Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Fall Garden Update #4
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Fall Garden Update #3
It seems everything, from my radishes to my kohlrabi is taking a few extra weeks to get ready. But the seedlings started life with pounding rain, too much shade and the onslaught of slugs. Only the strong survived.
The spinach and bright light swiss chard were doing well for a while, but now they’re visited daily by slugs. I set out some beer bait, but it seems a furry animal keeps drinking it up. I can’t catch a break. :-)
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Snails & Slugs Love Beer
During the day you can see the slug slime trails glimmering in the sun, and they often lead to my raised garden bed. Growing up, my Mom used a shallow foil pie pan, added beer, and then the slugs would soon follow. For some reason they’re attracted to the beer. They get a whiff of it, climb in and drown. And by the looks of it, it’s more effective and safer than chemicals from the hardware store.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Fall Garden Update #2
Lesson learned.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
HOW-TO: Backyard Composting
These tips list the addition of fertilizer to your compost to provide a nitrogen source. I’m not doing that. Good ol’ manure will work just fine. Manure is my best friend. It once helped me get an 8-foot tomato plant.
Compost Tips
Laws that limit dumping leaves and clippings into public landfills have reawakened public interest in composting.
Composting is a process that allows naturally occurring microbes to convert yard waste, such as leaves and grass clippings, to a useful organic soil amendment or mulch. Gardeners have used compost for centuries to improve the physical condition of soil and to add some of the nutrients needed for plant growth. Incorporating compost into light, sandy soil helps it hold both moisture and nutrients, while adding it to heavy soil improves drainage.
To produce compost efficiently from yard waste several conditions must be met. The micro-organisms responsible for decomposition need oxygen, water, and nitrogen. Particle size also affects efficiency. The smaller the plant pieces, the more rapidly they will break down. Use a shredder or power mower to chop up leaves and small twigs before adding them to the pile.
Composting Structures
To save space, keep your yard looking neat, and speed composting time, plan to contain your compost in some type of structure. Typical dimensions of a compost pile are 5' x 5' x 5'. Simple bin-type structures can be built from woven wire fencing and metal posts. More permanent and elaborate structures can be made from rot-resistant wood, wire, and metal posts.
Locating Your Compost Pile
Locate your compost pile close to where it will be used so it won't interfere with activities in the yard or offend neighbors. The pile will work best where it is somewhat protected from drying winds, yet receives partial sunlight to help heat it.
What Can Be Composted?
Many organic materials can be composted besides grass and leaves: nonwoody shrub trimmings or twigs less than ¼ inch in diameter, faded flowers, weeds, leftover plants at the end of the gardening season, lake plants, straw, coffee grounds, eggshells, fruit and vegetable scraps, shredded newspaper (black and white print), small amounts of wood ash, and sawdust. Sawdust requires the addition of extra nitrogen; wood ash raises compost alkalinity and may result in nitrogen loss from the pile.
There should be little need to compost grass, since clippings may be safely left on the lawn if you mow regularly and remove only 1/3 of the blade length each time. If you do compost grass, mix it with other yard waste. Grass clippings, alone, pack down and restrict airflow which limits the availability of oxygen that is needed for decomposition.
Some things should NOT be composted. Pet feces can transmit diseases. Meat, bones, grease, whole eggs, and dairy products attract rodents and other animals. Badly diseased or insect-infested plants and weeds that are loaded with seed may not heat up enough to be rendered harmless.
Preparing Your Compost Pile
Build your compost pile in layers. Begin with eight to ten inches of leaves, grass, or plant trimmings. Water it to the point of being moist, but not soggy. Then add a nitrogen source, such as ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, or an inexpensive high nitrogen lawn fertilizer without herbicide.
Sprinkle the pile with 1/3 to ½ cup of fertilizer per 25 square feet of surface area (a 5' x 5' bin). If you live in a rural area and have access to livestock manure, you can use a two-inch layer of manure as your nitrogen source.
You may choose to add a one-inch layer of soil or completed compost over the nitrogen to increase the number of decomposing microbes in the pile. However, most leaves and plant scraps have enough micro-organisms to get the job done without the addition of soil or compost.
Repeat these layers until the pile reaches a height of five feet, watering each time you add new layers.
Liming
It is normally not necessary to add lime to your compost pile to improve the breakdown of most yard wastes. Finished compost is usually slightly alkaline. If you add lime during the decomposition process, it will probably be too alkaline when completed. If your pile contains large amounts of acidic materials such as pine needles or fruit wastes, you might add lime, but no more than one cup per 25 cubic feet of material. Excessive lime application can lead to loss of nitrogen from the compost pile.
Maintaining Your Compost Pile
An active compost pile will heat to somewhere between 130 and 160° Fahrenheit. As the center cools, turn the pile to help speed decomposition and minimize any objectionable odors. You will need to do this once or twice a month. Continue to water your compost pile periodically to keep it moist but not soggy. You can add a little fresh material when you turn the pile, but generally, you're better off beginning a new pile.
A well-managed compost pile will be ready in two to four months in the warm season, whereas an untended pile will take a year or more to decompose. When completed, your compost pile will be about half its original height, and will have a pleasant, earthy smell.
From the University of Minnesota Extension.
Deborah L. Brown, Professor
Department of Horticultural Science
Carl J. Rosen, Professor
Department of Soil, Water, and Climate
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Sunday, August 16, 2009
Fall Garden Update
After a summer of cool weather, the humidity and heat has arrived with temperatures in the 90’s a few times but temperatures are now headed back toward 80.
My fall plantings are made for cooler weather. But back-to-school season is near, and that means chilly mornings are just around the corner. For those that don’t know, I live in St. Paul, Minnesota. And for the most part, we can garden like anyone else. But further North, it’s a lot more challenging where summer temperatures can dip into the 40’s or less. Yikes.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Bird Baths on the Cheap
How about a bird bath for under ten bucks? Here’s a quick, easy and cheap solution to attract birds without breaking your budget. Birds don’t seem to be too picky when it comes to bath time. After all they don’t mind muddy puddles. But instead of spending a fortune on stone, or a small fortune on fiberglass, just use a flower pot saucer.
This saucer was just $5.99. Add some water and a stone for the birds to perch on, and you’ve got a nice bath for the birds. I haven’t seen any birds try it out yet, but it’s just a matter of time. It’s placed right next to a bird feeder and it’s going to be about 90-degrees today!
I would also recommend replacing the saucer each season to prevent any breakdown of the plastic from getting in the bird’s water. There’s a debate over how dangerous plastic decomposition is to people, at least when it comes to water bottles. So I’d like to look out for our feathered friends as well. Just recycle the old saucer or place it under one of your flower pots. That’s what it was made for :-)
Monday, August 10, 2009
Fall Vegetable Gardening
I’m going full bore now that I’ve moved in a new place that’s letting me garden in the backyard. It’s harvest time for a lot of vegetables but it’s not too late for a fall garden, however, I’ve never done one before.
Luckily the University of Minnesota extension has great information online for planting veggies and dealing with pests in this area. They listed a few veggies that should be planted by August 1st, and I bought some seeds that I’d like to try to see if they make it.
I planted spinach, white and purple kohlrabi, radishes, lettuce, bright lights swiss chard and even carrots. The carrot packet lists it as a cool season crop, so we’ll see. But after a week everything is already sprouting. My biggest concern is they may not get enough sun.
Around here I try not to let anything go to waste, and I knew these popscicle sticks would come in handy some day. They came with the caramels that I used for the Snickers Fudge recipe. Now they’re garden row labels. :-)
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Composting in the City
I bought a plastic composter called GeoBin from Home Depot. It’s an open-ended bin that you screw to the size you want, stake it in the yard, and start adding leaves and clippings. I had planned on just getting a small role of fencing to do it, but this looks better. The black color will hopefully help it heat up as well.
I had just bought some corn (one with a worm) from the farmers’ market and couldn’t wait to christen the composter with some husks and cobs. Strange I know.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Raised Garden Beds
I used 2x8x10 foot pine lumber to make a 4x4 foot bed and a 4x8 foot bed. I needed the boards cut in half to make 4 foot sections, but I wasn’t going to pay the store a dollar for each cut. The next best thing was to hope they’d fit in the back seat of my car. My backseat windows roll down only half-way. So I used some clothes to cushion the lumber that was now diagonal in my backseat and resting on my window. About three feet of board was sticking out of my window, but the cops I passed didn’t seem to mind. I also bought 3 1/2” deck screws and a small drill bit to pre-drill some holes.
I measured and cut the boards with a regular hand saw, and then screwed the boards together with the drill. I will say this design is rather rickety, so be careful when moving them to your garden bed. Now if I owned this property, the wood would be cedar and the bed design would be a little more elaborate, but in the end they all work the same way.
Next spring I hope to add another 4x4 foot bed to the left of the 4x8 bed, where that flower bed is now. Then I’ll have three planting areas for veggies, edible flowers and herbs.
Wood chip mulch was on sale at $1.99 a bag. Unfortunately, I had to buy most of my dirt. I found bags of manure/compost at Wal-Mart for $1.34 each, and then found 40-pound bags of topsoil at the hardware store for .99 each. I’d say those are pretty good deals, but nothing is better than free. In the spring, St. Paul has composting sites where you can get compost and dirt for free, but it’s all gone this time of year. So before you buy dirt, check around to see if there’s any free dirt where you live. Or make your own by visiting some local barns. Manure helped my family get 8-foot tomato plants one year.
A few things to know:
Don’t use treated lumber for gardens. They can leach toxins into your soil and into what you’re eating.
You never truly know what’s in city soil. So if you’re unsure about your area, raised beds are a good bet to avoid whatever lies underneath. If you want to be really safe, get your soil tested.
If you can afford it, use cedar to make your raised beds. They’ll last longer and look great for far longer than pine.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Peas on the patio with purple flowers?
I was also surprised by a pea plant with a unique mutation. It has purple flowers!!!
I did a little research online to see what was up, but then I cam across purple-podded peas. I want to grow those!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Betcha Didn't Know! (Peppers)
So I know you all have a lot of burning questions about peppers, and here's the real deal. There are several red hot tips to help you with everything from health benefits to cooling down your tongue after eating something hot. Check it out and comment and tell me what you think!
What makes peppers hot?
Most species of Capsicum contain capsaicin (methyl vanillyl nonenamide), a chemical that produces a strong burning sensation in the mouth. Capsaicin is mainly present in the pepper’s placenta, the white "ribs" that run down the middle and along the sides of a pepper, as well as in the seeds, and it is also unevenly distributed throughout the flesh. The amount of capsaicin in peppers is highly variable and is dependent on genetics.
Sometimes, both sweet and hot cultivars can be found within a type, and even in the one cultivar cool weather, excess water and nitrogen will increase sweetness, while stress adds pungency. The only pepper without capsaicin is the bell pepper.
In hot peppers you can see the capsaicin in the form of a shiny yellow substance on the placenta. A hot pepper can be made considerably less hot by removing the placenta.
How can I cool the heat from peppers in my mouth?
The least effective way to relieve the burning sensation in the mouth produced by peppers is to drink water. Capsaicin, the pungent substance in peppers, is poorly soluble in water, but more soluble in fat, oils, and pure alcohol. Therefore, some more effective solutions may be to cool down the mouth and throat with rice, cheese, buttered bread, yoghurt, ice cream or milk. The good news is that if nothing works, you can be sure that the burning sensation will gradually fade away by itself
What's the hottest pepper in the world?
The hotness of a chilli pepper is usually measured using the Scoville scale. The scale uses Scoville Heat Units (SHU) to indicate the amount of capsaicin present, this being the chemical that makes peppers hot.
Pure capsaicin measures 15,000,000-16,000,000 SHU, while a bell pepper measures 0 SHU. As of April 2006, the hottest pepper in the world is the Dorset Naga. It measures 876,000-970,000 SHU, some way ahead of the Red Savina Habanero Chilli, which returns a figure of 350,000-580,000 SHU. The Dorset Naga is too hot to be consumed directly, so it is used in contact with other food
Can peppers prevent Cancer? What's the benefits?
Several studies at different universities have found that capsaicin, the substance that makes peppers hot, can inhibit prostate cancer. According to the American Association for Cancer Research (www.aacr.org), researchers in the USA fed capsaicin to mice, and this caused the cancerous cells to die off. However, researchers advise that many compounds that show beneficial results in mice may not be as effective in human cancer patients. The evidence is not conclusive, and increasing your weekly intake of the hottest known chillies is not recommended
Capsicum species are an excellent source of vitamin C, and have been used extensively as a medicinal plant in different parts of the world. Some of the health benefits traditionally linked with peppers are their healing effect on respiratory problems, their ability to control and often cure sinus and nasal passage problems, and their power to reduce headaches. The pepper has been used as a digestive irritant, a stomachic stimulant, and a tonic. The plants have also been used as folk remedies for dropsy, colic, diarrhoea, asthma, arthritis, muscle cramps, and toothache. Modern Western medicine uses capsaicin, the pungent chemical present in peppers, as a circulatory stimulant and pain reliever.
How should I handle a hot peeper to avoid the burn?
You should be really careful when handling hot peppers, because they can not only burn your mouth, but your skin as well. The substance that makes peppers hot, capsaicin, is mainly present in the pepper’s placenta, the white “ribs” that run down the middle and along the sides of a pepper, as well as in the seeds, and it is also unevenly distributed throughout the flesh. Therefore, you should wear rubber gloves when handling hot peppers, especially when removing the seeds and the ribs. Always wash both the gloves and your hands very thoroughly with soap and warm water, and never, never touch your eyes, nose or mouth until you have washed your hands and gloves. Dried chillies are less hazardous to handle, but you should be careful all the same.
Monday, May 11, 2009
The Chef's Table at Restaurant Alma
Hey Friends , hope you had a wonderful weekend, I know I did. I had a amazing dinner this weekend a Restaurant Alma in Minneapolis, MN. I was invited by Chef Alex Roberts the owner and executive chef and also happens to be a James Beard nominee this year for "Best Chef Midwest" and let me tell you I got the chance to see why. One of my best friends joined me and once we arrive we were showed to our table and the 
excitement began. The restaurant was buzzing with people and soft music was playing in the background. The menu was simple because it was one page and printed on recycled paper....awesome right...
The place setting was what you would expect at a fine dining restaurant except there was a clay stone that the utensils heads were placed on which was made by a local potter. Fresh flowers in the old glass milk jars brought a since of rustic charm to the dining room. The small and very efficient open kitchen was the center piece of it all. The chefs were busy creating wonderful mouthwatering fare from local farm and markets.
Chef Alex came out to greet us and to let us know a little of what he had in store , an extensive tasting and wine pairing which started with the house made Ricotta cheese with honey, thyme, rosemary and sea salt accompanied by crispy flat bread. It was simple but the flavors married together magically and paired with a California sparkling white wine, it was perfect.
Next up was a grass fed bison tar tar with a radish and herb salad, charred jalapeno, sea salt and aioli. The bison was so very delicate and the hint of the jalapeno lent just the perfect hint of heat to the dish which melted away almost instantly from the cool light aioli.
My friend enjoyed a cool and crispy bibb lettuce salad with lemon dressing, honey, pine nut and ricotta salada. He said it was awesome the way the lemon dressing and the cheese married together and just a bit of crunch from the fresh pine nuts. A glass of Pinot Grigio paired wonderfully with the next course, a caramelized onion and buckwheat crepe with smoked portobello mushrooms, brie fondue and dried fruit preserves. This was great, imagine the light delicate crepe with perfectly smoked portobello and the creamy warm brie fondue and just a touch of sweet from the preserves it went together like those few ingredients where meant to be grown and raised together and it was only natural that they stayed together.
The highlight of the night for me, after the chef presented us with a few more magnificent dishes, was the ever so slowly roasted short ribs that he paired with a spicy carrot puree, braised Swiss chard and crispy shallot. I have eaten and work at a lot of award winning restaurant that prepared short ribs and I have to say honestly that this was one of the most amazing preparation of it I have had. It was awesome, perfectly cook, just melted away on the tongue. The carrot puree was sweet naturally and just a little spice which complimented the exotic spices of the short rib. Then the perfect sweet crunch of the shallot was just the extra texture the dish needed.
I can't say enough about the evening it was great. Good friend, great food, perfect wine selections is a recipe for an award winning night. My friend who joined me said it changed his thinking of what great food is, which is the perfect compliment to any chef! Thanks Alex!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Top 10 Farm to Table Restaurants - 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Eat the Spring!
broccoli*, carrots, cauliflower, cucumber, jersey royal new potatoes*, leeks, lettuces & salad leaves, onions, potatoes (main crop), purple sprouting broccoli, radishes*, rhubarb*, rocket*, samphire, salsify, spinach*, spring onions*, watercress*, wild nettles*
FRUIT
bananas*[i], kiwi fruit*[i], lemons[i], oranges[i], passion fruit[i]
HERBS, FLOWERS, FUNGHI, NUTS
basil, chervil, chives*, coriander, dill, mint, mushrooms (cultivated), parsley (curly), parsley (flat-leaf), sorrel*
MEAT
beef, chicken, lamb, pork, rabbit, turkey, wood pigeon*
FISH & SEAFOOD
cockles*, cod*, coley, conger eel, crab*, dab, Dover sole, eel, john dory*, langoustine, lobster, mackerel, mussels, oysters, prawns, salmon*, scallops, sea bass*, sea trout*, shrimp*, whelks, whitebait*, winkles
Thursday, April 2, 2009
BIN 36 - Chicago
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Wine with Game
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Herb of The Day -Parsley
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Elegant Valentines Day Dinner Made Simple...Bon Apetite!
=INGREDIENTS
4 veal shanks, about 1 pound each
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 can (14.5 ounces) low-salt chicken broth
1 can (14.5 ounces) whole tomatoes, crushed with fingers, with juices
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1-1/2 tablespoons parsley (can be omitted if using the gremolata)
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional Gremolata
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
Preheat oven to 350° F. Season the shanks with salt and pepper. Dust lightly with the flour. Heat an ovenproof sauté large enough to hold the shanks in one layer over high heat. Add the olive oil and heat. Add the shanks and cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and reduce heat to medium-high. Place the onions, carrots, celery and peppers in the pan. Sauté until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté one more minute. Pour in the wine and broth. Return heat to high and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the lemon juice, tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme, marjoram, the 1-1/2 tablespoons of parsley and additional salt and pepper. Cook, uncovered, until reduced by about one-third. (There should be enough liquid to come about half way up the sides of the shanks.) Return the shanks, and any accumulated juices, to the pan. Cover tightly and place in oven. Cook until the meat is very tender and starting to fall off the bones, 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Remove the shanks from the pan. Cook the sauce over high heat until reduced as desired. Mix together the Gremolata ingredients; add to the sauce and stir well to combine. Serve the shanks, spooning some sauce over each.
Creamy Polenta
Ingredients
4 cups water
1 cup medium-grain yellow polenta
Method
1 Heat water lightly seasoned with salt to a boil over high heat, about 5 minutes. Quickly whisk in the polenta until fully incorporated.
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3 cups confectioners (powdered)' sugar, sifted
3 cups semisweet chocolate, melted
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until well blended. Stir in melted chocolate and vanilla until no streaks remain. Refrigerate for about 1 hour. Shape into 1 inch balls.
To flavor truffles with liqueurs or other flavorings, omit vanilla. Divide truffle mixture into thirds. Add 1 tablespoon liqueur (almond, coffee, orange) to each mixture; mix well.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Stay warm and Eat the Season - Potato and Leek Soup
If your looking for something to keep you warm during this deep freeze many of us are experiencing in the country, why not cook up a warm, hearty and fresh potato and leak soup. This recipe is great for winter as a warm soup and it's also great during the warmer months as a cold soup. Potato and leek soup isn't only versatile but is very delicious and flavorful. I made a nice pot of it yesterday and it was just great! - Tre'
Ingredients:
1 pound russet potatoes (peeled and cubed)
2 cups chicken stock (or use vegetable stock)
1 large leek
1 cup celery (sliced)
1 cup Swiss chard (washed and chopped)
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups sweet potato (peeled and cubed)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper (ground)
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (ground)
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions:
In a medium saucepan combine the cubed russet potatoes and 1 cup of the chicken stock. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. simmer, covered, about 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender; do not drain. Cool slightly. Transfer potato mixture to a blender container or food processor bowl. Cover and blend or process until smooth; set aside. Meanwhile, wash leeks and chard. Cut leek into thin slices and chop Swiss chard into fine pieces.In a large saucepan, cook leek, chard, and celery in butter for 3 to 4 minutes or until tender. Add sweet potato, the remaining soup stock or broth, pepper, paprika and nutmeg. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Stir in pureed potato mixture, milk, and salt. Cook and stir about 5 minutes more or until thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with Greyere or Cheddar cheese
