The End of The Winter Garden

A few more weeks left until everything gets uprooted.  I have already removed the cauliflower and broccoli plants.  We harvested our first beets today.  The carrots are soon on their way, poking their heads above ground.  Sweet peas are dangling everywhere.  Brussel sprouts are still yet to appear.  Here are some snapshots of the garden in now in early March, and then result of our beets today.

 

Thunderstorms and Planting Seeds

Yesterday the sky was glorious.... so many thunder clouds, colors, sounds and later on a light show. We enjoyed the evening with our friends, the Hylkemas, eating outdoors, kids playing outdoors. Here is a snap of the evening clouds....


Yesterday the girls and I went to our local garden nursery and picked out some seeds to plant in our garden... carrots, beets, and sprouts. Today they helped me plant the beet seeds.

Tomorrow we will finish with the carrots and sprouts seeds. The Fall Garden is looking good, and perhaps I am going to like this season better than the last.

Gourmet Garden-Cooking

Today was one of those days I was happy to be done with work, to come home to my family, and to spend some time in my garden, harvesting veggies for dinner and dreaming of the upcoming recipes I can cook.

Squash and squash blossoms, chocolate brown and green bell peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplant, jalepenos, tomatoes, green beans, and herbs. Some of the produce soon to be harvested from the Anderson Farm! Here is what I harvested today...

Still a mystery to me why we have a subscription to Food and Wine but I am not complaining. The August 2010 issue had a recipe for Spicy Avocado-Cucumber Soup. I tried it, omitting the Thai green curry paste for both the fear of it being too spicy and the lack of it in my pantry. The result was creamy, cool, refreshing, hints of spiciness and sweetness.


The dinner I made was a somewhat invented recipe, I call Pineapple Crusted Salmon. I had some leftover Pineapple Salsa that I used to baste the salmon before dusting it with a corn meal coating and frying it. Served over a bed of blanched green beans and some extra pineapple salsa drizzled, and coconut flakes as garnish.


Both are recipes I am considering making at our upcoming neighborhood cooking club.

Spicy Avocado-Cucumber Soup

1 cucumber, peeled and seeded and chopped
1 Hass avocado, coarsely chopped
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp lime zest
1/2-1 jalepeno, seeded and chopped
1/2 can light unsweetened coconut milk
1 1/2 Tbs fresh lime juice
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
garnish options - toasted coconut flakes, diced red bell peppers, halved cherry tomatoes, cilantro

Puree the cucumber until smooth. Add the avocado, sugar and lime zest, blending. Add the coconut milk, 1 1/2 cups water, and lime juice. Puree until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour into a bowl and chill in fridge for at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, toast coconut flakes or prepare other garnish options. Pour into glasses or small bowls, garnish and serve.


Pineapple Crusted Salmon

5 Tbs pineapple salsa (recipe below), divided in half
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup corn meal
1 Tbs sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 salmon fillets
butter or EVOO
toasted coconut flakes

Put 2-3 Tbs of the pinapple salsa in a small pot and reduce over medium-low heat, about 5 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.

Combine the flour thru the pepper in a shallow bowl. Rinse and dry the salmon fillets. Brush each side of the salmon with some reduced pineapple salsa. Then coat in the corn meal mixture on both sides. Warm skillet with some butter or EVOO and then fry salmon few minutes per side. Serve, topped with remaining pineapple salsa and toasted coconut flakes.


Pineapple Salsa
Puree 1/4 fresh pineapple with 1-2 tsp chili garlic sauce, 2 tsp sugar, 1/4 cup cilantro and season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill. Keeps in fridge up to 2 days. Great as a marinade for shrimp, grilled on the BBQ!

Keeping up with the Garden

The past several weeks we have been hard at work in the yard.... pulling a massive amount of weeds in the front yard and building a garden in the backyard. The girls have been getting into the thick of things at times. Here are some pics of them from the past few weeks...

Building the garden boxes from scratch....


Daddy throwing the girls up up up into the sky...


Quick snap of the camera as Syd zips by on her tricycle...


And some pics from today at dusk ...


One of my most favorite shots of a few small tomatoes still on the vine... many had been prematurely harvested by the girls one afternoon when I wasn't looking...


And finally, Mel was hanging out with Chilly when Bomber arrived to give Chilly a well-deserved ear-licking (we are not sure why Bomber does this or why Chilly will fall asleep to this act of kindness). I guess Mel has seen this happen plenty of times because she pretended to lick some doggy ears herself...

Artichokes

I don't remember much about Greek mythology, but last week I learned something I never knew before when I came across an article about artichokes. It said that when Zeus was smitten over an object and then rejected by it, he changed it into a thistle... or an artichoke. In the past week, I have prepared and cooked artichokes twice. The first time I received many pokes and cuts; the second time I even had an artichoke splinter in my finger! They are not the easiest vegetable to prepare, but they are very intriguing.


Last weeks Easter dinner included Stuffed Artichokes with Capers and Pecorino Cheese (from Bon Appetit April 2008). Ahhhh, pecorino romano cheese is perhaps my new favorite cheese. I found it in an Italian delicatessan on California Street in Yucaipa -- who knew this old town has something like that hiding up there! Here are the stuffed artichokes, not yet cooked....

And once cooked, served with my Orzo with Roasted Vegetables and topped with a sweet but solid-tasting Balsamic Glaze....


Today was Steamed Artichokes with Herb-Caper Mayonnaise (also from Bon Appetit April 2008). And my herbs came fresh from my herb-garden.... chives, parsley, and dill. I am growing so much anticipation this year since Steve is going to build me some planter boxes for a real garden. I love how supportive he is of all my hobbies, especially when his support is demonstrated with his handy-work, muscle-work, and perfectionism.

Here is (was) tonight's artichoke, accompanied with Grilled Butterflied Lemon Chicken (from Spring Entertaining from Cook's Illustrated Spring 2010).


And finally, yesterday the girls "helped" Steve give the dogs a bath. Syd did a great job holding the leash. Mel was restless and due for her nap. She was all over the place, not able to find an activity or object that brought content -- kinda like she had a thistle in her diaper. So, naturally I was surprised when my camera found her in a moment like this...

Napping and Gardening

The past couple days, Steve and I have been working in our yard, trying to delete the weeds and add beauty. I wish it was as simple as running an action in Photoshop! But we have been able to make progress while the girls are napping (a new afternoon nap schedule seems to be working well too).

Here is a new calla lily on our back patio. I like to think it enjoys the girls laughing and it ignores their fighting over toys.


One of my favorite types of plants are aeoniums. Here is the Black Rose, sitting pretty on top of a newly re-stained table (can't really see the table in this picture). Steve found the table one afternoon several years ago on the side of the street. It is covered on top with Spanish-style blue and white tiles. For many seasons it sat in our garage, as another storage solution. It's full potential has now been met. Steve did a great job with it. I will soon post a pic of that too. But for now, here is my best-looking Black Rose.