Showing posts with label post. Show all posts
Showing posts with label post. Show all posts
Thursday, April 10, 2014
First Spring Garden Post
Well, here it is; the first post about the spring gardening season. Yeah. Well... not too much to say besides the obvious: this is already shaping up to be a very different season than last year.
We got 2 beds of peas planted in the week between the main snow melting and this incoming batch of snow. One is here, in the lower "wet" beds. We covered it with light row-cover cloth in the hopes of both keeping it a little warmer and keeping the rabbits out. The deer fence we installed last year seems to be working very well. We have not seen any signs of deer in the yard in the last few months at all. Rabbits are another story though, and the veggies in the wet beds are particularly susceptible, being closer to their woodland home.
I was feeling like this was waaaay later than last year for planting peas, but in fact its only 3 weeks later. Only 3 weeks, but its still very cool compared to last year when we were working in short sleeves.
Its also a lot wetter than last spring. Last year we had hardly any snowcover and had to start watering right from the start. This years snow was not epic by any means, but there was a reasonable amount, and its been raining off and on this spring so we are off to a much better start in terms of water. Of course, we always have this one spot that sits as a puddle of water all through the spring after the snow melts. I dont know how to get rid of it or even if I should try.
A couple of years back we got our hands on an old ice-cream freezer which no longer works. We always intended to use it as a mini-greenhouse, but this is the first time we have filled it up and planted it. Last year there just didnt seem too much point, given how hot it got so fast.
Inside it, weve planted lettuce, broccoletto (new to us; dont know what its like, except that its a fast grower), baby bok choy and vivid choy, also new to us, but a chinese green with bright coloured stems. These are all fast growers and I hope they will provide us some fresh greens while we wait for things to get moving in the main garden.
Weve started sprouting some of our sweet potatoes. This is a bit earlier than last year, when we didnt start them until about the 20th of April. This year we started them in late March, a month earlier, which I think is much better timing. If it doesnt start warming up soon though, theyll have to go out under hoop-houses to get them growing in June.
Tomatoes are all up and growing nicely. Weve gone overboard, as usual. Peppers are much slower and spottier and I worry that we wont have enough. I worry about that every year, but we always have plenty.
Were growing a lot of onions this year. In addition to 5 named varieties, we are growing an unknown type of multiplier onion, some of our own saved seed from several varieties I let go to seed together, and seeds from both of the shallots that crossed with each other. And leek seed, which we got from Turkey.
The other thing I have big plans for this year is melons. I worry though, that if the bugs are half as bad as last year, they may not work very well. Last year was perfect melon growing weather, which is partly why I got so excited about them. The bugs, though; the bugs... our harvest was not nearly as good as it should have been because of them. I hope the colder winter has managed to cut them down to manageable levels this year. At any rate we will be planting all the cucurbits (melons, squash and cucumbers) at the end of the month - they grow quickly, should go out later than the tomatoes, and be smaller plants when they go.
And thats about it for the moment. Were trying to wrap up a few indoor projects before things really get going outside, but other than that were just waiting around for the weather to warm up. Wed be happy to have that happen any time now... waiting... waiting...
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
THREE RECIPES IN ONE POST
THREE RECIPES IN ONE POST
I have not posted anything for almost 2 weeks. Though I was taking photographs of any new dishes I made, I hardly had time to post them. Maybe my New Year resolution should be to be post as many recipes as I can and be in touch with my friends’ blogs. I have a recipe with fava bean, a cabbage soup, and the recipe for the banana nut cake which I had posted previously. Now for the dishes:
FAVA BEAN CURRY WITH METHI LEAVES
I have been trying all varieties of beans available in the supermarkets and I like the taste and texture of some beans. Fava beans are one such. It has a mild buttery taste that is perfect for gravies and dry curries. Any amount of spices can be added while cooking them as its taste balances quite well with the heat level. I have made a dry curry here to go with rice. The same curry can also be made into a gravy, just switch off the stove before the curry becomes dry and you have an excellent side dish for rotis.
INGREDIENTS:
Fava beans, 1 cup, soaked overnight, even canned beans can be used here.
Methi leaves, 1 big bunch.
Onion, medium-sized ones, 1.
Chili powder, 2 teaspoons.
Coriander powder, 1 teaspoon.
Ginger-garlic paste, 1 teaspoon.
Fennel seeds, 1 teaspoon.
Garam masala, 1 teaspoon (optional).
Salt as per taste.
PREPARATION:
Cook the soaked beans until they are tender. The beans can be cooked over stove top for an hour or with a pressure cooker for up to 4-5 whistles. Wash the methi leaves and chop them finely. Dice the onions. Heat a pan with some oil. When the oil is hot enough, add the chopped onions and sauté for a minute until it turns brown. Then add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté for another minute. Now add chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala, fennel seeds and fry everything well under low flame for a minute. Add 1 cup of water to the mixture along with the cooked beans and salt as per taste. Cook closed for 8-10 minutes until the curry is dry. Now add the chopped methi leaves and cook for 2 more minutes and switch off the stove. Serve hot with rotis and rice.
SAVOY CABBAGE SOUP
This is a soup that I make sometimes for dinner to go with dinner rolls or garlic bread. I love the texture of savoy cabbage in soups. It gives a delicate flavor to soups than regular cabbages. I have used only the cabbage in this soup. If needed, any vegetables like carrots, green beans, or zucchini can be here added. While making soups, I add sea salt instead of regular table salt. The taste of sea salt takes the soup to a whole different level. Here goes the recipe:
INGREDIENTS:
Savoy cabbage, 1/2 of a big head.
Red onion, medium-sized, 1.
Canned tomatoes, ½ cup.
Garlic, 2 cloves.
Chili powder, ¼ teaspoon.
Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon, (optional).
Sea salt, as per taste.
Chicken broth or vegetable broth or water, 3 cups.
PREPARATION:
Chop the onion and savoy cabbage into small, fine pieces and keep aside. Crush the garlic coarsely. Heat a pot with some olive oil. When the oil is hot enough, add the chopped onion and cabbage and sauté for a minute. Then add the crushed garlic and sauté for a few more minutes until the cabbage is well cooked. Add 3 cups of water or broth along with the canned tomatoes, chili powder, seasonings, salt and cooked closed under medium flame for 5-7 minutes until the soup turns thick. Serve hot with any types of bread.
BANANA NUT CAKE RECIPE
INGREDIENTS:
Bananas, 3.
Sugar, 1 ¼ cup.
Butter, ¼ stick.
Egg, 1.
Half and half, 1 cup.
All-purpose flour, 1 ½ cup.
Baking soda, 1 teaspoon.
Almonds, ½ cup.
Dry fruits like apricots, prunes, and raisins, ½ cup.
PREPARATION:
Mash the bananas into a fine pulp. Chop the almonds and dry fruits into fine pieces and keep aside. Take a bowl and add the melted butter and mashed bananas into the bowl. Break an egg to the bowl and add the sugar. Mix everything well until the sugar has melted along with the egg and butter. Add the half and half and mix everything well. Sift the baking soda along with the all-purpose flour and add it slowly to the mixture and mix everything. Now add the chopped almonds and dry fruits and fold it together. Grease a baking dish and pour the mixture into the dish. Bake at 350 degrees 30 to 35 minutes and let it cool for 20 minutes and enjoy.
I have not posted anything for almost 2 weeks. Though I was taking photographs of any new dishes I made, I hardly had time to post them. Maybe my New Year resolution should be to be post as many recipes as I can and be in touch with my friends’ blogs. I have a recipe with fava bean, a cabbage soup, and the recipe for the banana nut cake which I had posted previously. Now for the dishes:
FAVA BEAN CURRY WITH METHI LEAVES
I have been trying all varieties of beans available in the supermarkets and I like the taste and texture of some beans. Fava beans are one such. It has a mild buttery taste that is perfect for gravies and dry curries. Any amount of spices can be added while cooking them as its taste balances quite well with the heat level. I have made a dry curry here to go with rice. The same curry can also be made into a gravy, just switch off the stove before the curry becomes dry and you have an excellent side dish for rotis.
INGREDIENTS:
Fava beans, 1 cup, soaked overnight, even canned beans can be used here.
Methi leaves, 1 big bunch.
Onion, medium-sized ones, 1.
Chili powder, 2 teaspoons.
Coriander powder, 1 teaspoon.
Ginger-garlic paste, 1 teaspoon.
Fennel seeds, 1 teaspoon.
Garam masala, 1 teaspoon (optional).
Salt as per taste.
PREPARATION:
Cook the soaked beans until they are tender. The beans can be cooked over stove top for an hour or with a pressure cooker for up to 4-5 whistles. Wash the methi leaves and chop them finely. Dice the onions. Heat a pan with some oil. When the oil is hot enough, add the chopped onions and sauté for a minute until it turns brown. Then add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté for another minute. Now add chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala, fennel seeds and fry everything well under low flame for a minute. Add 1 cup of water to the mixture along with the cooked beans and salt as per taste. Cook closed for 8-10 minutes until the curry is dry. Now add the chopped methi leaves and cook for 2 more minutes and switch off the stove. Serve hot with rotis and rice.
SAVOY CABBAGE SOUP
This is a soup that I make sometimes for dinner to go with dinner rolls or garlic bread. I love the texture of savoy cabbage in soups. It gives a delicate flavor to soups than regular cabbages. I have used only the cabbage in this soup. If needed, any vegetables like carrots, green beans, or zucchini can be here added. While making soups, I add sea salt instead of regular table salt. The taste of sea salt takes the soup to a whole different level. Here goes the recipe:
INGREDIENTS:
Savoy cabbage, 1/2 of a big head.
Red onion, medium-sized, 1.
Canned tomatoes, ½ cup.
Garlic, 2 cloves.
Chili powder, ¼ teaspoon.
Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon, (optional).
Sea salt, as per taste.
Chicken broth or vegetable broth or water, 3 cups.
PREPARATION:
Chop the onion and savoy cabbage into small, fine pieces and keep aside. Crush the garlic coarsely. Heat a pot with some olive oil. When the oil is hot enough, add the chopped onion and cabbage and sauté for a minute. Then add the crushed garlic and sauté for a few more minutes until the cabbage is well cooked. Add 3 cups of water or broth along with the canned tomatoes, chili powder, seasonings, salt and cooked closed under medium flame for 5-7 minutes until the soup turns thick. Serve hot with any types of bread.
BANANA NUT CAKE RECIPE
INGREDIENTS:
Bananas, 3.
Sugar, 1 ¼ cup.
Butter, ¼ stick.
Egg, 1.
Half and half, 1 cup.
All-purpose flour, 1 ½ cup.
Baking soda, 1 teaspoon.
Almonds, ½ cup.
Dry fruits like apricots, prunes, and raisins, ½ cup.
PREPARATION:
Mash the bananas into a fine pulp. Chop the almonds and dry fruits into fine pieces and keep aside. Take a bowl and add the melted butter and mashed bananas into the bowl. Break an egg to the bowl and add the sugar. Mix everything well until the sugar has melted along with the egg and butter. Add the half and half and mix everything well. Sift the baking soda along with the all-purpose flour and add it slowly to the mixture and mix everything. Now add the chopped almonds and dry fruits and fold it together. Grease a baking dish and pour the mixture into the dish. Bake at 350 degrees 30 to 35 minutes and let it cool for 20 minutes and enjoy.
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