planting

#1 Growing

Our cilantro has all flowered and faded. We’re left with the seedheads. And, while coriander is a pantry staple, I’m more excited about the possibility of more cilantro this fall. The plant does better in cooler weather anyway, right?

I’m attempting the trick we learned from Ros of starting seeds in plastic bottles. I took a couple of water bottles out of the recycling, found a flatter circle going across the diameter and used it as a guide to cut them in half. Bottom half got a handful of potting mix. Four to six seeds poked in with a chopstick. Splash of water. I cut a slit at the top of the base so I could squeeze it together and put the top half of the water bottle back on top. Voila window sill greenhouse.

Next question, will we get sprouts? Tune back in 7-14 days.

#2 Fermenting

We decided to take the CSA jalapenos and try fermenting a hot sauce. Here’s what went in the jar:

340 grams jalapenos

35 grams red onion

140 g wrinkly blueberries (I’ve been putting the mushy berries in the freezer. This seems like the right use for them)

~1 gram of coriander seed from the garden (That which did not get planted)

3% brine

Dash of brine from last year’s fermentation

Waiting a week, or two, to see how it tastes.

#3 Cooking

Enough of the volun-beans have dried on the vine that I can cook with them as a dry bean. I took a half cup of beans, covered them with water, added some dried rosemary, salt, and pepper corns. It’s been simmering on the stove for a while now. To be fair, I didn’t give them any soaking time. That’s supposed to be the great equalizer of beans. I figure we know these dried beans are fresh.

They’re not done yet, but the ones I’ve tested seemed nice. Trying again in, let’s say, 7-14 minutes.

#4 Reducing

Recipes for canning tomatoes start with at least a few pounds of tomatoes. Although our harvest is coming in quicker than our consumption, we haven’t amassed that much. But since the collection on the counter is all paste tomatoes and since some of them were starting to pass their peak, I’m trying my hand at making a paste. Mostly following the conserva recipe from Six Seasons. Cut them up, put them in the dutch oven with a put of olive oil. Currently they’ve cooked to sauciness. Next step is to dig out the food mill and use it to separate the seeds and the skins. (And yes, I’m going to try making tomato skin salt.) Then keep up the low and slow cooking. Decision here, maybe 7 hours. Who doesn’t love a theme?

Before: Blurry photos from an email before we saw the plot.
After: The view today. Clearer and cleaner. Still at the beginning.

June 9, 2021

Dear John,

“We have a garden plot!”

Three Fridays back you happily announced that we had an email that there was a plot available and we were, finally, at the top of the waiting list.

Saturday morning, we went to look at the plot and started weeding. The member coordinator said it’d be a lot of work, and they’d keep us at the top of the waitlist if we couldn’t commit. I was a little hesitant, but knew that we’d waited long enough.

We weeded. Left the volun-beans alone. Pruned rosemary. Cut and dried oregano (so much oregano). Uncovered a tomato plant. Identified dill. Harvested onions that were no longer underground. Took pictures to try to determine if that sprout is a squash. The algorithm says 40% sure it’s a melon. We haven’t pulled it yet.

It took a ten days to get the wood to rebuild.* A few more weekdays to assemble and fill with soil.

Meanwhile, we plotted about what to plant, interviewing your mom about square foot gardening and looking through websites that sell heirloom seeds. It’s late to start from seeds here, so we asked around until we found a source for ground cherry and tomatillo seedlings. While we were there, we picked up heirloom tomatoes–cherry, roma, and beefsteak–and peppers–both hot and sweet. Basil and cilantro and Mexican mint marigold and basil. Eggplant and cucumber.

By this Sunday, we had everything in the ground.

Now we water and wait. And keep weeding.

Love,

~Sarah

Then: Weeds and mystery.
Now: Beans, tomatoes, basil.

Produce This Week

We’re still working on cutting back the oregano and rosemary. I expect they won’t thrive as much in the humidity of summer.

It’s worth stopping by the berry bramble as you leave the garden. When I looked yesterday the raspberries were darkening from pink to purple. Soon, they promise. Soon.

Plans For the Produce

There’s more of the herbs than we can use right now, so they’re getting dried. Honestly, a peanut butter jar filled with oregano is more than we will use in the coming year, so we’re already on mission give things away. For the herbs, I’m thinking we’ll package them in snack bags and offer them at the food pantry.

I don’t expect any more of the onions to need to be pulled. But if I’m wrong, they’ll probably end up getting chopped and tossed in the jar with the others already quick pickled. Check the recipe on Budget Bytes if they need more brine.

*I have a full on rant about how in a community garden the physical structure of the raised beds, and the soil to fill them should be community maintained over the fall/winter. Rather than putting the full cost and labor on whoever is the unlucky plot sharer who happens to get the plot in a year when it needs to be rebuilt. And, honestly, I think I’d still have this opinion even if lumber prices weren’t rocketing up.

Planning Inside The Box

Experimentation