2014 Garden Preview: Starts, Earwigs, & Dripline

When you plant a garden, you ultimately must agree to be humbled and sometimes humiliated. Expecting everything to work out just right doesn't  allow you to grow as a gardener. Instead, you want to maintain non-attachment to the outcome, while learning from your mistakes and nature's curveballs. The key is to monitor and adjust (taking detailed notes always helps me, too).

So in this post, I'll share what I've been up to in the garden, including some challenges, workarounds, and the joys of drip irrigation. But first, a brief overview of this season's crops.

What's in the Dirt

I toned things down a bit this season, with plants spaced further apart (which is an adjustment I pledged to make after last season). So here's my first failure: I started seeds inside, under lights, for cherry tomatoes and red peppers -- but they didn't make it, I think as a result of germinating them in the kitchen bay window, where the cool evening temperatures likely retarded their growth. 

Instead, we got a two tomato starts and five pepper starts from Camp Joy Gardens in Boulder Creek. They all look really happy in their new home:

I also moved the strawberries into a permanent home, where they're already stretching out and flourishing, and planted two kinds of beans. We have our usual pole beans, which the kids love to pick and eat right off the vine, and new for this season are dry shelling beans. They grow on a stout, bushy plant and are allowed to fully ripen and then get dry before they're harvested. I'm guessing there's some kind of curing process before they're stored.

Speaking of beans -- that brings me to the annual attack of the earwigs. 

I Really Hate Earwigs

They hide out in dark, dank places and come out at night to feed. Earwigs are those little blackish-brown bugs with pinchers on their butts and an appetite for young vegetable seedlings. In my experience, they only go after beans (but they also devoured the dahlias I planted a couple years ago). Have I mentioned how much I truly despise these little critters?

My solution is to keep planting more and more seeds; place cups of beer slanted at an angle (they are attracted to beer and will drown in the cups); place wet, rolled-up newspaper near the plants (they'll hide out there when the sun comes up, which allows you to capture them in the morning); and sprinkle a little Sluggo Plus around the vicinity. 

As you can see, it looks like the earwigs lost this battle and my beans are off to a great start. I wasn't so successful last year.

Drip: It's the Only Way to Go

The big addition to our garden this year is a drip irrigation system. And honestly, with the drought that's scorching California and much of the Southwest, my ethical choices were to either install a drip line or just not garden until things get better (which is not guaranteed). I got my supplies from Mountain Feed and Farm Supply in Ben Lomond and online at DripDepot.com.

So far, I really like drip irrigation. I let it do its thing for about an hour, three mornings a week (per local water restrictions) -- which is plenty, so far. Not only is it easy (once you've put together your system) but the plants all look much healthier and more vibrant. I'm probably using  about 1/3 less water than I did last season, but with much better coverage and precision: No overwatering, no underwatering, and very little water evaporating off the top. 

Here's a closeup shot, showing one of the valves (I put one on each bed):

I'm also really happy with our perennials and fruit trees, and I think the consistency of the drip system is making the biggest difference. The asparagus and blueberry bushes really came to life this spring after getting the right kind of watering.

That's all until next time!

Cheers,

Steve

Leeks are for Braising

Leeks are a nutritious part of the allium family, kind of like onions or scallions but much thicker and with a milder flavor. They're pretty versatile, but until recently I had only used them for chicken stock or potato-leek soup. So when I saw a recipe for braised leeks, I was skeptical. But man, braised leeks have become a favorite around our house (at least for Liz and I -- the kids aren't into them).

Like fava beans, leeks are one of the vegetables that I don't recall ever buying at the store or farmer's market, but which come in our CSA farm share box nowadays (so they're in season, at least in the Bay Area). In other words, I may not have discovered how delicious these are if we didn't subscribe to a CSA (challenging yourself with unfamiliar veggies is one of the best reasons to join).

And if you aren't familiar with braising, then you should be. It's a great way to break down connective tissue in tougher meats (I know, that doesn't sound appetizing) but also magically transforms leeks and other veggies into something unbelievably delicious. To put it simply, you cook them in butter over moderately high heat (about 5 minutes or so), allowing them to get scorched just a little. Then you finish them in a stock reduction, covered, until they're juicy and tender.

This recipe for braised leeks with lemon from Epicurious is pretty great. All you need are leeks, butter, lemon zest, and a small amount of chicken stock or broth.

That's it for today. My next post will be a 2014 spring/summer garden preview.

Cheers,
Steve

Fava Beans: Are They Worth the Work?

When you see them in the produce aisle or at the farmer's market, they're in large green pods. They look less like a food and more like something you'd find on the ground while strolling through a city park -- but with a lot (a lot) of elbow grease, a little butter and garlic, fava beans are super tasty. The beans also pack a nutritional punch: Vitamin B1, manganese, folate, copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and fiber.

There are numerous ways to cook fava beans, including hummus-like purees and as an accompaniment to other dishes. I've heard they also go well with liver and a nice glass of Chianti. Personally, I prefer just sauteing them in butter with some minced garlic. In fact, the simpler the better -- which brings me to the question in the title: are they worth the work?

I guess it depends. I've never gone out of my way to buy fava beans, to be honest, but I always take the time to prep and cook them when they show up in our early-season CSA farm share. To be blunt -- they're a real pain in the ass to shell, blanch, remove from the "second skin," and then cook. What you see in the picture above is enough for a family of four, but it came from pods filling two brown paper bags and took more than an hour from pod to table.

So here's how I do it:

1. Remove beans from pods (you can use a paring knife, but it's not always necessary)
2. Blanch them in salted water for about 5 minutes, drain and rinse with cool water (so you can handle them again) 
3. Using a small paring knife of just your fingers, remove the beans from the fleshy outer skin (usually a pale green color)
4. Saute in butter with garlic, season with salt and pepper
5. Serve

I personally don't think it's always worth putting in this amount of time for a side dish, but you really ought to at least find out for yourself. They are tasty.

Thanks for reading,

Steve

Gobi Manchurian: Cauliflower as Decadent Street Food

This recipe comes from Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian," and I highly recommend "How to Cook Everything" for the basics of cooking. Gobi Manchurian is a popular street food in Calcutta's Chinatown, blending Indian and Chinese cuisine. Even if you insist you don't like cauliflower, you gotta try it. It's sweet and spicy, with a crispy batter not unlike western "Chinese" food staples such as lemon chicken (but this is much better).

Most of what I'll be sharing on this blog is at least partially seasonal. The cauliflower came in our CSA farm share box, grown in Freedom, Ca. (Santa Cruz County).

Okay, so here's what you'll need to gather:

• Grapeseed, corn, or other neutral oil for deep frying
• 3 eggs
• 2/3 cup cornstarch
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 large (or 2 small) heads of cauliflower, cored, trimmed, separated into florets
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 cup ketchup (use good quality organic ketchup -- this is important)
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or paprika, if you prefer a milder taste)

And here's how you make it:

1. Heat at least 2 inches of oil in a deep pan (I use a wok) and turn temperature to medium-high (350 degrees, give or take)
2. Beat eggs with corn starch until blended; add salt and pepper; stir in cauliflower florets until they are evenly coated.
3. Fry cauliflower until florets are a golden color, with some brown mottling (maybe 5 minutes or so), and transfer to paper towels to drain. Fry in small enough batches to prevent crowding in the pan.
4. Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a large pan and add the  garlic, cooking it for a couple of minutes; add ketchup and stir for about 5 minutes, until sauce thickens and begins to caramelize at the edges; add cayenne (or paprika) and then toss fried florets in with the sauce, mix until coated evenly, and serve. 

You can serve this with rice, something green and light (like a salad or steamed broccoli) to counterbalance the heaviness of this dish, and a protein of some kind. Or, you can eat it Calcutta-style, with toothpicks. Enjoy!

-Steve

Welcome to My Blog: Let's Get Things Started with a Perfectly Roasted Chicken

Okay, maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself. Obviously there's not much to look at just yet since this is the very first post; and really, do we need yet another food blog? I'll let you decide. This blog will cover gardening, cooking, and eating in general. I'll share my triumphs (and failures) both in the garden and in the kitchen. Most of what I do in the kitchen these days is intended to satisfy the whole family, which includes my wife and two young kids (3 and 7).

Everyone's gotta eat, so let's have some fun with it.

First, Some Background

I began writing about gardening and vegetarian cooking through my Veggie Dad Cooks blog several years ago but abandoned it once I started writing multiple blogs a day for my job. Now that I'm no longer burned out at the end of the day, I decided to reboot the blog. We're no longer a vegetarian family but I have eliminated wheat/gluten from my diet (except for beer -- because life's too short).

We subscribe to a CSA farm share and also grow some of our own veggies, so get ready to learn about some not-so-common veggies and what to do with them. While I used to cook elaborate Thai and Indian dishes, I simply don't have much time for that these days. And besides, the main goal is to keep everyone (i.e. fussy kids) happy while getting dinner on the table quickly after getting home from work. 

So let's get started.

Thomas Keller's Very Simple (and Very Delicious) Roasted Chicken Recipe

This is the absolute best roasted chicken recipe I have ever tried. It's extremely simple and doesn't involve basting whatsoever. It's at Epicurious and was the winning recipe from Buzzfeed's Ultimate Roast Chicken Tournament, so I'm just the messenger. 

The great thing about roast chicken is that it's versatile and inexpensive -- and we always buy organic, free range chickens. We'll have roast chicken with veggies the first night, and then perhaps chicken tacos, chicken fried rice, egg drop soup, chicken salad, or any number of simple follow-up dinners (I'll share some ideas for roast chicken in a future post).

Ingredients:

• 1 whole, organic, free-range chicken
• Paper towels (this is important)
• Kosher salt
• Cooking twine (about 3 feet in length)

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 450 F.
• Using paper towels (I usually rip several sheets in advance and place some on the counter, underneath the bird), dry the chicken completely, both inside and out. Steam is your worst enemy, causing the flesh of the chicken to dry out but leaving the skin rubbery. 
• Liberally sprinkle kosher salt and pepper inside the bird's cavity.
• Truss the bird with the cooking twine, making sure the cavity is closed as much as possible.
• Liberally sprinkle kosher salt all over the outside of the bird, making sure to rub it into tight spots (I usually "make it rain" in order to get adequate coverage) -- about 1-2 Tablespoons.
• Place bird on a roasting pan in the middle of the oven and leave it alone for about one hour. Feel free to check on it before then (cooking time will depend on the size of the bird), but DO NOT baste your chicken! This will result in steam and will undermine the recipe.
• When it's done, a meat thermometer placed in the thickest part of the thigh should read 165 F.
• Let the chicken rest for about 15 minutes on a pan or plate, at which point you may baste it with butter and/or juices from the roasting pan.

You'll be surprised how delicious and juicy this is (with perfectly crisp skin), and wonder why you wasted so much time prepping and basting your chicken before. 

Until next time, enjoy!

-Steve