Here is the salsa verde recipe from Farmgirl:
Makes about 3 pints
Recipe may be doubled; increase cooking time by 10-15 minutes
2 lb. green tomatoes, cored and chopped
1 lb. white or yellow onions, chopped
3/4 lb. sweet red peppers, cored and chopped
1/2 lb. tart cooking apples, such as 'Granny Smith', cored and chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon kosher or sea salt
4 jalapeno peppers, cored, seeded if desired, and finely chopped
2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
Combine the tomatoes, onions, peppers, apples, garlic, vinegar, and salt in a large,nonreactive saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about an hour.
Stir in the jalapenos, cilantro, and cumin and simmer for 5 more minutes. Carefully puree the mixture using a stick blender until still somewhat chunky.
If canning, return the pureed relish to a boil, then ladle the hot mixture into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Process 15 minutes in a boiling-water canner. Store in a cool, dark place.
And this is what I do if I'm not canning:
1. Throw all the green tomatoes in a huge pot.
2. Add enough vinegar and water to get them simmering.
3. Add whatever onions you have lying around. Garlic, maybe a handful of cloves? A few green apples. The tarter the better.
4. Chop a sweet pepper if you have one.
5. Dump in about 6 seeded and cored, chopped jalapenos. Maybe more?
6. When everything is mushy, stick-blender it (or pour it into the blender in batches).
7. Bring to a boil again, add lots and lots of cumin. Some salt. Some chili powder, maybe.
8. Simmer a while. Let it cool down. Pour it into freezer containers and hoard it away!
Showing posts with label garden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label garden. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Thursday, August 4, 2011
64. Summer Garden
We left town for 5 days. Only lost one basil plant, a poorly placed container, not enough dirt to support a good sized basil. Everything else survived.
No tomatoes. I have heard lots of theories, but since it's affecting everyone I know, I'm going to blame the heat. I read something about how fruit won't set if the night temperatures don't get consistently below 75 degrees. Well, it's laughable these days because I don't think we've seen a seven in the tens place in a month? Today is the first morning it felt, well, normal, outside since the 4th of July parade.
So the Russian tomatoes, I can see why they're suffering. The Ozark Pink kind of ticks me off--it's from even further south than we are. Ah well. Some years are not tomato years. At least everyone is having trouble so I don't sit here worrying about my dirt or my watering procedures.
I had 4 bean plants that are spent now, but enough beans to freeze and eat over several meals. Peas of course are gone but they were fun, too. And the lettuce! Cilantro bolted I think the moment it sprouted, ah well, but the parsley and basil are hearty. Mint, in a separate undisclosed location, is making it just fine.
Now it's cucumbers and okra and jalapenos and small sweet peppers (maybe some variation of banana?). I lost one watermelon, baseball sized, to a water-crazed squirrel, but I have three more about that size, several little ones that may or may not take, and two about the size of Daisy's head. It's the first year for okra and watermelon. Both plants are kind of scary. The watermelon, if I didn't train it back and up the fence each day, would have covered my back gate by now. And the okra has huge leaves and fruits (I planted a cultivar that doesn't get stringy or woody even at 6 inch fruits).
I make pesto early next week. Tomato sauce? I bought 20 pounds of "seconds" from the CSA. Just freezing it this year. And we'll see about pickles. Looks likely.
No tomatoes. I have heard lots of theories, but since it's affecting everyone I know, I'm going to blame the heat. I read something about how fruit won't set if the night temperatures don't get consistently below 75 degrees. Well, it's laughable these days because I don't think we've seen a seven in the tens place in a month? Today is the first morning it felt, well, normal, outside since the 4th of July parade.
So the Russian tomatoes, I can see why they're suffering. The Ozark Pink kind of ticks me off--it's from even further south than we are. Ah well. Some years are not tomato years. At least everyone is having trouble so I don't sit here worrying about my dirt or my watering procedures.
I had 4 bean plants that are spent now, but enough beans to freeze and eat over several meals. Peas of course are gone but they were fun, too. And the lettuce! Cilantro bolted I think the moment it sprouted, ah well, but the parsley and basil are hearty. Mint, in a separate undisclosed location, is making it just fine.
Now it's cucumbers and okra and jalapenos and small sweet peppers (maybe some variation of banana?). I lost one watermelon, baseball sized, to a water-crazed squirrel, but I have three more about that size, several little ones that may or may not take, and two about the size of Daisy's head. It's the first year for okra and watermelon. Both plants are kind of scary. The watermelon, if I didn't train it back and up the fence each day, would have covered my back gate by now. And the okra has huge leaves and fruits (I planted a cultivar that doesn't get stringy or woody even at 6 inch fruits).
I make pesto early next week. Tomato sauce? I bought 20 pounds of "seconds" from the CSA. Just freezing it this year. And we'll see about pickles. Looks likely.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
61. Harvest
*Just a handful of potatoes. Enough for a big potato salad, or for two dinner side dishes. Mystery why they didn't work. I'm just starting them over for the first time so I have years ahead of me to figure out. Plus, besides the work, they were free, so I'm not too upset.
*Carrots. Oh my goodness why didn't anyone tell me about homegrown carrots? Like tomatoes, they are amazingly better than store-bought (in comparison, basil is the same either way, just cheaper at home; cucumbers just taste like cucumbers but in more volume, etc). These carrots are little ones, purposefully, although I picked some of them early and they were teeny. But all of them are so so good. They are now the fridge snack for the week. And I'm planting more tomorrow.
*First of the sweet peppers. I've never been great at growing sweet peppers but I have two little ones in the harvest bowl in the fridge. Hmm.
*First of the beans. A handful, but I wanted them to keep producing. I may freeze them...or I'll throw them into tomorrow's deer stew. I don't know yet.
*Basil and parsley ongoing--just bits here and there in the cooking.
*Garlic. Heh. I've talked garlic before. My crops are self-propagating at this point. I have three main areas where they grow: inside the "tomato cage", right outside the cage, and along the back fence. I picked the cage bulbs tonight, and a few outside the cage. Their stems were dead and dry so it was time. The cage harvest was huge (cutting the scapes does do something after all). The ones I could tell were first year growth I scattered in the beds for next year but put the rest on the table on the back deck. I'm freezing it this year. I tried dehydrating chopped bulbs but they lost more flavor than I hoped. I know they'll stay good in the freezer. And if the cucumber harvest goes well, I'll have plenty of bulbs for garlic dills.
*Other growing things: the tomatoes have blossoms and I've picked all the suckers. The lettuce remnants are removed and the areas where they grew are ready for something else (more carrots and beans?). Cucumbers are growing and there are teeny blossoms. Jalapenos. And the 3 watermelon plants I took a chance on because Maeve begged? They're wandering around the west side of the yard. Blooming. I may hand-pollinate to be sure.
*Carrots. Oh my goodness why didn't anyone tell me about homegrown carrots? Like tomatoes, they are amazingly better than store-bought (in comparison, basil is the same either way, just cheaper at home; cucumbers just taste like cucumbers but in more volume, etc). These carrots are little ones, purposefully, although I picked some of them early and they were teeny. But all of them are so so good. They are now the fridge snack for the week. And I'm planting more tomorrow.
*First of the sweet peppers. I've never been great at growing sweet peppers but I have two little ones in the harvest bowl in the fridge. Hmm.
*First of the beans. A handful, but I wanted them to keep producing. I may freeze them...or I'll throw them into tomorrow's deer stew. I don't know yet.
*Basil and parsley ongoing--just bits here and there in the cooking.
*Garlic. Heh. I've talked garlic before. My crops are self-propagating at this point. I have three main areas where they grow: inside the "tomato cage", right outside the cage, and along the back fence. I picked the cage bulbs tonight, and a few outside the cage. Their stems were dead and dry so it was time. The cage harvest was huge (cutting the scapes does do something after all). The ones I could tell were first year growth I scattered in the beds for next year but put the rest on the table on the back deck. I'm freezing it this year. I tried dehydrating chopped bulbs but they lost more flavor than I hoped. I know they'll stay good in the freezer. And if the cucumber harvest goes well, I'll have plenty of bulbs for garlic dills.
*Other growing things: the tomatoes have blossoms and I've picked all the suckers. The lettuce remnants are removed and the areas where they grew are ready for something else (more carrots and beans?). Cucumbers are growing and there are teeny blossoms. Jalapenos. And the 3 watermelon plants I took a chance on because Maeve begged? They're wandering around the west side of the yard. Blooming. I may hand-pollinate to be sure.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
60. Daylilies
I fried daylilies last night. I picked a bunch of blossoms and a few unopened buds. I dipped them in a tempura batter:
1 c flour
1 c water
1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
And I fried them. I didn't have enough canola, and so I had to resort to some olive oil, and therefore they weren't as crispy as I would have liked, but they were yummy. So weird.
The buds were the best. I may try them again in other ways. And I hear the tubers are potato-esque. The daylilies in my alleyway are weeds. I like to eat weeds.
1 c flour
1 c water
1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
And I fried them. I didn't have enough canola, and so I had to resort to some olive oil, and therefore they weren't as crispy as I would have liked, but they were yummy. So weird.
The buds were the best. I may try them again in other ways. And I hear the tubers are potato-esque. The daylilies in my alleyway are weeds. I like to eat weeds.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
58. Last of the Radishes, First of the Potatoes
Two of my 12 potato plants up and died. I don't know if I hurt them as I hilled them up, or if they got too dry (a few others looked sickly yesterday and I saved them by watering the heck out of them--that wet spring spoiled me!). So I dumped out their containers and found enough potatoes to serve as a side dish for dinner. I love yukon golds. Especially new potatoes that are yukon golds. Especially new potatoes that are yukon golds that were planted for free and hilled up with grass clippings and compost and cost me nothing but time (and only recently that, frankly). The radishes got chopped into a salad, but the greens were cooked down in a bit of bacon grease and served as well. Radish greens are not Daisy's favorites. That's ok, though, because they happen almost never. More radishes in the fall, but for now they are done.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
57. Radishes
We planted a ton of radishes in the garden this year just to get something going out there before I could plant the things I really like (cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers). They grew. I had never grown more than 3 or 4 before, in a window box, to show Sophia the miracle of plant life back when I was going to homeschool her. I'm just not a big enough fan of radishes to waste precious garden space on them. But this year I decided, through research and gambling, to plant in succession many things one after another. And so the radishes had a place again. We harvested several times, large bunches. There's still a few out there.
And this salad, until I added a few hothouse tomatoes from the CSA, was all from our garden.
Monday, May 16, 2011
55. Garden Update
My potatoes are taller than Maeve. I have hilled them up as best as I can. I will do more later this week. My plan to utilize old chickenwire as a barrier is not the best plan I've ever had. I'm debating how to handle this better. The Urban Homestead book recommends old tires. I don't have any old tires.
Garlic is going strong. Peas have figured out how to climb the strings I've dropped down for them. Lettuce is great. Radishes are all picked and consumed. There might be one or two stray ones out there. I let the girls sow them. I should plant more.
What next?
Tomatoes, of course. I picked up two plants at the farmers' market and later realized they were cheaper than equivalent plants at big box store #1. Wow. So I'll be doing that again this weekend. I have an Arkansas Traveler and a Black Krim. I've done Krims before but they were in one of my FAIL summers, so I'm hoping for better results this year.
Cucumbers, although I'm not wasting garden space on them this year. They'll go in the yard between other plants, grow up the fence in the back as best they can. I have learned the hard lesson of heirloom cucumbers. I cannot make them grow here. But last year I slapped in an older hybrid pickling cucumber and had a ridiculous harvest. This year is slicing cucumbers--we'll pickle what we can't eat.
Peppers, especially jalapenos. And maybe I'll try my hand at something new. Daisy is begging for watermelon. We live, of course, on a postage stamp. But maybe I could give them a try for her.
So far, I'm staying ahead of the weeding. Of course, it's been like living in Scotland the past month or so. Cloudy, misty, cool. It's May 17 and I'm going to wear a sweater when I go pick up the girls.
I'm back, by the way. I don't know if it was a thyroid dip or just recovering from stress due to Mike's travel (over now) or the flood worries or what but I'm getting stuff done again. Which is a good thing, of course, but especially in a house like mine.
Garlic is going strong. Peas have figured out how to climb the strings I've dropped down for them. Lettuce is great. Radishes are all picked and consumed. There might be one or two stray ones out there. I let the girls sow them. I should plant more.
What next?
Tomatoes, of course. I picked up two plants at the farmers' market and later realized they were cheaper than equivalent plants at big box store #1. Wow. So I'll be doing that again this weekend. I have an Arkansas Traveler and a Black Krim. I've done Krims before but they were in one of my FAIL summers, so I'm hoping for better results this year.
Cucumbers, although I'm not wasting garden space on them this year. They'll go in the yard between other plants, grow up the fence in the back as best they can. I have learned the hard lesson of heirloom cucumbers. I cannot make them grow here. But last year I slapped in an older hybrid pickling cucumber and had a ridiculous harvest. This year is slicing cucumbers--we'll pickle what we can't eat.
Peppers, especially jalapenos. And maybe I'll try my hand at something new. Daisy is begging for watermelon. We live, of course, on a postage stamp. But maybe I could give them a try for her.
So far, I'm staying ahead of the weeding. Of course, it's been like living in Scotland the past month or so. Cloudy, misty, cool. It's May 17 and I'm going to wear a sweater when I go pick up the girls.
I'm back, by the way. I don't know if it was a thyroid dip or just recovering from stress due to Mike's travel (over now) or the flood worries or what but I'm getting stuff done again. Which is a good thing, of course, but especially in a house like mine.
Friday, April 15, 2011
50. Potatoes, Peas, Garlic
My garden is growing.
Why am I always surprised?
I read The Urban Homestead over Christmas break and swallowed it hook, line, and sinker. One of their suggestions was one I'd read in other gardening books--garden plants cycle (greens come long before tomatoes long before pumpkins, etc) and so you can start with spring things, thick, and then replace them with summer things that take more space as the spring ones tire out. They also suggested this thick planting could, perhaps, be more fruitful if it were random. Instead of having peas here, greens there, beans in a third location, they put forth the idea that all of those could grow together, thinning things out as needed.
Now, I didn't follow this exactly--just with the peas, beans, and greens. My carrots are separate, as this is the first year they've actually sprouted and I wanted to focus on them to see what they do; my potatoes are in pots this year (and ALL OF THEM have sprouted!!!) lining the path back to the compost pile. And of course my garlic grows everywhere, so that I don't even worry about. But the idea of more of a wild garden struck my fancy, at least with these spring plants. I know where the tomatoes' sweet spot is in the garden, and I know that jalapenos can grow anywhere in the yard so they are a low priority for placement (I'm not going to plant them amongst the tomatoes, I mean).
So the back garden is planted. And it is growing, bits of lettuce and little pea plants and tiny beans starting to poke their heads up out of the rich composted raised bed.
I am already more involved in this garden than I have been in 8 years at least. So I'm hopeful.
A few photos:
Wild Osage Garlic growing amongst pernicious viny weeds. I don't plant garlic--it plants itself simply based on the seed heads I fail to remove or the few bulbs that get left behind in the ground. I LOVE THIS. And it doesn't get choked out by the English ivy or the violets. Stands its ground.
Peas. I planted two varieties and let Maeve plant them so who knows what is where? But I'm so happy to have helpers I can't care too much. We'll see how this goes.
And potatoes. They are bigger than this now, ready to be buried again already. I'm ridiculously happy about this. I had great success with potatoes the one year I planted them, but I didn't again because I didn't want to waste the garden space on such a big plant when there were tomatoes to grow. In old pots by the compost pile, though, they're not in the way. And the squirrels didn't go after the seed potatoes (Actually, they were heirloom potatoes from the CSA gone to sprout) so I'm not too worried about varmints.
Stay tuned.
Why am I always surprised?
I read The Urban Homestead over Christmas break and swallowed it hook, line, and sinker. One of their suggestions was one I'd read in other gardening books--garden plants cycle (greens come long before tomatoes long before pumpkins, etc) and so you can start with spring things, thick, and then replace them with summer things that take more space as the spring ones tire out. They also suggested this thick planting could, perhaps, be more fruitful if it were random. Instead of having peas here, greens there, beans in a third location, they put forth the idea that all of those could grow together, thinning things out as needed.
Now, I didn't follow this exactly--just with the peas, beans, and greens. My carrots are separate, as this is the first year they've actually sprouted and I wanted to focus on them to see what they do; my potatoes are in pots this year (and ALL OF THEM have sprouted!!!) lining the path back to the compost pile. And of course my garlic grows everywhere, so that I don't even worry about. But the idea of more of a wild garden struck my fancy, at least with these spring plants. I know where the tomatoes' sweet spot is in the garden, and I know that jalapenos can grow anywhere in the yard so they are a low priority for placement (I'm not going to plant them amongst the tomatoes, I mean).
So the back garden is planted. And it is growing, bits of lettuce and little pea plants and tiny beans starting to poke their heads up out of the rich composted raised bed.
I am already more involved in this garden than I have been in 8 years at least. So I'm hopeful.
A few photos:
Wild Osage Garlic growing amongst pernicious viny weeds. I don't plant garlic--it plants itself simply based on the seed heads I fail to remove or the few bulbs that get left behind in the ground. I LOVE THIS. And it doesn't get choked out by the English ivy or the violets. Stands its ground.
Peas. I planted two varieties and let Maeve plant them so who knows what is where? But I'm so happy to have helpers I can't care too much. We'll see how this goes.
And potatoes. They are bigger than this now, ready to be buried again already. I'm ridiculously happy about this. I had great success with potatoes the one year I planted them, but I didn't again because I didn't want to waste the garden space on such a big plant when there were tomatoes to grow. In old pots by the compost pile, though, they're not in the way. And the squirrels didn't go after the seed potatoes (Actually, they were heirloom potatoes from the CSA gone to sprout) so I'm not too worried about varmints.Stay tuned.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
36. In process
Bevin is coming over this afternoon to help paint the dining room, or even just play katamari damacy on the PS3 while I paint. Either is fine. We're using Bioshield, a no VOC brand of paint, in white first because we have to prime this room (the current color is a deep burgundy red). After the white is on, I'm going to order a nice medium gray. I hang so many pictures in that room I just want a nice simple background.
We got rid of the vestment cabinet and as today progresses we will move furniture into the spots where I want it for good.
I almost bought a surplus table at a Borders that was going out of business. It was exactly what I was looking for in style, very very sturdy, but as I cleared books off the top, I realized the top was just a very well finished plywood. Nothing wrong with that, except I don't want just plywood. It was the perfect height and length but not quite as nice as I would want in the end. Eventually I want to convince my father to build me a refectory table (aka monastery table). Of course.
The basement is so much nicer. I'm waiting for the dumpster to be emptied Friday before I continue.
Tiny plants are coming up in the garden. So excited.
The girls' room is laughably messy right now. I'm going on a girl scout field trip Saturday, though, so that will have to wait until I'm home. Later.
I did a bunch of mending while I watched Sherlock on DVD (yummy).
I read about chickens again, sighed, and moved on. It is not my time for chickens. It may never be, in fact. But I still read up.
We got rid of the vestment cabinet and as today progresses we will move furniture into the spots where I want it for good.
I almost bought a surplus table at a Borders that was going out of business. It was exactly what I was looking for in style, very very sturdy, but as I cleared books off the top, I realized the top was just a very well finished plywood. Nothing wrong with that, except I don't want just plywood. It was the perfect height and length but not quite as nice as I would want in the end. Eventually I want to convince my father to build me a refectory table (aka monastery table). Of course.
The basement is so much nicer. I'm waiting for the dumpster to be emptied Friday before I continue.
Tiny plants are coming up in the garden. So excited.
The girls' room is laughably messy right now. I'm going on a girl scout field trip Saturday, though, so that will have to wait until I'm home. Later.
I did a bunch of mending while I watched Sherlock on DVD (yummy).
I read about chickens again, sighed, and moved on. It is not my time for chickens. It may never be, in fact. But I still read up.
Friday, March 11, 2011
26. St. Patrick's Day Potatoes
The old wives tale is to get your potatoes in the ground by St. Patrick's Day. That, of course, is a week away, so I'm hurrying outside to get things ready. I'm going to grow them in containers this year, and since potatoes grown in containers are not the prettiest creatures, I'm planting them back by the compost heap.
This sounds like a good plan, except that due to various factors (babies, hypothyroidism being the biggest two), my yard has totally gone to seed. Literally. My trifecta of weeds is: (1) wild violets, (2) morning glory, and (3) Indian (wild) strawberry. An "also ran" in that race would be English Ivy, although when I'm diligent, I can keep that in check and it isn't as ugly as the other three.
My compost heap is in the back corner of my yard. To make this make some sense, here is a quick drawing. The top of the drawing is north. Our house is south. Don't ask me why the former owners built the parking pad this way with the two skinny strips of land on each side. One side is closed in like a chicken yard, which is where we grow crops that squirrels desire (mostly tomatoes). The other skinny strip of land is fallow. At the end is our compost heap. Just north of it was this huge 100 year old mulberry tree that we took down Fall '08. Now it is a 4 foot tall stump, but it's on the other side of the fence.
ANYWAY. That whole strip of land was all English ivy and morning glory vines. Plus some other unidentified weeds and compost bits that the girls didn't get to the compost heap all the way (our compost heap is open, and is made of a 4x4 and 2x4 frame with chicken wire holding it in).
So I spent two hours this morning clearing out that crap. Then I put down all the containers that will become potatoes. After lunch, I'm going back out to fill the pots.
I have high hopes for my yard. I am a different person than three years ago when I stopped paying attention because I felt too bad. I'm planting greens today, too, in the closed in garden. So here's hoping for a good growing summer and that all goes well enough for me and the kids to pay attention.
This sounds like a good plan, except that due to various factors (babies, hypothyroidism being the biggest two), my yard has totally gone to seed. Literally. My trifecta of weeds is: (1) wild violets, (2) morning glory, and (3) Indian (wild) strawberry. An "also ran" in that race would be English Ivy, although when I'm diligent, I can keep that in check and it isn't as ugly as the other three.
My compost heap is in the back corner of my yard. To make this make some sense, here is a quick drawing. The top of the drawing is north. Our house is south. Don't ask me why the former owners built the parking pad this way with the two skinny strips of land on each side. One side is closed in like a chicken yard, which is where we grow crops that squirrels desire (mostly tomatoes). The other skinny strip of land is fallow. At the end is our compost heap. Just north of it was this huge 100 year old mulberry tree that we took down Fall '08. Now it is a 4 foot tall stump, but it's on the other side of the fence.ANYWAY. That whole strip of land was all English ivy and morning glory vines. Plus some other unidentified weeds and compost bits that the girls didn't get to the compost heap all the way (our compost heap is open, and is made of a 4x4 and 2x4 frame with chicken wire holding it in).
So I spent two hours this morning clearing out that crap. Then I put down all the containers that will become potatoes. After lunch, I'm going back out to fill the pots.
I have high hopes for my yard. I am a different person than three years ago when I stopped paying attention because I felt too bad. I'm planting greens today, too, in the closed in garden. So here's hoping for a good growing summer and that all goes well enough for me and the kids to pay attention.
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