Having Yummy Fun

It's late July and we've worked really hard. We beat back the borers and beetles and slogged through the mud to ameliorate the effects of high heat and intense rain. And now our little farm is showing its gratitude.

I must admit, each time we come home, dog tired and arms full, I feel a bit anxious about the temporary and long term storage of our produce. I always have to look up what goes in the fridge and what stays at room temp, what gets wrapped in plastic and what gets gently cuddled in paper, what gets cooked immediately and what can hold for days or weeks without losing nutritional value. It's a learning curve I just haven't caught the rhythm of yet. Most nights our dinner is late to the table because my attention is consumed by our new arrivals.

Cilantro wrapped and hung to dry the seeds, which become the herb corriander.

I haven't yet had the courage to preserve any harvested vegetables the traditional way - through hot water or pressure cooker canning, but I've blanched and frozen many double portion side dishes and one or two casseroles. Last night I hauled the mason jars, lids, rings, and labels up from the garage. I'm getting ready to take the plunge - tomato sauce? peach jam? roasted red and yellow peppers? I can hardly wait to see the rainbow lined up on the pantry shelves. To be continued...

Basil

Beets, Beans and Banana Peppers

Campari Tomatoes

Peppers on the Bush

Yellow Filet Beans

Kohlrabi

Homegrown Roots!

Two Mostly Homegrown Dinners

And lots stored for the winter

The first dinner is shrimp in San Marzano tomato sauce with local shitake mushrooms, onions and homegrown peppers and herbs from our deck garden. The second dinner is chicken thighs in homemade garlic/basil pesto, yellow filet beans, roasted banana peppers and kohlrabi/apple slaw.

That slaw was our first taste of kohlrabi, which I grew from seedlings purchased at the Mills River Farmers' Market. I planted four of them in a large container on the deck along with beets and parnsips (and one cherry tomato in the middle of all those cool weather plants). The container got part sun/part shade and Mike kept it well-watered. All went well, except some crawling creature did a number on the kohlrabi leaves prompting me to harvest the bulbs when they were still quite small. I understand, though, that the best time to pick kohlrabi is before they go beyond 3". The dressing on the salad was a simple mix of mustard, lemon juice, and a sprinkle of sugar stirred into pillows of whipped cream (a scant 1/4 cup). Definitely worth trying again. I love hearing Mike go "Yum!"