A change has come over our culinary lives, so slowly that we didn't really notice. But it has, and the effects are unmistakable.
I set out, about year and a half ago, to learn to preserve as much as possible of what we consume -- including meats, soups, prepared beans, etc. And, with the acquisition of a few well-chosen pieces of equipment, I have. And I thought I was doing just fine -- all of the prep work I've done will certainly serve us well in the future.
But what really surprised me is how much easier it makes our lives now. Planning for dinners some time in the future has also caused me to have things that can be quickly put together for any meal, and so better able to feed us, on a daily basis. And I recently started learning the fine art of pressure cooking, which has done wonders!!
So, as I've begun to buy things on sale and/or in bulk and can, freeze or dry them, we've gradually weeded out pretty much all commercially prepared foods. Not that we ever relied very heavily on them, but they were a part of our lives, to one degree or another. I didn't make a conscious effort to give them up -- it just sort of happened naturally. But there's a side effect, and one that I didn't anticipate, or even notice, until today. Particularly since I've begun to learn about pressure cooking, we really haven't eaten anything except what I've prepared. And today, after a rare visit to a local drive-through, I was shocked to realize that the aroma coming from the steaming bag the young man handed us didn't remotely smell like food to me. And when we opened it up at home and I tasted one of the fries, I was surprised at how disappointed I was. How many fast food meals have I eaten, without noticing?!
But now that we have a pressure cooker (well, ok -- 2. Or 3, if you count the pressure canner), I can very quickly get dinner on the table. And it's good, homemade stuff -- no chemicals, preservatives or artificial flavors to disguise the real flavor of the food. The only thing I need to remember is to add something for crunch. Any of a number of things will do: chopped nuts, raw or toasted sunflower seeds, even things like water chestnuts or crispy fried onions.
I never had any idea, when I set out on this adventure all those months ago, what a hugely positive impact it would have on the quality of the food we eat, every day!!
Read more!
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Pressure Cooking: The Adventure Continues
How many times have I thought of something I'd like to make for dinner, but couldn't because I hadn't planned ahead and soaked the beans, thawed the chicken or done some other bit of indispensable prep work? These days, thanks to a kitchen marvel called a pressure cooker, it's no problem!! In fact, I've found this piece of equipment so useful that I've purchased a second one!!
The first cooker that I purchased was the familiar rocker-type, a 6-quart model (Presto), and I fell instantly in love with it. In fact, since it arrived, I haven't used the stove for regular cooking -- except for a dinner of fried rice, which definitely cannot be done in the pressure cooker. Today, a "new generation" cooker (8-quart, also a Presto), with a pressure release mechanism in the lid, arrived. And tonight, I used them both to cook dinner. The smaller one handled the artichokes, while I tossed together a Shrimp Bisque from Toula Patsalis's "The Pressure Cooker Cookbook" in the new one. Because the soup recipe is somewhat involved (several more steps than I would normally consider, but, hey -- I was celebrating my new piece of equipment!!), dinner took longer than it usually would when using a pressure cooker, but the results were well worth it!! I did substitute brown rice for the white, but otherwise I followed the recipe pretty carefully. Oh -- and instead of running cold water over it when the shrimp were cooked, I let the steam off with the release mechanism, so the shrimp were probably a little more done than they needed to be, but it still turned out very nice. And it was good to know that my husband was heading off to an evening meeting well fed.
I've been doing a bit of reading, and am intrigued by all the things you can cook, and the ways you can cook them, in a pressure cooker. You can, of course, put things like soups and beans directly into the cooker. But you can also prepare several different kinds of foods at the same time, if you put them into individual containers -- so long as they fit into the cooker with at least a half-inch to spare on all sides. You can stack them, too -- provided you don't fill the cooker more than 2/3 full. Small stainless steel bowls are ideal, and ovenproof casserole dishes and ramekins are second-best. The stainless heats up both quickly and evenly, while ceramic cookware heats unevenly and requires a little extra cooking time. What this means is that you can virtually cook a whole meal -- including dessert -- at the same time. Using a quick-release method will allow you to cook meats or beans, grains or potatoes and various veggies to perfection.
I had just a few small ovenproof cooking vessels, and decided I wanted to try to find some small stainless containers. So I headed for one of the larger thrift stores in my area. A walk down the aisle of their kitchen section turned up only a 2-cup, lidless Corningware casserole, which, of course, I grabbed. Disappointed that I hadn't found more, I was turning to leave when I noticed a woman rummaging through a bin I'd walked right by without noticing. I sidled up to the opposite end of it and started sifting through the mismatched pots and lids, serving trays, cookie sheets, etc. And, whaddya know -- hidden among the pots and pans were little silver jewels -- stainless steel serving bowls, probably former residents of some defunct resaurant, and not one priced more than $1!! So I scooped up all that I could find and made my way to the register. After a trip through the dishwasher, they'll be ready to be pressed into service.
Admittedly, I'm still learning to time things (which means things often end up either over- or under-cooked), but each time I cook this way, things come out a little better!
Read more!
The first cooker that I purchased was the familiar rocker-type, a 6-quart model (Presto), and I fell instantly in love with it. In fact, since it arrived, I haven't used the stove for regular cooking -- except for a dinner of fried rice, which definitely cannot be done in the pressure cooker. Today, a "new generation" cooker (8-quart, also a Presto), with a pressure release mechanism in the lid, arrived. And tonight, I used them both to cook dinner. The smaller one handled the artichokes, while I tossed together a Shrimp Bisque from Toula Patsalis's "The Pressure Cooker Cookbook" in the new one. Because the soup recipe is somewhat involved (several more steps than I would normally consider, but, hey -- I was celebrating my new piece of equipment!!), dinner took longer than it usually would when using a pressure cooker, but the results were well worth it!! I did substitute brown rice for the white, but otherwise I followed the recipe pretty carefully. Oh -- and instead of running cold water over it when the shrimp were cooked, I let the steam off with the release mechanism, so the shrimp were probably a little more done than they needed to be, but it still turned out very nice. And it was good to know that my husband was heading off to an evening meeting well fed.
I've been doing a bit of reading, and am intrigued by all the things you can cook, and the ways you can cook them, in a pressure cooker. You can, of course, put things like soups and beans directly into the cooker. But you can also prepare several different kinds of foods at the same time, if you put them into individual containers -- so long as they fit into the cooker with at least a half-inch to spare on all sides. You can stack them, too -- provided you don't fill the cooker more than 2/3 full. Small stainless steel bowls are ideal, and ovenproof casserole dishes and ramekins are second-best. The stainless heats up both quickly and evenly, while ceramic cookware heats unevenly and requires a little extra cooking time. What this means is that you can virtually cook a whole meal -- including dessert -- at the same time. Using a quick-release method will allow you to cook meats or beans, grains or potatoes and various veggies to perfection.
I had just a few small ovenproof cooking vessels, and decided I wanted to try to find some small stainless containers. So I headed for one of the larger thrift stores in my area. A walk down the aisle of their kitchen section turned up only a 2-cup, lidless Corningware casserole, which, of course, I grabbed. Disappointed that I hadn't found more, I was turning to leave when I noticed a woman rummaging through a bin I'd walked right by without noticing. I sidled up to the opposite end of it and started sifting through the mismatched pots and lids, serving trays, cookie sheets, etc. And, whaddya know -- hidden among the pots and pans were little silver jewels -- stainless steel serving bowls, probably former residents of some defunct resaurant, and not one priced more than $1!! So I scooped up all that I could find and made my way to the register. After a trip through the dishwasher, they'll be ready to be pressed into service.
Admittedly, I'm still learning to time things (which means things often end up either over- or under-cooked), but each time I cook this way, things come out a little better!
Read more!
Monday, November 15, 2010
The Joys of Pressure Cooking
What a cool adventure this pressure cooking is!! Besides the energy (and time) savings, it has really freed me up in terms of dinner preparation. In times past, I dreaded the idea of coming home and having to cook dinner. To be painfully honest, some days, it was just more than I could face.
In fact, in an effort to make dinner preparations easier to manage, I recently made up a spreadsheet with about 2 months' worth of dinners, complete with instructions like "thaw pork", or "soak beans", for the next day's meal. It does help, although I find that I usually only follow it for a few days at a time.
Enter the pressure cooker. Now, if I haven't planned ahead, I can toss in some frozen chicken or pork, (I cut it into bite-sized pieces before freezing, and pack in no more than half-pound packages), and add some sauce and a little water. If I don't have any rice cooked and haven't planned ahead for (homemade) garlic bread or the like, I might put the rack (came with the pressure cooker) on top, put in some quartered, seasoned potatoes (I make a foil "bowl", making sure there's clearance all the way around), and let 'er go. In a very short time (about 30 minutes), dinner is ready.
Dried beans are amazingly quick, too. Conventionally soaked or "speed soaked" (thanks, Lorna Sass!!), they cook in anywhere from 3 to 15 minutes. If you're speed soaking, the whole thing, soak to table, can be done in 30 - 40 minutes!
There are so many advantages to pressure cooking: Saves time, energy and nutrients; tenderizes inexpensive (tough) cuts of meat as well as the crockpot; takes about a third the time and uses about a third the energy of conventional cooking methods; cleanup is generally pretty easy -- because you're cooking with steam, things tend not to stick as they might with dry heat...
And an unexpected bonus is that it's actually opened up our daily dinner options. Even if I haven't planned head, I can still put virtually any meal that might be cooked on the stovetop, and even a lot of things that are usually cooked in the oven, on the table in record time. The key is that the dish must either have enough liquid in it to make the required steam, or it must be cooked in an ovenproof casserole or steel bowl (or canning jars!!) covered with foil, with water in the bottom of the cooker. For example, we recently attended a concert, and got home right around dinner time. On the drive home, I decided to cook beans. As soon as we walked in, I tossed a cup of beans into the cooker with 3 cups of water and brought it to pressure. About 40 minutes later, we were sitting down to a hot, homecooked meal that was much better (and healthier!) than the restaurant fare we would probably otherwise have had -- and we saved money, in the bargain! I can spot ribs on sale in the local paper, pick some up on my way home from work, and have a nice ribs & garlic mashed potato dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes from when I walk in the door. We haven't had occasion yet, but it's nice to know that, sometime when we're in the middle of a project and dinnertime is suddenly upon us, we can save the $25 or so we might otherwise have spent on a bucket of chicken, and have a nice hot, quickly home-cooked meal, instead.
And if it wasn't enough that you can cook a complete meal in one of these babies, you can also whip up a dessert, as well. DH is not a big dessert fan, so I've been perfecting the art of making custard for one. It's amazingly easy: Put 1/2 cup of milk, an egg, a little sweetener and a little vanilla in a small ramekin or canning jar (both work equally well), mix thoroughly and grate a little nutmeg on top. Put in the cooker with the required amount of water, turn on the heat & cook 8 minutes at high pressure. Quick release the pressure, take the ramekin out, and, viola -- custard for one!!
With so many advantages to this kind of cooking, I'm puzzled when folks, as they typically do, show only polite interest!! Maybe it's because of the reputation these cookers once had, or because it would mean an initial extra expense. But modern pressure cookers are very safe when used according to the manufacturers' directions, and experience has shown me that the time and money these amazing things save quickly more than makes up for the initial expense -- even if one were to purchase one of the more expensive models, with all the bells and whistles!!
Read more!
In fact, in an effort to make dinner preparations easier to manage, I recently made up a spreadsheet with about 2 months' worth of dinners, complete with instructions like "thaw pork", or "soak beans", for the next day's meal. It does help, although I find that I usually only follow it for a few days at a time.
Enter the pressure cooker. Now, if I haven't planned ahead, I can toss in some frozen chicken or pork, (I cut it into bite-sized pieces before freezing, and pack in no more than half-pound packages), and add some sauce and a little water. If I don't have any rice cooked and haven't planned ahead for (homemade) garlic bread or the like, I might put the rack (came with the pressure cooker) on top, put in some quartered, seasoned potatoes (I make a foil "bowl", making sure there's clearance all the way around), and let 'er go. In a very short time (about 30 minutes), dinner is ready.
Dried beans are amazingly quick, too. Conventionally soaked or "speed soaked" (thanks, Lorna Sass!!), they cook in anywhere from 3 to 15 minutes. If you're speed soaking, the whole thing, soak to table, can be done in 30 - 40 minutes!
There are so many advantages to pressure cooking: Saves time, energy and nutrients; tenderizes inexpensive (tough) cuts of meat as well as the crockpot; takes about a third the time and uses about a third the energy of conventional cooking methods; cleanup is generally pretty easy -- because you're cooking with steam, things tend not to stick as they might with dry heat...
And an unexpected bonus is that it's actually opened up our daily dinner options. Even if I haven't planned head, I can still put virtually any meal that might be cooked on the stovetop, and even a lot of things that are usually cooked in the oven, on the table in record time. The key is that the dish must either have enough liquid in it to make the required steam, or it must be cooked in an ovenproof casserole or steel bowl (or canning jars!!) covered with foil, with water in the bottom of the cooker. For example, we recently attended a concert, and got home right around dinner time. On the drive home, I decided to cook beans. As soon as we walked in, I tossed a cup of beans into the cooker with 3 cups of water and brought it to pressure. About 40 minutes later, we were sitting down to a hot, homecooked meal that was much better (and healthier!) than the restaurant fare we would probably otherwise have had -- and we saved money, in the bargain! I can spot ribs on sale in the local paper, pick some up on my way home from work, and have a nice ribs & garlic mashed potato dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes from when I walk in the door. We haven't had occasion yet, but it's nice to know that, sometime when we're in the middle of a project and dinnertime is suddenly upon us, we can save the $25 or so we might otherwise have spent on a bucket of chicken, and have a nice hot, quickly home-cooked meal, instead.
And if it wasn't enough that you can cook a complete meal in one of these babies, you can also whip up a dessert, as well. DH is not a big dessert fan, so I've been perfecting the art of making custard for one. It's amazingly easy: Put 1/2 cup of milk, an egg, a little sweetener and a little vanilla in a small ramekin or canning jar (both work equally well), mix thoroughly and grate a little nutmeg on top. Put in the cooker with the required amount of water, turn on the heat & cook 8 minutes at high pressure. Quick release the pressure, take the ramekin out, and, viola -- custard for one!!
With so many advantages to this kind of cooking, I'm puzzled when folks, as they typically do, show only polite interest!! Maybe it's because of the reputation these cookers once had, or because it would mean an initial extra expense. But modern pressure cookers are very safe when used according to the manufacturers' directions, and experience has shown me that the time and money these amazing things save quickly more than makes up for the initial expense -- even if one were to purchase one of the more expensive models, with all the bells and whistles!!
Read more!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
BBQ Ribs & Garlic Mashed in 25 Minutes!!!
I've fallen in love with a piece of kitchen equipment. Nothing new, there -- I've fallen in love with pretty much every pressure canner and rice cooker I've brought home, but this time it's different!!
Since my shiny, new 6-quart pressure cooker arrived, I find myself spending more time planning dinner (that's a good thing), yet a lot less actually cooking it! It all started when my grandmother agreed to share a beloved (and coveted) recipe, the first step of which requires pressure cooking one of the ingredients. I happen to own a 21-quart pressure canner, which was way more than adequate for the task at hand.
And after I experimented with it a bit, and experienced the savings in time, energy and nutrients (and money!!), I decided it was time to take the plunge. Logged onto my favorite online retailer, and in short order received a beautiful stainless steel cooker. Pressure cookers, it turns out, are quite reasonable -- you can pick up an aluminum one for around $25, or stainless for a little more. Whichever one you choose, you'll start saving money (and thus recoup your investment) the minute you start using it!!
Dinner -- both planning what to cook and actually getting the job done -- has always been a challenge -- especially since I get off work at 6:00. Who wants to spend an hour messing around with dinner at that hour -- especially after working all day?! Enter the pressure cooker. It typically takes about a third the time to cook things as conventional methods do, so you immediately save both time and energy. Add to that the fact that the pressure cooker can tenderize tough (read: inexpensive) cuts of meat as well as the crockpot, and the fact that you'll be less likely to hit the drive-through if you have a few ingredients on hand & ready to toss into the cooker at a moment's notice, and it's obvious that this kitchen wonder can make your life better in several ways!!
As an experiment, I recently tossed in uncooked pasta, a jar of sauce, a little water and about a pound of frozen (yes, frozen!!) chicken. Viola -- 31 minutes later, dinner was on the table. It might not have been quite as nice as it would have if I'd started with thawed chicken and cooked the pasta separately, but it's good to know that the option is available, should I ever find myself in a bind!!
Tonight, I browned some ribs (they stuck a little, but I wasn't worried -- I knew the braising would take care of that), put them in the bottom of the cooker with a jar of homemade barbecue sauce and a little water, and set the rack (most come with one, these days) on top. Put a single layer of new potatoes (pierced with a fork first) on the rack, put the lid on and brought it up to pressure. I calculated 22 minutes, which was fine for the thinner ribs, but I wish I'd cooked it for 25 -- the thicker ones weren't quite as tender as they could have been. Ah, well -- next time... Still, a nice rib dinner was ready in no time at all!!
Another great thing about pressure cookers is how easy it is to clean up!! You're cooking one-pot meals, and, unless you've really goofed and scorched something, clean-up is much quicker and easier than when cooking with dry heat. One warning -- if you're steam-cooking (as opposed to braising things in liquid), you may want to use cooking spray to keep things from sticking.
I can't believe what a great piece of equipment this is -- since I've owned it, I haven't cooked anything, except fried rice, in the conventional way. And I don't think I will much, either!!
Read more!
Since my shiny, new 6-quart pressure cooker arrived, I find myself spending more time planning dinner (that's a good thing), yet a lot less actually cooking it! It all started when my grandmother agreed to share a beloved (and coveted) recipe, the first step of which requires pressure cooking one of the ingredients. I happen to own a 21-quart pressure canner, which was way more than adequate for the task at hand.
And after I experimented with it a bit, and experienced the savings in time, energy and nutrients (and money!!), I decided it was time to take the plunge. Logged onto my favorite online retailer, and in short order received a beautiful stainless steel cooker. Pressure cookers, it turns out, are quite reasonable -- you can pick up an aluminum one for around $25, or stainless for a little more. Whichever one you choose, you'll start saving money (and thus recoup your investment) the minute you start using it!!
Dinner -- both planning what to cook and actually getting the job done -- has always been a challenge -- especially since I get off work at 6:00. Who wants to spend an hour messing around with dinner at that hour -- especially after working all day?! Enter the pressure cooker. It typically takes about a third the time to cook things as conventional methods do, so you immediately save both time and energy. Add to that the fact that the pressure cooker can tenderize tough (read: inexpensive) cuts of meat as well as the crockpot, and the fact that you'll be less likely to hit the drive-through if you have a few ingredients on hand & ready to toss into the cooker at a moment's notice, and it's obvious that this kitchen wonder can make your life better in several ways!!
As an experiment, I recently tossed in uncooked pasta, a jar of sauce, a little water and about a pound of frozen (yes, frozen!!) chicken. Viola -- 31 minutes later, dinner was on the table. It might not have been quite as nice as it would have if I'd started with thawed chicken and cooked the pasta separately, but it's good to know that the option is available, should I ever find myself in a bind!!
Tonight, I browned some ribs (they stuck a little, but I wasn't worried -- I knew the braising would take care of that), put them in the bottom of the cooker with a jar of homemade barbecue sauce and a little water, and set the rack (most come with one, these days) on top. Put a single layer of new potatoes (pierced with a fork first) on the rack, put the lid on and brought it up to pressure. I calculated 22 minutes, which was fine for the thinner ribs, but I wish I'd cooked it for 25 -- the thicker ones weren't quite as tender as they could have been. Ah, well -- next time... Still, a nice rib dinner was ready in no time at all!!
Another great thing about pressure cookers is how easy it is to clean up!! You're cooking one-pot meals, and, unless you've really goofed and scorched something, clean-up is much quicker and easier than when cooking with dry heat. One warning -- if you're steam-cooking (as opposed to braising things in liquid), you may want to use cooking spray to keep things from sticking.
I can't believe what a great piece of equipment this is -- since I've owned it, I haven't cooked anything, except fried rice, in the conventional way. And I don't think I will much, either!!
Read more!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Mid-Spring Musings
Pulled up deer tongue lettuce today. I hated to do it – it’s a lovely variety, and has fed us through the winter. But it’s time – wanted to catch it before it bolted. In keeping with my goal of year-round gardening, I mixed in some compost from the worm bin, and replanted with pole beans (“eye” side up, as I’ve recently learned). Although a storm is coming, I think it’ll be warm enough to get them going. Also transplanted quite a few things from the starting "plugs" to 2” and 3” pots. They were looking pretty sad, so I hope they make it. Not sure what happened this time – last time it worked so well! Ah, well, can’t expect things to always be so easy.
Had to add another tray to the worm bin today. They haven't looked "right" lately, and DH laughed, when I told him I'd figured out what was wrong with them -- they need more fiber in their diets. But it's true -- since we've basically given up coffee, I've only been giving them veggie trimmings, plus the odd tea bag -- and it's not a balanced diet! So I started a new tray, using a layer of veggie trimmings, paper from the shredder, a healthy layer of leaves and a layer of moistened newspaper. I'm a little concerned about the shredded paper, though -- when I mixed it with water, the water turned a lovely shade of blue. I rinsed it out as best I could -- I'm hoping it won't hurt them. Guess I'll know pretty soon...
I'm very pleased to be able to eat wheat again. For a time, it seemed to cause all kinds of problems. But, after giving up coffee, I can now eat wheat. Been making bread using Peter Reinhart's method -- soaker & biga prepared 3 days ahead & refrigerated -- which seems to make it even easier for my system to handle. In fact, I've been so pleased that I've shared the information with a friend who also has difficulty with wheat (or maybe gluten -- he's not sure). I'm really hoping this will help -- it'd certainly make it easier for him & his family!!
I'm really pleased with the way we're eating these days -- not only is it healthier, it's MUCH cheaper!! I buy most things in bulk, including wheat, oats, beans, etc., and we grow more of our own produce than I'd have believed possible!! Tonight, for example, we had a salad made of mostly homegrown greens, embellished with homegrown carrots & beets, and storebought peppers & tomatoes. Slices of homemade multigrain bread, augmented with a little animal protein (which we're in the process of getting away from again) to round out the meal. Right now, we have about a dozen baby tomatoes on various vines. There's another big storm coming in (this has been an unsually wet and cold April), which I'm hoping won't hurt them.
10/16/10
It didn't, as it turned out. It wasn't an exceptional year for tomatoes, but we did enjoy them from mid-May until mid-October, so I feel pretty good about that!! Read more!
Had to add another tray to the worm bin today. They haven't looked "right" lately, and DH laughed, when I told him I'd figured out what was wrong with them -- they need more fiber in their diets. But it's true -- since we've basically given up coffee, I've only been giving them veggie trimmings, plus the odd tea bag -- and it's not a balanced diet! So I started a new tray, using a layer of veggie trimmings, paper from the shredder, a healthy layer of leaves and a layer of moistened newspaper. I'm a little concerned about the shredded paper, though -- when I mixed it with water, the water turned a lovely shade of blue. I rinsed it out as best I could -- I'm hoping it won't hurt them. Guess I'll know pretty soon...
I'm very pleased to be able to eat wheat again. For a time, it seemed to cause all kinds of problems. But, after giving up coffee, I can now eat wheat. Been making bread using Peter Reinhart's method -- soaker & biga prepared 3 days ahead & refrigerated -- which seems to make it even easier for my system to handle. In fact, I've been so pleased that I've shared the information with a friend who also has difficulty with wheat (or maybe gluten -- he's not sure). I'm really hoping this will help -- it'd certainly make it easier for him & his family!!
I'm really pleased with the way we're eating these days -- not only is it healthier, it's MUCH cheaper!! I buy most things in bulk, including wheat, oats, beans, etc., and we grow more of our own produce than I'd have believed possible!! Tonight, for example, we had a salad made of mostly homegrown greens, embellished with homegrown carrots & beets, and storebought peppers & tomatoes. Slices of homemade multigrain bread, augmented with a little animal protein (which we're in the process of getting away from again) to round out the meal. Right now, we have about a dozen baby tomatoes on various vines. There's another big storm coming in (this has been an unsually wet and cold April), which I'm hoping won't hurt them.
10/16/10
It didn't, as it turned out. It wasn't an exceptional year for tomatoes, but we did enjoy them from mid-May until mid-October, so I feel pretty good about that!! Read more!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Living and Learning...
Interesting adventure, this year-round gardening thing. Planted some greens, carrots, beets & other stuff about a month ago. Carefully picked a mix of warm weather greens, spaced the seeds just so, kept them watered -- and then noticed that the cat has been enjoying those formerly nice, neat rows, too.
Although I'm not happy with losing most of what I planted, I really can't blame him. If I had to do my important business in this slab of concrete pretending to be dirt, I'd pick the nice neat rows, too.
So it's a bit of a setback, but it's caused me to expand my approach. From here on, I'll start what I can indoors (he doesn't seem to bother the little seedlings, once I set them out), and arrange an inconvenient spot (for him) to plant the rest. A friend told me about upending 5-gallon buckets, setting an old door or shelving on top, then putting a kiddie pool or two on top of that. You have to drill holes in the pool, of course, and I think I'd probably throw plastic over the door or whatever, so it'll be likely to last a little longer. My friend's growing potatoes in hers, but I think I'll stick to carrots, beets & other stuff that doesn't transplant well. (I'll probably throw some chicken wire over, to make clear to His Highness that this is not the perfect kitty box.)
Planted cucumbers and beans today. Planted some a couple of weeks ago, then we got a cold & rainy spell, so I lost what little did come up. Now I understand a little better the frustrations & joys of my farmer friends... I realized, after I planted the cucumber seeds, that I'd planted most of them in the shade of the little fence I want them to climb -- not sure how many will actually come up...
10/16/10
Very few, as it turned out. Well, they might've come up, but I never saw 'em. It was a bad year, earwigs-wise, I was told. In any case, not a single cucumber -- nor even so much as a bean -- did we harvest. So I ended up buying all of the cucumbers I needed for our winter's supply of sweet pickle relish (for DH's "Thousands of Islands" dressing) at my two favorite roadside stands, and my sister provided us with beans from her garden. Oh, well -- we had a great crop of spaghetti squash...
On the positive side, two of our tomatoes are setting fruit already!!! Read more!
Although I'm not happy with losing most of what I planted, I really can't blame him. If I had to do my important business in this slab of concrete pretending to be dirt, I'd pick the nice neat rows, too.
So it's a bit of a setback, but it's caused me to expand my approach. From here on, I'll start what I can indoors (he doesn't seem to bother the little seedlings, once I set them out), and arrange an inconvenient spot (for him) to plant the rest. A friend told me about upending 5-gallon buckets, setting an old door or shelving on top, then putting a kiddie pool or two on top of that. You have to drill holes in the pool, of course, and I think I'd probably throw plastic over the door or whatever, so it'll be likely to last a little longer. My friend's growing potatoes in hers, but I think I'll stick to carrots, beets & other stuff that doesn't transplant well. (I'll probably throw some chicken wire over, to make clear to His Highness that this is not the perfect kitty box.)
Planted cucumbers and beans today. Planted some a couple of weeks ago, then we got a cold & rainy spell, so I lost what little did come up. Now I understand a little better the frustrations & joys of my farmer friends... I realized, after I planted the cucumber seeds, that I'd planted most of them in the shade of the little fence I want them to climb -- not sure how many will actually come up...
10/16/10
Very few, as it turned out. Well, they might've come up, but I never saw 'em. It was a bad year, earwigs-wise, I was told. In any case, not a single cucumber -- nor even so much as a bean -- did we harvest. So I ended up buying all of the cucumbers I needed for our winter's supply of sweet pickle relish (for DH's "Thousands of Islands" dressing) at my two favorite roadside stands, and my sister provided us with beans from her garden. Oh, well -- we had a great crop of spaghetti squash...
On the positive side, two of our tomatoes are setting fruit already!!! Read more!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Act of Faith, Exercise in Patience
2:40 in the afternoon on a beautiful very early spring day. It's actually a false spring -- we're still in for some cooler weather, and the Weather Channel on my desktop says rain all next week.
The weather can do what it will, at this point -- we have a greenhouse full of young carrots, kale, peas, kohlrabi, spinach... More are settled into the cold frames -- some transplants, some just up, and some still working hard to send their tiny roots down and their little cotyledons up. Before I got all of this set up, I would have been impatient for Spring -- itching to get my hands in the earth and some seedlings into the ground.
It's always an act of faith, planting seeds. Those tiny things could be dirt, for as much as you can see. I'm always intrigued by the fact that seeds virtually never resemble (even faintly) the plants they will become. Yet hidden within those tiny bits is almost unbelievable potential. What a masterful design -- exquisitely practical, and each utterly unique -- another witness to the creative Genius at work in the calling into being of all things.
And if planting is an act of faith, waiting for them to emerge, once planted, is an exercise in patience. We do all we can, to provide conditions that will give them the best chance to be all they were meant to be. And how lovely, when finally we see the tender green shoots, poking tenuously through the rich, dark earth!
Read more!
The weather can do what it will, at this point -- we have a greenhouse full of young carrots, kale, peas, kohlrabi, spinach... More are settled into the cold frames -- some transplants, some just up, and some still working hard to send their tiny roots down and their little cotyledons up. Before I got all of this set up, I would have been impatient for Spring -- itching to get my hands in the earth and some seedlings into the ground.
It's always an act of faith, planting seeds. Those tiny things could be dirt, for as much as you can see. I'm always intrigued by the fact that seeds virtually never resemble (even faintly) the plants they will become. Yet hidden within those tiny bits is almost unbelievable potential. What a masterful design -- exquisitely practical, and each utterly unique -- another witness to the creative Genius at work in the calling into being of all things.
And if planting is an act of faith, waiting for them to emerge, once planted, is an exercise in patience. We do all we can, to provide conditions that will give them the best chance to be all they were meant to be. And how lovely, when finally we see the tender green shoots, poking tenuously through the rich, dark earth!
Read more!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Tomatoes, Peppers, and Die-hard Redbor Kale!
Huge storms headed our way, so we spent the weekend frantically getting our cold frames set up, and the transplants settled into it. We made it -- barely. By the time I was finished watering, I was soaked, too. Most of the transplants went into the cold frame, and the rest into the greenhouse. I want to see which ones are likely to do best, where...
That's part of what I'm trying to accomplish -- to learn which plants do best under what conditions. I planted several cool weather things last weekend, and noticed today that a single Redbor Kale plant has pushed its little cotelydons up into the (greenhouse) world. The sight of that tiny purple stalk gave me such a thrill, I had to restrain myself from dashing in to order more seeds!! I planted the last 2 seeds as part of last weekend's efforts, and was pleasantly surprised when this one made its appearance today. I planted most of the packet last Fall, but it must have been the wrong time -- not one plant came up. Or maybe something ate them as they emerged, before I saw them. In any case, I was glad to see this little one!
Planted several kinds of tomatoes and peppers in our new Bio Dome starter today. Put the heat mat under them, to really get them going. It's a bit early for the tomatoes, but I want to try growing them in the greenhouse. One of my goals is to see if we can harvest tomatoes, and possibly peppers, for much of the year.
10/16/10
The tomatoes and peppers came zooming into the world, and we ended up enjoying them weeks earlier than would otherwise have been possible. I will definitely do that again this year!!
And who would've believed it -- that redbor kale is still going strong!! It sort of hung on, until we moved the planter it was in out of the greenhouse. Turns out the greenhouse didn't get enough light where we had it. So we moved it in early spring, and because the plants looked ok (maybe a little stunted), we left them. They sort of hunkered down & didn't do much over the summer, but now that it's starting to cool off again, they're going to town!!
Read more!
That's part of what I'm trying to accomplish -- to learn which plants do best under what conditions. I planted several cool weather things last weekend, and noticed today that a single Redbor Kale plant has pushed its little cotelydons up into the (greenhouse) world. The sight of that tiny purple stalk gave me such a thrill, I had to restrain myself from dashing in to order more seeds!! I planted the last 2 seeds as part of last weekend's efforts, and was pleasantly surprised when this one made its appearance today. I planted most of the packet last Fall, but it must have been the wrong time -- not one plant came up. Or maybe something ate them as they emerged, before I saw them. In any case, I was glad to see this little one!
Planted several kinds of tomatoes and peppers in our new Bio Dome starter today. Put the heat mat under them, to really get them going. It's a bit early for the tomatoes, but I want to try growing them in the greenhouse. One of my goals is to see if we can harvest tomatoes, and possibly peppers, for much of the year.
10/16/10
The tomatoes and peppers came zooming into the world, and we ended up enjoying them weeks earlier than would otherwise have been possible. I will definitely do that again this year!!
And who would've believed it -- that redbor kale is still going strong!! It sort of hung on, until we moved the planter it was in out of the greenhouse. Turns out the greenhouse didn't get enough light where we had it. So we moved it in early spring, and because the plants looked ok (maybe a little stunted), we left them. They sort of hunkered down & didn't do much over the summer, but now that it's starting to cool off again, they're going to town!!
Read more!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Planting Spring in the Greenhouse
Planted some early Spring things in the greenhouse today -- beets, carrots, kale, peas, spinach. Didn't plant lettuce, as we still have a row of it. Being new at this year-round thing, I didn't plant enough last Fall, so we've had to supplement it with store-bought, to make it last the Winter. Three to six inches of rain forecast in the next couple of weeks, so, though I'm itching to put something in the garden too, I will wait.
There's been a flurry of activity around here, lately. I wanted a light shelf (for peppers and tomatoes, mostly), but didn't want to spend the $250 or more for the one in the catalog. So I spent the weekend engineering and wiring, learning about light output and T5 vs T8 or T12... Finally, my little seedlings are basking in the glow of 2 grow lights. It was obvious that I needed to give them more light, as they were all leaning in toward the center, to soak up all they could get from the original single-light fixture.
My ever-patient husband has spent the last couple of weeks fiddling with the (inexpensive -- flimsy) greenhouse, trying to make sure it can withstand the gale-force winds we get, here on the edge of the valley. With the storm that's coming, it's about to be tested...
I was struck, as I was tucking in the little specks that will, hopefully, one day soon provide us with a shot of color and vitamins for our dinner table, by the idiosyncracies of time. An investment of less than two hours of my time, and a larger investment on the part of the sun and the little seeds, will, with any luck, yield food that will nourish our bodies -- just as the growing and harvesting of it has nourished my mind.
I've been thinking about my motivation for all of this. It began as an outgrowth of my interest in food storage -- which has ultimately translated to taking more control over the foods we eat. When I discovered Eliot Coleman's excellent book, "Four-Season Harvest", I realized that we could eat from our own backyard all year. That, in turn, led to the idea of growing things we've never tried before -- kohlrabi and sorrel, for a start.
I had already set up a vermicompost system in our laundry room (if it's properly managed, there really isn't any smell, to speak of), because it just didn't make sense to me to throw away kitchen scraps and then drive to the store to buy compost. Living as we do in the city, a compost pile isn't really all that practical -- although we have made some excellent compost just by burying things in the soil. But the worms do it a lot faster -- they can handle a half-pound of food a day! In fact, I've just added another tray, so in a few months, they'll need even more than that.
There are so many benefits to this year-round gardening thing: The freshest food possible; a wealth of nutrients not available in commercially grown produce (we're doing this as organically as possible, so there should be a nutrients available to what we grow that just aren't there for commercial produce, plus we're growing things in a multitude of colors -- red kale, purple brussel sprouts, blue kohlrabi -- providing us with phytonutrients both discovered and otherwise...)
I can't help but reflect on the fact that we were designed to be hunter-gatherers, spending our time looking for food and consuming it very soon after obtaining it. Produce at the supermarket has rarely been picked the same day it is purchased.
There are many benefits of year-round gardening, and one that I'm particularly happy about is that planting a little at a time, once the area has been prepared, hardly feels like work! We've also expanded our culinary horizons, by growing and consuming things that aren't necessarily found in the produce section of the local supermarket.
I have discovered, though, that there's not much information available on year-round gardening, even though I live in Zone 9 (one of the easiest zones in which to grow things to eat all year), so I'm making notes as we go along. I did, however, get a useful planting guide table from the Cooperative Extension, and am using it to help plan our planting schedule.
Read more!
There's been a flurry of activity around here, lately. I wanted a light shelf (for peppers and tomatoes, mostly), but didn't want to spend the $250 or more for the one in the catalog. So I spent the weekend engineering and wiring, learning about light output and T5 vs T8 or T12... Finally, my little seedlings are basking in the glow of 2 grow lights. It was obvious that I needed to give them more light, as they were all leaning in toward the center, to soak up all they could get from the original single-light fixture.
My ever-patient husband has spent the last couple of weeks fiddling with the (inexpensive -- flimsy) greenhouse, trying to make sure it can withstand the gale-force winds we get, here on the edge of the valley. With the storm that's coming, it's about to be tested...
I was struck, as I was tucking in the little specks that will, hopefully, one day soon provide us with a shot of color and vitamins for our dinner table, by the idiosyncracies of time. An investment of less than two hours of my time, and a larger investment on the part of the sun and the little seeds, will, with any luck, yield food that will nourish our bodies -- just as the growing and harvesting of it has nourished my mind.
I've been thinking about my motivation for all of this. It began as an outgrowth of my interest in food storage -- which has ultimately translated to taking more control over the foods we eat. When I discovered Eliot Coleman's excellent book, "Four-Season Harvest", I realized that we could eat from our own backyard all year. That, in turn, led to the idea of growing things we've never tried before -- kohlrabi and sorrel, for a start.
I had already set up a vermicompost system in our laundry room (if it's properly managed, there really isn't any smell, to speak of), because it just didn't make sense to me to throw away kitchen scraps and then drive to the store to buy compost. Living as we do in the city, a compost pile isn't really all that practical -- although we have made some excellent compost just by burying things in the soil. But the worms do it a lot faster -- they can handle a half-pound of food a day! In fact, I've just added another tray, so in a few months, they'll need even more than that.
There are so many benefits to this year-round gardening thing: The freshest food possible; a wealth of nutrients not available in commercially grown produce (we're doing this as organically as possible, so there should be a nutrients available to what we grow that just aren't there for commercial produce, plus we're growing things in a multitude of colors -- red kale, purple brussel sprouts, blue kohlrabi -- providing us with phytonutrients both discovered and otherwise...)
I can't help but reflect on the fact that we were designed to be hunter-gatherers, spending our time looking for food and consuming it very soon after obtaining it. Produce at the supermarket has rarely been picked the same day it is purchased.
There are many benefits of year-round gardening, and one that I'm particularly happy about is that planting a little at a time, once the area has been prepared, hardly feels like work! We've also expanded our culinary horizons, by growing and consuming things that aren't necessarily found in the produce section of the local supermarket.
I have discovered, though, that there's not much information available on year-round gardening, even though I live in Zone 9 (one of the easiest zones in which to grow things to eat all year), so I'm making notes as we go along. I did, however, get a useful planting guide table from the Cooperative Extension, and am using it to help plan our planting schedule.
Read more!
Monday, January 4, 2010
Time (in a Greenhouse)
The concept of time, in its various guises, seems to be a theme lately. Everything, from the hours it takes for the sun to glide across the garden in the backyard, feeding the leaves that feed the plants that will, in turn, feed us, to the days between nestling a seed into the earth and the reward of seeing its tiny cotilydons pushing up toward the light, to the months of infinitesimal increases (or decreases) in the temperature of the soil, is inextricably linked to the passage of time.
And yet, Einstein proved that time is not linear. I can't help thinking about our forebears, and it wasn't all that long ago, to whom the concept of "ownership" of time would have been completely foreign. They were at the mercy of time -- or, rather, someone else's concept of it. Whoever owned the clock, owned time.
Even now, in our cyber world, for all our understanding of it, we are completely and utterly unable to have any impact on it. Except, maybe, in a greenhouse. Actually, we can't really have any impact upon time -- but, by making slight changes to the environment, we can definitely have a very real impact on the length of the time we can grow various things each year. In fact, we can actually produce things to eat, in our own backyards, all year. That, it seems to me, is the purpose of a greenhouse. It can, of course, be used for starting plants earlier than would otherwise be possible. But the real value, for my money, lies in the possibility of extending the time that tomatoes, say, can be grown at home. And in improving the quality of the produce we enjoy.
So we experimented with a greenhouse. It didn't, ultimately, work out very well -- but only because the only part of the yard we could put it in at the time didn't get enough sunlight to support plant life. Still, I consider the experiment a success, in that we learned a great deal in the process, and it helped us along on the journey toward growing our own food.
10/16/10
We've moved the greenhouse (all 4 x 6 of it!!) to the garden. It now resides on a raised bed DH built for it. I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do with it, now that it's in a place that gets adequate light!!
Read more!
And yet, Einstein proved that time is not linear. I can't help thinking about our forebears, and it wasn't all that long ago, to whom the concept of "ownership" of time would have been completely foreign. They were at the mercy of time -- or, rather, someone else's concept of it. Whoever owned the clock, owned time.
Even now, in our cyber world, for all our understanding of it, we are completely and utterly unable to have any impact on it. Except, maybe, in a greenhouse. Actually, we can't really have any impact upon time -- but, by making slight changes to the environment, we can definitely have a very real impact on the length of the time we can grow various things each year. In fact, we can actually produce things to eat, in our own backyards, all year. That, it seems to me, is the purpose of a greenhouse. It can, of course, be used for starting plants earlier than would otherwise be possible. But the real value, for my money, lies in the possibility of extending the time that tomatoes, say, can be grown at home. And in improving the quality of the produce we enjoy.
So we experimented with a greenhouse. It didn't, ultimately, work out very well -- but only because the only part of the yard we could put it in at the time didn't get enough sunlight to support plant life. Still, I consider the experiment a success, in that we learned a great deal in the process, and it helped us along on the journey toward growing our own food.
10/16/10
We've moved the greenhouse (all 4 x 6 of it!!) to the garden. It now resides on a raised bed DH built for it. I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do with it, now that it's in a place that gets adequate light!!
Read more!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Surrounded by Life
I suddenly find myself surrounded by a surprising amount of life: A flat of seedlings reaching their tiny cotyledons up to a grow light in the garage, a tray of red wigglers busily making compost in the laundry room, what Laurel Robertson calls “yeast beasties”, frantically transforming freshly ground flour, honey and water into the Staff of Life that sustains…
And what sustenance it is! Following Peter Reinhart’s “Power Bread” recipe, which, though it takes three days to complete, is pretty easy, yielded the best bread I’ve ever made. It’s a lovely combination of whole wheat (I use freshly ground white wheat -- still a whole grain, but lighter in flavor and texture than the traditional hard red) with the sweetness of raisins and honey, and the earthy notes of sunflower and sesame seeds. Although it's quite sweet, it doesn't seem to cause blood sugar issues -- thanks to the combination of proteins in the grain and seeds. And, because the enzymes are given time to do their work over the 3-day process, and the sunflower seeds are ground, it's very easy to digest. I have been on a quest for the perfect bread recipe for some time, and this just might be it -- it has certainly become my new favorite bread recipe...
And the greens and baby carrots we bring in from the garden are vibrant with life. How fortunate we feel, enjoying a fresh salad popping out of the bowl with color -- in the dead of winter! And all it took was a bit of effort last Fall. As Eliot Coleman points out in his wonderful "Four-Season Harvest" book, plant selection, plus timing, really can equal a year-round harvest of fresh food that makes the flavorless (and expensive) produce on the grocery store shelves at this time of year even less appealing. And I can't help but think of all the phytonutrients we're getting -- probably some they haven't even discovered yet, new as that science is.
It's amazing how much more involved with what's real in life we've become.
Our new (portable) greenhouse arrived yesterday. Though I'm itching to put it up (to see what the temperature extremes will be), we're not quite ready. I've taken next Monday off from work to give me time to play with it. The seeds I ordered should be mailed this week (finally -- they were a Christmas gift!!), and the new heating mat, coupled with a second grow light, will allow me to get a jump start on the peppers, tomatoes and other heat-loving things we want to grow... My goal is to be able to harvest fresh food all year, and I'm optimistic that the (relatively inexpensive) equipment we're accumulating will allow us to do just that.
Read more!
And what sustenance it is! Following Peter Reinhart’s “Power Bread” recipe, which, though it takes three days to complete, is pretty easy, yielded the best bread I’ve ever made. It’s a lovely combination of whole wheat (I use freshly ground white wheat -- still a whole grain, but lighter in flavor and texture than the traditional hard red) with the sweetness of raisins and honey, and the earthy notes of sunflower and sesame seeds. Although it's quite sweet, it doesn't seem to cause blood sugar issues -- thanks to the combination of proteins in the grain and seeds. And, because the enzymes are given time to do their work over the 3-day process, and the sunflower seeds are ground, it's very easy to digest. I have been on a quest for the perfect bread recipe for some time, and this just might be it -- it has certainly become my new favorite bread recipe...
And the greens and baby carrots we bring in from the garden are vibrant with life. How fortunate we feel, enjoying a fresh salad popping out of the bowl with color -- in the dead of winter! And all it took was a bit of effort last Fall. As Eliot Coleman points out in his wonderful "Four-Season Harvest" book, plant selection, plus timing, really can equal a year-round harvest of fresh food that makes the flavorless (and expensive) produce on the grocery store shelves at this time of year even less appealing. And I can't help but think of all the phytonutrients we're getting -- probably some they haven't even discovered yet, new as that science is.
It's amazing how much more involved with what's real in life we've become.
Our new (portable) greenhouse arrived yesterday. Though I'm itching to put it up (to see what the temperature extremes will be), we're not quite ready. I've taken next Monday off from work to give me time to play with it. The seeds I ordered should be mailed this week (finally -- they were a Christmas gift!!), and the new heating mat, coupled with a second grow light, will allow me to get a jump start on the peppers, tomatoes and other heat-loving things we want to grow... My goal is to be able to harvest fresh food all year, and I'm optimistic that the (relatively inexpensive) equipment we're accumulating will allow us to do just that.
Read more!
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