The Trouble with Brassicas

I planted turnip greens and radishes in the student gardens and was anxiously awaiting their appearance. Well, after a few days something appeared but there were WAY more little brassica sprouts than I had planted seed.  As is turns out there were some cover crops planted over the break and some of the crops were brassicas that has apparently gone to seed. 

I'm not really patient and don't feel like waiting until all the babies get big enough to tell apart so I pulled up all the little guys and replanted.  I did replace them with even more brassicas but this time they were transplants so I can at least tell what should be in my garden plot.

Today I planted cauliflower and brussel sprouts.  The cauliflower should mature in the next 50-65 days so it should be ready by the end of the term but I am not so confident about my brussel sprouts.  Either way, I was in the garden, enjoying the cooler weather that fall brings, hands in the dirt, planting new little babies.

My mouth was watering at the prospect of freshly harvest cauliflower that is to come.  I simply adore cauliflower!  In fact, it's the basis of one of my favorite soups of all times.  I love sitting down in front of the fireplace with a big bowl of cauliflower soup and hunk of french bread when the nights are cool.

The soup is very easy to make and the flavor is out of this world.  I hope you give it a try.

Blue Cheese and Cauliflower Soup

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2-3 celery ribs, strings and leaves removed, finely chopped
• 1/2 to 1 lbs cauliflower, cut into florettes
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (Amish blue is good choice)
• 1/2 cup light cream or half-and-half
• 1 bay leaf (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in large stock pot. Sautee onion, celery and cauliflower until softened. Add broth, milk and bay leaf then simmer until cauliflower is very tender (about 30 minutes). 

Remove bay leaf and puree soup mixture in blender until smooth.  You may need to do this in 2 or 3 batches. Return to pot and add blue cheese, cream, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and stir for 2-3 minutes until blue cheese is melted.  Serve with toasted french bread and garnish with blue cheese crumbles if desired.

 

**note: If soup is not as thick as you would like, whisk together 2-3 TBSP flour and 1/4 cup cold milk.  Whisk into soup and cook for about 5 minutes.  If too thick add additional milk or cream.

**note: evaporated milk can be used in place of cream  

 

My favorite season

The summer heat in Florida is finally abating.  Warm days and cooler nights are here and now begins the time of fall planting. 

My summer garden was full of long beans, okra and peppers.  There isn't anything wrong with any of those crops, in fact they were quite delicious, but I longed for fresh lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes. 

I've spent the last couple weeks planting for fall.  My garden is now full of lettuce, radish, spinach, peas, beans, tomatoes and the list goes on.  I've counted 27 varieties of produce growing in my home garden and I am not finished planting.  I have 420 square feet at home and another 44 square feet at school.  I am very blessed indeed.

Fall is one of my favorite times for planting.  I can have some of my favorite warm weather crops along side of cool weather favorites.  Fall means variety to me.  I love seeing radish seedling peeking out from below my peppers and the cucumber vines shading my turnips.

Interplanting and succession planting are important in my garden.  I have a family of 7 and I don't have alot of space to plant.  Every inch of garden space is precious and I take advantage of crop maturity dates to ensure a continuous harvest for my family.  Planting continues all season long and it's alot more work than conventional farming practices but it is worth every moment I spend with my hands in the dirt.

The garden beds look more like exotic flower gardens than just functional food space.

So, in honor of finally having fresh tomatoes again I am sharing one of my favorite recipes:

Grilled Green Tomato Caprese
 

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (*white or regular)

1/2 cup olive oil

3-4  garlic cloves, minced (or to taste)

1/8 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

4 medium-size green tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 2 lb.)

1 (16-oz.) package sliced fresh mozzarella cheese

1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil (I love the flavor of fresh Thai basil in this)

Preparation

1. Combine oil, vinegar, garlic and salt in a large ziptop bag or bowl and mix well.
2. Add the slices tomatoes and coat them well.  Let sit for one hour.
3. Preheat grill to med-high heat. Remove tomatoes from marinade and place on grill.  Reserve marinade. Turn after 3-4 minutes (thicker slices will take longer).  When tomatoes are tender, but not mushy, and have nice grill lines remove from heat.
4. Whisk basil into reserved marinade. Alternate slices of tomato and mozzarella on a platter and drizzle with marinate.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with French bread if desired. 
*White balsamic is more visually appealing in this dish but I love the flavor of a dark Modena balsamic so I prefer to use that.

A few of my favorite things...

In class we have been talking about National per capita vegetable consumption and an interesting question was asked.  "How do your top 5 favorite fruits and vegetables compare to the National top 5?"

So, here it is, a list of my top 5 and the National top 5:

My Vegetables

• Tomatoes-any color you can think of and eaten any way you can imagine
• Peppers-in my house you will find peppers in just about anything
• Asparagus-especially the thin super tender early asparagus
• Turnips (roots and greens)- the ones we grow here are divine
• Watermelon- I know it's a fruit but according to the USDA it is lumped in with vegetables
• and beans, lettuce, broccoli, radishes, edamame...how can I narrow it to just 5???

My Fruits

• Cherries-I can't speak on variety and I have yet to try Rainier...any comments on it?
• Apples-Fugi, Cripps Pink, just about anything but the Delicious types
• Citrus-I am cheating by just including the whole family
• Pineapple-try it grilled with a little lime, honey and cayenne pepper
• Grapes-except the green ones...yuck!

National Favorite Vegetables

• Potatoes
• Tomatoes
• Lettuce
• Sweet Corn
• Onion 

National Favorite Fruits

• Bananas
• Apples
• Cantaloupes
• Oranges
• Grapes

So what are some of your favorites?

A little about me...

I see the world a little different from most.  When I'm driving or walking around and see beautifully manicured lawns and perfectly shaped hedges, I'm sad.  I think those sun drenched spots should be useful, not ornamental.

Don't misunderstand; useful doesn't mean unattractive.  I just believe there are other plants that should be growing in the place of lawns.  Imagine if gorgeous herb beds took the place of that stretch of grass. If fragrant rosemary framed the front of your home you could enjoy the look similar to box woods but have the added benefit of deterring flies and mosquitoes from your porch  (and door).  Pest control is just one of the ways rosemary shrubs would be a great replacement for the bushes that seem to be the standard in front of many homes.  You can use the stems as kabob skewers when you grill.  More herbs in your cooking translates to more flavor and less fat and salt needed to season your food.

I don't think all ornamentals need to be removed, just used sparingly, as accents instead of the focus.

My grandfather influenced my views when I was a little-bitty girl, barely able to walk.  His backyard was my favorite place in the world.  It wasn't too far from Atlanta but it seemed to be a totally different world. It was full of strawberries, limas, potatoes and a multitude of other vegetables.  Tomatoes edged his house and hens happily clucked around the backyard ridding the area of fleas and pests while depositing fertilizer.  His garden wasn't neat little rows of plants all grouped together, it was an experiment on what grew well together and how to keep it looking beautiful.  I don't remember him ever using pesticides.  Instead he taught me to make friends with the lizards, frogs and ladybugs.  He taught me that marigolds planted alongside the crops kept them healthy. He taught me that nothing tastes better than a strawberry fresh of the plant and warmed by the sun. 

My grandfather has long since passed away but his love of plants, hens and soils lives on in me.  I still have his old gardening hat and shovel and just like him, I always have dirt under my fingernails because I love the feel of the plants and soil and often forget to wear gloves.

That love is why I am pursuing a degree in Horticultural Science specializing in Organic Crop Production.

Gainesville is now my home and has been for a few years.  Raising crops here is different than it was in California, where I grew up, or Georgia, where I spent my summer vacations with my grandfather, but I am enjoying the climate, the variety available and most of the critters that live among my garden beds.