weekend harvest yielded a wagon load of buttery sweet and delicious potatoes. Mmmmm…..

by gardenfrisk in Garden skinny - my personal scoop on gardening Tags: baking, boiling, cooking, gratin, new, potatoes, Russet, spring, starch, storage, waxy, yukon gold

11 May 2012 No Comments

Whipping Up Some Potatoes

Okay, maybe not whipped per se, but definitely a whirlwind of yum in the kitchen. Last week we harvested potatoes, this week we eat them! Gosh, I love gardening, don’t you?

And these were easy to make. A little olive oil, fresh chopped rosemary, salt and pepper and this time, we added a bit of Parmesan to the mix in lieu of sweet onions. Delicious. From kindergarten to middle school these potatoes were a hit. Next! Recipe can be found here.

In the garden this week, the kids pulled out the remaining potato plants, squash, and corn in preparation for crop rotation.

Now you’re probably wondering, corn? I don’t recall seeing any corn. Well, they weren’t much to see unfortunately. I mean, they were exciting for the kids, but not much when it comes to cobs.

Perhaps we didn’t feed them enough. Corn are pigs in the garden and maybe our eyes were smaller than their appetites. They’re cute, but should be twice the size. We’ll work on it.

Moving right along, peanuts will fill our beds over the summer. As part of our crop rotation, these guys are awesome because they fix the soil with nitrogen–especially important after the hogs wiped it clean of any and all nutrients. Yes, I’m talking about corn and squash, even potatoes. Peanuts love the heat, too and will take near about the entire summer break to grow and mature, about 3-4 months. Remember: plants like soft beds of dirt–especially peanuts. The plants drop pegs or “stems” into the ground and that’s where the peanuts form. If the soil is too hard, the peanuts will have a hard time of it. So make it easy and loosen that soil!

We won’t follow our row of black beans with peanuts, because they’re part of the same rotation family. Instead, will “close” that row off and wait until fall, maybe plant some broccoli or cabbage, both of whom love nitrogen. Why? Because they’re “leaves” and leaves love nitrogen. Sing it with me kids: beans, leaves, roots and fruits! (It’s our preferred order for crop rotation.) Beans, leaves, roots and fruits!

Seed Sale begins on Monday which means the kids have furiously cutting and gluing their seed packets together and filling them with seed. We have a wagon-full of black beans and pole beans to sell, plus some squash, sunflower and even tomato (some of which will have to be handed out the week after as you can’t rush Mother Nature!). Cucumber didn’t fare so well, but we won’t give up on them. There’s always fall!

Not only will we raise money for the garden, but the students will reap the rewards of independence knowing they are FULLY sustainable. From seed to harvest to dish, glove to tool to feed and mulch, they’ll take pride in the fact it all stemmed from their effort. The way I see it, self-reliance breeds self-respect. And that’s a good thing.

by gardenfrisk in School Garden - follow the kids as they grow! Tags: eat, fresh, fundraiser, garden, grow, harvest, organic, roasted potatoes, school garden, seeds, side dish, sustainable living

10 May 2012 No Comments

Tami’s Growing Strong

For a first time gardener, Tami is doing AWESOME. In this bed you can see her plants look great—squash, peppers, tomatoes and basil are all thriving together in harmony. If you remember, she planted the basil right in between her tomatoes, because these two make wonderful companions in the garden. Funny, they make wonderful companions on the dinner plate, too. Coincidence?

She’s pinched tomato suckers and pulled basil flower heads to keep these two healthy and happy. To continue this progress, she can prune her tomatoes once they begin to grow past the top of her tomato cage. This will also help to keep them full and strong.

The next bed over is residence to her okra and lettuce AND her first harvest. Already! Can you believe it?

Okra and lettuce make great companions, especially here in Central Florida because the canopy of the okra shades the more delicate lettuce leaves allowing them to flourish with ease. (I’m about ready for a salad. Anyone else?)

Upon closer inspection, we notice remnant damage on her okra leaf from the aphids and ant battle. Not sure if this is from the diatomaceous earth of the aphids sucking the life out of the plant. Will have to get back to you on that one. But the plants appear to be fine in general, with no lasting trauma.

Next up is our pole beans which suspiciously resemble bush beans. Now these varieties can produce very similar bean pods, but the big clue? No climbers.

Hmph. Never know what’s in these bags we buy these days. Remember our weed plant inside the blueberry? It happens. Course in my garden it’s usually do the fact that I occasionally forget what I’m planting where—despite my fabulous excel program! Sheesh. Yet another reason to become self-sustaining! (Just keep your brain cells more organized than mine.)