Is that a Cucumber?

Oh, the pickle. I love pickles. Dill pickles, sweet pickles, bread and butter pickles, I love pickles. Especially on a warm summer day. We tried planting pickling cucumbers this year but the newly discovered neighborhood chipmunk loves them just as much so we’re only left with two burpless cucumbers. That’s fine, they’re more than making up for what they lack in numbers.

Part of the Cucurbitaceae family, the cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) has a long and luxurious history with mankind. You can find them in arid climates or the tropics, in Africa, Asia, or the Americas. In terms of cucumbers, most historians believe they arrived via India being cultivated in that area for at least 3,000 years.[1] However, no wild cousins have been found in the region between the northern part of the Bay of Bengal and the Himalayas.[2] The trade roads introduced these spiny fruit to Greece and Rome. Colonialism helped to spur the movement of cucumbers to new heights through the expansion to North America in 1494.[3]

The fruit can be eaten fresh, pickled, cooked, or any other way you can think of it. My grandmother loves to take fresh cut cucumber and soak it in apple cider vinegar for a half hour. Kind of like the poor man's pickle. Think it’s the same thing as a gherkin? It’s not. In fact, most West Indian gherkins (C. anguria) are a different species rarely grown in the United States. If you’re looking for one try to find those with a “prickly” oval fruit about an inch long.[4]

Most cucumbers are frost sensitive that love warm seasons. The vines can grow rapidly so it’s best to have a trellis ready for the seedlings once they start to emerge; however, there are newer varieties that do well in containers. At this stage, it’s best to provide cover from leaf munchers (i.e. bunnies, chipmunks, etc) otherwise you’ll be like me and walk out to a cucumber plant nibbled to the ground. Most varietals take 55-75 days to reach maturity, but to speed things along feel free to start seedlings indoor and transplant when all danger of frost is gone.[5]

Now, you’re probably asking, “what are you doing with all your cucumbers?” Great question. Pickle relish. I know, I know, I don’t have “pickling” cucumbers. But does that matter? It really doesn’t have to and can be up to personal preference. Most would argue against it due to the size of the seeds in the average cucumber. So scrounging the web for a recipe (my favorite thing to do), I set out on a quest to find a recipe that didn’t “require” pickling cucumbers.

Prepping for the relish making ^_^

I found one on Eating Richly’s blog. There’s a nice dill flavor and the turmeric really makes the color pop – but not as insane as some of that neon green relish, you know which one I’m talking about…laced with petroleum derived food coloring…Most of the time spent on the relish went into the brine bath. Otherwise, it was a cinch to whip up several half pints of this lovely condiment.

Is there anything in the grocery store that you’ve decided to make yourself? If yes, post a comment and tell us the what and why!

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[1] Kenneth F. Kiple & Kriemhild Coneé Ornelas, ed. The Cambridge World History of Food, Cambridge University, 2000. http://www.cambridge.org/us/books/kiple/cucumbers.htm (accessed August 19, 2013).

[2] Aggie Horticulture, “Pickles and Salads Owe a Debt to India,” Texas A&M Agrilife Extension, http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/publications/vegetabletravelers/cucumber.html (accessed August 19, 2013)

[3] Kiple & Ornelas, 2010.

[4] Aggie.

[5] “Watch Your Garden Grow – Cucumber,” University of Illinois Extension, http://urbanext.illinois.edu/veggies/cucumber.cfm (accessed August 19, 2013).

Persistence

There's a tangle of morning glory vines along the back retaining wall. For the last few days, we've been watching this tangle reach new heights. Normally this is achieved through a trellis, a backyard tiki lamp or in the case of one year, a shovel that got left out one night. Not this time. This time it's a flower. Just a single flower struggling for all it's might against the strangle hold of these pugnacious morning glories.

And of course, it's a sunflower.

Pushing through life

Of all the flowers in my garden, it would be this one. A part of the daisy family, this North American beauty follows the movement of the sun, tracking the light throughout the day. The sunflower in many religious contexts is seen as a sign of adoration, warmth, and the search for enlightenment. To top it off, I didn't plant this flower, nature did. And it's finding it's own way through life even with all the obstacles using it for their own benefit.

So take this flower and go about this new day with a revitalized belief in yourself.

Fruit or Vegetable?

The baby eggplant

I always like this time of year when you can see the fruits of your labor maturing. Take for example the eggplant. I’m probably like most adults that are a product of poor households in the fact that I never had a variety of fruits or vegetables as a child. A majority of Americans only partake in the potato, corn, or tomato aspect of these wondrous products. So it wasn’t until I was older that I tried to venture out with my tastes in food.

Since trying eggplant, I have used it in many forms from soups (ratatouille) to pasta dishes (eggplant parmesan) and anything in between (baba ghanoush, anyone?). But the best we’ve found so far is the Spicy Peanut Eggplant Stew as described in the Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. The little purple fruit growing on our plants have a future in the culinary arts.

Yes, I said fruit. Botanically speaking the eggplant is a fruit (see also tomato, cucumber, chili peppers, and some pod vegetables). In some European countries, it is known as aubergine and is part of the nightshade family.[1] While some species of the nightshade family are toxic due to the high levels of alkaloid, most edible varieties contain healthful benefits. Other members of the nightshade (night growing plants) family include potatoes, tomatoes, chili-, and bell peppers. Eggplants themselves contain small amounts of potassium, manganese, copper, vitamins B1, B3 and B6, folate, magnesium, and tryptophan while also being low in fat and cholesterol.[2]

Grown in a variety of sizes, colors, and textures, the eggplant is a warm season plant with sensitivity to frost. It’s best to transplant the tender plants after all danger of frost has passed in your area. And don’t think bigger eggplant are better. Instead, cut them when they are 6-8” long with a glossy, smooth flesh. Cutting them early results in a more palatable, less bitter flesh with smaller seeds to contend with compared to the larger ones. If you grow your own eggplant try to use it right away after harvesting since eggplant do not store well.

When you get ready to cook it there is the option to salt it. The salting only draws out extra moisture and doesn’t draw out any bitterness. Think of eggplant like a sponge. You want to remove the extra water and air trapped in the cells to ensure that whatever flavors you cook with are soaked up into the meaty flesh.[3] In addition, it reduces the amount of water bleed out and rate of oil absorption. Prior to using rinse off any salt then dry with a paper towel.

What are your thoughts on eggplant? Have you tried any other varieties aside from the classic black beauty?

Beautiful sunflower along the house

Aside from eggplant, there's a lot more going on in the gardens. The sunflowers are bursting with color and there's even one in the backyard - I don't know how it got there. But the morning glory are using it as a trellis. The 'Early Girl' tomato is almost ready for harvest while I still need to plant something in the empty void of the raised bed since we pulled out the spent sugar peas. The butternut squash is starting to change colors while the pumpkins are starting to gain weight. All in all a sight to behold.

The house sparrows are flocking to the feeders with their young in tow teaching them the ropes in foraging backyards for food and dirt baths. The mighty bird dog he thinks he is, Jake tries to constantly chase them from the yard to no avail. At the end of the day, I like to sit back at watch the zany antics conspiring in my backyard.

Final Thoughts

They're not much to look at but I leave you with my children as my closing remarks, enjoy!

Sputnik and Wicket pretending to be beached whales

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[1] “Nutritious Eggplant is a Misunderstood Veggie…er…Fruit.” The Florida Times-Union. February 17, 2011. http://jacksonville.com/entertainment/food-and-dining/2011-02-17/story/nutritious-eggplant-misunderstood-veggie-er-fruit (accessed August 6, 2013).

[2] IBID.

[3] University of Illinois Extension, “Watch Your Garden Grow – Eggplant.” http://urbanext.illinois.edu/veggies/eggplant.cfm (accessed August 6, 2013).

We Got Worms!

We've been really enjoying the fact that our local farmer's market has been pushing towards Green Living. This included a fair attached to last week's market that focused on sustainable practices and organic foods. Demos/discussions were held every hour, which included one on vermicomposting. Now, we've been composting for a few years, but vermicomposting. Our first thought: what the hell is it?

Scouring the web we came up with this: worms.

Ok...but how does it work? The lovely Kate Jerome, our demo host, explained that the worms work in the same way as composting.[1] Instead of just breaking down the food and paper waste, they act like mini garbage disposals. Even better? The bin - either bought or made - can stay in the kitchen year round. Begin the experiment!

Preparing the bins

Layering the material

We went out to the local Big Lots! and picked up two plastic bins. Of course, with the limited selection we had to make do with clear bins. Problem is, the worms are night crawlers, but thank goodness we keep a steady stock of black spray paint. A few coats later and some fun with a hand drill and our bin is ready for assembly.

There are different methods for building a worm bin.[2] However, we decided to keep it simple by drilling a series of holes on the bottom of the first bin that way the worm castings can drain into the bottom bin. There should be something to create a gap though to ensure proper airflow and give depth to the reservoir. It's not in the photos but we have PVC that we used when we created our self-watering containers to aid with aeration. You can use plant saucers, bricks, whatever else you can think of to provide stability and support.

Our worms

Next we added a bed of shredded paper and kitchen waste. Ms. Jerome was kind enough to give those of us who showed up to the demo a cup of her extra red wigglers as long as we pledged not to use them as bait. Well Ms. Jerome, they're not bait!

Now, you're probably asking yourself "Why use worms? What's the point?" Damn fine question.

When it comes to organic material, we're not at the top of the food chain. Something that is barely a 1/2" wide and 3" long provides a vital service to soil amendment. In fact, most artificial soil supplements/fertilizers kill off helpful microbes and earthworms creating a cyclic dependency on petrol based products. Microbes are nature's way of providing equilibrium through the addition of vital nutrients to the soil.[3] This aids in not only the addition of nitrogen (readily available as a gas but not in a plant soluble form), phosphate, and potassium – the N, P, K that you see on most fertilizer packages – but also iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium, and carbon.[4]

Secondly, between 30-70% of household waste is organic material that can easily be composted. Instead, it is included in overflowing dumpsites as it goes out with the regular trash. Think about what you’re throwing away.

I don't know about you but I'm damn excited to begin this new project!

But just because we have this going for us doesn't mean we can neglect everything else around the house. Nope! The pumpkins are doing fabulous now that the blooms are getting pollinated and we should have six good Sugar Pies by the end of the season. The butternut squash is doing equally as well. Also, we have three baby eggplant which I'm sure DB is counting the days until those become Spicy Eggplant Peanut Soup...The tomatoes are doing too well and I've resorted to using bricks at the base of the cages to keep them upright since we live in a wind tunnel. Other than that, I leave you with my final thoughts which is just a picture, enjoy!

Sputnik lounging

[1] Kate Jerome, “Vermicomposting,” Demonstration at Getting Green by the Lake July 27, 2013.

[2] University of Nebraska – Lincoln, “Vermicomposting: Composting with Worms,” http://lancaster.unl.edu/pest/resources/vermicompost107.shtml (accessed August 1, 2013)

[3] North Carolina State University, “Vermicomposting,” https://www.bae.ncsu.edu/topic/vermicomposting/ (accessed August 1, 2013)

[4] Clell Tompkins, “Worm Composting 101,” http://wilsoncountymg.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/worm_farming_101_by_clell_tompkins.pdf (accessed August 1, 2013).

Q-tip Love

It's nearing the end of July and things don't seem to be slowing any time soon around the house. I've been picking up hours to afford all our outings while the boy has been bashing his brain to bits in order to finish his undergraduate dissertation. Needless to say, it's a bit chaotic.

The garden with me in the background, hi!

Speaking of chaotic...the garden has exploded. I meticulously planned the 4x8 raised bed with square foot gardening in mind. I don't think the plants got that memo. The tomatoes tower over me and try to crowd out the poor bell pepper plant - even with pruning. The butternut squash and pumpkins have run amuck, sprawling across the lawn as if it knows it has better places to be. Let me tell you...nothing says fun like Q-tip pollinating pumpkin blooms because the bees are slacking...(too many blooms to choose from)

By the way, if you're going to play with cucurbitaceae family plants (i.e. cucumber, squash, pumpkin) be careful if you have sensitive skin. I'm out there in shorts and flip-flops with my Q-tips, next thing I know it's hive city on my arms and legs.

Slowly emerging

The, sometimes itchy, fruits of our labors are starting to pay off as we harvested a nice sized cucumber today and over the last week collected 6oz of snap peas (there would've been more but I kept eating them). There are more cucumber on the vines and the super chilies are hanging out until they redden. We've got a few okra and tomatoes that are ripening as well. It's nothing significant with some of the veggies - like the snap peas and okra. But it's something to put on our plates outside the normal farmer's market fare.

As for the rest of the gardens the daylilies and hosta have finally started to bloom with the Black-eyed Susan not too far behind. The sunflowers are already producing wonderful yellow flowers. But the chocolate ones are just starting to open. The golden finches love the sunflowers and I often times see them hanging around our front porch.  Meanwhile, the regular house finches are using the bare patches of our yard as their personal sand bath. There are whole colonies crowded in the 'dead zones.' It's a mad house out there....

Birds of Paradise

Jake, enjoying the weather and the dirt

The 4th of July has come and gone. The weather is picking up that it's summer and July, meaning the days are warm and humid. At night you can feel the moisture on the linoleum floors of the kitchen, collecting as the night tries to cool the evening air. The kids are just puddles on the floor during the worst of times. Otherwise, they're packed against the windows watching the wild birds that claim our neighborhood frolic in the yard.

I've seen and heard a plethora of the winged entertainment. The other day cardinals foraged in the yard with a female singing out our bathroom window for a good fifteen minutes. Little chickadees crowded the boxwood tree, an ironic backdrop of chirps to the book I was reading (Suzanne Collins 'Mockingjay') or house sparrows played around the old aluminum ladder we've yet to get rid of. Sputnik loves watching them all from his perch in the enclosed back porch. Funny thing, he sits atop an old kitty litter pail, that we've filled with wild bird seed. There's more - mourning doves, gold finches, house finches, red-winged black birds, robins, once we saw a blue jay. But the one bird we really want in the yard still eludes us: hummingbirds.

We try to plant with them and butterflies in mind. There are plenty of those - butterflies - in the yard too. A friend mentioned seeing a hummingbird last week. Makes me jealous and that much more resolved to attract them to my yard. It makes me wonder if there's some type of habitat (nesting area, water source) aside from our normal plant cultivation we can erect in our yard to meet their needs. Something, anything. Just another thing to add to the list of things to do to the yard, I guess.

Hell, a trip to the local you-pick strawberry field prompted plans to erect our own vertical strawberry planter. With my ingenious idea it would involve strawberries on one side and hanging potters with lettuce on the other. When I tried to describe this plan to my partner all I got was the blank stare. That is until I drew the damned thing. My verbal description of it's an inverted V actually turned out more like a swing set, but whatever. I owned up to the mistake of probably drawing it out first then trying to describe it.

The raised veg. garden exploding!

One thing at a time though. The raised bed we erected earlier this spring is overflowing with vegetables. The butternut squash probably wasn't the greatest thing to put in there but lesson learned. It needs it's own home next year. The okra is doing fabulous as well as the tomato plants which are taller than their cages. I'm excited for the harvest this year. The strawberries we picked became strawberry-margarita jam, pie and frozen nuggets for later use. So I'm sure you can only imagine what I'll turn my vegetables into when they're ready - pickled, canned, devoured!

Culinary Delights

Speaking of pie...I made a strawberry-rhubarb pie the other night. We picked the rhubarb up earlier in the season from our local farmer's market, which was bursting at the seams yesterday with over 7,000 people in the five hours it was open! I froze the rhubarb for later use because, honestly, I had no idea what I was going to do with it, but at $2 a bunch I couldn't pass it up.

The pie turned out wonderful (there's only 2 slices left), so good in fact the boy and I ate two pieces in one night. Not only was the filling good but the crust which was a coconut oil based experiment vs margarine, my typical choice. The crust still turned out flaky and wonderful. You can probably find any variation of this crust online and for the life of me can't remember where I pulled this one from but here it is:

mmm...pie....*drool*

Coconut Oil Pie Crust (makes a double crust)

1ts salt

2c flour

3tb coconut oil

6tb veg. oil

6tb cold, iced water

Directions 

1) mix the salt and flour together

2) add in the liquids and mix until well incorporated but not over mixed

3) wrap in saran wrap and chill for 1hr

4) divide into equal pieces and on lightly floured surface roll until desired thickness/diameter

What summertime treat/dessert do you look forward to the most? Is it berry based? Or do you prefer citrus?

Unruly Squash

     Hot damn! It's sticky outside! Summer took a while to reach us, but now that it has arrived there's no stopping the daily thunderstorms that rattle the house at all hours. At least for now, I don't have to water the plants. The sporadic downpours are doing that for me, thanks Mother Nature.

     The flower beds are a constant wave of color. The poppies already came and went but I managed to get a snapshot of the salmon colored blooms before a thunderstorm knocked them all away. The roses are thriving with blooms weighing down the branches and the boy keeps the small glass vase on my desk well stocked with new roses. The daylilies had to be thinned from the maple garden since they wanted to run amuck (hehe - amuck, amuck, amuck!), but they were choking the poor little goblin flower.

     In the new raised bed, the plants are thriving off this muggy and wet weather. The tomato plants are HUGE! Not to mention we are constantly having to move the tendrils of the squash and pumpkin onto their makeshift trellis so they don't overextend themselves into the rest of the garden. It's too bad that the carrot really didn't take this year. We have two, just two, baby carrots sprouting.

     Last week, we got the fence fully stained and we even put a gate on it. We had to take apart one of the panels, then put it back together, but I think it looks very nice. Considering that I'm the one that thought to put a curve along the top, I should think it looks very nice.

That's all on my end. I feel a game of naps coming on. Don't forget to keep yourself and your gardens hydrated!