The New Year Post

This is the post where we look back on 2009 and look ahead to 2010.

I know for sure that the biggest change in 2009 was The Boyfriend losing his job and our decision to relocate back to Minneapolis. The house here in Austin is still on the market and we haven't moved yet. This means we know for sure one thing 2010 has in store for us is The Move. I think I'm doing pretty well with this change--I'm sick and tired of the house being on the market and the constant cleaning and interruptions that go with it, but I'm also looking forward to the house shopping on the other end, and the return to Minneapolis. Minneapolis is home, it is where my family is, and it's great city.

As a knitter 2009 saw the successful launch of ElizabethCarls.com. And the inclusion of my designs on Patternfish.com. I started my affair with sock knitting, self-publish several new patterns, and taught several workshops. I finished a plethora of projects, but sadly did not finish my gift knitting in time for Christmas.

2009 was the year I became a "Texas Gardener". The Boyfriend and I built the Kitchen Garden back in March. I wrote about the whole process here on the blog and for the Oct/Nov issue of Texas Gardner Magazine. The garden was pretty much a huge success. I'm still eating the pesto and the baba ghanouj I made and froze.

This past year has been an interesting one when it comes to food. In 2009 I made a return to eating meat, which is really a much longer story and I should and probably will write about it sometime, but the short version of the story goes something like this: I have be en a non-meat eater for more than 20 years and my reason for abstaining has always been the lack of clean meat. I didn't want to eat all those antibiotics, and hormones, and I certainly didn't want to support an industry that is so destructive to our environment. But in 2009 I discovered Greenling and found myself buying good clean meat for The Boyfriend. Everything was pasture raised, organic, drug free, and local. I could support that. And one day while cooking a clean local lamb burger for The Boyfriend I thought "I'm going to eat this." And I did. And now I can hardly call myself a vegetarian--we still only eat meat a couple of times per week, and we only eat local, pasture-raised organic meat. It's a big change.

2009 was also the year I decided to learn to can, as in food preservation. I did jams when the strawberries hit the farmer's market, and peach sauce when the peaches were in. I also pickled peppers from the kitchen garden. I organized a couple of Soup Swaps in 2009. And did lots of shopping at the Farmer's Market.

As a runner I did the 3M Half Marathon in January, several charity 5Ks, and of course the Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot in 2009. I've taken on a new running partner and never lace up the shoes without Aaron Johnson at my side. It's nice to have the company.

So what lies ahead in 2010... The Move of course... Minneapolis of course.

2010 promises many new knitting designs, a few new workshops, and the publication of 1,000 Fabulous Hats (which will include several of my hats.)

I know I'll have a garden again in 2010, but it will be in Minneapolis. Which is fine, because Minneapolis is a great place to garden and I have lots of experience growing in the Upper Midwest.

We will of course continue to eat as locally, and as organically as possible. I have started researching sources of local clean meat in the Minneapolis area, and even found a meat CSA, I suspect that 2010 will see us continuing to eat clean and local meat. We will also continue to shop the Farmer's Market, and at our local food co-op.

There is already talk of a canning party with several of my Minneapolis friends. And I suppose there will be soup swapping as well. And I'll continue to post recipes here on the blog.

As a runner I look forward my return to Minneapolis also--I'll never have to run on the road again as Minneapolis is a runner (and cyclist's) dream in terms of paths and green-ways. The Boyfriend and I have said we will run the Valentine's Day 5k at Lake Harriet if we're there. I'm sure there will be plenty of running in 2010.

I'd love to learn to cross country ski, and to make pasta. I'm planning a reunion with my Austin knitting friends--we'll meet the first weekend in October in Taos NM for the Wool and Fiber Fest.

What does 2010 have in store for you?

Sprouts!

Here's a really simple grow-your-own project with super fast, super delicious results. It's the perfect project for those long gray months of winter, or where I live the long hot months of summer, when you can't get outside in the garden, but crave something fresh and green that you grew yourself. With just the barest of ingredients and the simplest equipment, you can garden in your kitchen.

I encourage you to either follow the directions that come with the sprouting seeds, and do a little internet search for specific instructions and tips. But the basic idea is this: Find a clean old canning jar and a piece of cheesecloth. Add up to a 1/4 of cup of whatever organic seeds or dry legumes you have handy in the pantry. I've listed several options below. Add enough water to cover the seeds and soak them overnight. In the morning place the cheesecloth under the ring of the jar to act as a screen. Drain off the water, and shake lightly to loosen seeds. Keep your sprouting jar handy to the sink, so you can rinse and drain your sprouts 3-4 times per day, but out of direct sunlight. You should see your sprouts start to germinate in a day or two, and they will be ready to eat anywhere from three to fourteen days depending on what you've chosen to sprout. It's like a miniature garden in a jar.

Once they're fully sprouted expose them to a little more sunlight so they will green. Finally, remove them from the jar, rinse them thoroughly one final time in a colander, and let them dry a on a clean tea towel. Store the sprouts in an airtight container in the fridge, they'll stay fresh for several days.

Here's a list of just some of the seeds and legumes you can sprout. Legumes: Chickpeas, Lentils, Mung Beans. Seeds: Radish, Garlic, Chives, Broccoli, Alfalfa, Cress, Sunflowers, Fenugreek. Personally I love mung beans, and broccoli sprouts, and have never had much luck with cress.

I've seen fancy "sprouting kits" that involve several trays at the kitchen supply store and at my local organic gardening center. I also found the Sprout People online. They sell kits, supplies, and organic seeds, grains, and nuts for sprouting. They also have lots and lots of how-to info on their site. The kits seem like they might be fun to try and the variety of seeds is appealing, but a simple jar and what you have on-hand in the pantry could also be gratifying for its simplicity and ease.



Sprouts are good food! Experiment with the different flavors and textures to find the ones you like best. Radish and broccoli sprouts are a touch spicy, while fenugreek is slightly bitter. The sturdier varieties, like the lentils and chickpeas can be added to stir fries at the last minute. Add the more delicate, leafy seed sprouts raw to your salads, your sandwiches, and even your dog's kibble. Most of dogs love bean sprouts, and the fresh food is as good for them as it is for us.

Enjoy!

A Little Piece of Heaven in MN

I've just arrived back from my trip North to Minneapolis. It was fantastic: A welcome respite from the Texas heat, lots of socializing with creative folks, and of course, my Plethora of Pesto Workshop.

The workshop went well; the participants were enthusiastic and seemed genuinely inspired to go home and try the eight recipes they received in their materials packets. We started the workshop with a tour of the fabulous kitchen garden where the workshop was hosted (photos below). Then we retired to the porch where there was a demonstration of the basic technique for pesto making, and a tasting of the eight different pesto recipes. The conversation was very relaxed and informal, which is what I enjoy most about these kinds of events. I hope to offer this workshop again soon.

This is the garden, with the raspberry patch in the front. Raspberries were ripe while I was there - such a treat, to eat raspberries right off the vine.

The very creative use of containers to grow herbs and other edibles in a very small space. This area contained all the culinary herbs needed to make all of my recipes plus the nasturtiums.



A perennial border in the main kitchen garden. It is full of a smattering of culinary herbs, several medicinal herbs, and of course the flowers. You don't see perennials like this in Texas.

The main kitchen garden is L shaped, this is one leg. Those are blueberries under the hoops, strawberries and asparagus across the way, cucumbers are just out of frame, and tomatoes in the foreground and tomatillas in the back corner.

The other leg features lots of squash, tomatoes, peppers of many varieties, and a hedge of basil. Those are beans on the poles. There is also lots of self seeded dill and poppies.



Mr. Toad resides in the garden.

If you ever find yourself in Minnesota take the time to stop at Ripple River Gallery. In addition to the top-notch gallery, visitors are welcome to visit these lovely gardens. And the resident artists - Amy Sharpe (weaver) and Bob Carls (wood turner) are gracious hosts.

You can read about other aspects of my trip on Right Out Loud, my mostly knitting and crafting blog. And be sure to follow me on Twitter for more garden photos.

The End of a Growing Season

The first growing season in my kitchen garden has officially come to a close. It seems almost unbelievable to the northern gardener in me that July 4th weekend brings the end of the growing season, but it has.

It is just too hot. During the month of June we saw a number of record breaking highs, and at least a dozen days with temperatures above 100 degrees, and it just doesn't cool off all that much over night. When it's hot like this the pepper's won't blossom and set fruit, and neither will the tomatoes. The basil has bolted and gone to flower. And the eggplants just stopped. It seems really wasteful to me to continue to water plants that aren't producing foodstuffs, and so the watering has stopped, and the kitchen garden has shriveled.

Looking back it was a fruitful and productive growing season. My freezer is full of pesto and baba ghanouj. I had my first foray into canning, preserving a large batch of tomatoes, and a variety of pickled hot peppers. (I learned tons from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving ). I had enough greens early on to share with friends, and enough cucumbers to give some to pretty much everyone I know. All in all I'd call it a success.

Today we have had a relatively "cool" day, with temperatures in the upper 80's and completely cloudy skies. I took advantage of this break in the weather to put the garden to bed for the rest of the summer. I took down all the bird netting, and cut down all the shriveled plants. I took down tomato cages, and stakes. And I mulched.

There are a few additional things to do until the fall growing season rolls around: I will keep the perennial herbs watered, mulched, and alive. I'll start a new compost pile, and turn the one in progress. And I'll let the soil rest during these sweltering months.

Come September I'll plant the kitchen garden again. I'm planning the fall growing season with a mind towards preserving the harvest: green beans for pickling, tomatoes for sauce making, and carrots just for fun.

Until then, I'll be in the kitchen I suppose.

A Plethora of Pestos Workshop & Garden Tour

I'll be visiting Minnesota and teaching a Plethora of Pestos Workshop & Garden Tour at Ripple River Gallery in the Bay Lake Area.

We'll start the afternoon in Ripple River's stunning garden where we'll talk about growing culinary herbs and get an up-close, hands-on look at our featured ingredient. Then we'll move to the porch for a pesto making demonstration and a discussion of the history of pesto, tips for storing fresh herbs, and an exploration of how to vary your ingredients and create new recipes. And finally we'll wake up our taste buds as we sample and taste 6-8 different pestos - each an original recipe. Participants will receive a packet of information that includes recipes for all the pesto we'll have tasted (plus a few extras), and tips for growing culinary herbs.


This workshop has been designed in the spirit of "handcrafting real good food" and will be a celebration of growing, crafting, and creativity.

When: Saturday July 18th from 11 AM to 2 PM. You can contact Ripple River Gallery for registration either by email at ripriv@mlecmn.net or by phone 218.678.2575. For more info. and great photos of Ripple River Gallery visit their Website or their Facebook page.

I hope to see you there.

Pick a Peck of Peppers

I'm going to pickle these peppers. I found a very simple recipe in Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving . The recipe makes 6 pints of sliced hot pickled peppers. The perfect condiment for almost anything - salads, sandwiches, burgers. I've also been known to eat them straight out of the jar.

My garden has an abundance of peppers right now - they are all coming ripe at the same time. I will most likely get one, maybe two more harvests of peppers before things slow down for the summer.

Where I live, here in Central Texas, the overnight lows aren't all that low any more. And the weather man is predicting our first triple digit temperatures already this weekend. In other words, it's hot. And it's going to get hotter, and stay hotter until the end of September.

And what that means is my first growing season is already winding down. Without cooler temperatures at night the pepper blossoms won't set. Likewise, my cucumbers are struggling with the heat, and I have probably harvested the last of them. The tomatoes will ripen, if I keep them watered, but then they too will shrivel and die in the stifling temps.


I will get a second growing season that will start when things start to cool down in September, and last until the first freeze in January. I'm already planning this second growing season - and I'm planning it with my canning books in hand. I'll grow what I want to preserve: hot pickled green beans, tomatoes for sauce, and zucchini to grate and freeze for bread and muffins.

But first, I'll pickle these peppers, continue making baba ghanouj and pestos, and wait for the tomatoes to ripen.

When Life Gives You Eggplants, Make Baba Ghanouj

A few posts back I posted a plethora of pesto recipes and encouraged you all to freeze them, and preserve your culinary herb harvest.

This week my garden over flows with eggplants. And I've been making Baba Ghanouj.

Way back when I worked in the sweetest little Egyptian restaurant stuck smack in the middle of a residential neighborhood in SE Minneapolis. From the owner and chef I learned that the best baba ghanouj has just four ingredients: Eggplants, parsley, garlic, and tahini.

I've tested and sized the following recipe for a single batch of about 1 and 1/2 cups. I've been making a batch or two everyday and freezing it. It freezes well.

Baba Ghanouj

1 pound fresh eggplants, roasted
3 gloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons organic tahini

To roast the eggplant: Wash and dry eggplants. Pierce skin several times with a fork to allow steam to escape and avoid exploding eggplants. Place in broiler, turn every few minutes, and cook until the skin is charred and the meat feels soft and tender. Let cool for several minutes before handling.

To make Baba Ghanouj: Once the roasted eggplants have cooled enough to handle, cut them in half lengthwise, and scrap the meat away from the skin and into a food processor. Add all other ingredients to food processor and give it a whirl. Process until a smooth creamy texture is achieved.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

That's all there is to it, another super simple recipe. Again, I sized this recipe for household use, but by all means, if you have a lot of mouths to feed or a lot of eggplants, feel free to double or triple the recipe.

And don't forget to freeze some, preserving summer's bounty to be enjoyed over and over again.

Enjoy!

The First Real Harvest

Today I was able to harvest the first real harvest of veggies from the kitchen garden. I've been harvesting a little here and there- the radishes and lettuce are of course all gone, and I've been making pestos on an almost daily basis.

But today, it felt real. There were summer squash, eggplants, cucumbers, peppers, and green beans all ripe and ready to be picked.


While I was out there I found these guys on the parsley. I don't know what they are, or what they will become. But they are pretty. And as long as they only eat the parsley, they're welcome to stay.

If you can identify my little parsley eaters, please leave a comment. I'd appreciate it.

Another Kitchen Garden Update

Here's another update on my kitchen garden, mostly without words

The beds overflow

Beans are full of blossoms

As are the eggplants

Jalapenos

Romas

Sun Gold Tomatoes

Gypsy Peppers

Tiny Squash

A Garden Update in Pictures

This week I built a new active compost pile and used the remnants of the old passive pile to mulch all the veggie beds. While I was at it I took some photos to share. There are blossoms on everything but the squash. And the best news is I have bees hanging around.

The Pickling Cukes

Black Beauty Eggplants

Ichiban Eggplant

Peppers

The Butterheads

Tomatoes

The Kitchen Garden Accomplished - Part III

Out there in the once hardscrabble piece of dirt there is now a healthy array of edibles. Over the course of 3 weekends I planted my little corner of the world with the types of produce I love most. With a little bit of sweat, and not too much trouble the new kitchen garden has come to fruition.

During the last week of February, after the side yard had been cleared and the raised beds had been built, I got busy sewing the first batch of seeds. I devoted one whole 4' x 4' bed to vegetables of the green leafy variety - an assortment of lettuces, spinach, and chard namely. I intentionally planted this entire bed with plants that would mature and be consumed early in the season. I am always on-board for a taste of instant gratification.

I planted an assortment of herbs this first week also - some from seed, but most as transplants. I limited the seeds to an heirloom Lemon Basil and a Slow-Bolt Cilantro. I have read that the "Slow Bolt" varieties are the only cilantro varieties worth planting here in Central Texas, as cilantro is notorious for its intolerance of the blistering heat. But I've also been told that even the slow bolt types won't do particularly well if they are planted too late, or if we experience a hotter-than-usual month of May. I have to say I feel a certain empathy for the cilantro. Over the course of just two summers here in Texas, I have also gained a near-infamous reputation as being particularly intolerant of the Texas heat.

I shouldn't have to worry about the rest of my herbs; they are tougher, and more tolerant of the heat. My collection of culinary herbs includes all the usual suspects- both a Garlic and an Onion Chive, Greek Oregano, Russian Tarragon, Sweet Marjoram, an English Thyme and a Mother of Thyme, Golden Sage, and some Curly Parsley. I love to cook with fresh herbs and immediately started to take advantage of the fact that they were now so conveniently available to me - a few sprigs of Thyme for a potato leek soup, and some fresh-cut Chives as a garnish. There is something so deeply satisfying in walking out the front door, scissors in hand, and returning with ingredients you will cook with that very minute.

I have missed this sense of satisfaction.

And finally, this last weekend in February I planted my first batch of Radish seeds. They were, of course, the first thing to sprout, and strictly speaking, the first harvest from the new kitchen garden. When I thinned the seedlings, I saved to sprouts, carefully washing and trimming them. The sprouts have a mildly peppery flavor very similar to the actual radish, and I enjoyed them on my salads and sandwiches for a week.


The next weekend, the first weekend in March, I got out of bed extra early on Saturday, and postponed my run until Sunday, so I could attend the Sunshine Community Garden Annual Plant Sale. The sale is the annual fundraiser for the garden, and as I was later informed "a classic Austin endurance test". I wanted to be supportive of the community garden, but apparently so did every other gardener in the city of Austin. When my partner and I arrived I was both shocked and disappointed to discover a sea of people. And oddly enough they all seemed to be just standing around - there was no milling about or browsing. My confusion must have shown because I was promptly approached by a helpful volunteer who very sincerely asked "are you looking for which line to choose?" I was speechless, and slack-jawed. He politely pointed out that the "...line for herbs was there. Line for tomatoes there. Peppers and eggplants there. And then the line to pay is way back there." By my estimation it would have taken 3 to 4 hours of standing in slow-moving lines to buy a few veggies. I wish that I had the virtue of patience, but I do not. I left empty handed.

Because I was up early and had sacrificed my run, I decided to spend the rest of the morning downtown wandering the Farmer's Market with my partner instead. Only one farmer had transplants available - from him I purchased a Roma Tomato, an Anaheim Pepper, and a Basil plant. A small, but reasonable consolation for the Plant Sale gone bad.


On Sunday, still in need of plants, I went to my favorite nursery and was able to find most, but not everything, I want to grow. For Tomatoes I picked a Sun Gold, and a Viva Italia. For Peppers I chose Red Beauty, Golden Summer, Sweet Banana, Habenero, Gypsy, and a Cubanelle. What I didn't get was eggplants, and a few additional heirloom tomatoes that were recommended to me by a friend. The nursery had not yet seen any of the heirloom tomatoes, and had already sold out of eggplants, but they were expecting another shipment mid-week.

All of these transplants went into the ground on Monday morning, along with another batch of Cilantro seeds, Bush Bean seeds, and a small hill of Summer Squash from seed. I was hoping to take advantage of a forecast that called for rain, although I didn't entirely believe it. I've learned to not hold my breath when the forecast calls for rain.

But, it did rain. It rained steady for 3 days straight. It was the most rain we have seen here in Austin since August of 2007, with totals that ranged from 3-4 inches. It was gloriuos. Sadly, it is not enough to provide much relief to the ranchers or the rivers, but it was certainly enough to feed my new garden.

I made one last trip to the nursery on one of those rainy days, after the mid-week shipment had been predicted to arrive, and before the weekend crowds. I was able to find all that I was looking for to complete my garden, and little bit extra to boot. I have the 3 heirloom Tomatoes - a Mr. Stripey, Cherokee Purple, and a Rainbow BL. I filled out my pepper collection with a Jalapeno and a Serrano. And they had indeed received another shipment of Eggplant - I picked two each of Calliope and Ichiban. On impulse I also added some Pickling Cukes, Garlic sets, a small army of Basil plants, and Marigolds and Cosmos as companion plants.

The skies cleared up, and I planted all of this, along with a second sewing of Radishes and some Shallots from my kitchen, on Monday, March 16th, the day before St. Patrick's Day.


My new kitchen garden is densely and diversely planted. It is a well-stocked 112 sq. ft. and I am hopeful that the harvest will be plentiful. In some ways the effort to pull together this new kitchen garden was substantial - the tilling, the construction, the truckload of soil, and the multiple trips to multiple suppliers for the plants. But there was also a healthy amount of pleasure in these efforts - time spent with my sturdy helper, gifting the extra soil to a friend, and time spent outside enjoying the weather and getting to know my community. Overall, the effort, and certainly the money, are a small price to pay for the continued enjoyment and the fresh organic produce it promises to provide.

Building the Kitchen Garden - Part II

The new kitchen garden is well underway, the construction is complete, and I couldn't be more pleased. Last weekend my sturdy helper and I woke up early, got our run out of the way, and headed to the local mega-home improvement store to rent a roto-tiller. For a sum well under $100 we had the use of a powerful power tool for a 24-hour period.


We proceeded to remove the turf from the entire side yard. The only thing we would spare is the spindly Fig Tree we rescued from someone's trash and planted last year. I chose the location based mostly on the fact that it is the only piece of our yard that gets full sun. This piece of the front yard was hardscrabble at best: I have never really taken care of it. It had been reseeded at some point with a type of grass completely inappropriate for the blistering Central Texas summers. And unfortunately, because it sits on the corner of our lot it gets a lot of dog traffic, and not all of my neighbors are as consistent about cleaning up after their dogs as I am.

I harbor high hopes that by revamping this area from a rough-and-tumble piece of turf into a thriving garden it will curb some of the ill-mannered littering that goes on there. I know for sure it will look better- lusher, greener, and more lived-in. These are the added benefits of my new kitchen garden.

My sturdy helper ran that tiller all day. I followed behind. Slowly, and with much tedium we picked and plucked every bit of old grass and weeds out of the area. We raked and re-raked. And at the end of a very long day we retired to the couch with take-out, a bottle of Vihno Verde, and a Woody Allen movie.

Sunday we rose again, feeling rested, refreshed, and pleased as punch with ourselves for what we had accomplished on Saturday. We loaded the rented tool into the back of my tiny car, and made the quick trip back to return the rental and purchase the lumber we would need to finish the job.

We spent a good portion of the day building the beds. We used untreated lumber, and I highly recommend that if you try this at home you also use untreated lumber. The chemicals used to weatherproof lumber can leech into your soil, and therefore your food. We built a total of seven 4' x 4' raised beds and arranged them randomly around our newly tilled piece of land. These beds will give me a total of 112 sq. ft. of kitchen garden, which isn't overly ambitious by anyone's standards, but is plenty for a household of two.


The previous week I had made the trip out to The Natural Gardner - my local organic garden center and nursery. When I walked in I asked for help, and I was lucky enough to have asked someone who was not only willing but able to help a lot. I told her my plan, showed her my drawings, and made it clear that I was a transplant from Minnesota and that this was my first attempt at gardening in Texas. She was a fountain of useful information; providing me with charts of what to plant when, and which varieties are best adapted to our growing conditions. She showed me the seeds, talked about soil amendments, and then marched me off to the dispatch office to hook me up with some dirt.


That truckload of organic soil was delivered to me and my waiting raised beds mid-week. Based on a bit of complicated math, I had ordered 3 cubic yards, which is a lot. Not being one to sit around when there's work to be done, and motivated by my excitement and enthusiasm, I filled all of my beds that same afternoon. Wheelbarrow load by wheelbarrow load, I got the job done. Then I added the recommended soil amendments; Glistening Green Sand, which is basically potash and iron, Cottonseed Meal, and worm castings.


As it turned out, I had too much dirt for the job. About 1 cubic yard too much. I blame the math. Fortunately, I have friends who garden and I was able to gift the extra dirt to them. I was glad to do it, and they were glad to have it.

By dinner on Sunday the construction of the new kitchen garden was complete. The best thing about the construction process was a realization that I had picked an ideal location for my new kitchen garden. Not just for all the reasons I stated above, but because I was out there in plain view while I worked and people noticed. Countless folks stopped to chat, ask questions and offer their encouragement. It became clear that I would not only harvest edibles from this space, I will also get to know my neighbors, and the folks who travel around the neighborhood. This is a benefit I had not forecast, but which I welcome.

Stay tuned for Part III - In which I plant the Kitchen Garden.