Wild Strawberry Heaven

The wild strawberry plants I started from seed last spring are producing really well this year. I had purchased my Yellow and Red Wonder strawberry seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. They grew very slowly in the beginning but took off once I transplanted them out into the garden. The little berries are prolific but rather tedious to harvest. Most of the time, they never make it into the kitchen. We usually just pop them into our mouths as we're picking. I'd love to freeze a bunch to use in a strawberry conserve recipe.

Today should also be the opening day for this year's strawberry picking season throughout much of the state. If it stops raining, we may venture to Parlee Farms tomorrow to do some picking ourselves. I seem to remember them having a particularly beautiful field.

I love the look and taste of strawberry conserve - the whole fruit suspended in the gel are particularly inviting. If anyone has a canning recipe for it, please please please share it with me!!!

Better Late than Never

After a bit of a dry spell, we received some much needed rain today. At times torrential, the parched earth seemed to soak up the excess water like a dry sponge. I always look forward to these powerful late-spring storms as they are usually accompanied by a growth spurt in the garden. And it doesn't hurt that I won't have to break out the hose for next few days.


Today, I noticed that the snow peas were finally starting to make a show of it. By the looks of things, it should be another good harvest this year. I'm looking forward to picking our first crop tomorrow.


My 'Tongue of Fire' shell beans have germinated very well. I love when a bed is filled to capacity with seedlings.


This is my second year trying to grow cauliflower. Last year's crop was a major bust. Boy, they aren't kidding when they say that cauliflower is one difficult veggie to grow successfully. Already, half of this year's crop keeled over and died unexpectedly. The three remaining are still growing, albeit very slowly. I wonder if they will end up bolting prematurely like they did last year.


My three purple sprouting broccoli plants are doing very well. Too bad we have to wait until next year to get a harvest - that is, if we can get them to overwinter successfully.


Several of my beets are starting to plump up. I'm hoping to get a steady harvest well into the fall so I'm starting new seeds every few weeks.


Another of this year's tragedies - only 9 of my potatoes broke ground this year. This from 6 lbs of seed potatoes. About half succumb to disease before I even got a chance to plant them and the rest either rotted in the ground or were eaten by voles. I will never buy expensive seed potatoes through the mail again. I'd rather buy the ones available at our local feed store.


Finally, my cilantro is bolting prematurely again this year. Oh well. I love cooking with green coriander seeds so it's not a complete loss. I have new plants sprouting right now.

This weekend, I'll be sure do an update on our warm season veggies. Until then, happy Friday everyone!

Flowers, meet Veggie Gardener. Veggie Gardener, meet Flowers.

In a lot of ways, I just don't 'get' flower gardening. I think I'm way too right-brain oriented to design a proper flower bed, which is why the one in front of our house laid neglected for so long. This past weekend, I was determined to do something about it. So I went to my favorite local plant nursery and spent WAY too much on what I consider to be the 'sexy sorority sisters' of the plant kingdom. And just to illustrate how much I care, I threw away all of the plant tags without reading them so I can't even tell you what I planted.


Peonies are among my favorite flowers and this one was the prettiest of the lot. I can't remember the exact name though.


And this purple thingy looked interesting so I snatched it up.


I think this is a chrysanthemum of some sort but alas, I can't say for sure.

Ok, that's enough about flowers. Let's get back to the veggies.

Meet Your Farmer

Meet Your Farmer - Broadturn Farm from Pull-Start Pictures on Vimeo.

I've enjoyed watching these 'Meet Your Farmer' videos produced by the Maine Farmland Trust. Aside from the fact that they are beautifully filmed, I think it's important to understand the issues confronted by our local farmers if we want to grow a healthy local food economy. Listening to their stories, it's clear that these farmers are truly passionate about the work they do, regardless of their successes and failures. That in and of itself, in my opinion, is worth rallying behind.

If you'd like to view all 8 short films in this series, click here.

In the Kitchen - Wild Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze

It's been a while since I've posted a recipe on here. This one is definitely worth sharing. I partially based it on Joanne Chang's recipe for classic currant scones. I hope you like it!

Wild Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze

2 3/4 c (385 g) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t kosher salt
1/2 c (70 g) granulated sugar
1/2 c (1 stick, 114 g) cold unsalted butter cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2/3 c frozen wild blueberries
1/2 c (120 g) cold nonfat buttermilk
1/2 c (120 g) cold heavy cream
1 cold egg

Lemon Glaze

1 c (140 g) confectioners' sugar
1/2 t fresh lemon zest
2 to 3 T of fresh lemon juice

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

2. In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt and 1/2 cup of sugar until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Add the butter and beat on low speed for about 30 seconds or until the butter is somewhat broken down but still visible.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, heavy cream and egg.

4. Add the frozen blueberries to the flour-butter mixture and beat on low for a few seconds until they are distributed. Then pour in the buttermilk mixture and continue to beat on low for 20 - 30 seconds or just until the dough comes together.

5. Dump the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and pat it down into an 8 inch circle about 1 inch thick. Use a knife to cut the circle into 8 wedges but leave the round intact.

6. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until the circle is golden. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 30 minutes.

7. Whisk the confectioner's sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice together until smooth.

8. Cut the scones into the pre-scored wedges and drizzle the lemon glaze on top. I like to eat the scones while they are still warm but if you wait until they have completely cooled before applying the glaze, it will harden into a sweet lemony crust after a few minutes.

This Week's Harvest - June 5, 2011

When I look at this head of lettuce, I'm can't help but be reminded of nature's diversity.


Lately, it has become a race to eat all of the spring sown lettuce and Asian greens before they reach for the sky. The cleared space will be replanted with more beans and heat-tolerate varieties of lettuce. Our fridge is pretty much patched with greens at the moment. I decided to harvest all six heads of Napa Cabbage as they are beginning to show signs of bolting. Unfortunately, I had to throw about two thirds of each head of cabbage straight into the compost pile because they were covered in holes and slug poo. I must have found at least two dozen baby slugs when I inspected the leaves. I'm starting to question why I even bother to grow it.

In my experience, growing organic Napa cabbage takes a lot of discipline - more than I have apparently. I've been really bad about reapplying the Sluggo every week. Then there are the cabbage worms. I hate to have my beds covered with fabric row cover but when it comes to most brassica vegetables, I'm becoming convinced that it's the only option.


On the bright side, I think this has to be one of the most finest heads of lettuce I've ever grown. This is an Italian variety called 'Lollo Rossa'. It's pretty mild tasting and the leaves hold up well under the mid-day sun. I will surely grow this one again.


Late this afternoon, I noticed that my Pskem River hardneck garlic had produced scapes. Still no signs of them on my other two varieties (German Extra Hardy and Bogatyr).


I also picked the first of this year's broccoli. These crowns aren't quite as big as the ones I got last fall (probably because I planted them much closer together) but I'm still happy with the results. The plants are already sending up plenty of side-shoots. I have nine plants but now I'm wishing that I had grown twice as many.

What the.......

I'm sure that's what the melons and basil are thinking right now. It's currently 48 degrees F. It got down to 45 last night. It's June for Pete's sake!

Persimmon Dreams

My potted Japanese persimmon tree is doing well. I made sure to amend the growing mix with plenty of compost and organic fertilizer when I planted it last month. So far, I've had mix success growing fruit trees in pots. The only reason why I didn't plant my persimmon tree in the ground is because I'd like to take it with me when we eventually buy our next home (who knows when that will be since we've only been here for 2 years). Plus, Asian persimmon trees are only marginally hardy in our Zone 6 climate. If the winter weather ever gets particularly brutal, I can also stick it in the garage for a few days.


I bought my Ichi-Ki-Kei-Jiro persimmon tree from Stark Bros. The online catalog said that it should begin to bear fruit in 2 - 3 years. The other day, I noticed flower buds were beginning to form on the new branches. I doubt anything will come from them but one can always hope!

Cuba - A Model for Sustainable Urban Agriculture?

I'd read that there was a vibrant urban agricultural scene in Havana, Cuba but had no idea about it's origins or the extent of it's success. Viewing this video, I couldn't help but wonder whether or not this Caribbean city could serve as a model for other urban centers around the world that are interested in becoming more self-sufficient.

I try not to sound too political on this blog but it always irks me when short-sighted public figures (whom I'd never want to share a meal with) are quick to dismiss urban agriculture as some sort of crunchy granola elitist pipe dream. Maybe it's because they've never had to consider where their next meal would come from (a luxury most of us in this country are granted) or they have preconceived notions of farming as a occupation for the lowly. Let's just hope these people never have to endure a widespread food shortage. (I wouldn't want them to raid my veggie garden.) One thing's for sure - As our world population continues to grow, we'll have to find new more efficient ways of producing food in the limited space that we have.

Anyway, what was it that Plato once said? Necessity is the mother of invention. The veggie plots featured in this video and the systems established by the Havana growers are pretty inspiring. Could this model be replicated in your hometown?

Early June Garden Update - Part I

I took this picture shortly after 8:00 PM today. A storm front is moving across our area tonight and tornado warnings have popped up in several parts of the state. Though not as dramatic on film, the approaching clouds have cast a strange yellow glow over everything outside. It was quite remarkable actually.

In this picture, you also get a better sense of how our gardens are laid out. The large maple tree on the left casts a huge shadow over much of yard during the morning hours, and as a result, the side garden (bottom right) gets only about 5 hours of full sunlight a day. My leafy vegetables, legumes, root crops and alliums seem to do fine under these conditions but I grow most (if not all) of my tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, corn and melons in the back garden, which gets full sun throughout most of the day. I'm sure all of us would wish for more sunlight in our gardens (at least I do). Thankfully, it seems all is not lost in part-shade.

Anyway, I thought I'd do an update on how things are growing at the moment. Looking at these pictures, the garden looks rather bare compared to this time last year. Hopefully that will change soon. In no particular order:


Yes! We now have mini-crowns of broccoli. This particular variety is called 'Bonanza', which I grew for the first time last fall. I've been pleased with it so far as it's relatively early to mature and produces plenty of side-shoots. We'll see how it performs in the summer heat.


Hopefully this one will be ready to cut in a week or two.


Despite the cooler than average temperatures of May, my green soybeans (edamame, 'Envy') germinated relatively well - at about 75%. The garden pests went crazy for them last year so I may have to cover them with some netting or row cover this time around.


My bush beans ('Contender' and 'Dragon's Tongue') germinated at about 65%. Some of them emerged from the soil rather mangled-looking. As a result, I had to pull those up and re-sow the bare spots. Beans have never performed well for me. Hopefully that will change since I'm growing a lot more this year.


Since taking this picture, the shell and snow peas have begun to flower. Better late than never I guess. On a high note, it looks like the wire trellis I put up is working out well.


My long beans have taken root and are starting to grow again. I was a bit nervous since beans tend not to transplant well. I wonder how long it will take for them to climb atop the hoop house frame.


It seems to be another good year for garlic. The stalks are tall and fat with no signs of rust thus far despite the mild and wet weather we've had. (I've become obsessed with homegrown garlic so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.)


Finally, I first noticed this little guy last summer. He's about 3 times the size now. I'm not quite sure where he came from but glad that he found a nice place to hibernate during this past winter and decided to stick around. Hopefully he'll find mate and eat his weight in slugs every day.