Gardener to Farmer

Grocery Gardening on KOIN Keep It Local

Check out my guest spot on Portland's KOIN "Keep It Local" show. Of course, I'm talking about Grocery Gardening...and I do my first cooking demo, ever! (mouse over the thumbnails to find my segment)

Social Media for Gardeners: Podcasts, Forums and Communities

On Monday, I started the first of a two part series on Social Media for Gardeners. The first post includes Twitter, Facebook and blogs. Today's post was originally intended to cover podcasts, forums and communiities. Then I realized I forgot video and photo...so next Monday, I will have a third post with my favorite video and photo sites.

Again, I will start this post with the disclaimer that these are not the ONLY resources out there, just the ones that I prefer. You may find that you like others better. Feel free to leave comments on each of the posts with other recommendations.

Podcasts:

I will admit it, I am biased. I think that the Good Enough Gardening podcast that Amanda Thomsen and I host is the best thing out there. However, I realize some of you might very well prefer something else. There are very, very few that I actually like, so my list is short. But even if you search on iTunes, there just aren't a lot of good quality gardening podcasts right now.

• Gardenfork.tv/Gardenfork Radio
• The Gestalt Gardener
• Ken Druse "Real Dirt"
• Wiggly Wigglers
• Coopette.com Alternative Kitchen Garden
• Nest in Style (a brand new podcast)

Forums:

Forums and discussion sites were precursors to the social networks of today. Personally, I don't spend much time on these sites as I find Facebook serves a similar function. But, if you want to immerse yourself in a gardening-specific experience, this is a good place to do it. Here are some of my faves:

• Dave's Garden
• Garden Web
• Garden Forums
• The Helpful Gardener

Communities:

There are several smaller gardening social networking communities. These can be fun to join and become a part of the conversations. It is a bit like going to a plant lovers meeting without ever leaving your house.

• Vegetable Gardener
• Renee's Community Garden
• Gardener's Index

Social Media for Gardeners: Twitter, Facebook and Blogs

Finding other gardeners online is a challenge, to say the least. Searches reveal little to no usable results and if there is a directory, I haven't found it. So today, I am posting the first of a two part series showing people how and where to find social media sites for gardeners. I will list my favorite sites by category. Please leave your suggestions in the comments section so I can expand to include others as well.

Twitter:

It can be a challenge to learn the culture of Twitter, let alone find gardeners (my user name is @jeanannvk). With Twitter, there is no "there" there, so you have to know how to do your own digging (so to speak). Here are some of the ways I recommend:

• Listorious: This is a great site for finding both lists of gardeners and individual profiles. Just enter search term in the search box and see who pops up...I searched Listorious for "gardening". Click on the link for the results. 
• Twibes: This site is similar in that it can be searched for relevant groups of twitter users. Here's a search on Twibes for "gardening". I found some 57 related groups.
• Twellow: There are lots of Twitter directories where you can search for users in a format similar to the white/yellow pages online. Twellow is one of the most common ones, but if you Google "Twitter Directory" you will find a whole passel of them. Here's the link to the Twellow Twitter Directory.
• Twitter Search: Twitter also offers a search function right on the home page. Just enter a search term and see who is talking about the subject entered. This is a good way to find conversations that are happening right now.

Facebook:

Facebook recently opened their site (in a much broader way) so that searching for others is an easier process. Businesses, authors, botanical gardens, you name it, there is probably a fan page for it. I have a few, one for my podcast "Good Enough Gardening", one for my book "Grocery Gardening" and another for my job "Garden Bookstore".

• Fan Pages: One of the easiest ways to find others who share your interest on Facebook is to join several fan pages. I have a few that I really like: Fine Gardening, Horticulture Magazine, Gardening with Confidence, Organic Gardening Magazine, The National Gardening Association, and the Square Foot Gardening Foundation.    
• Individual Profiles: You can also find other gardeners on Facebook with the search box. Enter the term "gardening" and when the results come up, scroll to the bottom of the links on the left hand side. Click the "posts by everyone" button to get up to the minute results of conversations happening on Facebook about your topic. 

Blogs and gardening have always meshed well together. There are literally thousands of garden-related blogs out there, which is both a good and a bad thing. On one hand, you will never have to worry about finding information. On the other, there is so much out there that sifting through can seem overwhelming. If you want to find my other blogs, like Portland Foodie, you can look at the top of the page for tabs that will take you to all of them. Here are a couple of ways to sift and sort through the rest of them:

• Blotanical: This site has a huge listing of garden blogs. I find this site particularly helpful as a blogger, though it is a bit overwhelming.
• Google Blog Search: Use the Google Blog Search engine to find gardening blogs across the web.
• Technorati Blog Search: Another good blog search engine.
• The Blogs I Read: If you would like a peek at the gardening blogs I read, you can check out my public "Gardening" Google Reader page. This contains all of the posts in my reader from all of the blogs I follow.

 Wednesday's post, Social Media for Gardeners: Podcasts, Forums and Communities, will take us a bit further into the online world of gardening. Stay tuned!

Kale: It's a Sneaky Vegetable

Now anyone who has listened to me espouse the virtues of growing and cooking kale, knows that I am nuts about this particular vegetable. First of all, it is insanely easy to grow...just plant the seeds in late winter and as soon as the ground warms a bit, it will take off.

Unfortunately, many people aren't sure how to prepare kale. I suspect it is due to the sense that it should be cooked like a traditional "green". And while kale can be prepared this way, I think it is a very narrow way to think about it. Personally, I like to think of it as the ultimate "sneaky vegetable". Its flavor is so mild that it adapts to almost any recipe. I have used it in pasta dishes, meatloaf, meatballs, shepherd's pie...the possibilities are endless.

To get your creative juices flowing, here's one of my favorite kale recipes.

Asparagus and Kale Pasta

This dish is a great way to use two seasonal ingredients together. Combine it with a handful of asparagus and a big can of chopped tomatoes and this dish is absolutely full of nutrition.

1 lb ground hamburger

1/2 lb kale, stems removed and leaves chopped

1 12 oz can of diced tomatoes

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Splash of half and half (optional)

1 tbs fennel seeds, 1 tbsp oregano, 1 tbsp basil, 1 tsp rosemary, 1 tsp thyme, and 2 bay leaves

pinch of red pepper flakes

generous amounts of flaky salt and freshly ground pepper

1 package of conchiglie pasta

Brown hamburger and onions in skillet. Drain some of the excess fat leaving enough to prevent burning, omit draining if meat is lean. Add spices and herbs, salt and pepper, sauté for a few minutes. Add tomatoes and garlic. Let simmer to combine flavors and reduce liquid from tomatoes.

Start a pot of water to boil. Add conchiglie pasta and cook according to directions on package. Conchiglie is also known as shell pasta and is great for this recipe. Since this isn't a really sauce-y pasta dish, the cupped shape of the pasta will grab up the bits of veggies and meat really well. To blanch the kale, add to the boiling pasta for the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain.

In the last couple of minutes of cooking, add half and half and cheese. The Parmesan and half and half create a pink sauce...but you can omit it if you like.Add pasta and kale  to sauce. Toss to combine and let stand for a minute or two to allow the pasta to soak up the fantastic flavors. Serve.

Check out Grocery Gardening for more yummy ways to use my favorite sneaky vegetable, kale. And, don't forget to visit Seasonal Wisdom and Bumble Bee Blog to see what they have cooking.

Using Dried Herbs in Recipes

We are in the middle of winter. A time of year when most of us have lost our herb gardens. But, if you harvested and dried herbs from last summer, you can still benefit from their tantalizing flavors. The herb 
section of my new book (Grocery Gardening) shows you how to plant, prepare and preserve the most popular herbs.

I like to think of fresh and dried herbs as being separate flavoring agents. Some herbs are better dried, some lose their flavor, but all change flavors. Oregano, for example, is way too strong for me when eaten fresh. It reminds me of camphor...and the last thing I want is a dish that tastes like mothballs! But dried, it is more mellow, deeper in flavor and a must have base seasoning for many recipes.

I have heard it said that herbs are more intense in flavor when dried...and I have also heard that they are far less intense. Really, both are true...again, it depends on the herb. I will say that with the exception of rosemary, I have never had a time when I over seasoned a dish with dried herbs. I am certain it is possible, I just find that it is far more likely that I under season out of fear of ruining the meal. Don't be afraid to use bold flavors, taste and adjust, taste and adjust.

A few quick tips for using your dried herbs:

• Using up dried herbs in a fairly quick manner is a good idea. They tend to lose their flavor over time. But rather than throw them out, I would suggest upping the amount if you find they are loosing their zest. 
• Some herbs, like parsley, just don't have much taste when dried. Harvest and store those herbs in the freezer for use over the winter.
• Many herbs and all seeds taste better when given a bit of warmth to release the oils. If you are heating up oil as a base for the dish, add your herbs and spices to the oil and saute them a bit. This method works for seeds in a dry pan, too.
• Herbs can meld in the background or step up as prominent features in the dish. Generally, I prefer dried herbs for the former and fresh for the latter.

I would love to know how you use your dried herbs in recipes. For one of mine called Pesto, Meatballs and Pasta, hop over to Portland Foodie. Also check out this week's posts on Seasonal Wisdom and Bumble Bee Blog for more posts on dried herbs...and don't forget to join our Grocery Gardening Facebook page.

Winter Vegetables

For many of us, November signals the end of our vegetable gardening for the year. Frankly, I look forward to this time as it gives me the opportunity to focus on creating new recipes, baking bread, taking naps. Not that I don't take naps in the summer, it's just that I feel less guilty about it.

It really isn't difficult to extend your vegetable harvest to four seasons, particularly if you live in a milder winter climate. And if you live in a place like southern Florida, it is probably a better time to grow edibles. And before you say that gardeners living in the north just can't have edibles all year, let me say that you can. Sure the variety will be less, but many root crops and cole crops can be stored in ground (with the proper covering).

If you want to try growing winter vegetables and you are in a zone that has some form of winter, try thinking about it in terms of extending fall and starting spring early. In order to do that, you need to consider a few things:

• Type and Variety of Vegetables: This means broccoli, kale, cauliflower, carrots, turnips, rutabagas...but it also means choosing varieties of these veggies that are well suited for the cold. 
• Warm the Ground: In both seasons, a warmer ground means edibles will last longer and start sooner. Try using mulch, clear plastic, cold frames and row covers to cheat the weather. If you live in a very cold climate, try storing root vegetables in place with a layer of plastic and about a foot of straw mulch on top.
• Container Growing: Grow vegetables in containers that can be brought into the garage or under the eaves to reduce frost. 
• Greenhouse Growing: If you have a greenhouse, consider using seedling mats to keep plants warm instead of heating the whole thing. It will cost less and conserve energy. 
• Indoor Vegetable Growing: There are a number of systems available for growing edibles in winter. If you don't like the prepackaged variety, buy a set of shop lights and install full spectrum bulbs. Set aside a space in the house just for the veggies. Keep the light up close, the plants warm and the soil watered.

I would love to know other ways to extend the harvest...what ideas do you have?

Composting Fall Leaves

Fall is the perfect time to build up your soil with rich, organic matter. It also happens to be the best time of year to collect one of my favorite organic soil amendments

Harvesting Grapes

Last year, we had two primary problems with our grapes. First of all, there were just too many. You think zucchini is bad? We had pound after pound of grapes. Second, the flavor was weak, not the beautiful, robust flavor of a terrific grape. (We did have an awfully fun time stomping grapes, though!)

With that in mind, I decided to make some major changes in how I handled the vines this year. In late winter, I enlisted the support of my neighbor and whacked back the vines to a more manageable configuration. I have four old growth grape vines that are grown along a trellising system. Here's what it looks like in February.

 

I know, it looks barren...and believe me, after we pruned it, it looked very sad, indeed. Keep in mind that different types of grapes are pruned in different ways. I just whacked mine back, but if you want to know how to do it in a way that preserves next year's harvest, I have a whole chapter on grapes in Grocery Gardening (out in January).

 

Green Grapes Ready for Harvest

Pruning did a couple of things...it kept these largely unruly vines under control...ok, partially under control. It also resulted in fewer grapes. And before you say that fewer grapes is not a good thing, let me say it most certainly is. I simply don't need that many of them...and by pruning the vines and even thinning the grape bunches...the vines direct their fabulous flavor making abilities into what remains. Believe me, the taste difference is significant! There are many fruits that are thinned in order to encourage larger growth and better flavor.

I also decided to wait a full 2-3 weeks later before harvesting. Actually, I am going to harvest this weekend. Grapes are harvested any time between August and October. Last year, in my eagerness, I think I harvested just a tad too soon...which did not allow them to fully mature in flavor and sugar. This year, I was patient...I waited...and waited...and tasted...and tasted. Yesterday, I plucked one of the purple-y black varieties and popped it in my mouth. WOW! My tongue did a little dance...tart, sweet, complex. I could feel the tannins in my mouth. You know, that slightly astringent, dry feeling that is a partner to red wine? 

So, I will be out harvesting grapes this weekend. I wish I knew what type I had (beyond purple and green). I suspect Concords, but they could be wine grapes. I am fortunate to have inherited these when we got the house, so I didn't have to do any of the trellising construction. Though I have reduced the number, there will still be plenty to pick...the question is always what to do with them?

Grapes don't store well when fresh. I fully intend to use my dehydrator on some of them...maybe make jams and jellies. Or maybe skin, remove the seeds, cook and freeze for later use. I have several grape recipes I would like to try, including an old fashioned grape pie...maybe I test that out this weekend. If you have any good suggestions for storage or recipes, I would love to hear it!

Fall Fruit Harvesting and Preserving

Well, I spent the better part of Saturday harvesting fruit from the garden. Sadly, the apple maggots had eaten most of my apples. Next year, I will have to explore organic controls...it is quite a bit of work since it is a large tree. Pears were attacked by scab, but only on one tree, so I will have to address that, too. I think a sulfur oil will work there. I also harvested the Italian plums, but I waited too long and many had already fallen off the tree. Dang it, writing a book in the middle of summer really puts a crimp in my gardening style. And surprisingly, I had a ton of San Marzano tomatoes to harvest. We had cool weather and I thought for sure that fall was here, but we are back up to the 80's and 90's. I may even have another harvest!

All of this harvesting ultimately results in a bunch of preserving. I thought I would share with you some of my methods, in the event you find yourself in a similar predicament.

Apples and Pears: These are great for storage. It just so happens that the varieties I have are low sugar and water content, which makes them awesome for storage as is. I could store them in a cool (40 degree) space with limited humidity and they would be fine for several months. Important to remember that apples give off a gas that causes other fruit to ripen...so wrap them in newspaper first.

However, I decided to make apple/pear sauce, then freeze for fresh eating and baking. It is super simple, just quarter the fruit and remove the seeds and stems. Saute with butter and a bit of apple juice until soft. Whir in a food processor and you have a great storage method. For mine, I like to add brown sugar, molasses, salt, allspice and cinnamon. It makes a great side at dinner.

To freeze this mixture, I spread it out on a tray, add a layer of plastic wrap to the top and freeze. Then, I break or cut it into portions and vacuum seal. Pop it back into the freezer and it will  be fresh for up to a year.

I also dried some of the pears in the dehydrator. I suggest removing the skins, cutting into 1/4 inch thick pieces and sprinkling with fruit fresh. Then set the dehydrator and let it go to town!

Tomatoes: Last year, I harvested, made sauce and canned my tomatoes in a water bath. This year, I did not have the time or energy to do that. So, these are being stored in one of three ways. The first, and easiest, is dehydrating. I just quarter the tomatoes and spread it out on the drying trays. Plug in the machine and presto, dried tomatoes! Then I vacuum seal and store in a dark, cool location.

I also roasted some tomatoes in the oven. I cut them in half, sprinkled with salt, pepper and olive oil and roasted at 400 degrees for about an hour. This really concentrates the flavors of the tomatoes and makes them fantastic to add in pasta dishes. When removed from the oven, allow to cool, then store in vacuum sealed bags and freeze.

Finally, I am making tons of tomato paste. The thing about tomato paste is that it is super easy and can be added to any dish, including store bought canned sauce or tomatoes, to boost the flavor. I clean the tomatoes, cut in half and drop into a large stock pot. It is important to bring this mixture to a boil over medium heat. Add a bit of water to the bottom to get it started, if needed. Then reduce the heat just a bit and let simmer until the mixture is reduced by 2/3. Grab a food mill and use it to screen out the seeds and skins. Pour onto a sheet pan and let cool. Cover with a bit of plastic wrap and freeze. Then break into portions, vacuum seal and store in the freezer.

It ended up that there were so few plums that I just halved them and dehydrated them. I stopped the process before they were completely dehydrated because sometimes that makes fruit to tough for my tastes. But, because I did that, they will have to be frozen. So, as usual, I vacuum sealed and popped it into the freezer.

And in case you were wondering...I have a 7 cu ft chest freezer...which comes in handy! It is already full of berries...which will make fantastic crumbles and cobblers over the long, wet winter.

It is easier to preserve the harvest than you might think. Give it a try and let me know how it goes...

Grocery Gardening

It seems as if it has been a very long time since I have blogged...and though I am normally a summer slacker, particularly as the harvest really starts coming in, I have been absent for a very different reason. This summer, I am co-authoring and editing a new book: Grocery Gardening, published by Cool Springs Press. And in fact, it is already available for pre-sale on Amazon. Click on the above link and it will take you there.

Now, you know I am not one to write a standard gardening book. So while this covers some familiar topics, it does so in a very different way. First, we started by writing the book in a true collaborative process. I corralled 3 of my favorite garden writers and convinced them to try this new style of writing. The fearless gardeners are Robin Riley of Bumble Bee Blog, Amanda Thomsen of Horticulture Magazine and Kiss My Aster fame and Teresa O'Connor of Seasonal Wisdom.

We started with a 60 day deadline...yes, 60 days...which ends on September 1st, 2009. After roughing out the book layout and dividing the work, we started madly writing away. We used an online collaboration tool called Wiggio, which while it wasn't perfect, was helpful in scheduling, file sharing and communicating. I wrote a post about it on Edgy Entrepreneur, if you are interested in learning more.

We are now in the second part of our process, crowdsourcing content. We want you the people to share your recipes, photos, planting tips and other garden wisdom with us. If your content is chosen, you will be acknowledged in the book and will receive an ecopy of my book, Growing Food: A Guide for Beginners. I whipped up a Grocery Gardening Ning for just this purpose. After the book is published, we will keep our little community going so you all can interact with the authors and each other. Please do join and share with us...your participation in the book is what will make it special.

On the Ning site, we have all of the herbs, fruits and veggie listed, as well as other topics/chapters. We also have profiles established, so don't hesitate to contact us...

It is highly likely that you won't see much of me until the book is finished in a few weeks...but keep the faith, I will return...